Ellie Smith’s Incredible Return to Downhill Racing

Just over a year after a catastrophic crash at Crankworx New Zealand left her with 15 broken bones, a severe concussion and an uncertain future in mountain biking, the Central Coast rider returned to competition at the Australian Downhill National Championships – her first race back. 

With minimal bike time, low expectations and a body still rebuilding, Smith delivered, crossing the line to claim Elite Women’s silver. But to Ellie, the result felt less like second place and more like a victory.

From the forest-heavy town of Jilliby, just minutes from Ourimbah Mountain Bike Park, Smith has built a career defined by speed, technical precision and a relaxed approach to racing. A two-time Australian Downhill National Champion and back-to-back Elite E-Enduro title holder, she now returns to racing carrying a new perspective – shaped as much by recovery and patience as by podiums.

We caught up with Smith to talk about her comeback, confidence, dirt bikes, e-bikes, and what it really takes to rediscover the desire to go fast again.

AB: Ellie! Congrats on a huge Nationals Championships campaign. Obviously it was a huge comeback at Downhill National Championships this year with a second place in Elite, which was a massive feat after your CrankWorx Rotorua crash. Tell us about the crash that happened last year and your rocky road back to this silver.

Yeah, so just over a year ago I had a massive crash in New Zealand racing at Crankworx in the downhill. I hit a tree and broke 15 bones, separated my shoulder and was knocked out.

I had a pretty bad concussion. I broke my shoulder blade, six or seven ribs and six or seven transverse vertebrae processes. I forget the exact numbers, but it was definitely 15 bones.

That took a long time to recover from. The concussion, for a good two to three months, was pretty savage and I wasn’t able to do too much at all, as well as just being really injured.

But that came good a few months later. I had a lot of rehab and it’s taken a whole year to make a comeback to downhill. My first downhill race back was National Champs. It would have been nice to get another race in before that, but honestly I wasn’t ready. So I just had to send it at the National Champs – and somehow I got second. I was stoked with that.

AB: We talk so much about bones mending, but how much mental recovery did it take to get back into the start gate?

Yeah, a lot. It’s been a journey. I just focused day by day on healing and honestly didn’t even think about racing for a long time. I just focused on being able to ride again, be active, run, and do all those fun things.

I trusted that the desire would come back to go fast and race again. I’d never been through an injury this big, so I had to trust the process.

The biggest thing was the doubt of whether I’d be able to go super fast again. I knew I’d always love riding bikes, but I honestly thought, ‘I just don’t want to be in that situation again.’ It was such a bad time.

So it’s been a gradual build back to downhill – waiting until the brain was ready as well as the body.

AB: You’ve already been Australian Downhill National Champ twice as well in ’22 and ’24. Once you built yourself back up, were you able to switch into go-fast mode again? Was there muscle memory?

Yeah, literally. I’ll be honest – my training, strength and fitness were nowhere near where they were a couple of years ago. So before even turning up I was like, ‘Oh man, it’s not looking great’.

I’d also been sick for about a month before National Champs. So I had zero expectations. I just thought, ‘this is my first race back, I’m just going to do it’.

It wasn’t until about an hour before my race run that I switched back into the zone. Honestly it must have been muscle memory, because I don’t know how I put down such a good run with such minimal downhill bike time.

My downhill bike was new – I got it a day before my crash. I’ve worked out that I’ve ridden it a total of 12 times from when I first got it until now.

AB: Is there anything specific that sets you up for success? That helped you that day? Music or a routine?

I have a little bit of a routine, but most people would say I just go with my own flow. I’m often the last one getting ready while everyone else is already lined up asking, ‘What are you doing, Ellie?’

I just follow how I’m feeling. But music definitely helps – big time.

AB: Do you have a specific pump-up song?

It’s very varied. It changes year by year. I actually have a specific song for each National Champs I’ve won – including this year where second felt like a win.

For my first National Champs it was Renegades of Funk by Rage Against the Machine. The second one at Awaba was Point North ft. The Ghost Inside’s Safe and Sound. This year was Points of Authority by Linkin Park.

But normally I listen to chilled surf rock music.

AB: You mentioned training leading into Nationals – your coach said you’ve really picked up dirt biking this year. How did that happen?

Yeah, I rode dirt bikes a bit from age 13. My dad was a motorbike racer – multi Australian champion – so I rode with him for fun. Then I focused on mountain biking for about ten years.

When I won National Champs at Awaba I promised myself I’d buy a dirt bike as a reward. It took a year because they’re expensive, but I had to follow through.

Getting the dirt bike mid-last year was also a pick-me-up during injury recovery. I’ve been riding it a lot more since.

It’s so hard. It’s so physical. I only ride in the bush, like, cross country and enduro stuff, but it’s so tiring! It’s so addictive and fun that you kind of just keep going, that’s the beauty of it. You get home and you’re absolutely wrecked, but you’ve just had the best time ever. 

It’s cool ’cause you ride so fast on motors that it’s really good practice for the speed of downhill. I think when you hop back on the mountain bike, you’re sort of used to going so quick, and then that translates well, I think.

AB: I want to pivot and talk about some other green-and-gold stripes you have earnt with a different type of motor, you’re a mad e-biker with back-to-back Elite E-Enduro National titles in ’24 and ’25. Tell us about those.

