Jackson Goldstone has been in the media spotlight since he was a balance-bike riding 5-year-old jibbing his way around Whistler Village. Despite having been much-hyped as the next great thing in DH racing, he continues to live up to expectations. This year, Goldstone was the winningest rider on the DH World Cup Circuit, finishing 2nd in overall points (despite missing races because of injury) and in a season highlight, dominated the Mount Saint Anne World Cup in front of his home crowd.
We sat down with Jackson after the season wound down to find out a little more about this talented young rider.
Where were you born?
Squamish, BC. Canada
Where do you call home?
Squamish, BC. Canada
How old were you when you started riding?
I started riding around 3 years old on a run bike!
Did you always have it in your mind that you would make a career out of riding bikes?
It was always the dream to make what I love a career but it didn’t really set in that it was possible till I was about 15 years old.
Who has been the greatest influence on you, both personally and professionally?
I definitely had a bunch of people who influenced me to do what I love, most notably being Stevie Smith, Greg Minnaar and Brandon Semenuk.
How many weeks a year are you traveling?
Too many haha. I’m on the road roughly 25 weeks in a year.
What is your guilty pleasure, be it food, music or other?
Sour patch kids and e-bikes.
What is one thing you can not live without?
Trailbikes. I spend most of my race prep on the trailbike riding roughly five to six times a week so without that I would not be where I am today.
Do you still get nervous before the start of a race?
Definitely. At pretty much every race, I’m super nervous at the top but I try to turn the nerves into motivation to go and race.
Have you ever had a nickname? If so, what's the story behind it? If not, make one up that suits you.
I've got a few nicknames. Jmoney is probably the oldest one but I’ve got too many to list.
Where is your favorite place to ride a bike?
It's really hard for me to choose one exact place but I find that the trails at home (Squamish) are almost unbeatable. I struggle to find somewhere with better riding all-around.
If you were not a professional cyclist, what do you think you would be?
No clue. I would definitely still be an athlete. Maybe either in the motocross world or golf. I watch so much of those two sports that it’s definitely a dream in another life.
What’s the longest you have gone without riding a bike and why?
Most of the time when I’m off the bike for a while it’s because of [an] injury. I’m never not riding. Mid-summer I had to take a month and a half off and I was itching to ride the whole time.
Which of your victories is the greatest?
It has to be at Mont Saint Anne this year. It was an unreal feeling dropping last and winning on home soil.
What is the one race you’d still like to win?
Les Gets, France would be an unreal race to win. I think with the crowd and level of racing there it would be unbelievable to win.
Would you consider racing road bikes?
No…haha.
Do you do any of the other cycling disciplines? Road, cross, gravel or just mountain bike?
Just MTB. I don’t do any road riding for training. I just do all of my cardio work on the trailbike.
What is the hardest part about being a pro cyclist?
The travel and back to back races can catch up to you pretty quickly and I definitely felt pretty wrecked after Mont Saint Anne. The time off has been great to get my mind off racing before training starts again soon.
Do you generally have good relationships with your teammates or is it a competitive atmosphere among the riders?
I think the team vibe that we have going on the Syndicate is one of the best out there on the circuit. Everyone works really well together and I’m super close with everyone.
What accomplishment, cycling or non-cycling, are you most proud of?
I’m not sure! I’m proud of a lot of things that I’ve done. I’d say being on the Syndicate is a massive accomplishment.
What do you like to do when you are off the bike?
In the winter I ride a lot of moto as well as ski as much as I can. Summers I’m a big golf guy right now.
Whom would you most want to go on a training ride with?
Loic Bruni. He would absolutely smoke me on a training ride but it would be interesting to see how he trains differently to me.
What would be the hardest thing for you to give up?
Racing. It’s my entire life now.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Injury and sickness free. It definitely took me down a bunch this season.