MUTN Podcast S4E9 – Vali Hoell & Thibaut Daprela

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the following podcast may contain some
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strong language and adult themes if
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you've got young children around maybe
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save it until they've gone to bed if you
0:07
really don't like bad words this pod
0:08
probably isn't for you
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[Music]
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welcome to the making of the numbers
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podcast
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the making of the numbers podcast is
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sponsored by hope technology j-tech
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suspension Revolution bike bar ride
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southern Spain
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from the world's finest independent
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mountain bike magazine single track
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foreign
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[Music]
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making of the numbers podcast it was
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crazy because I just um I just got a
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hospital I just had some scans of
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waiting for the doctors and you know
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that was probably the only moment where
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I was like a friend of mine had to
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retire from rugby because of a neck
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injury and and his vertebrae had been
1:07
displaced and
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um you know that that's uh that was
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starting to go through my mind as how
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severe this injury is yeah and I picked
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up my phone and I was like I was the
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last 10 guys to come down so I started
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watching and uh my fiancee and gas fire
1:25
from Crank Brothers had were down in the
1:27
hospital with me but you know they're
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waiting on the benches and I'm in this
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bed trying to hold my phone and and then
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I like I said go get all excited and
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they come over like what's going on I
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was like I finished overall I'm detected
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for next season and they're like but
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you're not gonna even think about maybe
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retiring I was like there's no way I'm
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intent unprotected doesn't matter things
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are good
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a bit of Hope and excitement in the
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hospital and being second is like it can
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be hard you know especially I think
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beyond your teammates but I think he's
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younger and you really like appreciating
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every moment every good moment so for
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sure in my case if I finish my like [ __ ]
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it
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although you know we have I'm five years
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old more than him so yeah we have plenty
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of time to play with for me it's not the
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same so Fort William's a bit different
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to everything else on the World Cup
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circuit are you a fan of that track ah
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no no actually I'm not a fan of it
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whatsoever I mean I think that place is
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like I felt like when I came home I was
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like man I feel like I was out there at
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a race for six months after being there
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for three days I was like this place is
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just like going to war the computer
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tells you everything but at the end of
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the day you just take the [ __ ] break
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stuff and go fast
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people
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[Music]
2:59
hello and welcome to episode 9 of season
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four of the podcast episode 8 with Greg
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Minar and Jordan Williams the master of
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a 25 000 downloads and streams in its
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first week and is now our most popular
3:11
episode ever so a big thank you to
3:13
everyone for tuning in and hello to any
3:15
new listeners out there we hope you all
3:16
enjoyed that episode you enjoy this one
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and any future ones so what have we got
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for you in this episode well in May 2020
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we did our first show with Valley Hall
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and tibo de prayer two Young Guns who
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dominated their junior categories and
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were about to embark on their first
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Elite Seasons then in September 2021 we
3:36
did a follow-up show Tiba had just
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crashed out in Snowshoe and in his
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chances of a first Elite overall but
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Valley one boss no shoe races to take
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her title in this episode we'll be
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catching up with them both about their
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2022 seasons but first Emily seagantala
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it could have been the goat talking
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about 2022 or maybe it was Jordan
3:57
Williams first podcast which made the
4:00
the last episode so popular or maybe it
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was your jet lagged team rumors what
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have you got for us this time
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I don't think he was just like teamers
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you mean they weren't true we don't know
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yet no well
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I left my memory since last episode and
4:27
I also lost my memory of the actual
4:29
episode because I wasn't there because I
4:31
forgot remember yeah yeah yeah so um
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actually we maybe we're gonna talk about
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that a bit later but I heard something
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about
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um the neck proof team yeah okay so
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obviously
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um Luis Ferguson was a knock proof
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already yeah so I heard it gonna take
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her on oh like full time yeah and they
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might take another girl on as well oh
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wow that'd be cool another team with
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multiple female Riders that'd be great
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so that's what I've heard and I have no
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confirmation of this but I think maybe
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bear Whitman will leave saracen with um
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Harry yeah that is happening right yeah
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that's a new one I didn't know that
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you are delivering that
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Jack have you got have you got any
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um did we talk about that new proof one
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last time because I knew about that I
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think we talked about it
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only after this after we'd finished
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recording okay yeah I could have thrown
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that one in last time I forgot about
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that one I'm [ __ ] for gossip I'm too
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busy I love Gossip don't get me wrong
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but I'm shipped by pioneering it because
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I yeah my brains elsewhere yeah you're
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right it's so exciting thinking about
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who could be going where so I was going
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through looking at the final standings
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for 2022 and I picked out a few Riders
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who might be on the radar of pro team so
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in the women's matild Bernard with she
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was making a real impact until she got
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injured I think she was on like a Scot
6:05
team but but not the factory one
6:07
what what do you know about her Emmy I
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think she comes from BMX is that is that
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right yeah yeah she's coming for BMX so
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uh the first time I've seen her is when
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I was still on Scots ages ago right she
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was a little kid back then she was like
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I don't know maybe seven eight year old
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yeah just like manually in the whole
