Downhill may break my bones but I'll keep racing

It is hard to believe that Ben Watkins is still riding downhill. He had a huge crash out at Lismore during the NZ Series in 2009 and was off his bike for five months.

Then, with wheels under him again, this time on a hard trail, he crashed up at Victoria Park and broke his collarbone.

But hey, they are just the bad bits. For Ben, being on a bike has always been fun and he has his mind set on a lifetime of riding.

Following in his brother's footsteps, Ben tried the tracks at Lismore when he was 11, but a crash on that first venture put him off.

Not to be daunted, and probably with a bit of encouragement from Dad who supplied his first Downhill bike, Ben was back into it seriously in 2010 when he gained second place in Levin at the Secondary Schools Downhill Championships.

And he'd ridden half the race without a chain!

Health issues saw him miss the 2011 events, but he was back in style in April 2012, winning the under-16 Secondary Schools Downhill Championship in Levin.

Downhill is Ben's great love, but he's looking to a bit of cross-country and even road riding to build up strength and fitness for the years ahead when he hopes to take it up full time.

He has ridden many of the downhill tracks in the North Island and is looking forward to travelling overseas and pitting his skills on the international circuit.

He's had three bikes, the current one an Iron Horse Sunday, but he's got his eye fixed on a Lapierre. He and his father do the maintenance on the bikes but Ben says there's not much involved in that.

Other sports? Ben used to play rugby and tennis, but the biking has taken over. Frequent trailer days out at Lismore spent practicing take up a bit of time.

He has tried pushing his bike up the hills, but throwing your bike on a trailer and driving up to the start of the downhill track in a van means more time on the bike.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, downhill riding is only for the brave. You're on a steep single track on rough, hard terrain studded with jumps, berms, drops, hairpin bends and trees.

To cope with all of this, downhill bikes have big front and rear suspension to absorb the bumps and jumps that can leave you airborne for 20-40m.

A typical track might involve 3-5 mins of frenetic, adrenalin-packed action.

For anyone thinking about trying downhill, Ben says "Get out with your mates and get amongst it. The fun, the rush. Yeah, you're scared when it's loose, but you've got time to learn how to love it."