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 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 be the catalyst for that change.

I’m Zack Wilson. My story begins in Subiaco, Perth. I grew up in Cairns for 15 years before 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. In 2013, my mother and I moved to Brisbane hoping for a fresh start. Instead, our lives quickly descended into catastrophe through my final years of high school and for several years after. With a person who was in our lives at the time malicious lies were concocted about my brother’s passing, which fuelled a systematic onslaught of bullying. I was also sexually assaulted at 16 years of age by someone who was very close to us at the time. After I graduated, the torment continued and it made our lives a living hell.

The cumulative impact eventually became too much. I turned to substance abuse and struggled with depression, self-destructive behaviours and suicidal thoughts. The first real step in my recovery was quitting substances cold turkey. I hated the version of myself I saw in the mirror, and I knew I was better than that. The residual effects on my mental health stayed with me, though. In 2016 and 2017, I witnessed two traumatic events that haunted me with recurring nightmares for years. Then, in April 2018, it all caught up with me. I felt like I was drowning, and one evening I tried to take my own life in my car at triple the speed limit. However, the police intervened, and I was taken to 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 the pivotal turning point. The diagnosis gave a name to what I had been carrying, and the time in care gave me space to stop running from it. It forced me to confront everything I had buried and to reflect on the future I wanted, what I wanted to achieve and who I wanted to become. For the next six months my mother was by my side but the rest I wanted to do on my own. I’ve always been extraordinarily determined and self-motivated and I needed to prove to myself that I had the mental strength to rebuild, because if I could overcome this, I could overcome anything. The six months after my discharge was a big reset. I took time away from everything, including sport, and put on 28kg. I became unrecognisable.

Recovery wasn’t a straight line, and I had to learn to be patient with myself. Eventually, I reminisced about my achievements in endurance sport as a child and decided to reignite my athletic ambitions by attempting to become a professional triathlete. Being a professional athlete has been my goal since I was in single digits, so this was a chance to chase it again. It was also very important to me to have an identity of my own and a genuine sense of purpose which is something I never had before.

Four months into 2019, I had lost all the weight I’d gained and trained myself to a qualification spot for the Sprint Distance Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. I also won multiple races that year. Training gave me structure, goals and something to get up for every single day. At the beginning of the following year I debuted at my first 70.3 Ironman (1.9km swim 90km bike, 21.1km run) but didn’t have the day I’d trained for overall due to being involved in a hit and run 4 days prior while out training. The highlight of the day however I was in the top 8% of the swim leg across all categories including the pro fields and 10th in my age group against those who had ample experience at that distance. Regardless of the result, I was incredibly proud of what I had achieved that day and over the previous year. But I still had a lot of soul-searching to do, I was racing for the wrong reasons, and past injuries continued to plague me. I no longer found enjoyment in it.

Then the pandemic hit.

I found cycling during that time because the pools were closed, the gyms were shut, and, being injury prone I couldn’t run. I spent the next couple of years in cycling but fell into the toxicity of it all and developed a lot of terrible habits. eating disorders and became obsessed with all the wrong things. I made the same mistake of having the right intentions but the wrong execution, and I lost interest at the end of 2022. Looking back, those setbacks taught me that not everything is about results. It is equally important that I find something that’s genuinely mine.

At this point, “completely lost” is a gross understatement.

Until…

In late 2022, I started with a new cycling coach and we got chatting about the races I like and my power profile. That was when cross-country mountain biking (XCO) was introduced to me. I had no clue what it was, so I jumped on YouTube for a squiz and came across riders such as Nino Schurter, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. The love and excitement were instant, and I knew this was a path worth exploring. There was just one issue. After a serious motorcycle accident as a young teen that could have been life changing, I had promised myself I would never ride or race off-road again. I explained this to my coach and said that if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right, 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 a chance 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. Time outdoors gave me a sense of freedom. It gave my mind something to focus on and somewhere to rest. The progress wasn’t linear but it was tangible. You never stop learning, you never stop improving, there are no two trails that are the same. You’re always figuring out how to be smoother, how to ride something faster and constantly exploring ways to attack certain features. That is the greatest thing about it and I absolutely revel in it.

Mountain biking gave me something I had spent years searching for: direction, purpose and my why. I finally had a reason to look forward to what came next. As my skills and experience developed, I was offered the 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.

Applying what I was taught and what I learned from the huge amount of time I’d spent on the trails, to coaching 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, let alone MTB. Someone put it perfectly: coaching the juniors became my therapy. It has given my life so much substance, fulfilment and gratification. The influence they have had on me has been just as great as the influence I have had on them, and for a few of those juniors it has grown into mentorship beyond coaching. I 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. Helping others has become one of the things that keeps me well.

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. Recovery isn’t a finish line. It’s something I keep choosing, through riding, routine, connection and being open about the hard days.

I want to keep 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 matters so much to me. Whether through coaching, mentoring, 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 every day.

If you’re struggling, you don’t have to do it alone. Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14, and in Brisbane the Crisis Stabilisation Unit at The Prince Charles Hospital offers support as an alternative to the emergency department. In an emergency, call 000.