Sinclair Currie

The author was born, and grew up, in Scotland, but currently lives with his wife in Queensland, Australia, where the book is set. Mountain biking was something Sinclair took up late in life, but after his first downhill run, he knew he'd always remained a teenager at heart.

The descriptions of mountain bike racing within the book come from racing his sixty year old friends, who also remain fiercely competitive sixteen year olds.

The character of Rob McDonald was partly based on watching a friend's son develop into a champion mountain biker, and from making the connection that becoming a champion sportsman, and growing up to be a champion person are inextricably linked.