The Benefit of Joining a Riding Team - with Sam Fox

From fooling around at age three with his friends in a carpark, Sam Fox is now part of Oceanias #1 Continental Cycling team. Growing up with parents who were very passionate about the outdoors meant Sam spent a lot of time getting to know nature. 

Sam began racing locally when he was eight years old and later went on to join The Pathway Squad at the age of thirteen. “Being apart of a team opens up the door to sponsor support which is a huge help at national cup events,” Sam explained. 

Not many fifteen year olds can say they’ve signed up for an Australian Business Number (ABN) but that’s exactly what Sam Fox did! Along with a couple of his biking buddies (and help from the parents) Sam created his very first riding team. “We set it up as a foundation so when the founding athletes moved on to other things, it would remain in place to support up and coming riders.” 

Riding is a dynamic sport, one that requires a lot of preparation prior to race day. “When you’ve got a race on, you need all the support you can get, it’s usually easier to have someone drive you, cook for you and the most important aspect is mechanical support. Mountain biking is a hardcore activity that can often lead to broken equipment so its crucial that you have someone to help you replace or fix them.” 

Sam is stoked to have signed with Bridgelane this year, a team that was founded as the stepping stone for many athletes to go pro. “Being apart of a team has been instrumental to the development of my interpersonal skills. It has also been really nice to have people I can lean on whilst overseas as it can be pretty overwhelming at first – so it's nice to share those struggles with others,” says Sam. 

“When the new Earshots came out I didn’t think they could get any better, the first pair I had were incredible, so for there to be an improvement on top of that was really impressive,” Sam laughs. Sam’s favourite feature on the new Earshots is the epic battery life, to know he can go on a 4-5 hour ride and not have to worry about his outdoor earbuds going flat is really important. “It’s great to be an Earshots ambassador for a second year because I truly believe Earshots are the best earbuds for cycling. Even though it's a business from across the ditch it still feels like I’m supporting a good ol’ local business.” 

 Looking ahead for 2022, Sam is working towards qualifying for the Commonwealth games in August which will be a significant stepping stone that will help excel him to the Olympics in Paris 2024.