Young freerider Matheo Apel: Faster than his dad & over the big jumps at the age of 6
The things that children can do on a mountain bike are often beyond the imagination of us adults. Seemingly free of fear and with playful ease, they leave their parents standing on the trail. Matheo Apel is one boy who seems to have a lot of biking talent. After watching videos of skateboarders on YouTube with his sister, they also came across footage of mountain bikers such as Fabio Wibmer and Elias Schwärzler.
Fascinated by the incredible stunts and tricks, Matheo was inspired to give biking a try. In January 2022, he got a small second-hand 16'' mountain bike from his father and started riding around their neighbourhood. It took a few more months before dad Nicky followed suit and got himself a bike too. Since then, they have regularly visited various bike parks.
Root fields, gaps and pump tracks are already playgrounds for Matheo, where he learns new techniques every day. Despite his young age, the six-year-old also tackles difficult trails and obstacles. His current favourite spot is the Geißkopf bike park in the Bavarian Forest. From fast flow lines to technically challenging sections, there is something new for Matheo to try out every time he visits.
When he's not riding bike park descents, Matheo spends most of his time in the nearby dirt park, where he now masters big jumps and exciting features such as wall rides. The boy from Lauf an der Pegnitz is on his way to becoming an impressively good freeride mountain biker. We wanted to find out what life as a young freerider is like and invited Matheo and his father Nicky for an interview.
Freeriders in their infancy: Interview with Matheo Apel
BIKE: You spend a lot of time on your bike. What is your favourite move?
MATHEO APEL: I love jumps. Depending on how you jump them, the difficulty of the whole course changes. AI'm still in the process of learning a few tricks. So far I can do a one-foot and a one-hand - that's currently my favourite trick. I've also already managed a no-foot. I'm currently also trying to do a no-hand safely and practising my barspin. A backflip would be great, of course.
What would the perfect bike trail look like for you?
I imagine my perfect trail to look something like this: You start on a wooden element, then the first jump, followed by a high bend with a wooden wallride. Further along the course, there has to be a drop as well as some fast bends. Finally, four tables and the last one with a landing made of mulch. For me, my favourite part is the technically demanding and challenging downhill - I don't really like riding uphill.
Which bike are you currently riding?
At the moment I am driving A classic children's mountain bike: the Nize One 20 inches is my first choice for trails. But I prefer riding my VPace Danny 20-inch dirt bike even more. It's nice and light, I can jump further with it and tricks are easier for me. I would also like to have a fully. On the downhill trails in the bike park, I sometimes reach my limits with the hardtail.
Do your friends also ride mountain bikes?
My best friend Leo is the same age as me and we love riding together. We have a lot of fun together in the dirt park or on trails. Through biking, I've got to know lots of great mountain bikers of the same age, but also older ones. One of them is 21-year-old Luca, who has supported me from the very beginning. When he has time, we go to the bike parks together.
What do your friends and family think of the fact that you cycle so much?
My dad thinks it's great and is always fascinated by how brave I am. He always comes with me too. My mum came with me at the beginning. I think she's a bit scared sometimes. My sister thinks it's cool and is always amazed at how high I can jump. Sometimes she's a bit scared for me too. Many friends think it's great that I ride a mountain bike and are always excited when they see videos of me. My nursery school teachers are also always talking to me about the videos.
What have been your best moments on the bike so far?
Two come to mind. In Winterberg, I broke my front tyre in a crash before my first race and we didn't have a spare with us. Until shortly before the start, I wasn't sure whether I would be able to take part. Thanks to the help of some great people, I was able to take part at the last minute. At the bike park in Willingen, my new MTB goggles fell out of the lift and landed on a paddock. Once I got to the top, I probably had my fastest descent of the day. Dad helped me through the fence and I got my goggles back.
Which race did you find particularly exciting?
It was part of the 2023 Senders Festival on the Schöneck downhill course. I thought it was great that the race took place on a real downhill course. This made it more challenging than the races at the Kids Cup. My very first race at the Kids Cup in Winterberg was also exciting.
Which drivers do you admire?
Lukas Knopf, Fabio WibmerI think Elias Schwärzler is particularly great. I had the opportunity to learn from Elias last summer. In addition to the right cornering technique, I got lots of tips and advice on downhill riding. That was a lot of fun.
What are your cycling goals?
I always want to get better. I'm currently having a lot of fun recording videos. I want to keep doing that. Of course, it would be great if I could get a helmet from Red Bull at some point. For now, I'm looking forward to when the bike parks open again. I want to try out more difficult tracks and learn new tricks.
Fun MTB support for young talent: how parents experience Matheo Apel's passion
Of course, at the age of six, Matheo Apel can't yet get into the car himself to hit the jumps at the nearest bike park. We put four burning questions to Matheo's father, Nicky Apel.
BIKE: As Matheo's father, you also ride mountain bikes yourself. What do you pay particular attention to when you're out riding together?
NICKY APEL (Matheo's father): I've actually only been mountain biking since the end of 2022. I started so that I could visit trails and bike parks with Matheo. I make sure to always wear protective clothing. Helmet, Knee protectorsI always take a protective jacket and gloves with me. As far as I can, I try to support him with tips and advice. I try to prevent him from learning things the wrong way, for example, in pump tracks and dirt parks I make sure that Matheo is considerate of the other riders. I always keep an eye on how well Matheo can concentrate and make sure that we take breaks accordingly. That's particularly important when we're out in the park for a whole day.
How do you manage Matheo's hobby financially and in terms of time as a family?
During the week, we usually visit the dirt parks in the immediate vicinity. We usually take Matheo's little brother with us, who rides the trails on his balance bike. When the weather is good, we spontaneously ride the local trails. As it's not light for so long in winter, it's naturally more difficult after work. At the weekend, we can visit pump tracks or parks further afield. We usually plan our visits to bike parks or events a little in advance. Matheo's mountain bike was largely financed by his grandma. However, he "financed" his new dirt bike himself. He won a 29-inch carbon wheelset in a video competition last summer. I sold it for him and he then used the proceeds to buy himself a dirt bike.
Racing is a mental and physical challenge. How do you deal with it?
Matheo doesn't get any special training, doesn't have a coach or is in any kind of club. Before his first race, I tried to get Matheo to visit a bike park once or twice so that he could gain some experience. After a race, Matheo has never asked what position he achieved. For him, it has always been enough if he was happy with his ride. When we arrive at the bottom after a fast descent, he is always very happy and pleased that he was so fast that his father could barely keep up. Even after falls, he always has a positive outlook and usually tries again immediately or later.
Are you thinking about Matheo's career as a professional or should it stay fun?
Of course, I've often thought about where this should lead in the future. At the moment, the focus is on having fun and I try to support Matheo wherever I can. The social media profiles were primarily created to connect us with other mountain bikers. But of course they should also serve as a basis if we decide to work with sponsors.
Matheo's Instagram account: apelmatheo
