We caught up with Robin Goomes after the whirlwind that was her 2024 season to reflect on all the wins and see what she has her sights set on next. Robin continues to push boundaries and achieve new heights in mountain biking, but her journey is just getting started.
Mark von Roy: Could you do, like, an intro that's like, "Hey, I'm… This is Mons..." No, "This is Robin Goomes: Spinning Yarns."
Robin Goomes: I am Mons Royale. Haha. I am Wool. This is Robin Goomes, and we're spinning yarns.
Mark von Roy: 2024 was a pretty massive year for you. Now that you've had time for it to sink in, can you tell me a little about the highlights of the last year?
Robin Goomes: There've been so many highlights. I guess what started off as a highlight for me was actually going to film in Oregon for the Anthill segment. That was a massive highlight. Such a fun trip and cool experience. Then from there, Darkfest is always a highlight - one of my favourite times of the year. So there are these personal highlights. And then there are all the obvious ones like Crankworx, the first-ever women's slopestyle event in New Zealand, which was really sick too, and obviously getting to win that was massive. Followed by an entire season of slopestyle. I went to Cairns, Innsbruck - had a little crash - that was a lowlight, but there's always those - and then Rampage. Big highlight. The biggest!
No. 1 Highlight
“Rampage was, for sure, the number one highlight. That whole experience is hard to explain. It was two weeks long, and just the whole experience - first of all, it was the first time any woman had been out there doing that. So it was like doing all these things for the first time ever, wrapping your head around it. And the event itself is just such a crazy experience. Not many people get to do it in general. So to be there and do that was so hard to explain. It was full of highs and lows and insanely challenging. I think because it was so challenging, the reward of finishing and even winning it, whether I won or not, would have been the most rewarding thing I've ever done.” 
2024 - A Journey!
While cruising some dirt jumps in Whistler before Joyride... “I got knocked out, and I was pretty concussed. I dislocated my SC joint - the front of my collarbone. I actually chipped some bone off the other end too. So, like, my shoulder was messed up, my head was messed up. I stayed in Canada for probably only a few days.”
“I went back to New Zealand and just got straight into physio. I got a bunch of scans to see what was going on in my shoulder, and I started rehabbing my brain and everything else. It was kind of unfortunate timing. I came out of the concussion really well, considering. It was gnarly for about a week - I was super emotional, confused, tired, and dealing with all that concussion stuff. Then it got better really quickly, which was great. But the timing - being only two weeks out from Joyride - meant I had to miss it.”
“It turned out to be a good thing, though, because I could focus on getting my shoulder ready for Rampage. There was just enough time to build my strength back up. It was nice to be in New Zealand, have a full reset, and get into a good routine and structure leading up to Rampage. In a way, it was almost like I needed that reset. So, it was a bad thing, but it turned into a good thing.”
2025 - What's up?
Mark von Roy: How excited are you about Natural Selection in NZ and what do you think is different about this event compared to something like Rampage or Slopestyle?
Robin Goomes: Yeah, I'm pretty excited for Natural Selection. There's no event like it that I know of. It’s such a unique competition format, so it’s going to feel fresh and exciting. The course looks insane. I've been describing it to people as if Rampage and Fest Series had a baby. It's big mountain freeride combined with Fest Series sized jumps.
Mark von Roy: Be honest - how much of it is about actually wanting to win?
Robin Goomes: Normally, I don’t put that kind of pressure on myself. Obviously, I always want to win - winning is great for everyone - but I never set it as my main goal. My goal is always to do the best riding I can and focus on achieving what I set out to do. If I do that, win or lose, I’m happy. But going into Rampage, it was different. I really wanted to win that one.
So, building up to that event, I focused on manifesting the win. I did everything I could, from riding preparation to mental training. I wrote down all the steps I needed to take, and I trusted the process. Normally, it’s just about having fun and doing my best, but for Rampage, I was all in on winning.
Looking Ahead
Mark von Roy: Moving toward the future - it’s probably tough to think about after having such a successful, sick season - but I was watching your vlogs, and it looks like you’ve got plans for the future. Can you give us a little insight into what you’re planning for next season and beyond? Like, what are your goals, and how do you want to shape the rest of your mountain biking life?
Robin Goomes: Heavy question.
Mark von Roy: We’re going deep.
Robin Goomes: Yeah, I guess there’s so much I still want to do. Results-wise, having a Rampage win is like a dream - a life goal of mine. To already have that is sick, but you don’t just stop there. It’s not like, “Sweet, box ticked, I’m done.” No chance. I feel like I’m actually just getting started now. That win has set me up with way more freedom to do what I want to do in the sport. I’ve started building a training compound. One of the things I love most about biking is progression. Results are great - they keep the sponsors happy, and I get stoked with a win - but what really fires me up is doing good riding or learning a new trick and landing it in a comp. Going into 2025, my goals are more about personal progression and improving my riding rather than just chasing number-one finishes.
Mark von Roy: Anything you want to add? Like, for kids out there wanting to get into it - any words of wisdom?
Robin Goomes: Nah, probably just sorry for all the swear words.
Watch the full interview here 👇