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street I like some guys spam track and I
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was like who is that he's like amazing
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skills and I was never seen a girl
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manual that well and she was like eight
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or nine
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and um yeah so she's went after BMX
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she'd like switched to mountain biking
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yeah and obviously she's still very
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young she's kind of like me like a
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really tiny Rider so it's like in some
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tracks it was it works better than
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others and she has a first injury as
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well and um yeah I think she's still
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looking for for a team right okay she
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asked me about some contacts and stuff
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and hopefully she can find something I
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think Scott wouldn't take her on because
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they have marine and yeah the age
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difference is not very big so we're
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gonna count on that but maybe I don't
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know someone else was saying she's um
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she's a very young and talent writer so
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it would be good if she finds something
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yeah definitely Louise Ferguson we've
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you've already mentioned she got 14th in
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the overall off I think she well she did
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four races I think but the first one
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didn't qualify just kind of finding a
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favor it's a 14th off three races is is
7:26
a really good result and then there was
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Anna Newkirk who if I remember rightly
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was Valley's biggest competitor in
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junior there was Anna
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Valley
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tent in the overall she has her own
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structure with like the teams with with
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Abby yeah and I think they have a low
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budget from Centaur so I think it's it's
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working well for now they have the new
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Swiss brands from ixs Biggs who like is
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developing a new download bike so it's
7:55
pretty I think it's it's pretty
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challenging for them to develop that
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bike with two girls I think it's it's a
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pretty cool project so yeah I could see
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them going going on with that excellent
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so Jack you're a few weeks into
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fatherhood now how's it going are you
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still getting enough sleep
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yeah man it's uh going really well I did
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just nod off there but
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no I'm kidding yeah it's going great
8:18
um yeah everything's still going really
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well so we're still really enjoying it
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so he's almost on the bike I reckon next
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time you ask me that would have been out
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for our first ride
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excellent so let me ask you a
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hypothetical question I was looking as I
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said I was looking through the kind of
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results and and
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um if you could have one of these Young
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Riders on on your team next season they
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all finished around 50th in the overall
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as a team manager which one would you
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take so does Henry Kerr power bus gets
8:46
Kaya Hearn Guyton these and Simon Chapel
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there which one of them would you have
8:52
and why well it's I've got to be careful
8:56
I answer this I'm good friends with four
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of them
8:58
don't know Simon I'm sure he's a nice
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lad
9:02
um I've known Henry forever because
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obviously he's from the UK yeah
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um I mean I'll level with it I actually
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spoke with Powell a few weeks ago right
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and asked him if we'll be interested in
9:12
riding for the team so I guess that
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answers the question he's a first year
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Elite he's had some really good results
9:19
he's shown top 10 Pace
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um he's definitely going places
9:24
but with that high top 10 months around
9:28
Henry Kerr almost on the podium of all
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the soul yeah so for me it would be out
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of those three
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um gay Talent Simon are really talented
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as well but yeah um I would be choosing
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from those three the interesting thing
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about Simon is he did very little as a
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junior
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um as a junior he was on um United ride
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oh
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um
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couscous team yeah and next to not
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qualifying quite a lot of the time and
9:58
since kovid he's he's been getting some
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results so it's interesting to see that
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um you know it's not always these
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Juniors that are set in the world alike
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that then go on to have
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um professional careers as Elite Riders
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so it's going to be interesting to see
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how he can carry that on
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um
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cool yeah which Emmy if you were to pick
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in one of those which one would you pick
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these hypothetical
10:19
oh for sure yeah it's like it's like my
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little boy crush
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I really like him I think he's we always
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talk to him and we are like I think he's
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always smiling and I don't know he has a
10:34
great personality and he's like so like
10:37
I like his style on the bike and he's
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like a tall guy as well for like a
10:41
junior but I think he like makes most of
10:43
like his yeah his teacher and yeah I
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don't know I just like the way he rides
10:48
and I mean the other guys I don't know
10:50
Henry that well and Kai is I'm also a
10:53
good friend with his sister but I think
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yeah Paul is my favorite for sure I know
10:58
Henry quite well because he's his dad
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races in our category at the races well
11:03
he doesn't really rest he hasn't really
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raced since Henry's been on Pro pen but
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shout out to Greg
11:10
um and I think Henry's he's done a bit
11:12
like you jack he's done his degree now
11:14
yeah so I big respect to Ben Reed as
11:17
well for for sticking by Henry while he
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went through University a lot of Team
11:21
managers would have just sacked him off
11:23
um but Ben's supported him on that team
11:26
for four years Henry's got a master's
11:28
degree I believe in engineering but he's
11:30
a switched on kid he's gone all the way
11:33
through his uni while racing alongside
11:35
of it after Miss races for exams and
11:36
stuff and and I believe this year was it
11:39
was either this year or last year was
11:40
his first race fully back on it after
11:42
graduating and it just shows that uh the
11:45
distraction that those qualifications
11:47
put on You by the wings he's come out
11:49
this year getting the top 20s and
11:50
showing that he is capable of pushing
11:52
the podium so yeah he's a lovely kid
11:54
he's a great Rider it's gonna be
11:55
exciting to see what what he can do
11:57
moving forward without wanting to give
11:59
anything away given that you're trying
12:01
to pull a team together Jack is there
12:02
anyone else out there who you think is
12:04
is underrated they've got all the skills
12:07
but they haven't managed to put it
12:09
together yet or is it just this is
12:12
racing it's about putting it together
12:15
um there definitely will be
12:17
um I'd need to look at a list of names
12:18
because I'm [ __ ] with [ __ ] like that off
12:20
the top of my head but yeah for sure
12:22
there will be some riders in that in
12:24
that Park who you know Ronan Dunn was
12:26
one of them yeah Snowshoe was always one
12:28
of the most impressive Riders on the
12:30
track and it was always going to be a
12:31
case of it's a matter of time until you
12:33
know wrecks himself or he has that
12:35
breakthrough result and thankfully it
12:36
was the second one so yeah there will be
12:38
more and it's the big problem I have
12:41
with the sport is there's just so few
12:43
places for those Riders to be supported
12:45
and be developed and whatever happens
12:48
with the changes from Red Bull into
12:50
Discovery and Warner Brothers taking it
12:52
over I just hope that whether it turns
12:56
into a kind of Formula One formula two
12:58
