Dave Spink is one of the fastest Australians in the Everesting Hall of Fame.
No, that doesn’t refer to the Ford Everest (although Dave loves its rugged capability).
Everesting is one of the most gruelling challenges on the planet. It involves picking a hill anywhere in the world and completing repeats of it on a bike or on foot until you hit the height of Mount Everest (8848 metres).
Dave achieved this in June. He rode his mountain bike 156.42 kilometres at an average gradient of 11.7 percent, climbing 9175 metres in 14 hours 32 minutes and 23 seconds.
This incredible feat was a prelude to something bigger – his recent success at the Wembo World Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championship.
“I’ve been actively prepping for six months, but adapting to this style of riding has been years in the making. Every hard ride, like the Everesting, has pushed me closer to where this race would take me,” he says. In the end, he rode 390 kilometres in 24 hours, earning him 6th place in the world male elite category.
“Every cell in my body was screaming stop, but a small part of my brain kept me going,” he says. “Once I stopped, I wondered how I rode those last few laps. It was barely possible to walk!”
Dave was born in southern England but spent his formative years sailing the coastline of France with his father, a man who instilled in him a love for both boats and cars.
"Those early days sailing, helping my dad maintain the boat, sparked my curiousity for the outdoors and understanding how things work," he says.
This fascination led Dave to his father’s car repair shop at the age of 12, where he spent time getting involved with disassembly, reassembly and bodywork.
That hands-on experience, coupled with his thirst for knowledge, helped fuel his 23-year career in product design at Ford.
“I’ve always been drawn to product design,” he says. “The thrilll of solving problems and creating something never gets old.”
Dave is a key member of the ‘transformation’ team that spearheads process improvements for product development. His current role involves implementing a new 3D-driven product development process to empower Ford's design engineers with new efficiencies.
When he’s not at work, and he’s not preparing for another mountain bike assault, Dave can be found on the ocean wrestling with the wind – he’s a three-time Victorian state champion kitesurfer – or exploring the wilderness with his family.
“Being outdoors is where I find insight,” he says. “There’s a synergy between the challenges I face in nature and the problems I solve at Ford. It’s all about pushing the envelope and discovering new possibilities.”
His outdoor spirit is thanks to his father, who has been a big inspiration in his life.
“My father introduced me to snow and waterskiing and mountain biking, and he taught me how to live a balanced life,” he says. “When you get exposed to these activities at a young age, it becomes entirely natural and part of who you are.”
If you would like to participate in our Faces of Ford series, please fill out the form here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/81748a4e66e24b6dabe881ca8bd04229
