THE DIRT FARMER

SLOPESTYLE PRO SAM HODGSON HAS TRADED REARING COWS FOR BUILDING BERMS AS HE CULTIVATES THE ISLE OF WIGHT’S MTB SCENE THROUGH THE BIKE PARK HE'S CREATED ON HIS FAMILY FARM, ALONGSIDE FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER MATT TOWNSEND

- Ed Thomsett

“JUST GIVE ME A COUPLE OF RUNS TO WARM UP,” shouts Sam Hodgson from the start ramp at the top of his jump spot. Clipping up his helmet and kicking his cranks into position, he drops in a few seconds later, and there’s a whoosh as he flies past, pumps into the overhead-height wooden kicker, and lofts an enormous corked backflip. Soaring way above the skyline of the hills beyond, if Sam wasn’t upside-down he’d be treated to a perfect bird’s-eye view across Cheverton Farm – the 730 acres of cattle, sheep, and arable land where he grew up and honed the skills we’re witnessing today. Farming runs in the Hodgson blood, with Sam’s parents and brother still actively working the land. For this dirt jump protégé, though, as his love of bikes developed and his aptitude for riding became apparent, an alternative future grew in his mind – to turn the uncultivatable woods and steep valleys of the farm into what’s now the Isle of Wight Mountain Bike Centre. It’s why we find ourselves being taken on a guided tour of this enviable backyard while beholding some of the most impressive trick bag-emptying we’ve ever seen.

Trick time