kind of system or whether they just
13:00
become more teams able to take more
13:02
Riders I just hope it increases the
13:04
amount of support available because it's
13:06
such a good sport there's so many
13:08
youngsters coming through now it's
13:09
ridiculous like
13:11
do not have enough hours in the week to
13:13
coach a number of juvenile news riders
13:15
that want coaching so it's so exciting
13:17
for the sport and it's so sad to think
13:18
that by the time they get to second year
13:20
Junior unless dad's willing to fund it
13:23
and able to fund it yeah they'll just
13:25
have to fade away and it's it's a shame
13:27
so hopefully that'll change yeah and and
13:30
Emmy is there anyone you can think of
13:32
um there's a switch writer his name is
13:34
like
13:36
qualified a couple of races uh last year
13:40
this year was injured for most of the
13:41
thing but like he he was like showing
13:44
like top 30 top 40 pace and he has
13:46
literally like no support he was this
13:48
year on like that Scott B team but yeah
13:51
I mean it's still like quite an amateur
13:53
team and
13:55
um yeah this is a bit of a sad story his
13:57
father had big accident and he's in a
13:59
wheelchair now so like it was life
14:02
altering kind of experience last winter
14:05
so I think for him all in all it was a
14:07
really hard situation to be in because
14:09
his father was like very active on the
14:11
motorbike on the bike he'll go with him
14:12
on all the races be his mechanic you
14:14
know so yeah it was a hard situation and
14:17
he didn't make world's team as well and
14:19
I was like well that whole [ __ ] storm
14:21
where the Federation happened because I
14:24
didn't agree with that decision and he
14:26
he showed him well it's all like he
14:28
could qualify so I think it ended up
14:30
like I don't remember but he qualified
14:33
around 30 40th so it was it was a good
14:35
response on the bike but um yeah I think
14:37
he's he's working as Austin Dooley as
14:40
well whom yeah the American kid
14:42
uh maybe raw speed I don't know but he's
14:45
very consistent for his age like and
14:48
that's that's very impressive to see so
14:49
it's a bit different than maybe a pal
14:52
which has raw speed but can't really be
14:54
consistent and Austin is the opposite
14:56
and we roll with him in Worcester as
14:57
well so he's like a sweet kid and he
14:59
could be like a very good in the future
15:01
as well you make a fair point about
15:03
Austin the other thing to like support
15:04
what you've just said about the
15:06
consistency raw speed thing is 2021 he
15:09
didn't have that pace so now he's faster
15:11
with consistency so if he makes that
15:13
jump again all of a sudden he's going to
15:16
be knocking on the door in the top ten
15:17
so interesting what you were saying
15:20
before Jack About You Know The Young
15:21
Riders coming through I I never stopped
15:24
believing in Luke Williamson and he won
15:26
the the last National of the year at the
15:28
revs clinched this national series with
15:29
it and I hope that gives him the
15:31
confidence for next season because I
15:33
think there's a rider in there that that
15:35
could be no there is for sure like I
15:37
said this to most of the lads our coach
15:39
and girls I coach like you know Luke was
15:41
what was he qualified 13th or something
15:43
like that fought with him like once we
15:46
all get to that level like me and Dan
15:48
have been riding together for three
15:49
years and if you put the stopwatch on it
15:51
me and Dad will be very similar he came
15:53
10th at Marigold because that weekend
15:54
everything went well it all worked my
15:57
point is there are so many people on
15:59
that list of about 100 Riders who can do
16:02
it but everything's got to align at that
16:05
time so yeah yeah Luke is fast enough
16:07
Luke can do it but can he do it on the
16:10
day that's the exciting thing about it
16:12
so in the last episode Jack you you
16:15
announced that you were unfortunately a
16:16
part in ways with common Sal and that
16:18
other teams were too um do you think
16:21
that might mean the end of the common
16:22
Cell 100 team because that would be
16:25
that'd be quite big news if it does as
16:27
far as I'm aware that team is is gonna
16:30
kind of change I think some of those
16:32
Riders are going to go on to a common
16:34
cell team run internally right
16:37
um and whether the the team run by peace
16:41
then becomes a team of different
16:43
sponsors I think that's what's happening
16:45
but that's about as much as I know I
16:47
don't really know who's going where or
16:49
for Who's involved with what but yeah as
16:51
far as I'm aware that team won't look
16:52
the way it does next year so from cam I
16:55
have some influence about that because
16:57
obviously comments are talks another and
16:59
she's like good friend with them
17:01
with any guess brothers so
17:03
um I think Millie was searching for a
17:05
team because she didn't know if Peach
17:07
could go on with another team but come
17:09
and sell is definitely not with peace
17:10
anymore yeah and so
17:13
um I think it was Millie and who else is
17:16
on a team Suarez is leaving I think yeah
17:19
so Angel Suarez Millie and Hugo Frick
17:22
still on and then Thomas is stacking
17:24
Greg Williamson okay so
17:27
um freestyle is going with someone else
17:30
of common salt to the team I think it's
17:32
uh matony guys maybe and I think it's
17:34
home as well I think maybe all three of
17:37
them are like stylish team and stuff so
17:39
merely
17:40
um is trying to like see if if page
17:42
should still be able to put a structure
17:44
together with another brand and I know
17:46
Greg's mechanic and from what I'd heard
17:48
Greg's been talking to a large number of
17:52
people about his options and last time I
17:54
spoke with him no decision had been made
17:56
so I'm I know what Greg's like I'm sure
17:59
we'll find something but yeah 100 I was
18:03
also wondering about Charlie Harrison
18:04
it's been a rough few years for with for
18:07
him with injuries he was eighth at
18:09
Snowshoe last year but then broke his
18:11
finger at Fort William this year and
18:13
hasn't kind of shared anything on
18:15
Instagram since then I think when when
18:17
Loris joined Trek in 2021 if I remember
18:20
correctly Reese's spot on the team was
18:22
under threat because they were they had
18:24
four Riders
18:26
um which is is quite unusual an American
18:29
brand how important is it to them to
18:31
have an American Rider
18:33
a pivot America yes so you can answer
18:36
that question better than we can well
18:38
you can guess I think the track there's
18:41
a very important now American Rider and
18:43
to in my opinion it's as a mountain
18:46
bucket it is easier or it's like an
18:49
advantage should be an American Rider on
18:50
the market because most brands are like
18:53
the American Market is very big yeah so
18:55
that's why we had Elliot for years but
18:57
for us it's a bit different because
18:59
pivot gives a like all almost all the
19:02
Liberty to Bernard so Bernard decides
19:04
who he wants to be on the team and if
19:07
someone's American it would be better
19:08
but with the dynamic that we have with
19:11
the kiwis on the team and the UK part
19:14
sometimes
19:15
um yeah you don't need it as much
19:17
because Eddie is like very much credible
19:19
so they found someone English speaking
19:21
that can do the job
19:23
but yeah I I don't know about Charlie
19:25
either I've heard rumors is going to
19:27
stop racing I don't know so I remember
19:29
when we had I think it was when we had
19:31
research and this was before you even
19:33
joined the podcast Jack it was the end
19:35
of season one I'm sure he said that like
19:37
Charlie's Family of firemen or something
19:40
like that and Charlie's gonna go and be
19:42
a fireman but he's extremely religious
19:44
isn't he and I remember reading posts
19:47
along the way whenever things have kind
19:49
of gone wrong injuries or whatever where
19:51
he's kind of been a bit Nosh long just
19:53
like whatever remember gwinny back in
19:56
the day yeah you always used to say well
19:58
I don't really plan yeah I've got God
20:01
and my family and I'm all good and that
20:03
I get a feeling Charlie's a little bit
20:05
like that
20:06
um and he's as you've said he's had a
20:09
few rough years he might just be looking
20:10
at it and going [ __ ] this I won't do
20:12
this anymore because [ __ ] I know how
20:14
that feels half with you last year when
20:16
my shoulder feels like it's gonna fall
20:17
off my body you're like why are you even
20:19
why I'm even doing this anymore but I do
20:22
[ __ ] love it so much some I'm going
20:24
to keep going if I can so but you know
20:27
he might just have enough
20:29
so if either of you heard anything
20:31
further from ESO in the last couple of
20:33
weeks not a thing no not Scooby George
20:37
nobody's gonna [ __ ] clue
20:39
so it really gotta trust the system
20:42
aren't we they're a massive company so
20:44
really random team rumor
20:48
really really random
20:50
winmasters to replace Rob Warner where
20:53
did you hear that I can't remember
20:55
no I don't know where I heard it from
20:57
but it makes sense it yeah I mean think
21:01
about what a a muppet Rob was back in
21:03
the free cast today is a good one
21:05
obviously but with the training he then
21:07
had he's become the Red Bull Rob Warner
21:09
so you win's pretty media Trend already
21:12
so he's got the Charisma as well and he
21:15
can't have one of the gmbn guys doing it
21:17
it's just he's got he's got the the race
21:20
knowledge as well it's very absolutely
21:22
yeah in women's reading in junior racing
21:25
Junior women's racing like he he
21:26
basically like is interested by it
21:29
everything has to do with our Sports so
21:32
I think you do a good job yeah
21:34
you have a word with Eddie for the next
21:36
episode I could
21:39
talk to each other
21:41
that's the world of nonsense
21:46
too busy skiing and developing houses
21:49
from what it was if you can't if you
21:50
can't call that skiing because it's more
21:52
like doing backflips on skis and
21:54
crashing he's a [ __ ] scary in there it's
21:56
funny though but he just started but
21:58
they're like these these guys are insane
22:00
it just like barely know how to to do a
22:02
chord like yeah just do like double
22:05
backflip steal us at everything he does
22:07
Fearless absolute Legend
22:10
so the big news over here in the UK
22:13
since the last last episode dropped was
22:15
the guys at Revolution announcing the
22:17
closure of the park in January due to
22:20
disease affecting the Japanese Larch
22:22
trees that make up two-thirds of the
22:24
forest yeah it was it's a heartbreaking
22:26
video to watch I was on the first uplift
22:29
the guys ever did in 2011 and I've been
22:31
friends with them ever since and who
22:33
supported me and the podcast from the
22:35
start and I just wanted to say a big
22:37
thank you to James Sasha Finn Tim Joe
22:40
and Linda for that I was going to do a
22:42
special episode of the Pod with them
22:44
well with them all last year going
22:46
record it including Arc
22:48
um to celebrate 10 years of the park
22:50
um but like many ideas I have and many
22:53
promises that get made around the
22:54
podcast three it didn't get done but I
22:57
am hoping that once the guys have a bit
22:58
a bit more news that we can get that
23:00
show together and talk about the future
23:02
as well Jack you you were at revs
23:04
yesterday and I'm there next weekend
23:06
tell us a bit about about the park and
23:09
what it means to you why you choose to
23:11
do so many of your coaching sessions
23:12
there yeah I mean I think I was the same
23:14
as you George I was there at the start I
23:16
don't I think I was there on Auckland
23:17
there but honestly that long ago I can't
23:20
remember
23:21
um just been going there all the time
23:23
and I was I was thinking about this the
23:25
other day because when I'm there now I'm
23:27
usually there working
23:29
um and I was standing in the forest the
23:31
other day I'd got some videos that had
23:32
kids come through and I'm standing next
23:34
to one of my free lap things and just
23:36
looked around the woods and I was like
23:37
[ __ ] this isn't going to be here in like
23:39
two months time and it properly like got
23:41
hold of me because I remember like
