THERE was some self-doubt swirling around Sam Poulton's head when it came to his ability on a mountain bike when he lined up on the Fox Superflow state series' start line at Canberra in June.
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Less than six months later, the Port Macquarie 16-year-old was crowned under-17 state champion following four wins from five starts.
Despite riding and racing mountain bikes since he was eight years old, Poulton admitted he didn't know what to expect ahead of the six-race series.
"I'd only been racing for a couple of years and always had ridden with a lot of the people I was racing against," he said.
"I always did alright, but was never really up the top until this year so it felt great to take some wins and I had a great time doing it."
Did he think he would be consistent enough over the six rounds to do enough to claim a state title?
"Not at the start of the year, no," the teenager admitted.
"Then after the first win I got a bit of a surprise from myself because I didn't know how I'd go ... it was an eye-opener.
"From there it was just not trying to get too ahead of myself."
The only blemish came via a second-place finish at Awaba Mountain Bike Park in round two while a round in Thredbo had to be abandoned due to significant snowfall.
After travelling to Canberra and then Taree, Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong, Poulton conceded it had been a taxing series, but an enjoyable one.
"You always forget when you go away racing that you're riding a lot faster than you normally would," he said.
"You're thinking more about the track and what's coming up ahead so it's not just physically demanding, it's also mentally demanding because you're using your mind so much."
Next year, Poulton will progress to the under-19 division and instead of being daunted about the challenge, he welcomed it.
"I've been comparing my times to other divisions and this year in the (under-17) series a lot of the time I've been beating the under-19 (winners)," he said.
"It's pretty cool to know I'm going that fast where I'm on their level.
"Most of the time it's a mixture of skill, practice and just having fun; I've found I go fastest when I have fun."
Local riders were well represented in the Fox Superflow State Series throughout the season.
Hastings Valley club president Michael Fullbrook took the win in the supermasters and finished in third place overall for the series.
Jake Devries finished third in the veterans and second place for the series.
David Poulton finished second in the event and second in the series in the eBike category.
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