De Vaux brothers take Portugal by storm with GTCT support
Ruben and Nathan de Vaux, collectively known as the Trailrippers, are some of the brightest MTB talents in Wales and the UK and have recently returned from Portugal, where they competed internationally for the first time.
The boys travelled out to race in the Continental Series, following positive domestic results.
“It was really interesting because the culture is so different, in the way things are set up and stuff, so it was really refreshing to experience something so different and new,” commented 16-year-old Nathan. “I really enjoyed it because we had different competitors, a completely different track at a really good venue, and it was all-round really enjoyable.”
“It was a really good experience,” 14-year-old Ruben told us. “We’d not been anywhere in that area before; the tracks are very different to the UK.”
“The first couple days of the race were a bit of a nightmare, though, because of the awful weather – we just got soaked in the rain.”
Despite the rain following them from Wales, however, both boys could leave feeling proud.
For Ruben, Portugal proved to be a valuable benchmarking experience after a year-long struggle with injury, having broken his arm to miss the majority of 2024.
Despite this, he got back on the bike to finish in the top 40.
“I wasn’t too happy with the result, honestly,” he said. “But it was a great experience to just be there, get on the bike, try racing again and see how it would go. So, I wasn’t too bothered about the result since I got to see where I was, I got to hang out with my friends at the race, and it was good to get back up there and race without knocking my confidence again.”
Meanwhile, Nathan shone bright in the Portuguese rain to claim a third-placed finish – a result that secured a spot at the World Cup event in Poland later this month.
“I was really happy because it meant I can go to a World Cup; to get that golden ticket was really amazing,” he told us.
As well as that, however, on that back of his result, Nathan also got a call-up to the Team GB squad selected for the first six of ten World Cup events, guaranteeing him a place at those stages.
“It’s opened a massive number of doors for him now,” said the boys’ mother, Ina De Smet.
“Yeah, it was a huge achievement,” added Nathan. “My result there led (Team GB Coach) Michael Vickers to make the decision to include me in Team GB.”
For the moment, though, Nathan has sights firmly set on Poland, “really excited” to get going over there.
“It should be really good,” he stated. “The track looks really interesting; it’s very off-camber and steep, and actually pretty short.”
The Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust is thrilled to see the Trailrippers thriving and progressing with their passion, and is delighted to have been able to support their efforts.
Following on from an original grant to contribute towards race entries in the UK a couple of years ago, the Trust supported the boys and their mother with a grant for their trip to Portugal.
“We wouldn’t have made it to Portugal if it weren’t for the Trust, to be honest,” Ruben said. “All of the travel coverage, race entries and accommodation – we couldn’t have done it without the Trust.”
“It was either we go, or we don’t,” added Ina. “If we didn’t have the grant then we wouldn’t have been able to go, it’s that simple.
“The support dating back to the first grant has made a massive difference,” she continued. “All those domestic nationals were the stepping stones for the boys to be able to compete internationally and to be seen by Team GB and gain such valuable experience, for instance.
“At every step on their journey, that support from the Trust has been amazing and made such a massive difference.
“For me as a parent, being able to reach out to an organisation like the GTCT has helped me make these opportunities available to the boys; obviously, you do what you can and you want to see them happy and reach their dreams. We’re just so grateful.”
And the Trailrippers will keep on pushing, with loftier heights in the pipeline.
Nathan’s dream is to “win World Cups and be a world champion”.
“I just want to be at the top of mountain biking; that would be really cool.”
“I think we’ve got the same aspirations,” added Ruben. “We both want to reach the top and we both want to compete with or against each other. The outcome doesn’t really matter; we just want to race to the top!”
The de Vaux brothers are also passionate about supporting other riders of colour, as well as those that are less fortunate, achieve their dreams.
“It’s important to see other people of colour riding bikes and to show what’s possible,” Nathan said.
“It’s good to support other people,” concluded Ruben. “Like we’ve got the support of the Trust, others might not. So, if we can give people some sort of support, then it would make everything much better for everyone.”