23:43
Winter's doing laps down Far Side has
23:46
genuinely helped me have the career I
23:48
have had because like in the UK we we
23:51
don't have that many places to do good
23:54
training on the downhill mountain bike
23:55
and over the years between say 2013 and
23:59
covid basically I'd spend a lot of days
24:02
going the revs and just lapping Fireside
24:04
yeah when the GoPro and just doing the
24:07
runs and that kind of value that that's
24:09
given to me is potentially like you know
24:11
a big part of my career and now it's
24:13
obviously helping me coach these future
24:16
young athletes who are going to
24:17
hopefully have great careers themselves
24:18
and to think that from January it's not
24:21
going to be there anymore is is like
24:23
it's what you said it is heartbreaking
24:24
because this is a tiny Sport and there's
24:26
only a few bike parks in the country and
24:28
we're losing one of them so so yeah same
24:30
as yourself huge shout out to everyone
24:32
involved all the staff all the the
24:34
people there and they will be missed
24:37
definitely okay well we we all hope the
24:40
guys can can get something together be
24:41
that in the NOG or or elsewhere so sure
24:44
do produce some fantastic Trails on a
24:46
brighter note we'll be back with 2022
24:48
Elite women's world champion Valley Hall
24:50
after these messages Megan it's Sasha at
24:53
Revolution bike park it's that time
24:55
again we're gonna go and have a chat to
24:57
a few people about what they think is
24:58
the best thing about Revolution Bike
25:00
Park uh very dusty is it nice that's a
25:03
good thing but um probably the variation
25:06
attracts from
25:08
beginners or intermediate I should say
25:11
to Advanced you know uh free rides
25:14
um
25:17
Far Side
25:19
new class sites with it yeah pretty much
25:22
them all yeah just just a valid trails
25:26
to be honest yeah it's a bit for
25:27
everybody isn't that from
25:29
from all guys like close to it
25:31
actually proud
25:35
hi I'm Molly Wilkins and I'm Ben the
25:38
deaconated we've just spent the last
25:40
week at ride southern Spain having a
25:43
fantastic time yeah we've ridden
25:46
countless amounts of Enduro and epic
25:48
downhill Trails that's right they have a
25:51
workshop swimming pool pizza oven fire
25:54
pit they've even got a donkey here dude
25:56
you get a free beer if you ride you know
25:59
so we've just dropped into this first
26:01
Trail of the day take a little uh off
26:04
peace line here nice little Dusty berm
26:07
at the bottom to catch you
26:09
600 pounds a week includes accommodation
26:12
airport transfers six days of uplifts
26:14
and guiding check out their social media
26:17
or website to book your holiday at ride
26:20
southern Spain ride southern Spain
26:23
Valentina Hall welcome back to the Pod
26:26
how's it going thanks so good excellent
26:30
straight out of CrossFit straight onto
26:32
the Pod was it was it a tough session I
26:34
think so we do lots of metcon right now
26:36
I'm not used to heavy breathing what's
26:39
metcon
26:40
or just like a bit more endurance based
26:43
stuff so it's good for me though it's
26:45
fine okay is it does anyone like doing
26:48
CrossFit is is this a Cecile Ravenel
26:51
initiative or is it something you know
26:53
something you've chosen to do no I think
26:55
my mechanic influenced me a bit more on
26:57
that so
26:58
yeah I was surprised I still will never
27:01
do CrossFit so she never really used to
27:04
go to the gym at all
27:05
but she changed a lot like now they even
27:08
go from fun to the gym and uh good I was
27:11
gonna say she looks like that through
27:13
just riding oh that would be amazing so
27:17
you've also been doing some dirt jumps
27:19
with the BMX Champion Laura smolders was
27:22
this just for fun or is that part of a
27:24
bigger plan
27:26
who knows
27:31
Rampage here we come
27:34
well I think it's more not Rampage
27:37
ramp it's more in the other direction
27:38
maybe a bit more hard till the time than
27:41
picture all right cool all right Valley
27:44
so 2022 then um it started pretty well
27:47
second place at taruka and the second
27:49
place at the Brio World Cup in France
27:52
where you did have a mechanical and then
27:54
you arrived in Lords with the number one
27:55
plate as you're going along this Elite
27:58
Journey
27:59
um you're certainly ticking things off
28:01
already
28:02
um were you happy with where you were
28:04
coming into the 2022 season
28:07
um yeah I mean it was a super early
28:08
start when was it Portugal was in
28:11
February first World Cup in March like
28:14
not a lot of well I guess I had way more
28:16
bike time than I used to have before so
28:19
there was like no excuse to not do well
28:22
um definitely like I was still buzzing
28:24
from from the last rounds in slow shoe
28:26
and I just wanted to do well and maybe
28:29
put a bit too much pressure or like add
28:31
big expectations so um well fourth place
28:35
at the first World Cup was not what I
28:37
wanted to but it was so tight as well so
28:39
honestly I couldn't complain but yeah I
28:42
mean not what I wanted to be honest yeah
28:45
sure did you have a strategy coming into
28:47
the season because we think we heard
28:50
somewhere that you wanted to focus more
28:51
on winning individual races rather than
28:54
just being consistent and going for
28:55
podiums is that true well I guess I just
28:58
wants to test like how far I can push
29:01
because I don't maybe it's a bit it was
29:04
the wrong strategy I think because I
29:07
still need to work on my consistency a
29:09
little bit more but I just wanted to see
29:11
how much I can push but I kind of over
29:15
pushed it like four times in a row and
29:16
that it really sucks that I woke up
29:18
because you can't really do many
29:20
mistakes because every time you you know
29:22
[ __ ] up a final you just have less less
29:26
options for good overalls um yeah
29:30
um I don't really know what I did
29:32
um I think I just had the wrong mindset
29:34
like I wanted to win so bad and wanted
29:37
to impress other people and all my
29:39
sponsors that I somehow just couldn't do
29:42
my race runs okay so you just mentioned
29:45
Lords um you were the fastest qualifier
29:47
and that was with a time that would have
29:49
won the race
29:51
but then you finish fourth 1.6 back
29:53
green at split through but then lost a
29:56
little bit in the final two sectors what
29:58
happened there obviously you were
30:00
disappointed talk us through it
30:02
um well
30:03
such a long time ago I don't know
30:07
definitely I lost I think I lost the
30:09
first spot in the last Corner that's 100
30:12
sure I was so scared about crashing in
30:14
the last Corner again yeah like Slammer
30:17
breaks super hard and yeah I don't know
30:20
I just I did some weird things where
30:24
every time I did well in qualifying I
30:26
changed lines for the next day and I did
30:29
it in Lord again and it didn't work out
30:31
again so maybe that's something I should
30:33
not do in the future like stick to my
30:36
lines if I weren't qualifying and I feel
30:38
comfortable why I change it right yeah
30:40
just go faster yeah you've answered your
30:42
own question there I think
30:44
okay
30:46
um so second at the national at Fort
30:47
William to Nina
30:49
um
30:50
and then from there I think did you have
30:51
a like a week-long trip to W bike park
30:54
is that right with Red Bull exactly yeah
30:56
Nina kicked my ass at the BDS in Fort
30:58
William big time so I was quite quite
31:02
shocked but uh well it is what it is
31:04
then we went for Rebel Camp it was the
31:06
first time Rebel hosted this kind of uh
31:08
athlete Camp thing it was quite funny
31:11
because like all the Juniors were
31:13
invited like Phoebe and uh Gracie and
31:16
Rachel was there so the goal was to do
31:19
uh time runs but it was just the weekend
31:22
before the World Cup in for William so I
31:24
was not really Keen to push and save my
31:26
energy because for William is so
31:28
physical that I did not really wanted to
31:31
push and also I didn't really want to
31:33
get my ass kicked by Rachel just to walk
31:37
so it was good for my uh for my I guess
31:41
self-confidence to to not show my time
31:43
and just enjoy riding and have fun and
31:45
do some whips and yeah yeah sure have
31:48
you ridden in the UK much before what
31:49
did you think to the bike pocket don't
31:51
we oh it's like it's my first time
31:53
already at the Derby bike park so um I
31:55
love it it's cool the uplifts are quick
31:57
and you have so many different tracks
31:59
right so it's good I'm going going
32:01
tomorrow I've only been once before
32:03
surprisingly given we're not that far
32:06
away I've only been once as well yeah
32:08
the last time some um one of the lads I
32:10
was riding with broke his collarbone on
32:12
the third run so I've literally I've
32:13
done two runs down it so I'm most
32:16
excited for it see what's been that long
32:17
since I've been there it was pre-covered
32:19
yes yes why is it they have so many new
32:23
tracks like it's insane yeah
32:26
I'm just always working I just never
32:28
have time and now you have a kid so even
32:31
worse
32:32
that has given me more time I don't have
32:34
boobs
32:35
[Laughter]
32:38
hey I was just like [ __ ] it I'll go ride
32:40
like Sarah's got this [ __ ] locked down
32:43
so I'm just yeah
32:44
I'm gonna have more
32:47
so for William I'm a little bit confused
32:51
here I can't remember if it was the
32:52
national or the World Cup I think I saw
32:54
you at Birth but one of them I saw you
32:56
on Thursday and Friday I think if it was
32:58
the World Cup and we chatted briefly and
33:00
you you didn't seem very happy at all
33:02
was that the World Cup I was like the
33:04
national
33:10
s
33:14
look off and then crashed out in your
33:15
race run but still got fifth
33:18
um tough weekend yeah I don't know it
33:22
just crashed again but it was my first
33:24
crash I didn't really I didn't really
33:25
think about it much it was just like
33:27
okay I crashed it's fine still on the
33:29
podium I was not far back on for on the
33:32
top three so that was actually sick
33:34
um it's also good to know that like even
33:37
if I crash just carry on because you can
33:39
still do a decent decent result and when
33:42
I crashed in for William because it was
33:44
quite quite far at the top I was like so
33:47
pissed for like a minute long and
33:48
thought about stopping and if I would
33:50
have carried on it would have been a
33:52
better result but I guess that's what
33:54
you learn I I went back and watched it
33:56
before before well this afternoon and
33:59
um you crashed just after you got under
34:01
the gondola wasn't it you do that right
34:03
as you go under the Gambler and it was
34:05
the next left that you went down in but
34:06
you were a bit you had a couple of
34:08
moments just before that it was like it
34:10
carried on and then you you went down
34:12
but you were pushing weren't you yeah I
34:15
tried to have the fastest Mercedes-Benz
34:17
split whatever it is I was like I was
34:20
going so fast because I knew Nina would
34:22
be so fast on this track so like I gave
34:25
it up and it felt sick like it was I
34:27
don't remember like riding that fast so
34:29
it was good until I crashed yeah right
34:32
when I went I think I went and looked at
34:33
the splits and I think you and her were
34:35
pretty much neck and neck until you
34:37
until you went down so Nina put down
34:40
that was possibly the run of the Season
34:42
not 5 14 down down Fort William she
34:46
seems to have some some secret sauce on
34:48
that track but obviously you you've got
34:50
it as well yeah who knows I mean all the
34:54
teams like but like I think most of the
34:56
writers spend some times before they
34:58
woke up on this track so I guess the
35:00
more runs you do on it the better you
35:02
are because it's just so long and you
35:04
you can test yourself and prepare really
35:06
well so I wonder how it's gonna work for
35:08
next year and we have wheelchairs there
35:10
gonna see some uh really tight race kits
35:14
and
35:17
you're not wrong
35:19
and you say to August next year so
35:21
everyone's going to have loads of time
35:23
to practice because normally when it's
35:25
in May it doesn't open that long before
35:27
so there's going to be a lot of people
35:29
