The best riders in the world require the best wrenches in the world, and John Hall is certainly one of the best.
The responsibilities of a pro team mechanic are complex. As Aaron Gwin’s right hand man and the Intense Factory Team Mechanic, John puts in as much work behind the scenes as he does on race day.
Inside the Line, Episode 10, we walk with John for a few days to see and hear what a few typical days look like, as he prepares for a few weeks in Europe for the world cup series along with the most exciting runs North American events.
With all that John has on his plate, it’s never a dull moment and there are bucket loads of requirements. The range of duties spans everything from deep collaboration on product development with sponsors, to designing and building the Factory “on the road” trailer, to coordinating all the optimal bike parts to support the races, and most importantly, ensuring the riders receive the best bike set ups and tunes to achieve their best results.
We see that the ultimate performance for the athlete is directly tied to the collaboration with the team’s sponsors.
In Episode 10, we climb aboard the Intense Factory trailer to watch John as he builds out the trailer, setting up wheel racks and prepping other gear needs for back-to-back World Cup race weekends.
John’s years as a pro team mechanic have provided him with serious experience to help keep it all moving. After finishing the trailer set up, we ride with John to drop off the trailer as he takes us on a tour of the Intense Factory Race Headquarters.
From the showroom to engineering, shipping, assembly area and unboxing, John shows us how HQ runs and gives us the overview on how they organize the new bike parts for the US assembly. We also see how John works daily with sponsor R&D engineers by testing custom product, exploring performance, and providing feedback to sponsors for integration into future production designs.
No rider could achieve their results without the support of their mechanic. Kudos to John Hall for helping the athletes and brands be the best they can be they can be. The bikes we ride and the races we watch wouldn’t be what they are without them.
Subscribe and tune in all season long to get more team stories and insights into what it is like to be a professional downhill racing team competing to be the best in the world.
Sponsored by e*thirteen
