Our sponsored young rider, Noah Dizdarevic, is a keen dirt, jump and mountain biker. Here, he tells us how his performance has evolved over the seasons of 2023.
To start off the year, I received my Trek Remedy 8 from Highway Cycles– ready for the wet season, and I did most of my riding at the local step up, getting used to my new bike- it was so smooth.
February was a mix of dirt jump and airbag riding; I got my airbag out for the first time in a while. Me and my friends made massive jumps, and tried lots of different tricks to take to dirt. To end off the month, I did a day at Chicksands on the big bike and a day at S4P bike park- this is where I did my first 360 bar spin to dirt.
Spring commenced with some hard grafting off the bike- I was doing a lot of digging at a local spot- most of this month it was too wet to ride, but perfect to start getting set up.
By April, it had finally started to dry up- it started to get warmer and drier- meaning riding was finally back!
The digging spot was finally done and rideable- so, me and some friends had a day testing out the jumps we had built. The day after, George at Highway Cycles kindly serviced my bike, and cleaned it to look brand new, ready for my trip to La Poma bike park, in Barcelona.
Barcelona was the most memorable time that I have ever had riding, I met many famous riders, including Max Fredrikkson and Andreu Lacondeguy. I also first learnt to flip at La Poma on the airbag, and just took it from there, by the end of June, I was doing them on concrete.
In late Summer, I took the train and a long ride up to Goodwood trails. It was the first time properly riding since Spain. End of the month one of my favourite bike parks opened back up- Radical bikes, they have sick jumps with mulch to practice and a foam pit to learn new tricks.
The day that’ll stick with me from 2023, is 26th June- that day that Highway Cycles sponsored me. I was completely lost for words. The day after, I took my fresh Marin down to Chicksands again, and performed my biggest flip yet, what an adrenaline rush that was.
During the summer holidays, I took my bike down to Croatia and Austria to ride. In Croatia, I rode some lovely pump tracks in the hot sun. On the drive back, I stopped in Austria at Area 47. I had some sick sessions on their airbag, learning some new tricks, such as tail whips and flip no-handers. Unfortunately, I crashed on a trick, tearing several ligaments in my ankle, leaving me off the bike for a while.
Since then, I haven’t properly got back on the bike since, it’s been tough with the weather, but I’m coming back better. I had a day at Rogate bike park, which was my first time being back on the bike, and it got me back, it felt so different on the bike and I had to get used to it, but it was a great day, speeding downhill.
I hope to be riding more this summer, and another trip to Barcelona.
2023 was a great year, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone at Highway Cycles for their support so far.
To follow Noah’s 2024 journey, visit: www.instagram.com/noah._.dizdarevic7/
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