Freeride mountain biking is a type of off-road cycling involving high-risk tricks and big jumps, pushing all boundaries. According to Stoked Ride Shop, “It is often seen as the most extreme form of downhill mountain biking as its focus is on performing stunts, rather than racing down the hill.”
Cam McCaul, a retired professional freeride mountain biker, continues to make jumps in the industry, even off the bike. Not just a man on the trails, he’s now a talented broadcaster, covering the most important competitions like the Red Bull Rampage. He’s naturally charismatic, energetic and keeps you inspired by his infectious enthusiasm. Since McCaul has competed in nearly all of the competitions, he’s truly respected by the riders he interviews.
McCaul has been a massive influence on what mountain biking is today. “I saw a mountain bike as something that could really do it all and mountain biking at the time was not really respected by any of those other sports, which was kind of exciting as well.”
He fell in love with riding in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California. He would watch riders charge past him on full suspension mountain bikes and disappear into the woods. This was fascinating and encouraged him to learn.
His enthusiasm for all styles of biking is what initially inspired him. “I was really influenced by what was going on in freestyle motocross and BMX. I wanted to perform on a mountain bike, similar to what you could do with BMX and Motocross, since they were super established at the time. When you compare a mountain bike to a BMX bike, you can take it in the woods, you’ve got a bike that’s better equipped to handle the rugged terrain of the woods.”
A mountain bike isn’t loud. You don’t need a permit or a designated riding area like you would on a dirt bike, hence fewer limitations. This became the perfect vessel that met all expectations. When he started riding, jump contests were new. Jump contests led to slow-style contests that were inspired by what was going on in skiing and snowboarding. “So mountain biking became this big hybrid discipline that could blend influences from all the things that I either enjoyed doing or enjoyed watching.” The 1990s era propelled mountain biking from the unknown to the known. The first World Championships of mountain biking were held in 1990 and became recognized as an Olympic sport in 1996.
McCaul continues to travel, working as an analyst and host. His last year competitively competing was the same year he moved to Bend in 2014. Right after, he started voicing the broadcast commentary for the competitions he once competed in. Talk about a full circle. “I would show up to a contest and get hurt in practice. I would ask the people who were doing the webcast, if there’s anything that I could do, like finish line interviews.” McCaul’s ability to persevere through injury is what makes him an unstoppable force in the industry. “I would ask if there’s a spot on the squad, I didn’t care if I was making coffee for the broadcasters, I wanted to work my way in.” His determination on and off the bike has transformed him into the talented competitor and broadcaster he is today.
“When you’re really good at a sport, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with it, because you’re not necessarily free to just enjoy it for enjoying it. You have internal pressure that you should be as good as you were before. But when you enjoy a sport, simply just for enjoying it, you don’t have to get better than you were the last time.”
His body was a significant factor to stop competitively riding. A big part of moving to Bend was to fully switch into a new chapter. “There’s so much metal in my body. There’s so many nagging little things and I always tell myself, I’m lucky to be able to function well enough to enjoy it. And that’s really what I lean into these days.”
When he first moved to Bend, he didn’t feel the trails were advanced enough. Even though he wasn’t professionally competing anymore, he still had sponsors as a rider. As time went on, Bend started checking off all the boxes. He began to appreciate riding for fun again. McCaul has an exciting plan to help Bend’s trail system get recognized. His vision is to partner with a tourism group, hotels and connect with the locals to create the greatest mountain biking experience for visitors. McCaul’s constant drive to improve the mountain biking community is a perfect reflection of his character.
Editor’s Note: A sentence was removed from the last paragraph upon request of the interviewee.
This article appears in the Source October 9, 2025.
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