INTERVIEW
FRIDA RONNING
WORLD CUP DH RACER AND ENGINEER
Interview by Robert Johnston
Photos by Carson Fletcher
World Cup Photos by Sven Martin
It seems as if the Women’s downhill field is going through the biggest progression it ever has, with an increasing field of competitive riders who’re ready to leave their mark. But there’s still a distinct lack of support available for female athletes compared with the men’s field, so riders outside of the top 10 in the world will usually have something else going on behind the scenes to support them and help to fund their racing. Frida Ronning falls into this latter category, studying Mechanical Engineering whilst regularly sitting on the cusp of being one of the ten quickest females in the world. Until the end of 2021, she had to self-fund her travels and racing without the full support of a team around her. This has changed for 2022 thanks to the help of The Union race team, created by Steel City Media to provide former privateers like Frida with support to let them focus on the racing. We sat down to learn a bit more about Frida’s pathway into World Cup downhill racing, her studies, and her plans for the season just before the first race in Lourdes, France. We decided to hold off until after the race to publish this, so we could add some insight into the first race, which you can read at the bottom.
Firstly, for those who don’t know already, can you give us an introduction?
FR: My name is Frida, I’m from Lillehammer, Norway and live in Knoxville, Tennessee now. I’ve been in the US for the past 6 or 7 years, just going to school, riding bikes, and I’m currently working on my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee. Knoxville is close to Windrock Bikepark, and it’s really good for mountain biking around here which is part of the reason I’m living here.
What sparked your move from Norway to the US?
FR: I was racing XC mountain bikes as a junior, and when I graduated high school I wanted to keep on racing and continue going to school, so I got a scholarship for a university in the US. I went there for a year and a half and decided to change from XC mountain bikes to downhill, so I moved down to North Carolina to be able to race downhill and live in the mountains.
What was it that made you move from XC to Downhill? Was it just more fun for you?
FR: I really enjoyed the Cross Country but I couldn’t really handle the training I needed to do, so I was sick a lot and struggled to stay healthy. When I was younger I raced downhill skiing, and I was introduced to downhill mountain biking through Collegiate racing. It felt like a lot more “me”, I enjoyed it a lot more, so I changed.
Firstly, for those who don’t know already, can you give us an introduction?
FR: My name is Frida, I’m from Lillehammer, Norway and live in Knoxville, Tennessee now. I’ve been in the US for the past 6 or 7 years, just going to school, riding bikes, and I’m currently working on my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee. Knoxville is close to Windrock Bikepark, and it’s really good for mountain biking around here which is part of the reason I’m living here.
What sparked your move from Norway to the US?
FR: I was racing XC mountain bikes as a junior, and when I graduated high school I wanted to keep on racing and continue going to school, so I got a scholarship for a university in the US. I went there for a year and a half and decided to change from XC mountain bikes to downhill, so I moved down to North Carolina to be able to race downhill and live in the mountains.
What was it that made you move from XC to Downhill? Was it just more fun for you?
FR: I really enjoyed the Cross Country but I couldn’t really handle the training I needed to do, so I was sick a lot and struggled to stay healthy. When I was younger I raced downhill skiing, and I was introduced to downhill mountain biking through Collegiate racing. It felt like a lot more “me”, I enjoyed it a lot more, so I changed.
When was it you started racing downhill world cups?
FR: I started back in 2016, I was really new then and just wanted to see what it was like, so I did a couple near to where I lived. I’ve been doing more and more since then, and last year was the first time I’ve done almost all of them. I was meant to be doing them all, but I got Covid so I had to miss a round.
That sucks! Hopefully this year it’s a different story.
FR: I hope so!
You’ve been studying the whole time alongside racing downhill, how did you balance training for World Level downhill events with studying for your degree?
FR: It’s been pretty good. Undergrad was relatively easy because you got to make your own schedule and it didn’t require that much, then when I graduated I wanted to stay in the US and find a way to pay for everything and keep racing bikes. I got an opportunity to get my masters at UT and they gave me money to do my research there, so that helped to pay for everything. I had a monthly salary, and was able to combine the research with racing, but the first couple years I couldn’t get enough time off to do a full world cup season. When I graduated my supervisor wanted me to stay, so I was able to find a project that allowed me to work from anywhere really and not be in the lab as much. It’s still kind of a lot, but it’s working and it’s a good way to be able to stay in the US and I still enjoy school a lot. It’s pretty good.
Sounds awesome, If you’re able to do it all then why not.
FR: Haha, yeah I’m trying to. Sometimes it’s a bit hectic but it’s less work compared to having a full time job so that’s good.
Do you think your degree helps with your riding? For bike set up, or maybe a more analytical mindset for looking at lines.
FR: I’m not sure. Maybe? I’m definitely interested in Physics and stuff, and spend a lot of time thinking about things, so probably a little bit. But also what I’m studying isn’t directly related, so yes and no I guess.
