This was a rough year for Chris Hauser, especially coming off a fantastic 2023. How did he handle those ups and downs, and how is he taking on 2025?
Bowman: Yeah, he’s had a rough year. I think he’s definitely frustrated. But to be fair to him, he came off ’23 knowing he could win and put a lot of pressure on himself. He came into the season with a back injury, and he was riding really well at the first round in Fort William, but then he had that massive crash into the tree that re-aggravated his back again.
But then towards the end of the season, if you look at his splits and his qualifying times, he really was coming back. Like European champs, he came second. Loudenvielle: Fourth. His splits at Mont-Sainte-Anne were really good before he crashed — like top three. So even though it had been a rough season, I think he gained a lot of confidence again by the end.
And he knows what he’s got to do. He needs to hit the gym more, because he loves riding his bike, but I think he knows he’s got to step up now and mature a bit and treat it more like a job. Which I know sounds lame, but it’s what it is. You gotta get in the gym and find those hundredths of seconds that make the difference.
I think Chris is a bit of a Lachie. He’s got that raw pace, and like Lachie in juniors he is quite untamed — lots of crashing, lots of wild moments. But I think he just needs time. First year elite is always super hard, but if he trains hard this winter, I think he can do what Bodhi did on TFR this year. I think he’s fired up.
