At Crankworx Whistler 2022, Landon McGauley earned himself a place on the Dual Slalom podium. Standing on the second step in the adaptive category, Landon was flooded with emotions. Since he was 10 years old, all Landon ever dreamed of was the opportunity to compete in Crankworx Slopestyle. To be on the same stage, 16 years later and in a different capacity, was a dream come true. It was also a realization of how far he’d come when everything seemed stacked against him after a spinal cord injury in 2010. Landon’s resilience is admirable. 

In fact, there’s a lot to admire about Landon and the rest of the newly formed Ride Concepts Adaptive Team. It’s not because these men and women beat the odds, but because these riders absolutely shred. You’ll find Landon ripping his hometown of Kamloops and other British Columbia spots on the wheels of his brother and friends. He’s still pushing the limits of his Bowhead Reach, realizing that he can ride anything traditional bikes can.

Landon’s moment at Crankworx Whistler was the pinnacle of 12 years of rediscovering his love for dirt. Landon grew up mountain biking. It was all he ever wanted to do and be, idolizing the likes of Paul Basagoitia and Cam Zink. After his injury, Landon slowly found his way back to the trails with the help of the High Fives Foundation. He got back on snow which led to dabbling with older versions of adaptive mountain bikes, which fell short of an honest mountain bike feel. Improvements in technology, and more specifically the Bowhead adaptive off-road trike, introduced Landon to a new experience. “I can ride anything my ablebody buddies can. I’m just one of the boys again” says Landon.

It was through the High Fives Foundation that Landon was able to connect with Paul Basagoitia, someone he looked up to his whole life. A friendship soon developed and dots started to connect. Landon found himself shaping jumps at Cam Zink’s property, realizing bike dreams that he’d all but deserted. As the Ride Concepts Adaptive Team idea cultivated to reality, Paul, who does double duty as our Team Manager, invited Landon to join and shape the new team.

These days, Landon’s riding season is no different than that of any other rider and racer. He spends his offseasons riding as much as he can with no agenda. Once the race season comes around, Landon has a stacked schedule of travel and racing where, hopefully, Crankworx Whistler will once again cap his season. Landon believes adaptive racing is beneficial for the bike community. Be it downhill, dual slalom, or any other adaptive mtb category, racing gets more athletes involved. When that competition reaches the recognizable ranks of Crankworx, it becomes aspirational to anyone that enjoys mountain biking. “I want the community to be stoked on me as a mountain biker, not necessarily as an adaptive rider” says Landon.

Landon has audacious goals for 2023. Not only does he hope to make it back to the Crankworx Whistler podium, but he hopes to be the first adaptive rider to drop into some famed BC chutes. As for the Ride Concepts Adaptive Team, Paul aims to help Landon reach his goals and someday crown an adaptive Crankworx King and Queen.