Alright Glyn, give us a quick introduction, full name, age and where you reside?

Glyn O’Brien or just OB will do. 29 ( master next year I think !!) Newry, N. Ireland.

You were one of the old school BMX’ers back in the day, was the move to 26” wheels a natural progression?

Yeah, BMX racing in Ireland became non-existent so I tried motocross for a few years and then my old BMX pal Mohair got me into downhill.

When did you make the move to racing DH?

I tried a race or 2 at the end of the 1995 season for the craic and loved it. In 1996 I got a decent rig and have been flat out ever since.

Have you ever donned lycra and raced XC?

I ride and race XC on a regular basis for fun but save the good ol spandex for the bedroom.

How many times have you been crowned Irish Champ?

Is this a dig!! Just the once. Had a bit of bad luck over the years at that one.

Glyn O'Brien (1st) Davy O'Hara (2nd) and Michael Cowan (3rd) pictured at the Northern Ireland championships in Mourne Park, Kilkeel (circa 10 years ago)

After years of watching Ben Reid progress through the ranks to elite, was it hard to accept this young whipper snapper stealing the title from you in his first year as an elite racer, and ever since come to think of it?

To be honest there is no better person to be beat by. Its great to see the younger riders coming through and making an impact on the local and international scene. Anyone else and I get pissed!!

I can recall watching the Rav4 NPS series when it was televised on channel 4 and was stoked to see a local lad mixing it up with the likes of Peaty, you were riding for team Animal Orange at that point, was this your first sponsorship deal?

I rode for Rotec/White bros the year before that (1998) and then moved to Animal /Orange. I only stayed with them for 1 year and then moved on. Looking back I regret moving because the opportunity was there but that’s life.

Did this provide the stepping-stone to the WC circuit?

Rotec/White Bros took me to the first WC’s.

How did your first year on the WC circuit go for you?

Ok, Ups and downs. Hadn’t a clue what to expect so just pinned it and got some of my best and worst results. My bike and team where awesome and wished it could have stayed like that.

I believe that at one point you were invited to race in Japan, would you care to elaborate on that?

Lawlor and myself got invited by the Japanese cycling fed to go there and race with a bunch of other WC riders. I think that year me and Lawlorhead raced in 16 different countries and came back from that trip a little over fed at the sushi bar.

As a typical Irish man you are fond of a few beers, the after race parties are said to be pretty wild, have you ever got up to any antics when lagered up, like say, raining deck chairs down from the balcony of a hotel in the company of a sozzled Mr Warner?

Not sure if I remember that one, those after race parties do get a bit hazy. But I do hold the WC record for best handbrake turn.

You have competed in the Red Bull Rampage on a few occasions, and even got 3 rd place in 2003 . You must have been pretty stoked?

Yeah, that’s definitely one of the highlights. My style of riding. Bring back the Ramapge!!

Now that you are approaching the big 3 0, are your huking days behind you?

No way, keep hucking the meat.

Was it due to your success at the Rampage that you got offered the Cove deal?

I think I was in there but it helped seal the deal.

After a long relationship with Orange bikes, was it a tough decision to make to move on?

No comment

You have also raced 4X at the WC rounds, do you prefer these to racing DH?

It’s all about the DH really. 4x was just about the fun of it and gave ya the chance to stick the elbows in to a few people.

On the subject of 4X, you were the man behind the Red Bull Moonrider events held in Glenarm Castle, N.Ireland. Will there be any events like this in the coming years?

I had a lot of input into the track for the moonrider events. You can thank the guys from Potato Bred for that one. It would be great to see something like that happen again. Redbull are always up for events that are a bit different so any ideas let me know. I think the Epic blast events will be part of the future for competitive mountainbike events in Ireland, and I can’t wait to the next one!!

After 6 years racing WC’s, at the end of last year you made the decision to concentrate on National races with the odd WC thrown in. Will you be doing the same thing next season?

I knew I was going to have a hectic year so decided to cut back a bit on racing. For Next season I will be back on form. I want to mix things up a bit next year to keep it interesting and maybe do a few events like the megavalanche. You might even see me riding at a few races as a master!!

I suppose you are kept busy with your new business, First Tracks Guidance, running coaching and trail guiding days. How has that been going for you?

It’s going really good and I enjoy doing it. Its still pretty low key and I haven’t tried pushing it to far yet. Check out www.firsttracksguding.com

You recently ran a trip to Whistler for a few of the Irish riders, by all accounts this was a resounding success. Is this going to be a service that will be offered by First Tracks every year?

Yeah, that trip was killer. I made some good friends and the craic was 90. This will definitely be happening again for 2007. I will be organising it real soon. Check out HERE for some of the action.

After the success of this years Zeal Optics Irish NPS there is the strong possibility of a British NPS round to be held in N.Ireland next year at your local stomping ground of Rostrevor. Do you think that this is something that has been long overdue?

Long overdue mate. We have been busting our holes for years going across the water to race. It will be cool to see riders making the effort coming to Ireland and see what we have to offer.

Can we take it that you will have a lot of input into the track for this race when/if it comes off?

Yeah, just got the L.T.S. licence renewed. We got some plans for stuff never seen at an NPS before.

You missed out a few races this year, apparently you have been moonlighting as a builder?

More like foreman, project manager, labourer, mountainbike guide, mechanic and general gimp.

After returning from Whistler it was good to catch up with you again at the Epic Blast, where by all accounts you did pretty well and finished 2 nd out of a field of 120 riders. Do you think we should have more events like this?

Oh yess, like I said its going to be part of the future for Ireland. A series of these races at different venues would be the bollox.

As one of our top elite riders, will you be representing your country at the World Champs next year at Fortbill?

Lets just see what happens.

And finally, to conclude this interview, is there anyone you would like to thank?

First and for most my Mum and Dad for their support and relaxed attitudes. Friends and special people for their inspiration over the years. Previous and current sponsors, Cove bikes, Revolution, Fox suspension, Sombrio, Hope, 661, Maxxis, MMA- Sports, Raceface, Silverfish, Zeal, In Touch Network Solutions. Not forgetting Sydney at Tetley for making a serious cup of scruff.

Keep er pinned!!