there right up until August I imagine I
35:31
wonder if Rachel come back for it I've
35:33
never even considered it until just now
35:34
I'm pretty sure she will but I don't
35:36
know but I have a good feeling she'll
35:38
try
35:40
has been strong in the past though so
35:43
yeah so
35:45
um you a national champ in simmering and
35:48
I think you also you also national champ
35:50
as a junior
35:53
um I've done national champs this year
35:54
and I think it's a pretty cool yes
35:56
um what does the national title mean to
35:59
you well it's a hard question because
36:02
I'm not really a big fan of our national
36:04
team Federation whatever because I want
36:07
to make two of us
36:10
[Laughter]
36:15
so on one hand I actually don't really
36:18
care it's more like I don't know
36:20
sometimes it's even an issue because
36:22
then you need a jersey then you don't
36:24
have the jersey in time you get to find
36:25
better UCI like I did last year then I
36:28
was wearing the national Jersey by
36:30
accident at Nationals so I got another
36:33
fine last year so I got two tons of fine
36:35
for wearing it and not wearing it and I
36:37
was like oh I'm over it so I didn't
36:39
raise last year and then this year I did
36:42
race because we ordered the jerseys
36:44
already with the national sleeve so I
36:46
had to race
36:48
yeah obviously
36:50
how much pressure was that sat in the
36:53
start line knowing the Jersey's already
36:55
been produced well
36:58
it was all right it was not there's not
37:01
so much competition in Austria yet but
37:03
uh in five years it's gonna look
37:05
different because there's some really
37:06
really fast girls coming up and I'm so
37:09
stoked because they're so steezy on the
37:11
bike and finally there's something
37:12
coming and uh it's it's great to see
37:17
yeah we're going to talk about I think
37:19
we're going to talk about these camps a
37:21
little bit later
37:22
um coming back to Fort Williams I think
37:24
we talked about that on uh come and Ice
37:27
podcast as well
37:28
um I think you made some changes to your
37:31
bike
37:32
um at four or after Fort William
37:34
um what were you looking for what what
37:37
did you what did you do yeah so I guess
37:40
everybody saw that we are on some black
37:42
box products and uh it's the first time
37:45
for me that I get involved in all the
37:47
testing and obviously it takes some time
37:49
to develop a good product and probably
37:53
the first few versions are not where it
37:56
should be for World Cup racing so I just
37:59
had to like get used to it and yeah I
38:02
think we were a bit wrong at the first
38:04
two World Cups it was just way too stiff
38:06
for me coming from a 35 to a new 38.
38:09
being super stiff for for a girl as well
38:12
like I really struggled with arm pump
38:15
and I just couldn't ride I think you can
38:17
see it on the videos pretty well that
38:19
I'm like bouncing off all the Rocks
38:21
which were on that track so I I
38:24
struggled a lot and then yeah I just
38:26
gave Matt my bike the weekend before
38:28
before Leo going to ride it in the back
38:31
part because that's what we did when we
38:33
were on YT here at the exact same bike
38:35
as I had and he exactly knew how the
38:37
bike is is reacting and with the new
38:40
session he didn't had the chance to so I
38:42
just gave him the bike and then after
38:44
the day of riding he was like ah now I
38:47
get it what you mean it was a bit of a
38:50
miscommunication for a few weeks but we
38:53
got that diet and I think at the end of
38:56
the season we also got some some new
38:59
stuff for for the black box and we just
39:02
uh yeah we worked into the right
39:04
direction we also started using the
39:06
Telemetry system and he could get better
39:09
on my feedback and I was a bit more
39:12
patient and it worked out at the end
39:14
cool
39:16
um then um Leo again your home Soul race
39:20
um tell us about the pressure that
39:23
brings well like everybody knows Leo
39:26
gang and me were best friends I love it
39:31
like it's so cool and it's nice to have
39:33
a home workout like not many people get
39:35
the chance to race at home and it's
39:37
pretty close to home like I know all the
39:39
list people and like the Martians on
39:41
track they all know me and it's fun like
39:44
even some teachers they are Marshalls at
39:47
the weekend so it's fun to stop and talk
39:49
to them but on the other hand like
39:51
there's so much pressure like you have
39:53
all the the media there like your face
39:55
is on every wall like everybody expects
39:57
you to do well and I don't know why
39:59
people expect me already to win most of
40:03
the races I'm only 20 but they were
40:06
already talking firstly that I'm gonna
40:08
win everything but I'm but I'm not
40:10
because I need to learn how how to how
40:12
to race and how to get the racecraft so
40:14
yeah I think the home workout was just a
40:17
little bit too much too much for me and
40:19
yeah crashed two times in my race
40:21
running I was really really devastated
40:24
like it was the first time in my life
40:25
that I cried because of racing I think
40:28
the last time I cried was when I was
40:30
eight when my grandma died so it was
40:32
really I'm not really a
40:35
how you say like I'm not really
40:37
emotional yeah
40:39
and I just broke down and it didn't help
40:41
that my mom was coming into the finish
40:43
and I just couldn't stop crying it was
40:46
insane like I was so sad and then I
40:49
think the week after it was crank Works
40:51
in sprook and I was like so down that I
40:53
didn't even wanted to raise crank works
40:55
like I wanted to go home and stay in bed
40:57
and I don't know just be alone but uh
41:00
yeah I guess that's something you learn
41:02
but it's also cool that sport can can be
41:06
so important for you and but you can
41:08
also have super nice moments which you
41:10
know make you forget the sad moments
41:12
it's okay of course as the more you
41:14
commit the more you have reward but also
41:17
the more you can be hurt if it doesn't
41:20
work out for sure
41:21
um so you mentioned Innsbruck quack
41:23
Works
41:25
um you won that race
41:26
uh I think Tracy Tracy was racing did
41:29
she win qualifying yeah I got my ass
41:32
kicked by yeah
41:37
she's gonna win the race
41:39
and then he went to do some ews
41:44
I got 10th there I know the answer to
41:47
this question but I'm asking anyway
41:49
so how was the first CWS experience and
41:53
also are we going to see you do more of
41:54
this next season oh it's like I think uh
41:58
training with Cecilia Ravenel you can't
42:00
not do an AWS like you will always end
42:03
up pedaling somewhere so it was sick
42:06
like it was also really good for me to
42:08
like turn you know put my attention to
42:12
something else and like experience
42:13
something else and yeah face A new
42:15
challenge because before I never did an
42:17
endurance race I did one in Israel but
42:19
it was only like was it like 500 meters
42:21
climbing so it was not not big and it's
42:24
intense like wow
42:27
um
42:27
um I definitely did not pedal every time
42:31
there was like apple in the stages I
42:33
just put my seat post up and then later
42:34
I talked to the girls and they were like
42:36
no we were sprinting I'm like oh this is
42:38
your first year
42:40
was enjoying my day but sick like I'm
42:44
Keen to do more I'm actually planning to
42:46
do the ones in March this year in
42:48
Tasmania and I think if I prepare for it
42:52
properly and and focus on it I think it
42:55
can be quite fun yeah I think when I
42:57
looked at the uh the times and I think
43:00
you lost like a minute or something on
43:01
the last stage and if you haven't done
43:04
I've never done like the longest lap I
43:06
did is for William which is like five
43:07
minutes 20 maybe
43:09
and this one was like 15 minutes like I
43:12
had no idea how to Pace myself like you
43:15
can go for coffee if you want to yeah I
43:17
don't know
43:18
but if you hadn't lost that I think
43:20
you'd have been fifth or sixth something
43:22
like that which would have honestly I
43:24
didn't even check yeah yeah it went a
43:26
lot I think if you something I feel I
43:29
think if you it might have been if you'd
43:30
have done the the same as the fastest
43:32
person on that stage you would have come
43:33
fifth or something like that I didn't go
43:35
into huge detail on it but yeah
43:37
so lensahide big crashing quality but
43:42
when you finish P6 in call event you
43:44
finish P5 in the race but you were 11
43:46
seconds back on Muriel
43:48
tell us about Lanza hide well like the
43:51
track was sick I loved it but I had the
43:54
biggest crash in my season in qualifying
43:58
oh my God
43:59
I don't know what happened there it was
44:01
insane I was like so sore and then yeah
44:05
crashed again in my race run and that
44:08
was the point where I was like what the
44:10
heck is going on like honestly I have no
44:13
idea like I was questioning myself so
44:16
much like I was beating up myself so
44:18
much because why is it happening like
44:20
what I am doing wrong and I did not know
44:23
the answer and I was so yeah I was so
44:26
pissed and over it that I just had no
44:28
more expectations coming in sondor like
44:31
nothing I was just cruising in Andorra
44:33
and like I didn't give a [ __ ] about any
44:35
results anymore because it's gonna be
44:37
[ __ ] anyway so
44:39
but it wasn't so no I mean you so if
44:43
you've done four races like you say
44:45
you're third in the overall but you've
44:47
been fourth fifth sixth and fifth did
44:50
you lose heart at all then well it
44:52
sounds like from what you're saying you
44:53
did lose heart and what what what effect
44:56
did that have
44:58
did it free you up or did it yeah
45:00
definitely because before the season I
45:04
always write down a plan like what my
45:06
expectations are and first race should
45:08
be top five which I was and the next one
45:10
should be top three and I was like even
45:12
out of the top five
45:14
and it was just not going going my plan
45:17
and I never really had that happening
45:20
like okay last season was kind of the
45:22
same I struggled but it was my first
45:23
proper Elite season because the first
45:25
year I was injured so it was like a
45:27
learning process I thought second year
45:29
easy now I know how to do it no I don't
45:32
know how to do it and yeah I was just so
45:36
over it I don't know if if you would
45:39
talk to my parents or or to Cecil you
45:42
would they would I don't know I was just
45:45
so down like I was so tired of it of of
45:49
wanting to do well and wanting to show
45:51
every I think the biggest problem for me
45:53
was that I wanted to show everyone that
45:56
I earned this spot in the World Cup like
45:58
I earned my repo helmet I run to be here
46:01
that I didn't really care about what I
46:04
really want to do and I just want to
46:06
ride my bike fast and I guess in Andorra
46:09
that's just what I did because I had no
46:11
expectations and I was so tired of what
46:13
other people could think that suddenly I
46:16
was just you know writing free all right
46:19
so as you just said on door everything
46:21
did change for you
46:22
um just to recap that fourth in
46:24
qualifying and then you went seven
46:26
seconds faster in your race run getting
46:28
your first win of the season
46:30
um how how did that feel when you
46:32
crossed the line and you got that win I
46:34
was I didn't really when I crossed the
46:36
line I was just so stoked to Not Crash
46:38
okay the difference run after four runs
46:41
without crashing which was which felt
46:43
amazing but it didn't really thought
46:45
about like the result and then yeah
46:48
obviously Miriam crashed out she she was
46:51
fasted the last blue before she crashed
46:53
but yeah that's that's how it is that's
46:55
how racing goes and I was I was stoked
46:58
to to win because it felt so great and
47:00
the cooler part actually before was that
47:03
our Junior Tegan we got third so it got
47:06
the first time on the podium and she
47:07
just the yeah how happy he was like
47:11
really influenced me and I really wanted
47:12
to have the same and feel the same
47:14
happiness like he did and I think just a
47:16
good momentum that I brought up to the
47:19
start gate like helped me to write
47:20
smooth and fast I guess nice did you
47:24
like the new track in Andorra
