Meet the Ribble Outliers: Metheven Bond - The In-House Expert Who Tests, Races, and Pushes The Limit
By day, Metheven helps shape the very bikes the team rides, providing the precision and performance that fuels top-level racing. And then he races them-fast! Living both sides of the brand gives him a unique edge few can match. This season is about more than results; it’s a statement about what happens when a rider builds the tools of their own success. One of Ribble’s own, stepping up to prove he belongs on the biggest stages.
1. You’re in a unique position - riding at the top level and working at Ribble. How did that all come about?
It all started with Covid. I used to work on Cruise ships as a Photo Manager, Covid hit and the industry all but ground to a halt overnight. Alongside photography, I had always had a passion for cycling, so the next logical step was to try and combine the two. The next thing I knew, I’d travelled north to Lancashire to start work for Ribble and haven’t looked back since.
As for how I got to where I am racing, that boils down to me just wanting to push myself to my limit in the pursuit of getting better. I started chasing Strava KOMs not knowing who I was taking them off, only that I wanted to push myself to be the fastest. It was a couple of friends and work colleagues that pointed out that I was taking Tour of Britain KOMs, and if I could do that, maybe I should give racing a go. So, I took up gravel racing, and raced my first gravel race at the inaugural 2021 British Gravel Championships and was instantly hooked. Roll on to the next year and I’d entered my first international UCI Gravel race in Millau, where I qualified for the first Gravel World Championships, representing Team GB in the Elite category. Ribble saw my dedication and progression within the sport, and now I get to race as part of the first UK Gravel Team.
2. What does it mean to race on the bikes you help build?
It’s been great to work with Jamie (Jamie Burrow, Ribble's Head of Product & Bike Designer) and the development team, testing prototypes and helping refine the final bikes that roll out of the factory. Jamie and the team do a fantastic job designing and creating some amazing bikes, and it’s my responsibility to push them to their limits and provide feedback on what works and what could be improved. As a result, I definitely feel a closer affinity for the bikes I race and take great pleasure in seeing others enjoy riding them as much as I do.
3. What’s your journey in cycling been like so far?
Fun and fast! I never really stop to think about what I’ve achieved, and as soon as I cross a finish line - no matter if it's first or last - my mind is already on my next race or adventure. As for what has shaped me, it sounds cliche, but I would have to say support. Whether from Ribble themselves or other sponsors, it has allowed me to pursue my dream of racing in some truly epic places around the world, which I could never have dreamed of doing alone.
4. How do you define your racing style on gravel?
Relentless - if that even counts as a style. The tougher the course, the worse the weather, the more technical the terrain, the better I perform. Whatever happens, one thing is for sure: I will try to cross that finish line no matter what (and with x-rays to prove it).
5. What’s been your proudest moment on the bike so far?
Racing the inaugural Gravel World Championships and getting to represent team GB in the Elite category. I managed to go from my first proper race to lining up next to cycling heroes like MVDP and Peter Sagan in the space of a year.
6. What does being an Outlier mean to you?
It doesn’t matter where we’ve come from or raced in the past - it’s the next adventure that brings us together, both as a team and as part of the company. With that being said, we are here to win, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got - or go down trying.
7. If you could sum up this season in one sentence?
Grit in every pedal, fire in every climb—no matter the terain, I endure, I overcome, I finish.
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