John Tomac needs no introduction. The legend represents mountain biking during the early 90s, a time when the sport was young and fresh and going through an exciting phase of innovation.

Back then, before full suspension and disc brakes, John Tomac was blasting to victories in both the XC and DH race scene, very often on the same bike. Tomac was famed for his full gas attacking style, never holding back and giving 100% at all times. During his 15-year career, he won multiple titles in the US and Europe, and during this unparalleled success he became an inspiration to legions of fans.

It’s not often you get to meet such an iconic figure in any walk of life, but I was fortunate enough to spend the entire day with him. Hotlines, who now distribute Tomac Bikes in the UK, launched the latest bike range at Cwmcarn, South Wales to a handful of UK journalists, with the invitation mention that John Tomac would be along. And sure enough, though not quite on time, John rolled into the car park.

So we got the chance to ride some of the latest Tomac models with Tomac himself joining us for a couple of laps of the Twrch trail, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Tomac is a softle spoken man of few words, with a very laidback and easy going personality. He says he doesn’t get the time to ride all that much, not regularly at least, but he’s clearly still in good shape as our ride proved.

And he’s still got the skills. Choosing a table top jump followed by a fast right hand at the top of the trail, we gathered with out cameras for an impromptu photo shoot. And here Tomac was displaying insane smoothness over the jump, throwing in some shapes and tricks with effortless ease and carving a rapid line through the corner. We were breathless with admiration and awe.  Here’s a man I’ve only ever seen in magazines, and here he was ripping up the trail right before my eyes.