South Island mountain biker, Conor Macfarlane, had been on our radar for a while but there’s nothing like turning up at the Teva Slopestyle event in Queenstown and taking second place in a field jammed with talent to make us really sit up and take notice. From there it was a pretty easy call to see if Conor wanted to join his good buddy Kelly McGarry to help fly the flag for the Teva NZ bike team.
Conor was suitably stoked when we popped the question:
“It’s cool to be backed by a company that is so into helping the sport grow and not just make money out of it. Plus I used to go through so many shoes so it’s good to have the Links that are made for biking and last. It also has the perfect grip for dirtjumping!”
Originally from Otatara just out of Invercargill, Conor is now based in Dunedin where he is studying geography at Otago University. Which one can only assume is purely for the benefit of finding the perfect locations for digging trails and building the massive senders he loves so much.
Macfarlane just competed in the Claymore Challenge 2012 and is currently at The Colorado Freeride Festival competing against the likes of Brandon Semenuk and Sam Pilgrim. Unfortunately, a recurring shoulder dislocation won’t see him riding to the level he’d like.
With reconstruction surgery scheduled for late August, Macfarlane will be back on track and living fear free in time for summer and the 2013 Teva Slopestyle in Queenstown.
The partnership comes on the eve of Teva’s newest bike collection launch which includes seven new styles, following the original Links and Pinner, all developed in conjunction with its team of athletes. The Links Mid, Crank Mid, Crank and Freewheel will be available starting in New Zealand September 2012.