47:26
um actually not really it's like scary
47:29
because you need to go so fast and it's
47:32
so loose and there's nothing really
47:34
technical it's like I prefer the old one
47:36
way more but we will see what they do
47:39
for work jumps there but I don't know I
47:41
would prefer a bit more Tech to be
47:44
honest yeah okay so Snowshoe I think you
47:47
described your performance as slow as
47:49
[ __ ] is that correct
47:52
oh man it was so wide but I didn't crash
47:55
so then I was actually sick yeah for
47:57
sure
47:58
um you were 11 back on came and seeding
48:01
and 16 back in your race but I mean they
48:04
they were insanely difficult conditions
48:07
Greg last week said it's the greasiest
48:09
conditions he's ever known did you find
48:11
it really difficult I mean we all did I
48:13
think right yeah it was insane like I
48:16
had no no practice run where I like
48:18
finished without like going offline or
48:20
crashing like it was insane and also
48:23
like I just can't ride rats like I don't
48:25
know how it works and I don't know like
48:28
I also feel like every time I'm like
48:31
overwhelmed with a racetrack I totally
48:33
forget about working on my suspension
48:35
okay and that's also something I need to
48:38
think about next year like even if I
48:40
struggle on track still try to dial the
48:42
bike because we didn't touch the bike
48:44
once and maybe it could have helped me
48:46
to write better in the greasy conditions
48:48
but yeah also something I had to learn
48:50
and like I mean everybody knows Kami is
48:53
a queen in the mud so it's it's
48:55
impressive and I hope I can improve a
48:57
little bit more on that as well okay
48:59
so then we moved on to Monson and
49:01
obviously Kami had broken a collarbone
49:04
Miriam crashed and qualified and you won
49:06
that by nearly 14 seconds that must have
49:10
given you a nice confidence boost after
49:11
the week before I was sick like I just
49:14
love the
49:16
chocolate when we had trackwork I was a
49:18
bit scared when they added the extra
49:20
section because I thought oh my God the
49:21
restore is going to be six minutes long
49:23
and then actually my first time around
49:26
was like five minutes 40 or something I
49:28
was like oh my God this is gonna be so
49:30
hard but then yeah yeah I nearly went a
49:33
minute faster in my race run which is
49:35
which is kind of cool to see and also
49:39
for I think for a young athlete it's
49:41
pretty cool to win uh a race track like
49:45
Andorra for example but also to be good
49:48
in in Mountain Land because it's so
49:49
physical it's so long and people
49:51
normally think ah they don't have the
49:54
experience or blah blah or the fitness
49:55
and for me which was so cool like I
49:58
really enjoyed the racetrack nice just
50:00
to let you know
50:01
um I have quite a lot of tracks that are
50:03
six minutes long
50:04
yeah
50:08
Fort Williams nearly seven now I want to
50:12
know it's probably like 6 32 or
50:13
something
50:15
my first year the crashed a few times I
50:18
couldn't hold up honestly honestly I
50:20
think about those the girls or whoever
50:22
like is racing because it's like so hard
50:25
so physical yeah to hold on your handle
50:28
about for like six minutes it's insane I
50:30
think they deserve also a price for
50:32
surviving
50:34
so yeah I had I hadn't raced since well
50:37
last season and my first race this year
50:39
was the national at Fort William and I
50:41
hadn't had any bike time or anything and
50:43
it was just it was just horrendous it
50:45
was just I don't know gym no nothing
50:48
says for all the off season no exercise
50:51
whatsoever and then just turned up at
50:52
Fort William with a bike and you it it
50:56
was just stupid I don't know why I did
50:58
it because I didn't really enjoy it
51:00
it was like an achievement to cross the
51:03
line how do you hold on like you're not
51:05
struggling with like arm pump because
51:06
like every time I come to Fort William
51:08
like I can barely hold on My Head Above
51:10
So It Goes very slowly down
51:16
it's not quite that bad but it was and
51:19
in my seeding run I was like I could not
51:22
I honestly don't know if I can do a full
51:23
run without stopping and then I went
51:26
that slowly that as I came through
51:29
um you know that bit where the wall ride
51:30
is near the bottom yeah I actually
51:32
thought to myself I'm not even out of
51:34
breath here this is great
51:37
and I crossed the line and it was this
51:39
the time was awful it was like seven
51:41
minutes or something it's terrible but
51:45
yeah wait you did it though yeah
51:47
okay so dipping back to Montana
51:50
um you were obviously then last woman
51:51
down with after the great quality uh
51:53
taking your second win and it did look
51:55
very composed Miriam had gone early did
51:59
you know she'd flattered before you
52:00
dropped in or not told you yeah so when
52:04
I rolled to the Stargate Matt looked at
52:07
his phone and looked to me and looked at
52:08
his phone and I was like oh my God
52:09
there's some information
52:11
it was like looking like looking at his
52:14
phone looking to me he's like do you
52:16
want to have some information he's like
52:18
well of course I want to have some
52:19
information if you're looking on your
52:21
phone all the time so like he told me
52:23
that the Miriam had a flat tire and I
52:26
think just right like I did last like
52:28
yesterday before and I didn't know that
52:31
Nina was going so fast
52:33
that was like riding like super smooth I
52:37
had so much fun but then I was like
52:39
thinking oh maybe I go too slow maybe I
52:41
need to go faster maybe I need to
52:42
because so I was like thinking so much
52:44
in my race run and then when I crossed
52:46
the line it was only three seconds so
52:49
it's always like you never know if you
52:50
could have push out or not like honestly
52:52
like you always try to give your best
52:54
but it's not helping to to kind of know
52:57
that if you write well you can actually
52:59
win but you're not allowed to go too
53:01
slowly because everybody else is pushing
53:03
so hard as well so yeah I was stoked
53:06
because it was also the first time I was
53:07
like doing welding quality and not
53:09
[ __ ] up my restaurant so that's great
53:12
nice yeah Kami always said that it's the
53:15
best feeling when you qualify first and
53:16
then you win the race as well because
53:18
then when you cross the line you know
53:19
you've won now so pretty special yeah so
53:23
you came into Worlds week with uh also a
53:25
very bling bike you always have kind of
53:28
sick bikes but this one is a lot pretty
53:29
sick
53:31
um does that help you like to get in the
53:33
right hair space to have like a sick
53:34
bike and a sick kit for worlds I
53:38
actually don't really like having a new
53:39
bike because it's all new and it's I
53:42
don't know I'm always scared about
53:44
scratching stuff and also like don't
53:48
want to have all the attention like I
53:49
don't really like you know like having
53:52
those articles about my bike and blah
53:54
blah because then for me I still feel
53:56
like yeah it just puts a bit more
53:58
pressure on me and people have
54:00
expectations so I kind of prefer to not
54:03
have to but I guess now it doesn't
54:06
really help like you can't avoid it and
54:08
it's sick though like
54:09
all my sponsors put so much work in it
54:11
to make me look cool every single race
54:13
and really appreciate it well I mean
54:16
you're not the only one to have a brand
54:18
new uh sick bike so I think it's only
54:20
right that you get one everyone gets one
54:22
almost so um even I used to get one and
54:25
I was like
54:27
you know you deserve one Valley don't
54:30
worry for example we got like so many
54:33
bikes this year like nearly every every
54:35
third race we got a new yeah it is I can
54:38
understand your point like it's sick but
54:40
you don't like when you have like a slow
54:43
start to the season you're like oh I I
54:46
don't want to have all the new stuff
54:47
like give me some when I'm doing well so
54:50
yeah it's all right yeah I understand
54:52
what you mean so what was you see the
54:54
seated fourth
54:56
um Miriam I'm in a great run you're like
54:58
eight seconds back on her
55:01
um so we talked about you racing on your
55:03
uh in front of your home crowd in in Leo
55:06
gang but there was different like how
55:09
was it for you to race in front of the
55:11
crowd that was like cheering your main
55:13
competitor for me it was fine like it
55:17
felt like so much better than like
55:19
racing in real long obviously you don't
55:21
have so much media attention you still
55:23
have to do a lot of stuff but it's not
55:26
as bad as as it was for Miriam obviously
55:29
there was a lot of pressure on her and I
55:31
felt like I was a bit piano dog also
55:34
qualifying didn't really go my way but
55:36
also is watch him so it's it's always
55:38
like you don't really care but you do
55:40
care if you're so far behind because I
55:42
thought I had a good run but then I saw
55:44
the time I was like nope it was not a
55:46
good run sir had a lot of work to do on
55:49
this Racetrack and yeah I had Batman
55:52
memories from last area because I
55:53
crashed in the last corner and had a
55:55
concussion and stuff like that so I
55:57
don't know I just really tried to to
55:59
work on the track and spend time on it
56:01
and
56:02
yeah that's what I did on the extra day
56:04
of practice so yeah I was literally we
56:07
tested all the time and I was like
56:09
walking the track and filming she was
56:10
always there and yeah so obviously I see
56:14
you right and you look good all all
56:16
around and literally found 10 seconds
56:19
from qualifying to Eurasia and said like
56:21
that's a pretty crazy
56:23
um Improvement and you're also fastest
56:26
on the first three sectors so that's not
56:29
unusual for you to be fastest at the top
56:32
of a track
56:33
um was the plan to like go full gas and
56:36
try to hold on to the end or what was
56:39
your strategy going into the Run no
56:41
there was no plan at all
56:46
I always used to have a plan like it's
56:49
crazy like people just go I'm just gonna
56:51
raise my run
56:54
that was only 20 so that's okay yeah I
56:57
don't know like every time I had a plan
56:58
I [ __ ] it up anyway so I was like it's
57:01
just words like you know there's another
57:04
chance next year whatever I don't really
57:06
care blah blah blah I don't know then uh
57:09
I went to this Target and it was kind of
57:11
chilled and then I was hoping for a
57:14
medal but in my head it was more like a
57:17
third place smell kind of style
57:19
and when I was in the gate 10 seconds
57:22
before met normally Matt says nothing
57:25
and he was like get them that's what he
57:28
said and then suddenly my brain switched
57:31
and I was like so into like [ __ ] yeah
57:34
let's go I don't care if I crash like
57:36
and then I was going so fast there's
57:39
like one section where you're like a
57:41
compression and you go steep down and
57:44
like you hit the burn like I felt so sad
57:46
that one oh it was so cool and I was
57:49
actually like four seconds up and then I
57:51
lost like nearly all the four seconds at
57:53
the last bit because I like okay I hated
57:55
those bike park it was like a steep bit
57:57
with like Park turns I lost like quite a
58:00
lot there and like I always did the
58:03
jumps fine in practice like always
58:05
perfect in my restaurant like a case
58:07
them all so it was a bit you weren't the
58:10
only one that's looking on those ones to
58:12
be honest from everybody else
58:14
like yeah but I cased it like I even
58:16
ripped my pants so I was scared but you
58:21
still like by Ma is like the best
58:23
looking girls on the bottom jumps for
58:25
sure no thank you so yeah cross the
58:28
finish didn't crashing last turn great
58:30
and that was still coming yeah Kami was
58:33
still on top I guess yeah yeah
58:36
just close my eyes then waited until
58:39
calm it finished and suddenly I was
58:42
world champion yeah so tell us a bit
58:44
what what does it mean to you to be to
58:47
win worlds in the Elite field because
58:49
obviously it was before but that must
58:51
have been pretty special no it's it's
58:53
sick because it was like so unexpected
58:56
like I said I it was not on my agenda
58:59
