Out of the Blue | Megan Sharpless | Brought to You by Schrader’s

Out of the Blue | Megan Sharpless | Brought to You by Schrader’s

This week, we feature Pro off-road racer Megan Sharpless in our ‘Out of the Blue’ WMX column brought to you by Schrader’s

By Jensen Amyotte

Name: Megan Sharpless
Date of Birth: March 28, 2001
Hometown: Whitby, ON
Grade or Occupation: Graphic Design, firefighting school in the fall
Race Number: 952
Bike: 2025 KTM 250XC
Race Series: Off-road Ontario, FMSQ
Classes: Womens Pro (OO), Dame Experte (FMSQ)

What are your plans and goals for this upcoming season?

This season I’ll be competing in all Off-Road Ontario (OO) events, and any FMSQ Round I can get to on my off weekends. I just love the OO courses so much and the competition at FMSQ is unmatched.

I’m aiming high, the goals are to win the OO Cross Country, Enduro, and Grand Championship and to get another top 5 at FMSQ, but we’ll have to see what the season has in store.

What kind of track/dirt/terrain do you feel you excel at most and why?

I’ve always been much stronger at technical trails. I don’t know if this is nature or nurture, maybe a bit of both. A lot of the time my dad took me “riding” as a kid I ended up just bushwhacking my way through Corduroy trails as my dad laid out the route for that year. I also have the gift/curse of being very lanky, so I can usually get a foot down almost anywhere which I think helps me out quite a bit.

I’m definitely a bit unbalanced when it comes to my skill set, though. As comfortable as I am in that stuff, I’m just as uncomfortable on the faster courses. My mom was really worried about me messing up a jump and hurting myself so I wasn’t allowed to ride moto until I was 18. I’ve been really working on that over the past couple years though and I’m hoping to improve on that some more through FMSQ!

What event do you look forward to most every year? What’s one you don’t ever want to miss?

People who know me already know this answer: The Corduroy Enduro, hands down. This race has always meant a ton to me and my family. My dad’s always had a really big part in it and I’ve been at this race every year since I was born. I’ve made so many memories at it, I really can’t help but love it. But I do like to think that even if I wasn’t biased, it’d still be my favourite race. Enduros are my favourite race format, I love those trails, and I get to compete against some of the best women in Canada.

Who has been your biggest inspiration on and off the track?

My sister. Partly because she works so hard on and off the track, but mostly because I want to catch her. Haha. I’ve been chasing her for as long as I’ve been on a bike and I’ve got a ways to go but I’m gonna keep working at it.

She’s also so supportive of me, anytime we’re at different races she’s watching me on Livelaps and texting me good luck.

What is the biggest lesson that racing has taught you so far?

Definitely, perseverance. I think that’s gotten me a lot further in each individual race and my riding as a whole than skill ever has. My dad always taught me how important it is not to quit and I’ve really carried that with me into each race.

I don’t think I’m that much of a natural when it comes to riding but I’ve always loved it and just kept working at it and that’s gotten me a lot further than I thought it would!

From your first ride to where you are now, what is something you never thought you would be able to achieve but have?

Oh gosh, just about everything I’ve done on a bike. I remember being a little kid and thinking that going over a log was just not possible. I used to think I’d never make it out of Women’s Novice, if you told me then that I’d be disappointed with a podium in Women’s Pro I think I would’ve laughed. I think actually that the last time we did one of these interviews I was entering my first season of WPro and had absolutely no idea how that would go.

I love this question. It’s super important to keep setting new goals for yourself but it’s so easy to get caught up in the moment that you don’t notice all your progress.

If you could give 1 piece of advice to a female of any age who wants to start riding, what would it be?

Just start! It can be scary to be learning a new skill in a new environment but there’s always tons of girls in their first season of racing who are also just figuring it out too. Also, I can’t stress enough how welcoming the entire female community is in off-road. We all really have each other’s backs and just want to see more girls out on the trails and on the start lines. Feel free to even message me personally if you’re looking to get into racing/riding and don’t know where to start. We want to help!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Bike-wise: faster, hopefully. I’ll definitely still be racing bikes, all things permitting. I think I’d like to have tried more types of races by then like GNCC, hard enduros, etc., and I have aspirations of being on Canada’s 6-Day team.

Bikes aside, I’m beginning school to become a firefighter in the fall and plan on that being my career. I’m currently working as a graphic designer and love doing it so I see myself continuing that on the side. I’ve also just finished up a university degree in mathematics so I guess there’s a chance I could be working in that. But firefighting seems cooler and would give me way more time to ride dirt bikes.

Who would you like to thank?

I owe the biggest thank you possible to my dad. He’s my race manager, pit crew, mechanic, and biggest supporter all in one. I’d also like to thank everyone else who supports me: KTM Canada, GP Bikes, Motovan, DP Brakes, Seco Seats, Podium Grafix, and Stadium Suspension. And a big thanks to Jensen Amyotte for setting this interview up!