From Shovel to Sender: How Vero Sandler Built Her Freeride Dream

James Moore · 2026-09-15

### A Backyard That Redefines Home Tucked away in the green hills of North Wales sits a modest house that you'd easily drive past without a second glance. But walk around back and you'll stop dead in your tracks. What you'll find isn't a garden—it's a full-blown bike park. Huge jumps, perfectly sculpted berms, and a shipping container repurposed as a start drop. The ratio of living space to playground is, frankly, ridiculous. And that's exactly the point. For Vero Sandler, mountain biking didn't just fit into her life. It became the foundation everything else was built on. ### More Than Just a Place to Ride On any given evening, you might find Vero's partner Sam Hodgson sessioning jumps alongside Kade Edwards and Kaos Seagrave. It doesn't feel like a staged gathering of pros. It's just a normal night in Vero's world, where the freeride elite drop by for a casual jump session. What stands out most is how Vero moves through it all. She's warm, open, always smiling—but never focused on herself. While everyone else is sending jumps and chatting, she's keeping an eye on everyone. Making sure they're having fun. Making sure they feel welcome. That's what makes the place work. It's not an exclusive training ground. It's a community hub. Everyone is welcome. Everyone digs. That shared effort is what gives the place its energy. > "Riding is for sure more fun. I build so that I can ride. It's all in the name of biking." – Vero Sandler ### From World Cup Dreams to a Different Path Vero didn't plan to end up in Wales. As a teenager growing up in New Zealand, she had one goal: race the Downhill World Cup. She was selected for the Junior World Championships, dropped out of university, and threw herself into racing. For three years, she followed the World Cup circuit, racing around the globe each summer and returning to New Zealand each winter. Then came 2016. After the season ended, 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 turned into the biggest turning point of her career. ### Building a Life, One Trail at a Time 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. "Which is extremely lucky." It's a striking contrast: a bike called the Santa Cruz Nomad—a name that suggests constant movement—paired with a rider whose story is all about staying put. Vero didn't drift from spot to spot. She stayed in Wales, built something real, and that build became a defining part of who she is. ### Why Trail Building Matters For Vero, riding always comes first. But almost everything that defines her riding today can be traced back to trail building. She built her first trails as a teenager, and that hands-on approach never left her. Here's what trail building taught her: - **Patience:** You can't rush a good line. It takes time, sweat, and a lot of trial and error. - **Community:** Building brings people together. Everyone contributes, and everyone benefits. - **Creativity:** When you shape the dirt yourself, you learn what works and what doesn't. You experiment. - **Respect:** You appreciate every trail you ride because you know what went into it. That philosophy carries into everything she does. Whether she's competing, filming, or just sessioning with friends, the foundation is always the same: build something worth riding. ### The Takeaway Vero Sandler's story isn't just about talent. It's about staying put, digging in, and creating a life around what you love. Sometimes the best career move isn't chasing the next big thing. It's building something right where you are. And if that something happens to include a shipping container start ramp and a backyard full of jumps? Even better.