In a race calendar that has been a little unsettled, to say the least, Matt Stuttard has already had his fair share of highs and lows. After a tough start to the season, Matt pulled it out of the bag by placing an impressive 16th at EWS La Thuile, before a freak crash that left his clavicle in two pieces. Ouch! We wish Matt a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him back on his bike chasing the podium.

Hunt's Athlete Tech Support, Dan Clark caught up with Matt to see how his season has been, talk racing, bike set-ups and his pre-ride meal.

Dan Clark: What did you think of the tracks in La Thuile vs Canazei?

Matt Stuttard: I've always loved both of these venues, but this year round the trails in Canazei got pretty beat up due to the amount of traffic riding them the race week. La Thuile for me is a true Enduro venue with some of the best tracks around.

DC: Did you like the doubleheader format?

MS: I quite liked the idea of two races in a week, but it would be good to have two separate race maps/tracks to keep it fresh and make sure the trails don't get to much damage.

DC: Any changes you made to your bike set up between Canizai and La Thuile? WHEELS AND BIKES PLEASE.

MS: Bike / Suspension set up was the same, I just changed tyres, from Michelin Wild to DH22, and a Hunt EnduroWide alloy front wheel, as we had a mix bag of weather II opted for a slightly more aggressive tyre and a more flexible front wheel.

DC: What's been your highlight of the season so far?

MS: It would have to be a 16th in La Thuile, I've always loved the tracks at this venue and enjoyed every minute of the race.

DC: What's your go-to pre-race meal?

MS: PASTAAA, some sort of XL pasta dish with plenty of veggies and some protein is my go to!

DC: You didn't have the best start to the season this year. Was there anything you would put this down to?

MS: I think I put to much pressure on myself to get a good result at the first races and just wasn't enjoying myself, that and a mix of a few crashes and mechanicals.

DC: What’s your favourite non-biking website?

MS: Ebay, constantly looking for new moto's weekly 🤦‍♂️.

DC: Favourite place to train and anything you are going to do differently ahead of the next part of the season?  

MS: Anywhere in the mountains, Morzine is my usual go-to training ground, I know many a good loop around there, so it's ideal to put the hours in. It's just a matter of keeping the fitness up and keep building the strength.

DC: What's your takeaway from the first half of the season?

MS: ENJOY RACING BIKES. Sometimes putting pressure on yourself is a good thing, but you must always enjoy what you are doing, I took the enjoyment away at the first few rounds and it took its toll, but I found my feet again in La Thuile.

DC: What's next in the calendar for our rocket?

MS: My first ArdRock Enduro, my brothers wedding & some moto Enduro racing. Then back out for block 2 of EWS Racing.