In this episode of Beyond the Bike we delve into the world of Kelly McGarry. He flipped his way to superstardom at Rampage last year over the Canyon gap that most riders were just about making with no tricks involved. For a 6’5″ rider Kelly has flow and style, with his stature comes power but his demeanour towards life harnesses that strength into riding and having fun.
On any given summer morning in Queenstown, New Zealand, before the sun rises and before the town stirs to life, something big is astir. Try as he might to be quiet, big people have big feet and accidental stomping is inevitable. Kelly McGarry is a morning person and his energy is infections. In fact, he’s so raring to go before most people would even consider waking up, that he’s probably the one responsible for reaching over the backside of the mountains and lifting up the sun each day.
McGazza (pronounced with a short “a”, like “McGarry”) is mountain biking’s version of the Big Friendly Giant. At 6’5” he’s easily a head taller than most other guys on the circuit. But with his big height comes a big heart and Kelly is easily one of the nicest, most down to earth guys you will ever come across on two wheels. His wild, blond hair hangs around him like some sort of sunny aura. His megawatt smile and goofy demeanor are always on display whether he’s chatting up strangers on the chairlift, or eagerly anticipating his seventh espresso of the morning.