A new team for 2022, congratulations! How did that come about?
FR: Thank you! They kinda reached out to me this Summer and asked if it was something I’d be interested in, riding for them. I was obviously super stoked, being a privateer and making it onto a team is a big step. I’m really excited about the team, they seem like they want to help and they don’t make any money off of it and just want to help out people in my position. They’re not fully “factory”, but for people wanting to make the step from being a privateer to making it onto a team. So yeah, I’m super excited. It’s a big upgrade for sure.
What sort of level of support do you expect to receive?
FR: I get covered to travel to all the races, everything I need from bikes and gear to tires and spare parts. Super excited about that, last year was rough with the covid situation not being able to get parts. Then having teammates will be really cool. I did a lot of traveling by myself last year and sometimes it could be a bit lonely, so to have teammates to talk about the track with and ride with will be great. We also have mechanics, so that’s pretty cool – not having to do all the bike work myself.
Do you think your degree helps with your riding? For bike set up, or maybe a more analytical mindset for looking at lines.
FR: I’m not sure. Maybe? I’m definitely interested in Physics and stuff, and spend a lot of time thinking about things, so probably a little bit. But also what I’m studying isn’t directly related, so yes and no I guess.
A new team for 2022, congratulations! How did that come about?
FR: Thank you! They kinda reached out to me this Summer and asked if it was something I’d be interested in, riding for them. I was obviously super stoked, being a privateer and making it onto a team is a big step. I’m really excited about the team, they seem like they want to help and they don’t make any money off of it and just want to help out people in my position. They’re not fully “factory”, but for people wanting to make the step from being a privateer to making it onto a team. So yeah, I’m super excited. It’s a big upgrade for sure.
What sort of level of support do you expect to receive?
FR: I get covered to travel to all the races, everything I need from bikes and gear to tires and spare parts. Super excited about that, last year was rough with the COVID situation not being able to get parts. Then having teammates will be really cool. I did a lot of traveling by myself last year and sometimes it could be a bit lonely, so to have teammates to talk about the track with and ride with will be great. We also have mechanics, so that’s pretty cool – not having to do all the bike work myself.
With the Bike Morzine connection, do you expect you will spend a lot of time in Europe outside the races?
FR: I’m hoping to be there as much as I can. Because of my research I need to be in the US though, but still working on making a schedule and would like to be there as much as I can. Morzine is super sick and a good place to get ready for the races. I’m hoping to stay there quite a bit.
What events do you have planned for the upcoming season?
FR: World cups are the main focus for sure, and probably Europeans and Norwegian national championships. Hoping to do Crankworx as well, it’s a really fun event and I love doing multiple races and the different people and more relaxed atmosphere. If i can make it all fit in I’d love to go. Then maybe Sea Otter and some other American national races.
From a quick look through your Instagram it looks like you’re pretty confident in the air. Can we expect to see you in a whip off or speed and style event?
FR: Maybe, I don’t know. Speed and Style seems terrifying haha, but would be cool to try. For Whip off I need to work on my whips some more, they’re getting there slowly but some of the whip off jumps are pretty big.
A new bike for the season, a bit different from the Commencal and YT you were riding last year. Have you got it yet? How have you been getting on with it so far?
FR: I just got the bike and am building it up today actually. Super excited to get on it, I rode the previous generation V10 for a season when my friend let me borrow one because I couldn’t afford a bike. I loved it, it was a bit more playful than my old (Commencal) Supreme, and lighter, and I’ll be on the mullet so that’ll be pretty cool. Super excited, it’s obviously a dream bike and also excited to get on the Ohlins suspension.
With the extra tuning options compared with the Rockshox, does the Öhlins suspension play into your favor being more technically minded than most?
FR: I haven’t done much suspension tuning myself, but last year I got some help from a couple of people and I started learning how important it is to play with the suspension and get different setups for different tracks, so that was a big learning curve for me. I’m super stoked to have a team that’ll help me with that now. Definitely learned the importance of it and stoked to learn more about the Öhlins suspension and figure out a good setup.
And will Öhlins give you specific suspension support?
FR: I think they’ll be at some of the races yeah, but I’m not totally sure yet. There’s an Öhlins office in Asheville, close to me, so I think they’re gonna come up and help a bit too before I head over to Europe, so that’ll be cool.
Do you think that companies are making performance sacrifices in order to cater to the general rider? Do you think that more technically minded people, especially racers and race mechanics, could unlock extra performance if the bikes were fully tailored?
FR: I think that obviously the bigger companies want to make money, but they do put in effort to have good suspension or other parts for their riders. So yes, and no I guess. Probably most of the stuff they sell, yes, but I think being on a pro team now and having a closer connection with a lot of the companies I think they do put in effort to make really good products for the racers, but maybe they won’t sell all of that.