because it I thought it's gonna happen
59:02
when I'm like I don't know maybe 24 25
59:05
like when I'm a bit more mature and I've
59:08
I don't know I didn't expect it coming
59:11
with with 20 so it's I'm stoked like I'm
59:14
not going
59:17
I don't know Stripes stay forever and
59:20
yeah I also feel like it's insane how
59:22
much attention you get from people for
59:25
winning trust One race and your world
59:27
champion and when I won the overall last
59:30
year obviously there was a bit of black
59:31
involved but there's way less attention
59:33
on winning the overall even though for
59:35
an athlete it's so much better and like
59:38
if you do win the overall you're the
59:40
best rider in the world and if you want
59:42
world champion you just perform really
59:43
well on that one day so it's kind of a
59:45
hard Mission but the media loves World
59:48
Champs so whatever it's sick like I like
59:51
it now it's true I noticed that with
59:53
Cami as well like in Switzerland
59:54
everyone talked about her when she won
59:56
worlds and this year after the overall
59:58
it was way less
1:00:00
impressive media so yeah you're totally
1:00:03
right on that so after watching there
1:00:05
was still a race that's also a little
1:00:06
bit unexpected to have a woke up final
1:00:09
finals after the war Champs
1:00:12
um your second in your role
1:00:14
um your first race in the stripes I must
1:00:16
have been pretty cool
1:00:18
um so you were in a Stargate and I don't
1:00:21
know if you knew I guess maybe you knew
1:00:23
that if you when you take the overall
1:00:25
but if you get seconds you won't and I
1:00:28
guess it was so pretty drained
1:00:30
afterwards week so tell us a bit about
1:00:32
this experience that moment well maybe
1:00:34
I'll tell you first a little story that
1:00:36
I think I'm the only world champion who
1:00:38
didn't party at the world trim party
1:00:40
because I was puking them you're sick no
1:00:43
or something
1:00:45
so like two hours after the world Champs
1:00:47
Podium I just started puking and spent
1:00:50
the whole night on the toilet and died
1:00:52
there was like a year a weird virus
1:00:55
going on in this year and a few teams
1:00:57
had it before or during the week and my
1:01:00
whole team had it during the week and I
1:01:02
was so scared to get it just on race day
1:01:04
and like I just got it like two hours
1:01:06
after the podium and I was like I was
1:01:09
like already changed to go to the party
1:01:11
I even went to the party and then I had
1:01:13
to rush back because I was so sick yeah
1:01:16
I remember that you're like sorry I have
1:01:18
to go cute and I was like what
1:01:22
so yeah I didn't celebrate my world
1:01:25
champions party which was really really
1:01:26
sad and yeah I was just so tired coming
1:01:31
into Valley so like there was so much
1:01:33
going on like so much media attention I
1:01:35
had to do so many interviews on the way
1:01:37
to Valley Sole and I had no time to kind
1:01:40
of process what just happened because
1:01:42
yeah we packed together the next day I
1:01:45
was like so still super tired in fact
1:01:47
the day after and then we already had to
1:01:50
go to Valley Sola and I had to do so
1:01:52
many phone calls and interviews and it's
1:01:55
sick because I really enjoyed this kind
1:01:56
of stuff but also to be honest like I
1:02:00
didn't care about the last World Cup
1:02:01
obviously yes you want to do well I knew
1:02:04
there was a chance but I had my stripes
1:02:06
like that was so so cool and I always
1:02:09
said it anyway like Tommy deserved
1:02:11
overall 100 even before she crash
1:02:14
because she was she's writing so so well
1:02:16
and yeah I don't know valisole was the
1:02:19
gnarliest drug I've ever seen and I
1:02:22
never had right but it was so so rough
1:02:24
like I've never I've not been scared but
1:02:27
it was not fun to write at all like it
1:02:29
was so [ __ ] and I don't know I cruise
1:02:32
down in qualis and then I think Pom-Pom
1:02:35
made a flat tire Nina as well and Tommy
1:02:37
didn't even start or they should just
1:02:39
like yeah she just went for the gate and
1:02:42
then like I had to start last and it was
1:02:44
sick like it could wear my my rainbow
1:02:46
stripes and stuff and but I was so tired
1:02:49
like I think the virus and just mentally
1:02:52
I was so drained that I was just losing
1:02:55
time at the end of the track and I just
1:02:57
didn't want to get hurt and came into of
1:03:00
course my result at the end I don't even
1:03:01
heard I think ah yeah so I got third it
1:03:05
was for the neuro and I was just happy
1:03:07
to be alive and and that the season was
1:03:10
over and then we had a sick party and
1:03:12
the day after I was sick for two months
1:03:15
now so right right into the season
1:03:20
um I think you said tell me if I'm wrong
1:03:23
is one of your least favorite tracks is
1:03:26
that right yeah I think when we I don't
1:03:29
know yeah I'm here feeling you didn't
1:03:32
really enjoy
1:03:33
enjoy the others but I think was it the
1:03:36
only one in your Junior ones where you
1:03:37
didn't win or something like that
1:03:39
that's why I don't like him yeah
1:03:42
I don't know that's what I said but I
1:03:45
wanted the first season first year but
1:03:47
no I actually really like it because I
1:03:49
prefer more technical tricks because I
1:03:51
feel like I can do better on them than
1:03:52
on like Fast Forward ones and yeah I
1:03:56
don't know maybe because I crashed in
1:03:58
World Champs hard and I struggled at the
1:04:00
same section a bit and
1:04:02
I don't know I think you really need to
1:04:04
find the groove and turn your brain off
1:04:07
a little bit which I still can't really
1:04:09
do yet or I just need to be confident
1:04:12
with riding faster on all your stuff I
1:04:14
guess that's how I should do it so
1:04:16
you've already kind of answered my next
1:04:18
question and I'm quite surprised about
1:04:20
it because my next question was going to
1:04:21
be cami's been super consistent this
1:04:23
season until the crash she's racing
1:04:26
valdisola with a double plated
1:04:28
collarbone do any part of you think [ __ ]
1:04:31
cam deserves to win this and I was I was
1:04:33
thinking she's gonna say no no no
1:04:36
I want it but you were pretty you did
1:04:40
think she should win it the overall I
1:04:41
even said it like before like before
1:04:43
refresh because like just the
1:04:45
consistency is insane and to be honest
1:04:48
I'm a bit jealous with their consistency
1:04:49
because I just can't do it like I just
1:04:52
keep crashing all the time and it's so
1:04:54
cool because also I think mentally she's
1:04:56
like so confident and I am definitely
1:05:00
not and I guess that just comes with
1:05:02
with experience and routine and just
1:05:05
like to find your mojo I guess if you if
1:05:08
you're happy you're riding really well
1:05:09
and that's something I I really admire
1:05:12
yeah because also with with it's
1:05:15
interesting to see with uh Pom-Pom like
1:05:17
she's also quite often on the edge like
1:05:19
she's also crashing quite a lot even
1:05:21
though she's the same age as Kami and
1:05:23
Kami just keeps writing her thing and it
1:05:25
it's always good and perfect and it's
1:05:29
cool like if you can find that the
1:05:32
perfect
1:05:33
how is it like your perfect way to ride
1:05:36
it's it's amazing and yeah I I didn't
1:05:38
find it yet maybe I found it a few times
1:05:41
this season but yeah consistency would
1:05:43
be great
1:05:47
okay so I mean we've talked about it a
1:05:50
lot already but yourself Cam and Miriam
1:05:52
you've been in a little group of your
1:05:54
own this year and you all certainly got
1:05:56
something out of the Season uh cam won
1:05:58
the overall you a world champion and as
1:06:01
you said you got your stripes and Miriam
1:06:04
won the final round in valder Saw to
1:06:06
finish the season on the high for her to
1:06:08
put the win alongside her lenser hide
1:06:10
win
1:06:11
um looking ahead to next year do you
1:06:13
think that'll be the three of you at the
1:06:14
top again or did you see oh we should
1:06:16
not forget about Nina Nina was like
1:06:18
second the last few races you know and
1:06:20
Nina is so strong and she's still like
1:06:23
really improving her writing skills
1:06:25
because
1:06:26
um you know it's going to be a dangerous
1:06:28
one uh it's gonna be gonna be tough even
1:06:32
if Maureen and Tanya coming back like
1:06:34
it's a pre-packed top five already and
1:06:37
then we have the Juniors coming up
1:06:40
Phoebe and Gracie and Jenna and uh
1:06:44
yankova so um it's going to be hard for
1:06:47
some of the older Elite Riders to
1:06:49
actually stay stay in and qualify that's
1:06:52
why I retired
1:06:54
at the right time and also like I can't
1:06:58
wait to see some style in the
1:07:00
restaurants because like the new
1:07:02
generation they have some good stuff
1:07:04
like it's gonna be sick to watch do you
1:07:06
feel like um Nina and Maureen are kind
1:07:09
of a little bit like yourself in the the
1:07:11
pace is there and it's just waiting for
1:07:14
that consistency and finding the Rhythm
1:07:16
and then all of a sudden they'll they'll
1:07:18
start getting success as well well I
1:07:20
feel like Nino is consistent she only
1:07:23
crashed the first two races and then she
1:07:25
was there all the time like
1:07:27
it's it's uh yeah scary
1:07:31
they're all so good but they all they
1:07:34
all have that confidence like it's so
1:07:36
cool to see and and also what I really
1:07:38
like about like Nina that she's so happy
1:07:41
for other people to do well as well like
1:07:43
when when I won mountain or World Champs
1:07:47
like she was so happy for me and I was
1:07:49
like oh my God like it's so cool it is a
1:07:51
happy for me because obviously I still
1:07:54
struggle with that but I guess it's just
1:07:55
the way I am it's my personality and I
1:07:58
I'm happy for everyone doing well but
1:08:00
first I need to like finish process is
1:08:03
what I just did and then I can be happy
1:08:05
for someone else yeah and you know it's
1:08:07
just like a super happy happy human
1:08:09
being and uh with Marine like I didn't
1:08:12
really see her much racing since I'm in
1:08:14
Elite
1:08:16
last season she was also injured so yeah
1:08:19
he was consistent When Rachel was there
1:08:21
right like she was up there
1:08:24
yeah
1:08:26
it was starting to build for sure yeah
1:08:28
so she just tried it at crashes a lot so
1:08:32
whether she's getting injured or not
1:08:34
like change she just crashed and didn't
1:08:36
get injured and after she crashed in
1:08:38
getting all the time so yeah we'll see
1:08:40
how long she takes to mentally get
1:08:43
strong yeah and then maybe Rachel coming
1:08:46
back for some races that would be sick
1:08:48
well imagine it's gonna be super sick
1:08:50
here wow it's um it so surprised me but
1:08:55
you're still only 20 years old if you
1:08:57
look at the last two seasons what you've
1:08:59
been through and what you've achieved
1:09:02
all the people well not all of them yeah
1:09:04
all the people you've mentioned that
1:09:06
you're racing now probably would put
1:09:07
them as part of kind of Rachel's
1:09:09
generation you know Tony Marine maybe
1:09:13
not Nina but Miriam
1:09:16
um and cami's the same age as as Miriam
1:09:19
um
1:09:21
tell us a bit about the talent coming
1:09:23
through because people When Rachel was
1:09:25
racing and it people said
1:09:27
um we're never going to see this level
1:09:28
of domination again and I think we are I
1:09:32
think you're gonna dominate like Rachel
1:09:34
did but tell us I don't think you quite
1:09:37
think about that idea so tell us about
1:09:40
what you think about the the people
1:09:41
coming through
1:09:43
I mean I think you you ask me the same
1:09:46
questions like two years
1:09:48
two years ago did I sorry
1:09:51
like I I don't know for me it feels like
1:09:54
I don't I never really thought about it
1:09:58
because I'm still struggling so much
1:09:59
with with myself and like having like a
1:10:02
proper race weekend that I never thought
1:10:05
about like maybe doing like a perfect
1:10:07
season like she did I think it's so hard
1:10:09
at the moment because even I think if
1:10:11
Rachel had not a great race run she
1:10:14
still won we're like nowadays it's like
1:10:17
