My Story

In 2018, I faced a decision that would change the course of my life. I could continue down a path I might not return from, or I could take a step back, reassess everything and redefine what I wanted my future to look like. What followed was a journey to rebuild my life, rediscover my identity and find a sense of purpose beyond myself. I never imagined that mountain biking would become the catalyst for that change.

I’m Zack Wilson. My story begins in Subiaco, Perth, before growing up in Cairns for 15 years and moving to Brisbane in 2013. Sport was a constant throughout my life, spanning traditional ball sports, motorsports and endurance disciplines. I experienced success from local to international levels, but behind the results was a far more difficult reality.

Growing up, I endured severe abuse within my household and relentless bullying, including online harassment and death threats. 13 years ago my mother and I moved to Brisbane hoping for a fresh start. Instead, my life and my mother’s quickly descended into catastrophe in my remaining years of high school from years 10 to 12 and multiple years after. During my final years of schooling malicious lies about my brother passing were spread by my mother's former partner which fuelled the systematic onslaught of bullying. In addition to that I was subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of the same individual. After graduating from high school the incessant torment by my mother’s former partner continued making our lives a living hell.

The cumulative impact overflowed to the point where I could no longer deal with it. I turned to substance abuse and struggled with depression, self-destructive behaviours and suicidal tendencies. Although I eventually graduated and overcame substance abuse by quitting cold turkey as I hated the version of myself that I saw in the mirror the residual effects continually affected my mental health. In 2016 and 2017, I witnessed two traumatic events that affected me in the form of recurring nightmares for many years. Then, in April 2018, it all caught up, I felt like I was drowning and it buried me. It was something I couldn’t deal with anymore and one evening I decided to act on my suicidal tendencies driving an hr north to a gravel road where I travelled at triple the speed limit to only be stopped by the police, got dragged out of the car and eventually taken to the nearest hospital. The following day, I was admitted to a mental health facility, where I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As difficult as that period was, it became a turning point. Being in that facility forced me to confront everything I buried, everything I never confronted. But, it provided the time for me to reflect on the direction of my life and consider what was the future I wanted for myself. For the first time, I began to seriously question not just what I wanted to achieve, but who I wanted to become. I looked back on my achievements in endurance sport and made the decision to reignite my athletic ambitions. The following 6 months in 2018 post discharge I had a big reset; took time away from everything including sport and in that time I put on 28kg. I was unrecognisable.

In the latter part of 2018 I reminisced on my childhood and what I was good at which lead to the decision of returning to triathlon. Being a professional athlete has always been the goal since I was single digits in age so that was when I decided to embark on that journey again through triathlon. In this endeavour it was also very important to me that I had an identity of my own and a genuine sense of purpose. Something I never had before.

In 2019 and 4 months in lost all the weight I had gained and I trained myself to a qualification spot at the Sprint Distance Triathlon World Champs in Lausanne Switzerland and having won mutliple races that year. The following year I debuted at my first 70.3 IM but didn’t have the day I trained for but incredibly proud of what I have achieved that day and in the last year regardless. Unfortunately, because I still had a lot of soul searching to do and did things for the wrong reasons and past injuries continuing to plague me I no longer found the enjoyment.

Then the pandemic hit……

I ended up finding cycling in this time because all the pools were closed, gyms were shut and being rather injury prone I couldn’t run. I tried for the next couple of years in cycling. However, I fell into the toxicity of cycling which I wrote about here but I also made the same mistake with not doing things with the right intentions and being denial about things I began to lose interest at the end of 2022.

At this point, being completely lost is grossly understated.

Until……

Late 2022 I started with a new cycling coach and we got to chatting about what races I like and my power profile (physiology as a rider). It was then Cross Country Mountain Biking (XCO MTB) was introduced to me. I had no a clue what it was and I found myself on YouTube. To which, I came across riders Nino Schurter, Mathieu Van-Der Poel and Tom Pidcock. The love and excitement I had was instant and I knew it was an opportunity and a path worth exploring. There was just one issue: following a serious motorcycle accident as a young teen that could’ve been life changing I had promised myself I would never ride or race off-road again. I explained this to my coach and I said if i’m going to do this I want to do it right from the beginning which meant getting a skills coach from the very beginning.

In February 2023, I was introduced to Dylan Cooper at Ride Technics. From my very first session with him on 17 February 2023, there was an immediate connection. What began as an opportunity to try something different quickly became an obsession. In my first year, I achieved multiple podium finishes and discovered a new drive to improve. I spent countless hours on the trails, refining the fundamentals, building good habits and becoming fascinated by the process of getting better.

Mountain biking gave me something I had spent years searching for. It gave me direction, a sense a purpose and my why. I finally found a reason to look forward to what came next. As my skills and experience developed, I was offered an opportunity to join Ride Technics as a coach. I started as an assistant coach in late 2023 and progressed to leading groups in early 2024, becoming involved in high-level enduro groups, one-on-one coaching and a range of other programs.

Taking what Dylan had taught me, what I personally learned spending an insurmountable amount of time on the trails and applying it to others became one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Breaking down skills, helping young riders become faster and safer, and watching their confidence grow while they have a heap of fun has given me a perspective I never expected to find through sport. I had set out to pursue my own athletic ambitions but along the way I discovered something that meant just as much: the opportunity to give back.

Today, mountain biking represents far more to me than competition, results or personal achievement. It has played a significant role in my mental health, helped me rebuild my identity and given me a sense of purpose that extends beyond my own goals. I want to continue developing as an athlete, pushing my limits and seeing how far I can take my racing, while using my platform to speak openly about mental health and encourage others to find something that gives their lives meaning. That's why giving back to the next generation is so important to me. Whether through coaching, racing or sharing my story, I want to help more people experience the confidence, connection and sense of belonging that riding a bike can create.

I know what it feels like to struggle to see a future for yourself but I also know how powerful it can be to discover something that makes you want to keep moving forward. My ambition is bigger than becoming a better racer. It's about using the opportunities that come my way to make a meaningful difference, challenge perceptions around mental health and inspire people to discover what might be possible for themselves.

Ultimately, I want to give people A Reason To Live, Not Just Today But Everyday.