Cam Ivory: Drive and Determination

Cam Ivory has been one of Australia's best cross-country racers in all disciplines for many years now. Georgina von Marburg sat down with Cam to discuss his past, present, and future.

Australian Mountain Bike 28.11.2021

Words: Georgina von Marburg

Photos: Nick Waygood, Andy Rogers, Margarete Oti, Murilo Mattos, Mike Blewitt


Somewhere in the bushland that skirted his Newcastle family property, a skinny 12-year-old surveyed a rickety, home-made jump. This was the latest creation that he and his mates had devised, and it was his turn to be the test pilot. Committing 110% to the jump, the confessed “full BMX bandit” overshot the landing and his bike slammed into the flat earth. Arms buckling with the force of impact, his chin collapsed onto the handlebars, smashing his top teeth as they went through the bottom lip.

Meet Cam Ivory. Saying he’s no stranger to adversity is a slight understatement. Cam is one of the hardest working and quietly relentless athletes on the mountain bike circuit, and his pure love for racing has belittled the otherwise significant setbacks in his career. From national titles to the world stage, Cam’s achievements have recently set the bar for XC racing in Australia. As with any successful athlete, onlookers are inevitably tempted to focus on the tip of the iceberg – to spotlight results, envy lifestyles, or nitpick failures. But Cam’s story is hardly glamourous, and our ensuing conversation uncovered the grit and perseverance that underpins his journey.

Cam Ivory is one of Australia’s top cross-country racers.

Early years:

After the little incident mentioned earlier, Cam was repaired with stitches and tooth caps. But he quickly put this trauma behind him and hopped on the bike again, as 12-year-olds do.

He was determined to pursue the more extreme aspects of two-wheels, and seemingly by whatever means necessary. For the next few years, Cam would continue dirt-jumping and DH aboard his trusty BMX, pushed even further when his friends upgraded to engines. “I wasn’t allowed to get a motorbike, so I used to chase after them on the BMX bike.” A reasonable compromise.

At 14-years-old, Cam acquired his first mountain bike. Deterred by the comparatively exorbitant price of DH bikes, he was forced to settle for an XC rig. But Cam wasn’t funneled into a niche sport at the expense of all others. “Throughout my childhood, I just played as much sport as I could: soccer, athletics, cricket, tennis, touch-footy – any sport I could play, I was there through summer and winter.” A well-rounded athlete, Cam was driven by an innate competitiveness and passion for sport. “I was out digging and riding jumps with the local neighborhood kids just because I loved it. Eventually I worked out I was actually pretty good at mountain biking.”  

Armed with the capabilities of his first real mountain bike, naturally Cam wanted to start racing it. “I lined up for my first club event with Hunter Mountain Bike Association in Killingworth in Dunlop Volleys, boardshorts, and a t-shirt.” After downing a Coke and Boost bar on the start line, Cam claimed his first E-Grade win and then rode an extra lap – just for fun.

The iconic Killingworth was Cam’s first race venue.

The next years of club and state racing saw him bar-to-bar with Trenton Day, who would become his junior rival and best mate. Then in 2009, some kid by the name of Brendan Johnston had to withdraw from the National Junior MTB camp in Tasmania after breaking his collarbone. Having initially missed selection for this camp, Cam was asked to fill Brendan’s place. He wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity; after producing excellent results during the camp’s testing, Cam returned home with the news he was Europe-bound with the Junior National team.  

Setting back the setbacks:

As a Junior, Cam felt somewhat underdeveloped compared to his cohort. “There were guys with beards [in Juniors], and I was like, ‘what? How do you have a beard!’” he laughs. Despite several podiums and a national series win, Cam knew his potential was barely fulfilled. But fast forward several maturing years, and Cam had secured the U23 National Champs jersey.

After racing Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, Cam was doing everything possible to make selection for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Competing at Glasgow and World Cups made him an ideal candidate for the biggest stage. “I had that experience and I wanted to use it for the next Games, whether that was Olympic or Commonwealth.” Chomping at the bit, he was in form and ticking boxes. 

Several days before the Olympic team was announced, Cam was in Nove Mesto preparing for the XCO World Championship. He was called down from his accommodation to meet with one of the team selectors. But it was not the news he and his family had been hoping for; Cam had been omitted from the Aussie Olympic team. “[After] I found out, I had to ride all the way back up the hill to my accommodation, and that felt like I was climbing Alpe d’Huez or something… with all of those thoughts going through my head – it was only a 15 minute ride home but it went on for hours.” Most elite athletes will only come across several Olympic opportunities in their lifetime, and even fewer if you’re an Aussie mountain biker.

But what Cam did next is a credit to his maturity and fortitudinous. Focusing on the imminent task rather than the devastating news, Cam posted incredibly consistent lap times at World Champs several days later. “I thought if I get emotional and try to use that in a race, then it would probably just backfire on me. I just used the legs that I had.”

Cam’s proudest moment would arrive in due course several years later. After signing with Trek-Shimano in 2018, he took the Elite National XCO title, vanquishing Dan McConnell who had long been the undefeated king of XCO in Australia. “[XCO Nationals] is something that so many people work towards during their XC career, and it was something that I had been working towards for a long time as well.” Reflecting on the days leading up to the race, “I was just so excited for the whole week… I couldn’t wait until race day. I was cutting [practice] laps and having to force myself off the course.” It’s reminiscent of the same kid who rode an extra lap for fun after his first clubbie. “I was just having a good time. I didn’t sleep much the night before because I was so excited.”