Your research project sounds really interesting, what type of electrolyzers are you studying and what are you looking to develop or improve with the electrolyzers?
FR: I’m studying the normal electrolyzer that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, similar to the PEM fuel cells. My main focus for my masters was current distribution, where we measured the current inside of the cell in 100 different segments. Now I’m moving on to making a (mathematical) model of the oxygen and water and the porous media inside the electrolyzer – the mechanical aspect, doing the flow and trying to optimize that for better performance essentially…it’s pretty cool, definitely heavy on the math side and trying to find the best way to solve two-phase flow inside of a porous media, it’s pretty complicated so far but hopefully I’ll get somewhere with it.
Do you ever find yourself thinking about it when out on the bike?
FR: Yeah sometimes…Sometimes I get stuck with something and it just spins in the back of my head. Especially just before I go to bed or out on a road ride, I’ll come up with something and have to write it down on my phone real quick.
Do you think your studies on electrolyzers could have any application in the cycling world?
FR: Maybe not directly, what I study is essentially energy storage and hopefully more clean energy. You need that for the world in general, maybe not specifically for the bike industry but also it probably needs ways to use clean energy better.
Yeah for sure, I guess you could have it powering the CNC machines. I also thought you could possibly have hydrogen powered bikes with fuel cells at the trailhead, but maybe we’re a little way off of that…
FR: Haha, yeah probably…
What would you like the cycling world to remember you for?
FR: Hmm, that’s a hard question. Obviously my goal is to be one of the best in the world and to keep on getting better. It’s cool that from when I started racing until now, the progression of the Women’s field has been pretty crazy. When I first started and did my first world cup in Fort William, most of the girls didn’t hit any of those jumps, so being a part of that and hopefully being able to push the next generation, showing that girls can do pretty much what boys can do too. Being good at riding a bike, doing whips and fun stuff, not putting a limit on anything.
RECAPPING FROM THE FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR | LOURDES
WORLD CUP #1 IS DONE, WHAT ARE THE EMOTIONS FOLLOWING THAT WEEKEND?
FR: It was so good to be back racing, and being a part of the team this year made everything so much better. Stoked to get to travel with the team and race the first race with everyone. The track was awesome, and it was so cool with the good weather and the big French crowd. Overall, I had a pretty good weekend. I put a bunch of pressure on myself, and really wanted to make it into the final, so the first couple of days I was riding a bit nervous. I had a wrist injury in the lead up to the race, so I didn’t have the best preparation, but was able to make the best of it I think. For finals day I finally felt like I was riding better and really wanted to race for a top 10 result. I ended up getting a bit too excited and rode off track towards the end, but was still happy to see that my splits were in the top 10 until that mistake. Stoked to have the team behind me an opportunity to keep learning.
IT LOOKED AS IF YOU WERE ON THE CUSP OF A TOP 10 UNTIL THE LOWER SECTION OF THE TRACK, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR RUN?
FR: Yea, I felt like I was riding better for finals and wanted to race for a top 10 result. I got a bit too excited maybe and rode off track pretty early on. Was able to make it back on track without losing too much time and continued to push pretty hard. Rode the middle bit well but I almost blew a hand off the bar in the braking bumps after the big road gap and the next section got a bit hectic because of that. I went off a drop a bit too fast and couldn’t hold on in the compression and rode off track which lost a good chunk of time. I was still happy to see my speed was there and I’m hoping to be able to make less mistakes in the future and make it into the top 10.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE 14TH POSITION IN THE END?
FR: Not super happy with 14th but with 17 girls in the final I’m happy I got a couple of points even with those mistakes and I’m in the top 15 overall and get to do timed training for the next race. Getting a result you’re not really that excited about also ups the motivation to work hard towards the next race, so not stoked but also not super bummed.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN OVER THE WEEKEND?
FR: I learnt a lot about my mindset going into a race weekend and into each day of riding. Confidence in my riding and ability made a big difference on how I was riding. I also learnt a lot from my race run and I’m hoping to take that and work on being able to put down a top 10 run without any mistakes. It was good to see the speed of the other girls and figure out what I need to be working on towards the next race.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING GOING INTO FORT WILLIAM?
FR: I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited to get a lot more time on the bike and in the gym being healthy before then and use the things I’ve learnt from Lourdes in my training to get ready. The track at Fort William is very different from many of the other tracks so I’m excited to ride there!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME FRIDA AND GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON. DO YOU HAVE ANY FINAL WORDS FOR THE FANS?
FR: Haha final words for the fans…ride bikes, have fun.
BEST OF LUCK TO FRIDA AND THE UNION TEAM FOR THE UPCOMING DOWNHILL SEASON FROM THE LOAM WOLF! 
Hit the following links to stay up to date with Frida and The Union team.
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