From Shovel to Sender: How Trail Building Shaped Vero Sandler's Freeride Career

James Moore · 2026-09-15

### A Backyard That Redefines "Home Advantage" Tucked into the green hills of North Wales sits a small, unassuming house. But it's not the house that catches your eye — it's what's behind it. Vero Sandler's backyard looks less like a garden and more like a full-blown bike park. Massive jumps. Sculpted berms. A shipping container that doubles as storage and a start drop. The ratio of living space to playground is, frankly, ridiculous. And that's exactly the point. For Vero, mountain biking isn't just a hobby. It's the foundation everything else is built on. ### An Ordinary Evening with the Freeride Elite Tonight, Vero isn't riding alone. Her partner Sam Hodgson is here, along with Kade Edwards and Kaos Seagrave. It doesn't feel like a staged lineup of stars. It feels like a normal evening — friends dropping by for a jump session. Sandler moves through it all with ease. She's warm, open, always smiling. But she's never focused only on herself. While everyone sends jumps and plays with her dogs, she keeps an eye on everyone. It's clear: Vero doesn't just want to ride. She wants everyone to ride. She wants everyone to have fun. She wants everyone to feel welcome. That's what makes the place work. For all the spectacular lines, it's not an exclusive training ground. It's where friends come together. Everyone is welcome. Everyone digs. That's the energy. ### From World Cup Dreams to a Life Built on Welsh Soil Wales wasn't part of the plan. As a teenager, the Kiwi had one goal: race the Downhill World Cup. After being selected for the Junior World Championships, she dropped out of university and went all-in on racing. For three years, she followed the World Cup circuit — summers racing around the world, winters back in New Zealand. Then came 2016. She couldn't afford the flight home. So she stayed in Wales for the winter and found a job. What started as a practical decision became the turning point. She stopped racing the clock and discovered a whole different side of mountain biking. > "Everything just fell into place without me really planning anything, which is extremely lucky." ### The Bike That Stayed Put — And the Rider Who Did Too Our visit to Vero comes during our test of the new Santa Cruz Nomad. A bike named for constant movement meets a rider whose story is about staying put. Vero didn't drift from spot to spot. She stayed in Wales, built something, and that build became a defining part of who she is. ### Building Is Just Part of Riding 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 teen. She's been shaping dirt ever since. > "Riding is for sure more fun. I build so that I can ride. It's all in the name of biking." So what can we learn from Vero's journey? A few things: - **Community beats competition.** When you build trails, you build relationships. The best sessions happen when everyone feels welcome. - **A setback can be a setup.** Missing that flight home led to a career she never planned — and wouldn't trade. - **Great riding starts long before the drop-in.** The shovel work, the shaping, the digging — that's where style is born. - **Stay put and go deep.** You don't have to chase every scene. Sometimes building one perfect spot changes everything. Vero Sandler didn't become a freerider on the biggest stages. She became one in her own backyard, one shovel of dirt at a time. And that's a lesson for any rider, anywhere.