The incumbent U15 national downhill champion has just made another big splash in his very young career.
Mack Manietta is officially part of the Generation Specialized (Gen-S) Developmental Team. Since its inception in 2022, Gen-S is a branch of Specialized Gravity that has fostered the rise of new mountain biking talent by pairing them up with established professionals.
The Pembertonian is about to live what for many Sea to Sky riders is a dream come true, for his mentor is none other than Finn Iles. With a local legend in his corner, Manietta's sights are locked on a number of UCI Continental Series races this year beginning with the Cannonball Festival in Thredbo, Australia.
After lighting up Kidsworx in his own backyard for years, Manietta won all three Crankworx DH races as a 13-year-old last summer to earn the Stevie Smith Memorial Award. He proceeded to earn a BC Cup season title and triumph at the latest US Open as well.
Manietta, who doesn't turn 14 until the end of February is "super stoked" about joining Gen-S. "It's going to be a sick opportunity to be racing for them," he said.
"[Mack's mom] Charlotte and I are super proud," added Kristian Manietta, who can be a lot more talkative than his boy. "There's no doubt he does have talent, but he works hard to extract as much talent out of himself. We are proud, but we're also excited—and I think excited is a better word to see the fruit so far of [his] labour."
Despite his youth, Manietta is known for displaying a tireless work ethic. This year he decided to forego any freeride skiing programs to focus on offseason bike training.
"I just want to keep winning," said the teen. "I don't know, I just find [motivation] somehow."
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Iles might be the perfect man to help Manietta reach his lofty ceiling.
As many Whistlerites know, Iles set a new precedent by entering and winning the 2014 Crankworx Whip-off at just 14 years old. Since then he's become one of Earth's fastest mountain bikers, winning his first World Cup in 2022 and netting World Championship bronze in August.
Iles entered the Specialized fold when he himself was a teenager. He's poised to help Manietta follow a similar career pathway by sharing his wealth of experience. In a previous interview with Pique Newsmagazine, Iles expressed his desire to be a role model for younger athletes.
"[Learning from Finn] is going to be real cool," Manietta said. "He's Canadian, he's fast on the bike, he's solid and he [rides with] good body position, which I really look at and like."
Let's not forget those who have helped Manietta reach this point. He's already a member of Instinct Development, a local program that was named Best Team at Nationals.
"Ash Jones, Steve Shore, Andrew Brooks, Mike Caron, Rory Hackett … all those coaches with the Instinct Development squad have been huge," remarked Kristian. "Mack has been with them since they started, and he was coached by Ash prior to that in DFX. A lot of people have helped, without a doubt. Being in the Disneyland of biking doesn't hurt.
"Kids have seen Finn and Jackson [Goldstone] and they go: 'OK, the pathway exists.' That's been a driver for Mack, and some in Phat Kids look up to him already. They have his shoulders to stand on, while Mack's got Finn's shoulders and Jackson's and everyone else's to stand on. That trickle-down effect, I think, is quite huge."
Finally, when asked to describe his son's best quality, Kristian mentioned humility. Manietta does not often let accolades and achievements go to his head, and in many ways is just another youngster looking for laps in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. His future is bright.