Both titles were on the Commencal Meta SX. My first one was on the SX 800 full-power, then last year I switched to the lighter version – the Commencal Meta Power SX 400 Essential – with the Bosch Performance Line SX motor. This year I’m back on the full-power Meta with the Bosch Performance Line CX again: the Commencal Meta Power SX 800.

AB: Have you noticed a difference between the Bosch SX and CX motors?

Yeah, absolutely. I am in love. I rode it this morning, and I just could not wipe the grin off my face. Having that extra power is so good.

AB: How do you use the e-bike for downhill training?

Yeah, mainly I like to go and just ride. I have got a real passion to go riding Moto tracks on the e-bike. It’s so much fun, and it’s really good training, because they’re always changing, they get ridden so much that they’re always evolving. 

It’s really good practice for downhill racing, because the track always evolves with downhill racing as well. It’s cool because on the e-bike, obviously, you can go a lot faster than if you’re just on your normal bike, so that also replicates downhill as well. That high speed, and being able to get up to the top of a hill without a shuttle, is perfect. Right now on the new Commencal Meta SX with the Bosch Performance Line CX, to me it feels like a downhill bike so you can literally ride down the tracks on it on repeat.

AB: What modes do you usually find yourself riding in?

Turbo. I love Turbo! But what I do love is, when I go riding with my husband, Duke, he only has a trail bike, so I’ll just go and ride in Eco mode when I’m with him, and that’s just the perfect pace so we can literally ride together and we’re both having fun. Whereas if I was on my normal (non-ebike) bike, he would have to ride super slow for me. So that’s perfect, we both get a good workout. 

So it really just depends on the person I’m riding with but if it’s just me riding, Turbo always. 

AB: So as a ‘Turbo-all-day’ girlie, how did you manage your battery life at E-Enduro Nationals? Surely you needed a strategy to conserve?

Yeah, so the first year, I ran it in Turbo mode all day long with the 625Wh battery and PowerMore 250Wh range extender, because – I’ll be honest – fitness is not my strong point. Technical riding is 100% my strong point. So I’m running it on Turbo all along, even up the liaisons, everything. 

Then I literally came home from WA, and went for another ride and still hadn’t charged it! It lasted. It was like a 40km race at the National Championships and it came home, went for another hour-long ride and then it ran out. So I get heaps out of the battery. 

But the second year, having the lighter bike and the Performance Line SX motor with smaller capacity battery, it was a bit stressful because you were allowed battery extenders the year before, and then the wording and the rule slightly changed. And I only found out a day before the competition. The way it sort of read was like, you weren’t allowed a battery extender, and I was like, ‘I’m doomed!’ because of the smaller capacity battery on the small bike. 

But in the end, I was able to run the range extender. It just had to stay on the bike the whole time. You weren’t allowed to carry around your backpack, you had to have it on the frame fixed before the race started and it had to stay there till the end.

So I was pushing the limits last year, actually. I ran it in Turbo mode all day, I just winged it and hoped for the best. In the last couple stages, I had to knock it back down to Eco, just to be sure I made it, and I made it – all good! 

AB: So moving onto the new Gen 5 Bosch Performance Line CX drive unit from the SX, what have you noticed?

Yeah, I definitely have noticed the increase in peak power and torque, because there’s this loop I do out in the forest around motorbike tracks. So it’s the same loop every time, there’s a really techy hill climb that it’s impossible to make it up, but it’s like a challenge each time you try to make it a little bit further. 

Today was my first time riding that track on the new Bosch Performance Line CX unit, and I made it like an extra few metres up the hill. And it’s an extremely techy hill. So, yeah, definitely good traction and more power leading into that hill. 

I don’t mind the extra weight that this new bike brings, it’s around 4kg heavier with increased battery capacity and the Performance Line CX motor. I find the increased weight really helps maintaining traction on the ground. Riding Moto’s, which are 110kg, is huge in comparison to a 23-ish kg e-bike. As a lighter rider, I definitely reap the benefits of better W/kg of the CX drive unit.

AB: Are you heading to E-Enduro Nationals again for a run at a third set of Aussie E-Enduro stripes?

I’d love to go for a third title, I love e-bike racing. The stages are still really hard, but the liaisons are enjoyable – you can actually chat and recover instead of being completely destroyed. So, hopefully!

AB: Switching back over to Downhill, there’s a new generation of super fast young Downhill girls coming through, including U19 National Champion Tilly Boadle. What sort of role have you had with her, both being supported by Commencal?

I wouldn’t say mentoring. I’ve known Tilly, we were both on the Commencal G-Form team since 2020. We just got along so well right off the bat. 

But honestly, she’s such an amazing rider, I wouldn’t even say I’m mentoring her, I mean, there’s a few things I can help I’ve been able to help her with, but all in all she’s such an awesome rider that’s just been great to hang out with and ride together the past few years.

AB: How does it feel seeing such a strong cohort of younger riders coming through, having been there and now a more established rider on the scene?

It is so exciting. At National Champs, I’m pretty sure there were like 20 girls in U19 and U17. I just can’t believe it. That’s why the level is so high, and that’s why it’s increasing, and it’s so exciting. 

I think back to when I was in Juniors, there was never more than just me and one other girl. And that definitely limits progression, because the competition’s not there. At the end of the day, you need that competition there to push yourself to go faster. And that’s what we’re seeing. It’s so sick.