GNCCRacing.com: Let’s start off with the basics – how old are you and where are you from?

Jeff McCarren: I’m 30 years old, from Butler, Pennsylvania, currently living up in Franklin, Pennsylvania.

Is there pretty good riding up that way?

Oh yeah, it’s awesome! There are tons of rails to trails stuff, old mining and logging roads. A lot of that is posted, but as long as you’re on your bicycle and not out causing trouble, people don’t give you a hard time.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a motocross guy originally, but I love anything with two wheels. Up until like five years ago, moto was what I spent most of my time doing, then I learned how good bicycles are for training and helping you with that, so I started riding them. Then its kind of morphed over to riding the bicycles more, I found I really enjoyed that a lot. There’s something about bicycle riding that I think helps keep your mind straight and clear. Motorcycles are fun, but there’s a lot more pieces to put together there. Bicycles are very simple, which I like. I went to school and now I work at the bike shop [Gear Cycles]. It’s nice to be able to have a bit of a fun aspect at work, if that makes sense.

Yeah, it does make sense, there’s a lot going on when you’re riding a dirtbike. How long have you worked for Gear Cycles?

A little over two years. But it’s owned by John Ayers, and I’ve worked for off-and-on for him in some capacity since 2007. I did a bunch of different things, one of the most notable things I did besides the bike shop was working the track crew at the outdoor nationals.

What did you go to school for, and are you able to use it working at the bike shop?

Business Administration is what I ended up going for. I would like to stay in the bicycle world as long as I can, and it’s not like a technical degree or anything, but I think it does play into what I do.

How did you get started racing the eBikes in the first place?

Well, I went to the first eBike race last year in Georgia. The shop had a bunch of Sram brakes that needed a warranty procedure done, we had enough that we were pretty much doing them all weekend. So, John Ayers asked me if I wanted to come down and work that weekend, and if I did, the Specialized guys would let me ride one of the demo eBikes. That weekend was actually the first time I had ever ridden an eBike – I had stayed off them on purpose, because I figured I would like them so much that I would want to go out and buy one (laughs). It was the mechanical side of it that got me to my first GNCC, but it was the racing that made me want to be there every weekend.

When did you move up to XC1?

The last two rounds last year I moved up to XC1. I raced in Amateur most of the year without realizing that only four rounds counted for all the classes except pro, and by the time I realized that I had already gotten four wins and wrapped up the title, which meant I could go ahead and move up. Loretta’s last year was my first one.

And it looks like you’re currently sitting third in points? Not bad for your first full season in XC1!

Yeah, I was close to Seth Stevens, but he didn’t race at the last one, so he sort-of handed it over to me. Sometimes it’s just a numbers game of showing up and staying healthy all year. He broke his foot at a different race, and he still raced in WV with a broken foot – he still finished, but it didn’t look fun. That’s one thing that’s nice for me – since I’m there for work I pretty much have to be there no matter what (laughs)

Whenever you’re not racing, we can pretty much find you wrenching on bikes at the Gear Cycles tent. Aside from the hour-long bike race, is that mostly what your weekend consists of?

My wife works for Moto Tees, kind of manages all the trailers, so she has to be there Thursday mid-afternoon to do that. On Friday we do a lot of bike service. It’s kind of crazy how popular eBikes have become at the GNCC lately. There’s plenty of work to keep me busy, and when I’m not doing the work, I also teach people about the bikes as much as I can.

What do you do for training during the week?

Right now, I’m not full-time at the bike shop during the week anymore since I’m working for them on weekends at the GNCCs. So, that gives me a little more time to train. I would say four days a week, I get out and spend a few hours on the bike. Since I have this time, I’m making the most of it, even though there’s definitely some days where I don’t feel like riding, but go push myself anyway.

When you train, is it mostly on an eBike, or on a regular bicycle?

I would say 90% of my time is spent on a regular bicycle instead of an eBike. Honestly, I feel like riding my motorcycle is also a huge benefit toward competing on the eBike. Your limit on the bicycle is how much power you can put down, while your limit on a motorcycle is how quickly you can react to and process its power. Both areas are important on the eBike.

What is it about eBike racing that you enjoy so much? Like of all the different things you could potentially be racing, why did you choose eBikes?

Well, I like that you have the simplicity of the bicycle still, and honestly it mostly is due to the opportunities I’ve had through the bike shop. It just fell in my lap just as GNCC eBike racing was growing and getting started. I’ve always enjoyed riding and practicing on the motorcycle, but I never raced much because it felt so intense. With the eBike, you still have that charge to the first corner, and you’re still racing as hard as you can, but … I just felt more comfortable with it, and it was less stressful. It’s kind of funny though – I’m actually more confident on the motorcycle than I used to be, since I got some racing experience from the bicycle. It goes back to what I said about eBikes kind of sitting in the middle between a bicycle and a motorcycle.