Scottish downhiller on Slovenian team remembering his tragically departed Canadian peer.
We would prefer not to have these “In memoriam” articles at all. But we think it is a good way to remember someone who passed away with someone who knew him better than we did. An remembering is good.
We asked Steve Smith’s peer, Scottish rider Ruaridh Cunningham, a member of Slovenian Unior Tools Team, to write a couple of lines on Steve. They raced side by side from 2007 when Ruaridh became the junior World Champion. Steve was third fastest in the qualification run but finished only 11th in the final. His time came later on.
Ruaridh:
I first heard about Stevie at the start of the 2007 World Cup season. Back then, juniors had to qualify along with the elites and there was a limited number of us able to do it consistently. I remember myself and Josh sizing up potential threats for world champs and Steve Smith was making a big name for himself across the Atlantic.
Back then he had an amazing turn of speed but a tendency to push too hard when it mattered. Fast forward a few years and “Sender Steve” as he was known back then was starting to figure things out and crack the top 20, top 10 and finally top 5 on a regular basis, finally culminating in the 2013 overall title. A feat only accomplished by the true greats of the sport.
While Stevie got a reputation for being aggressive on the bike (hence the names chainsaw and sender Steve), I thought he was one of the smoothest, most skilled riders on the circuit. A true riders rider. Someone who had the ability and the confidence to pull off the scary lines no one else could or wanted to.
Talk to anyone in the pits and they would only tell you good things about Stevie. Despite the success and fame he stayed very grounded and would talk to anyone and everyone with the sense of enthusiasm that couldn’t help but make you admire him.
My last conversation with him was in the Cairns uplift, the morning of the race. We talked bikes, injuries and suspension among other things and before I knew it 20minutes had flown by and we were at the top. We wished each other good luck for that afternoons race and set off on our final practice run.
To say he will be missed is an understatement. He was an inspiration both on and off the track to so many and there are very few athletes reach the pinnacle of the sport and stay as down to earth as he did.
Stevie, thanks for the good times, the inspiration and the memories.
#longlivechainsaw
Photo is from Maribor 2007, a week after the World Championships, when Steve qualified for his first World Cup final. Photo by Marko Obid.
