How a Backyard Trail Built a Freeride Legend

Robert Wilson · 2026-09-15

### The Backyard That Redefined Her Ride Vero Sandler didn't start her career on a podium. She started it with a shovel. Her home in North Wales looks ordinary from the road, but step out back and you'll find something else entirely. Huge jumps, sculpted berms, and a shipping container that doubles as a start ramp. It's less a garden and more a full-blown bike park. Living space? Tiny. Playground? Massive. That ratio says everything about what matters to her. Mountain biking didn't just fit into her life—it became the foundation. And that foundation is what turned her into one of the most creative freeriders in the world. ### More Than Just a Place to Ride On any given evening, you might find Sam Hodgson, Kade Edwards, and Kaos Seagrave sessioning the jumps. It's not a staged photo op. It's just Tuesday. The vibe is relaxed, welcoming, and everyone pitches in. "Everyone is welcome, everyone digs," Vero says. That's the energy that makes the place special. She's constantly looking out for everyone—making sure they're having fun, feeling included. She doesn't just want to ride. She wants everyone to ride. That generosity is rare in a sport that often celebrates individual glory. ### From World Cup Dreams to Freeride Reality As a teenager, Vero had one goal: race the Downhill World Cup. She dropped out of university, got selected for Junior Worlds, and spent three years chasing the circuit. But after the 2016 season, she couldn't afford the flight home to New Zealand. So she stayed in Wales for the winter and found a job. That practical decision became the turning point. She stopped racing against the clock and discovered a completely different side of mountain biking. "Everything just fell into place without me really planning anything," she says. "Extremely lucky." ### Building Is Part of the Ride For Vero, riding always comes first. But almost everything that defines her riding today traces back to trail building. She built her first trails as a teenager, and that hands-on approach never left her. "Riding is for sure more fun," she admits. "I build so that I can ride. It's all in the name of biking." That philosophy—build to ride, ride to build—has shaped her career. She didn't drift from spot to spot. She stayed in Wales, built something, and that build became a defining part of who she is. ### The Nomad Connection Our visit came during a test of the new Santa Cruz Nomad. A bike named for constant movement meets a rider whose story is all about staying put. It's a fitting contrast. Vero didn't wander. She dug in, literally, and created a place where the freeride elite drop by for a jump session. And that's the lesson. Great riding doesn't start at the drop-in. It starts long before—with a shovel, a vision, and a community that grows around it.