Emmerson Wilken has been riding and building bike tracks since he can remember.
From “hooning through the bush” and developing dirt jumps as a kid in his native South Africa, Emmerson progressed from BMX to downhill when he moved to Queenstown in 2007. It wasn’t long before he was on the radar of 3Sixty Sports – and is now proud to be their longest-serving ambassador.
We talked to Emmerson about his career so far, and how he’s giving back to the sport that has given him so much.
Early days
Chance encounters have featured a lot in Emmerson’s career as a rider and track builder – the first being when he came across a mound of dirt while biking to the dairy as a young boy.
“I had to go pick something up for Dad and I rode past a berm someone had set up to stop people walking across their property,” Emmerson explains.
“I hit it, got air – purely by accident – then turned around and looped it all afternoon. I completely forgot about going to the dairy. I got home and it was dark. Dad had no idea where I’d been.”
From there, Emmerson’s obsession with jumping his bike saw him building ramps in the driveway and developing dirt jumps wherever and whenever he could.
“Back then we didn’t have skate parks or jump parks. If you wanted to ride something you had to build it yourself, that’s how we learned. And we didn’t have the internet so I’d study the ramps or jumps in magazines and try to recreate them.”
Build it and they will come
That passion for building as well as riding tracks has taken Emmerson all over the world, and he now bases himself in Queenstown where he has made trail building his profession.
“I started building with the Crankworx guys in Rotorua and we’ve since been over to Innsbruck and Colorado to build as well. We’ve built stuff for the US National Series of Slalom and we’ve done Slopestyle, Speed and Style, and Pump tracks across the world.”
Emmerson is somewhat unique in that he rides what he builds – most track builders don’t. This ability and willingness to test out new tracks is highly valued by other pro riders, particularly on the Crankworx circuit.
“When the contestants come along, they’re so happy to see tyre marks on the dirt or ramps. They know it works because someone’s ridden it.”
Joining 3Sixty Sports
Being a part of the 3Sixty Sports crew was the result of another chance encounter, when a local bike shop passed Emmerson’s name on to 3Sixty Sports owner, Bruce Davey.
“I didn’t know they’d done that but it turned out Bruce was looking to put a team together so I signed with 3Sixty Sports and it’s been awesome.”
“It’s all happened by chance. I was in the right place at the right time to be picked up by 3Sixty Sports, and then Bruce put me in touch with Banshee in Canada and they signed me on as a factory rider. I didn’t go chasing that, it kind of just happened. But because of the things I was doing, because I was doing them with my mates who were pro athletes anyway, it just evolved into something. And I kept rolling with it cause that’s all I knew and I was having fun doing it.”
Emmerson has been alongside 3Sixty Sports as it has evolved. In the early days, Bruce worked from his garage, having just become the distributor for Banshee bikes.
“It was cool being a part of that,” Emmerson recalls. “When you speak with Bruce and see his passion for mountain biking you can’t help but absorb his enthusiasm. The bikes and brands in the 3Sixty stable are awesome, and Bruce has an eye for developing young talent.”
“I’ve been introduced to so many of the sponsors I have now through Bruce and I’m so grateful 3Sixty has supported me for as long as it has.”
For a long time, Banshee bikes were Emmerson’s favourite piece of 3Sixty Sports kit, but he’s itching to try a Forbidden, as well as some exciting new things that he’s told, are in the 3Sixty Sports pipeline.
Like there’s no tomorrow
It’s not only chance encounters, sponsor support and the thrill of a build that keeps Emmerson involved in the sport. Tragically, he lost his 13-year-old brother to a biking accident, and was good friends with pro rider Kelly McGarry who passed away in 2016.
“When you lose people close to you, you realise how short life can be. When my brother died it made me realise that you need to plan like you’re going to be around forever but enjoy life like there’s no tomorrow. Riding helped me through that initial grief period. My brother and I rode together a lot so I kept doing it and was motivated to build bigger things and do crazier stunts.
“I did a lot of film and photo shoots with Kelly, he was such an icon. We now have the McGazza Fest as a tribute to him. It’s a jam-packed weekend cos that’s how Kelly lived his life – just cramming lots in and enjoying it.”
Paying it forward
While Emmerson still enjoys riding and building jumps, he is now focused on leadership and raising the profile of mountain biking in Queenstown.
“I do a lot of kids’ coaching and I’m on the mountain bike club committee. I’m running the Queenstown Bike Festival and am a part of the organising committee and ops crew for the Crankworx Summer Series.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot out of biking and heaps of that has come from what’s here in Queenstown but as things evolved, I’ve wanted to give back. I get a kick out of helping the community grow as well. That’s why I love coaching kids and seeing the stoke on their face when they learn a new trick or hit a jump they’ve always wanted to hit.”
“I’m grateful to be able to do what I love and to have the support I do. I’ve never chased this as a goal, I think it’s just been a case of right place, right time, right attitude…and heaps of enthusiasm!”
