While the St Mary's College Gunnedah student's love of riding was always there, it progressed to mountain biking about five years ago.

When living in Narrabri, Fairfull took part in the Tour de Gorge with his family.

"We do it every year with friends from Narrabri," Fairfull said.

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And he's been mountain biking ever since.

"It's just the fun of it. A bit of adventure and the development of the skills and what you can do," Fairfull said when asked what he enjoys about mountain biking.

From there, Fairfull has continued his progression in the sport. He competes in the Tamworth Mountain Biking Club's twilight series and he was a part of the Northern Inland Academy of Sport squad in 2020.

The 16-year-old also also meets up with other Gunnedah mountain bikers to ride the tracks through Black Jack State Forest on a weekly basis.

Fairfull savours the times he can train and compete alongside other riders as a fair chunk of his training is on his own.

"I have a bit of a trail at home. I normally just do it there," Fairfull said of his training schedule.

And the group sessions Fairfull did with NIAS last year were super beneficial, the 16-year-old said.

"I reckon it's better with the group. You work together and can help each other out if you're struggling," he said.

Fairfull said there was racing in Armidale and Inverell coming up and there was one particular part of his riding he wanted to improve.

"Trying to be a bit quicker on the uphills," he said.

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