Cam simply loves racing.

This victory was swiftly followed by a National Marathon title, defeating the then 3x XCM champion Brendan “Trekky” Johnston – the Brendan Johnston who had gifted him a spot at the Junior camp in Tassie. With the memories of Olympic rejection far behind him, Cam was now vying for 2018 Commonwealth Games selection. He was adamant that years of hard work and national jerseys would finally allow him to don the green and gold. But while Cycling Australia was allocated 3 entries to the Men’s XCO in Nerang, they decided to only send the highly experienced Dan McConnell. Once again, Cam was omitted from the team. “I’m not annoyed they sent Dan; I’m annoyed they didn’t send both of us.”  

Most in Cam’s situation would, at this point, feel the world is against them. But Cam isn’t like most people; he’s not one to be overcome with resentment or despair in the face of seemingly unfair setbacks. Instead he turned his attention to the next goal: Cape Epic, the Tour de France of XC racing. The (in)famous pairs stage race occurs in South Africa each year, lasting 8 days and covering over 700km of mountainous terrain. Brendan Johnston had been targeting the event for some time, and he knew Cam was the most capable teammate given his recent national titles. But Cam’s enthusiasm had its pitfalls, and just like his homemade BMX jump, he overshot this target as well. “For some reason I feel like I over-trained going into it… it was like my body shut down in the taper. I could not ride the way I wanted. My power numbers were nowhere near where they should have been, and I was pretty disappointed in that.” The Western Cape of South Africa is merciless on faltering legs, and Cam brought very few matches to burn. “To do it with Trekky was awesome… we’re good mates and should have been at a similar level – but he was absolutely flying, and I was barely able to hold him.”

It’s been difficult to overcome their missed opportunity at Cape Epic; believing they were capable of more, Cam feels his lack of form stifled their endeavor. But time heals all wounds, and Cam chuckles nostalgically as he recounts the hardship. “[After] the first marathon stage, we both finished and said ‘that is the hardest marathon we’ve ever done.’ Then we finished stage 2 and said ‘wow – that is the hardest marathon we’ve ever done.” Despite the grueling ordeal, Cam says he’d relish the opportunity to return. “As much as I was hating the conditions at the time… I look back on them now, and I’d love to do it again.”

Realities of Daily Life: 

Amidst all the success and adversities at the highest level of sport, it’s easy to forget Cam is not a paid professional. While receiving material support from sponsors and the ever-present Trek-Shimano XC team, Cam hustles daily to pay his way. He’s pragmatic and businesslike about his work, void of the luring sense of entitlement that can afflict semi-pros. Currently he works 9am-5:30pm at Bicycle Express, a local bike shop in Adelaide. Before that, he was packing shelves at Woolworths for nearly ten years; few among us can say we’ve committed ten years to any job. Furthermore, Cam recently completed a degree in construction management, after finishing his diploma in mechanical engineering. He had even dedicated time between Cape Epic stages to complete the homework. “I always wanted something ticking along in the background because the chances of me hitting the big-time in cycling are pretty slim.” He’s brutally honest for someone so accomplished in their sport. “I hear a lot of juniors these days say, ‘I’m just full-time riding.’” But Cam’s advice is to have a contingency plan, whether that’s work or study. “The time you put into that gets your mind off the bike for a little bit, which is healthy.”

Cam currently works at Bicycle Express in Adelaide to support his racing.

Outside of work, Cam takes his mind off bikes by honing his barista skills. When travelling, the 8-a-day fanatic will pack scales and a bean grinder “that’s all tuned in the way I like it.”  For those curious about his home setup, Cam currently uses Trekky’s old machine. “I can’t really justify spending $3k or $4k on a new coffee machine, when that’s like return flights to Europe,” he laughs. Nevertheless, he’s serious about pursuing this passion, having even completed some coffee roasting sessions. “I’ve always had this dream of opening a café at some point in life, with a coffee roaster attached to it… might use my construction management degree to build one up.” We’ll undoubtedly see Ivory Beans on shelves soon. 

Cam being Cam:

Throughout his career, Cam has habitually extinguished he smouldering effects of rejection and defeat. Perhaps it’s a matter of personality, but perhaps it’s also a matter of riding for the right reasons: Cam’s sincere love for mountain biking endures whether he’s winning or losing. Even a series of grim fractures and concussions over the last twelve months were unable to dim his spirit. Assessing his plans for the future, Cam is hungry for more World Cup action.

‘I’d hate to add up how much money I’ve spent on all of this over the years,’ he laughs. “But I’m not done with international racing yet…I just love doing it and that’s why I’ve kept doing it over the years.’ 

Cam doesn’t see himself slowing down anytime soon!

Nor has he given up on the quest to represent Australia, ‘I’m still hopeful that I might get another Games and be in good form.’ For now however, you’ll find him fixing flats at the local bike shop, then riding home with a couple of pizzas after a late night training session – it’s the humble reality that bookends success.