Jackson Goldstone has been in the media spotlight since he was just a balance-bike riding 5-year-old jibbing his way around Whistler Village. And though he was early on hyped to be the next great thing in DH racing, he’s been living up to those high expectations. As a first-year Elite racer, the Santa Cruz Syndicate team member won two World Cups and finished 2nd overall in points. Unfortunately, as with many sports, professional mountain biking is full of highs and lows. A crash took out Goldstone at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania and though he is on the road to recovery, it looks like he will miss at least the first few races of the 2024 season.
Q: Where were you born?
A: Squamish, BC.
Q: How old are you?
A: 20 years old
Q: Where do you call home?
A: I have never moved out of Squamish and I never will.
Q: At what age did you start riding bicycles?
A: I think around 3 years old…maybe a bit earlier.
Q: Who or what inspired you to begin riding bikes?
A: When I was super young, my parents got me a run bike so I could keep up when they were walking and I never got off of it. I was jumping off as many curbs as I could and I started progressing more and more from there.
Q: We all know that natural talent only takes you so far. What do you do to stay motivated to keep improving yourself both on and off the mountain?
A: I think I just enjoy the process of getting better on and off the bike. Seeing the hard work in the gym payoff on the bike is such a rewarding feeling.
Q: Have you had any periods where you haven’t ridden a bike?
A: I’ve had a few weeks off here and there for injuries or offseason. My longest time off the bike was after my appendix surgery and that was 2 months.
Q: Have you played or done any other sports?
A: I played soccer a while back, but I’m a big skier and golfer these days
Q. The World Cup DH season kicks off in May at Fort William and it’s looking like you will still be healing from your knee surgery. How is your mental outlook knowing you might miss a fair amount of races this year?
A: It's a new challenge for me. It’s going to be a long time off and I’m gonna have to think of a lot of other things to do. I'll still be at a few races hanging around, but my rehab and physiotherapy is going to be the main focus for the next few months.
Q: What is your path to recovery and when should we expect to see you back at the races?
A: It's still such a fresh injury and I don’t know how my body’s going to react. I'll take my time and come back when I’m ready, but I’m in no hurry to come back early and ruin things again.
Q: Was being on the World Cup circuit your first year as a junior what you expected? How about year two racing against the big boys?
A: My first year as a junior was such a fun year. I was traveling to all the races with my mom. My second year, as a junior, I joined the Syndicate and it was a massive step up in support and my riding. Then to step up to the elites…I really had to grind and work hard to keep up, but I came into the season strong so I couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Q: Did you always have it in mind that you would be a World Cup DH racer?
A: No, I was loving the slopestyle and freeride side of riding, but I was still loving racing and wanted to give my first year junior a try. My thought was that if it didn’t go well, then I'd be back doing freeride. I got second at my first race, won the next and never looked back,
Q: What’s been different about being a World Cup racer than you expected?
A: I think the whole World Cup scene is pretty similar to what I expected because I’ve been to some races when I was younger and I got a pretty good grasp of what it's like before I came into my first year racing. It’s hard to think of things that aren’t amazing about racing,
Q: How was it being on the same team with Greg Minaar?
A: He's amazing. I learned a lot from him with the two years on the team with him. He’s such a nice guy and helped me out a lot at the final race at MSA last year. I definitely wouldn’t be the rider I am today without his help.
Q: Greg said this about you in an interview last year: “I think Jackson is a way more talented young GM, but our similarities are we know how to race. I feel this new gen of riders who grew up on DH bikes had access to bike parks and have a feeling of knowing how to race… this is deadly.” Do you think this is true?
A. Yes I do think this is true! The younger riders had a lot better product from a young age that helped us progress quicker. And the younger kids behind me are only going to get faster.
Q: Do you generally have good relationships with your teammates or is it a competitive atmosphere among the riders?
A: I love the environment that I'm in. All my teammates are great and I have a great relationship with everyone on the crew.
Q: Tell us a little about the bike you ride in World Cups? Are you always running a mullet Santa Cruz V-10?
A: I’ve never looked back from a mullet bike as soon as I got on one the first time. I ride a medium V10.8 and it's an absolute beast of a bike.
Q: Are you finicky about your bike set up? If so, what is the thing that brothers you the most if it’s not 100% dialed?
A: I’m not a very picky rider. I try to still get the most of my setup and tweak things when needed to improve. I just like quiet bikes. The less noise I hear, the more I can focus on my riding.
Q: You are known for being a serious athlete, but you’ve also been known to let your hair down after the races? Is this a fair assessment?
A: I like to think I'm a serious athlete but my teammates can think otherwise haha. I love a good afterparty when the time comes, but I focus up and try to be as much of an athlete as I can during the race week.
Q: If you had a choice, would you rather compete in a World Cup or a Hardline event?
A: I love both equally. It's really hard to pick favorites..
Q: Would you ever consider doing Red Bull Rampage.
A: One day it would be amazing. Right now, I am full focus to racing but if the time comes, it would be an amazing experience .
Q: What has been the highlight of your racing career so far?
A: Winning my home race in Mont Sainte Anne for sure. Nothing beats that weekend for me.
Q: What about the lowest moment?
A: Crashes and mechanical suck. I’d say the Snowshoe flat tire was a pretty sad moment for me. It ruined my chances at the overall in my first year elite.
Q: What do you do for fun when you are not riding a bike?
A: When I’m not riding, I still love doing other sports like golf and moto riding. I am a big fan of cooking as well. Chuck a few games of Call of Duty in there too :)
Q: If you could be a professional athlete in any other sport, which sport would it be?
A: I'd probably like to be in the Supercross world (editor's note: motocross racing). Something I’ve been around almost my whole life and I'd love to get on a track one day.
Q: How many weeks a year are you traveling?
A: Too many… I’m usually on the road of at least 6 months of the year or more.
Q: What is one thing you can not live without?
A: Trail bikes. They are the bikes that I ride most. I spend 75% of my off season riding my trail bike. When my trail bikes needs service and is unrideable, I find myself on the couch.
Q: Can you work on your own bike?
A: I love working on my own bike till something goes wrong. I can confidently build a whole bike (except wheels), but I’m very grateful to have Woody as my mechanic so it’s one less thing to think about.
Q: Do you still get nervous before the start of a race?
A: Always. If you're not nervous for something, then it doesn’t mean anything to you. Iv'e never had a race where I wasn’t nervous beforehand
Q: Have you ever had a nickname? If so, what is it?
A: I’ve had a few! Jmoney is probably my oldest one. A lot of people call me Jacko too.
Q: Where is your favorite place to ride a bike?
A: It's so hard to beat riding the trails at home in Squamish. I love traveling and riding, but Squamish is so good.
Q: What is the hardest part about being a pro cyclist?
A: Trying to be a pro. Training isn’t easy and there's a lot of behind the scenes work that no one sees. Off season training is hectic
Q: What accomplishment, cycling or non-cycling, are you most proud of?
A: Mont-Saint-Anne. Easy question, haha.
Q: If you could have a superpower (other than ripping down a mountain), what would it be and why?
A: Teleportation. Drop in for a race run and be at the bottom in 3 seconds :)
Q: What’s one thing that nobody on the DH scene is talking about, but everyone should be?
A: How bad our afterparties are, haha. I'm learning to DJ now, so hopefully can spice it up.