ABOUT ZACK

My name is Zack Wilson. I was born in Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia. I grew up in Cairns, Far North Queensland for 15 years before moving to Brisbane in 2013.

Throughout most of my life I have competed in a variety of sports, ranging from ball sports and motorsports; in addition to endurance sports, where I had the most success accumulating 90 plus podiums in just over 100 races, from local to international. During this period I suffered an abundance of injuries, almost enduring an amputee from a motorcycle accident at the age of 13. Having experienced all that comes with each of those sports nothing compared to endurance sports in the great outdoors.

However, behind my athletic achievements came a dark and troubling past. During my childhood I suffered severe physical and emotional abuse by my father, horrendous bullying that included death threats, in addition to cyber harassment and sexually assaulted at the age 16.

I moved to Brisbane in 2013 with my mother hoping for a fresh start. I started a new high-school in grade 10. However, I was once again faced with extended lengths of bullying. Furthermore, fabricated lies were concocted by my mothers ex-partner telling me my brother had died which lead to the severity of bullying until I graduated.. Moreover, during these battles I witnessed my Mum go through severe depression and anxiety.

In my final years of high school I struggled with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Despite graduating and overcoming substance abuse, I continued to battle with Mental Health issues. In 2016 and 2017 I suffered two traumatic events which lead to nightmares; I still suffer from them as I sit here today.

Fast forward to April, 2018, I attempted suicide in my car along Beerburrum- Donnybrook road, travelling at 180kmh in a 60kmh or for those who use mph that’s 112mph in a 37mph zone. The following day I was admitted to a Mental Ward facility where I was officially diagnosed with PTSD. During my time there it was a place I knew I needed to be, and truthfully, one of the best life experiences.

Following my discharge, I made a decision. For the next 5 months I regained focus to reflect on who I wanted to be and what I wanted out of my life. Throughout this time I gained 27kg. As I regained self-confidence I reminisced on my past achievements in endurance sports, ultimately deciding to pursue them once again to achieve a childhood goal: becoming a professional athlete.

2019 was a breakthrough year. I shredded all the weight I had gained and trained myself to earn a spot onto the Triathlon Australia World Championships team to compete at the Sprint Distance Triathlon in Lausanne, Switzerland. The following year, I competed in a half ironman. However, my time spent in Triathlon was short-lived due to constantly being plagued by aches, pains and injuries due to the abundance of injuries I sustained as a teenager. I found cycling amidst the pandemic but I was still chasing something I always coveted for: an identity. A sense of purpose.

Fast forward to 2023. My cycling coach at time reviewed my data on Training Peaks and noticed I had excellent short term power. He mentioned maybe you’d like XCO racing. Not long after, I found myself looking at footage on multiple social media platforms thinking “shit yeah! looks like a load of fun”. It came as a monumental surprise because I was so frightened after my motorcycle as teenager I would never ride or race anything off-road again.

February 2023, my introduction to XCO could not have been better. I was introduced to Dylan Cooper from Ride Technics through my cycling coach as they raced together as juniors. Dylan has over 25 years of experience as a rider and racer, also over a decade as coach. It just so happens it was someone I instantly clicked with. My first ride was with Dylan and the rest is history.

My first year went better than I could have ever anticipated securing multiple podiums and wins in addition to setting fastest lap times. Because of the progression I was offered a position to be a coach for Dylan. Truthfully, it was something I never saw myself doing but it has turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done in my life. The skills I have learned with Dylan, in addition to my own, riding many hours out on the trails by myself I have been able to extrapolate them into teaching kids, watching them become faster and safer riders while having a tonne of fun in the process has been a truly humbling and rewarding experience.

Since becoming an MTB rider, an XCO racer I have never been happier. It has helped me with my Mental Health massively. The complexities of MTB has kept me focussed with skills progression; continually supplying achievements whether it’s conquering certain features and/or trails. While other sports have been an abundance of fun and have learned many things from each one, none have provided a real sense of purpose and fulfilment quite like MTB has.

With my new path in MTB, my personal goals of achieving a professional contract in Europe remains the same. Despite my personal ambitions, I want to continue to inspire the community with my story and to give back to the next generation. Ultimately giving them a reason to live, not just today but everyday.