World calling Jayden

Busselton’s Jayden Fraser could be the next big thing in the world of mountain biking with his sights firmly set on qualifying for the Enduro World Series.

After winning the Dunsborough leg of the WA Gravity Enduro mountain-bike series, the humble 17-year-old is hoping to accumulate enough competition points to take the next step.

At the end of each year, the top 100 under-21 riders in the world are invited to the world series — Jayden is ranked 74.

In 2016, only 10 people competed in the under-19 category at the Dunsborough event — last Sunday, more than 400 raced.

The extreme sport’s appeal is obvious, with jumps up to six metres and the need to negotiate massive boulders and blown tyres.

“It gets pretty technical and steep,” Jayden said. “After the last course at the weekend, I was on my back recovering for about 10 minutes. “It’s extremely physical; you have to give everything.”

The eight rounds of the world series are held at courses around the globe, changing every year.

This season includes Canada, the US, Italy, Switzerland, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and Tasmania.

Jayden said he loved the ever-changing landscape of the courses.

“You’re never racing the same track; every time, it’s new and exciting,” he said. “You’ve got to play it as it comes.”