Steve Peat is the stuff of legend. And while he seems to have been around forever—16 years is a long time to be racing at the World Cup level—he’s certainly not slowing down with age. He already has two World Cup wins this year and last week he added yet another Downtown Lisbon title to his trophy case (he’s won the event 8 times). Bike Magazine recently talked to Steve Peat about this season, and what we can expect from him in the future.

Even more remarkable is the consistency Peaty has shown throughout his career: in 81 World Cup starts, the man from Yorkshire, England, has stood on the podium 49 times, with an unprecedented 17 victories. No one, not even the great Nicolas Vouilloz, can match that.

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Just as important is the character Peaty exhibits. He has two young children (he delivered the latest addition this spring in the back of the family Volvo en route to the hospital), and always has time for a word with fans or a pint of beer. He has mentored up-and-coming talent like Brendan Fairclough and Josh Bryceland. And he was the first rider to console a ragged Sam Hill immediately following the Andorra World Cup last month.

So what makes this man tick? How, at 35 years old, does he keep that edge? With two wins in the bag for the 2009 season, how does he deal with the mounting pressure to do well? And how is he approaching this weekend’s race in Fort William, Scotland—a race on his home track where he could deliver a third-consecutive World Cup victory.

Bikemag: You’ve been on an absolute tear lately—what gives?

Peaty: I have just been racing my bike, mate. I think the pressure is off because I didn’t train well and have to look after our new baby.

Not much training? How’s that?

I wasn’t too intent on doing well at the beginning of the season. I knew we had the baby coming and wanted to put some time to the side to help my wife. I still did bits of training but more “as” and “when” instead of structured.

So deep breathing exercises at the Lamaze classes, and not much else?

Good old-fashioned Peaty prep really; I know the stuff that makes me feel good and although I didn’t train too hard, I did the right things by the looks of it. I also had help from Sheffield Hallam Uni in the S&C suite.

Sheffield Hallam Uni?

Sheffield Hallam Uni is a huge university in Sheffield and it has state-of-the-art fitness and fitness-testing facilities. They also have sport physiologists, altitude rooms, S&C (strength and core) coaches…you name it, they have it. They helped me out mainly with S&C sessions to help build strength, but I also got help from Dr. Robert Copeland on the sports psyche stuff.

As a dedicated family man, how difficult is it to be both a father and an elite racer—especially with a newborn?

It’s damn hard to pack a bag and get on a plane these days. My wife has a lot to deal with when I am away, so it plays on my mind a lot and I get home ASAP after an event.

What’s more difficult in regards to having a family: Knowing your wife is alone to manage things, especially with to kids now, or being away from your newborn?

Both, I miss all three of them when I am away. I can be gone for only three days and the baby has grown; it’s tough.

With Fort William on deck, are you feeling any extra pressure to perform based on your recent success?

Yes. You can’t win a race one week and not have people  expect you to win again; it’s all part of the job. Some pressure is good pressure, though, and I believe people expecting me to win is a good pressure.

Speaking of wins, you’ve “owned” Lisbon for eight consecutive years. How the hell do you do it?

Going fast in the finals…. Can’t give away too much about that race!

Is your preparation for World Cup racing any different from a national race?

Yes, certainly different. I can lift my game when the time is right because I have been doing it for so long. Nationals don’t matter to me as much these days, but I will still give them a good go when I hear the beeps.

In Andorra, when you saw Sam Hill’s second split, you must have known he had crashed and you had the victory, which would make you the all time winningest DH racer.

I didn’t really know I had won until a few people told me I had it. And I’m not one of those riders who like to celebrate before the last guy has crossed the line; I think it’s a little arrogant. That’s why I waited for Sam to get his bike home before I allowed myself to celebrate. It didn’t even cross my mind that I had beaten Nico’s record at the time, but it did feel good afterwards.

Downhill racing is the ultimate solo mountain bike race. It’s just you versus the clock. But you’re part of a team at the same time. How has this team structure helped you succeed this year?

We are a group of like-minded people on the Syndicate. We work well together and have each other’s backs when needed. However, downhill is such a mental sport and the pressure to produce a winning run means you have to get selfish when the beeps start. To be honest, I don’t think about how Greg or Josh will do in their runs; I just focus on my run and obviously want to stand on top of the podium at the end of the day. If Greg and Josh are on the podium with me, it makes me way happier.