impossible if you don't get your 100 or
1:10:21
like your race run you're not gonna win
1:10:23
I think maybe someone else is crashing
1:10:26
out and then then you're lucky to win
1:10:28
but maybe you're then second because
1:10:30
someone else is going to be better and
1:10:31
just I think the field is so much more
1:10:34
stacked and the level is so much higher
1:10:36
that it's gonna be really really hard
1:10:39
like for sure so something I want to ask
1:10:42
you Vali with with hearing a lot that
1:10:46
you're having to work quite hard on your
1:10:48
own mental feelings at the races and
1:10:51
feeling like you've got um what it takes
1:10:54
to do what you want to do and you've
1:10:55
said that other athletes have this
1:10:58
confidence that you don't feel like you
1:10:59
have
1:11:00
do you feel it makes it harder for you
1:11:02
to have that with all the pressure
1:11:04
that's put on you externally because
1:11:06
ever since you were a junior people have
1:11:08
talked about how successful you're going
1:11:10
to be and as with George's questions
1:11:13
just asked suggesting that you'll be
1:11:16
super consistent and whatever the next
1:11:18
big athlete do you feel like it makes it
1:11:20
harder for you to just get your head
1:11:22
down and do your thing with all this
1:11:23
external Buzz yeah for sure at first
1:11:27
like I thought I don't really feel it
1:11:28
but now I definitely do because I know
1:11:32
how people are are talking or writing
1:11:35
stuff on the internet and it's like yeah
1:11:38
but now like I already have all the
1:11:40
titles you can have so it's like I take
1:11:42
them all off like yeah are you happy now
1:11:44
like
1:11:46
that's why I think I probably didn't
1:11:48
think it until this you won worlds this
1:11:51
season and the reason I think it is
1:11:53
because like worlds is such a confidence
1:11:56
thing
1:11:57
it you look at who wins in the men's for
1:12:00
example Lloyd and Greg I'm sure it's to
1:12:02
do with once you've won it it relieves
1:12:04
the pressure you can sit in the start
1:12:06
gear and you don't have that that
1:12:07
pressure on you and you've in your first
1:12:11
two seasons you've won the two big
1:12:13
prizes for other races to get even get
1:12:16
there the Juniors to get there they're
1:12:17
not going to do it in the first two
1:12:19
seasons they're not gonna do it
1:12:21
but not set in times like Jackson and
1:12:23
Jordan are in the men's that would
1:12:25
podium in in the women's the ones that
1:12:27
are coming through I'm not saying
1:12:28
they're not going to be competitive but
1:12:30
they're not doing what you did yeah and
1:12:32
and that's why I think I you can see it
1:12:35
it's almost like they've got you're just
1:12:36
gonna get you're gonna when you get to
1:12:38
your pit you're just going to get
1:12:39
stronger you might have two or three
1:12:41
World titles or overalls by the time you
1:12:44
get there and you're going to get that
1:12:46
confidence that Rachel had of going out
1:12:48
and like it doesn't matter whether I
1:12:50
almost win or not because I've got these
1:12:53
other wins behind me and that's why I
1:12:56
think you'll you'll dominate I mean
1:12:57
you're only 20. it's
1:13:00
you live in it every day but when you
1:13:03
kind of step out of it you can see it
1:13:05
building up and you've done so much it's
1:13:07
it's it's really exciting but you're
1:13:09
excited about the future
1:13:11
oh sure yeah I feel like I've I had to
1:13:15
talk with Sven with our photographer and
1:13:17
it was really cool because it's like sea
1:13:19
Valley now you take the wall the the
1:13:21
titles you can get now you can just
1:13:23
write like you can like you only have to
1:13:26
think about winning those things now
1:13:29
it's just like [ __ ] ride and I just
1:13:32
yeah I had no energy in Bali Soleil to
1:13:35
do this but uh I think the next few
1:13:37
years is going to be exciting I'm just
1:13:39
gonna improve more as in Italy like I'm
1:13:41
gonna get stronger and fitter and yeah I
1:13:44
yeah just I feel like I found found my
1:13:47
mojo at the end of the season and I hope
1:13:48
this just continues going on and like I
1:13:51
can't wait it's gonna be sick yeah do
1:13:53
the nice thing for you is you can look
1:13:55
back at the last two years knowing that
1:13:57
you've achieved the World Cup overall
1:13:59
and the World Championships having not
1:14:02
ridden and raised how you want to both
1:14:05
seasons and you've still managed to do
1:14:06
it so you can now do exactly what you've
1:14:09
just said you can go on and have the
1:14:11
career you want to have a race in the
1:14:12
way you want to knowing that you've
1:14:14
already ticked those things off and you
1:14:16
can just enjoy it pressure can almost
1:14:18
like filter away now I hope so yeah
1:14:21
that's the way to look at it because
1:14:23
you've already done it how long have you
1:14:26
got run left to run with track uh we
1:14:29
have one more season with Trek yeah
1:14:32
if I was a bro brand manager I'd be I I
1:14:35
you would be the number one person to
1:14:37
try and sign
1:14:38
yeah so it talks about them your
1:14:42
thoughts about the future of Ali with um
1:14:45
ESO Discovery and everything
1:14:49
um yeah what do you think of the whole
1:14:50
situation what's your vision for the for
1:14:53
next year no years to come well
1:14:55
obviously um I'm a bit brainwashed by
1:14:57
Rebel so everything they do is amazing
1:15:00
and I really loved it because I mean
1:15:02
that's how I grew up also like the first
1:15:05
time I watched Donald racing was on
1:15:06
Rebel TV so that's the only thing I know
1:15:08
so obviously I am a bit scared because
1:15:11
yeah I don't know if it's gonna work or
1:15:14
not or if my grandparents can still
1:15:16
watch it or if they need to find a
1:15:18
different way to watch it and also
1:15:20
commentary I mean they lost Rob Warner
1:15:23
so that's gonna be really painful for
1:15:25
the the age Community because he was
1:15:27
just the voice of the age it's yeah it
1:15:31
is what it is like everybody knows that
1:15:33
and also like a lot of my friends or
1:15:36
friends and Germans they're always watch
1:15:38
it in English because it's just way more
1:15:40
exciting than like listening to a German
1:15:42
uh commentary so yeah I don't I don't
1:15:46
really know like I really like to see
1:15:48
that there's a bigger brand stepping
1:15:50
into and you know it's going to be maybe
1:15:52
more interesting for other sponsors
1:15:55
outside of the industry like the right
1:15:57
maybe we can get like you know better
1:16:00
salary like make it more exciting bring
1:16:03
it closer to to the normal people and I
1:16:07
also heard a few rumors that you know
1:16:08
maybe there's a bit more money in the in
1:16:10
the sport that we also gonna race in
1:16:12
Australia again like Asia or like South
1:16:14
America like make it a proper World Cup
1:16:16
and not just the European Cup that would
1:16:18
be sick like well see I mean I haven't
1:16:21
heard much more but I think for next
1:16:23
year basically a lot of things are going
1:16:25
to stay similar but um in the midterm
1:16:29
I'm excited to see if there are going to
1:16:31
be some big changes about venues and
1:16:34
stuff because obviously that's one of
1:16:35
the reason I stopped racing because the
1:16:37
bunions were always the same no 10 years
1:16:40
so
1:16:42
um yeah so we'll see it's gonna be
1:16:44
exciting
1:16:45
um tell us a bit about
1:16:47
um your download performance camp that
1:16:50
you were running this season I've seen
1:16:52
some stories and stuff and content about
1:16:54
that
1:16:54
um you guys had a great time and I've
1:16:57
known there's gonna be some sick Riders
1:16:59
from from Austria in the next few years
1:17:01
no I was sick like my plan was always to
1:17:04
do like uh like a camp thing or like do
1:17:07
something for for the Austrian future
1:17:09
because there's just nothing happening
1:17:11
with our national team and like I got
1:17:13
yeah I got really pissed about it
1:17:15
because like why is it so hard to to
1:17:18
organize something it's not hard to like
1:17:19
you know send out an email and invite
1:17:22
them for a weekend so that's what I did
1:17:24
like I sent out on Instagram like girls
1:17:26
could apply and I chose uh five girls
1:17:29
and invited them to tell us Charlie and
1:17:32
ride with me for three days it was it
1:17:34
was just like one day after I arrived
1:17:36
after mountain man so I was a bit tired
1:17:39
and chat like but it was it was fun and
1:17:41
uh yeah it was sick because like just
1:17:44
the speed those girls already have in
1:17:46
the bike park like they stick behind my
1:17:48
back wheel in the bike part like it's
1:17:50
insane and it's so cool that they
1:17:52
already have that confidence with Champs
1:17:55
and I think it's really hard for father
1:17:58
for older athletes let's say to like
1:18:01
learn to get faster where they already
1:18:03
know how to how to ride fast they just
1:18:06
need to learn to write technical stuff
1:18:08
and yeah I don't know like the style
1:18:11
have like no one can do can jump
1:18:14
straight anymore like they're all
1:18:15
whipping or suicide or like scrap and
1:18:18
it's so sick it's so cool like I love it
1:18:21
and I'm gonna do one next year as well
1:18:23
this year was only for German speaking
1:18:25
girls and next day I want to do it a bit
1:18:27
more International just need to find a
1:18:30
good date so nice yeah that's exciting
1:18:32
stuff
1:18:34
um so it it's been two seasons last year
1:18:37
and the year before where you started a
1:18:40
bit slower slowly and then you finish
1:18:42
the season on the high note and with the
1:18:45
bank so have you made a plan for 2023
1:18:48
yet no plans for next year
1:18:51
I don't know I I'm like focusing now on
1:18:54
my ews in March because I don't want to
1:18:57
die
1:18:58
[Music]
1:18:59
the better you're gonna be yeah and then
1:19:03
I don't know it's still so far to go
1:19:05
until June to of course
1:19:08
um yeah I think I don't know like
1:19:10
everything is fine if I'm not getting
1:19:12
injured or don't you know if I get
1:19:14
healthy finally I can start training
1:19:16
properly like I have a good good
1:19:18
training team around me with Cecile and
1:19:21
it's it's amazing I get really well like
1:19:24
we've met I have a really good
1:19:25
relationship now and we work a lot on on
1:19:27
the bike and you know it's just getting
1:19:29
more professional and I can give more
1:19:31
feedback and it's sick like I love my my
1:19:34
job in my life so it's fine excellent
1:19:37
well look thanks for making the time to
1:19:39
come on the Pod uh very much appreciated
1:19:42
enjoy the off season I hope you can get
1:19:44
well and uh best of luck for next season
1:19:46
thank you excellent we'll be back with
1:19:49
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favorite Riders to watch Turbo defrella
1:21:32
how you doing yeah good thank you how
1:21:34
are you oh yeah all good thank you
1:21:36
whereabouts in the world are you right
1:21:38
now
1:21:39
man we'll be traveling for the past
1:21:42
months but yeah I'm at home for a few
1:21:44
days cool so we we last caught up around
1:21:47
this time last year you were coming into
1:21:50
the off season with with the ankle and
1:21:52
thumb injuries did they keep you off
1:21:54
your feet for long uh yeah last year I
1:21:57
was out to be injured for the accident
1:21:59
because they it's good in the accident
1:22:02
to to enjoy and do a few different
1:22:04
things uh but this year again I just had
1:22:08
a little surgery but just take two weeks
1:22:10
and now I'm back on the bike so it's way
1:22:13
quicker than last year yeah yeah so you
1:22:16
know it's perfect I can enjoy now I
1:22:19
think it was I think it was Christmas
1:22:20
before you were back on the bike last
1:22:22
year is that right ah yeah yeah yeah it
1:22:25
was really late
1:22:26
so a bit of time has passed now when you
1:22:31
look back at the 2021 season how do you
1:22:34
feel about it uh was really good
1:22:37
compared to this year
1:22:40
but no I don't know
1:22:44
a lot of
1:22:46
emotions and a lot of things you know it
1:22:50
was a amazing season and uh it will be
1:22:54
in my mind for a long time for sure
1:22:55
because uh it reads a lot of volumes and
1:22:59
good races so it's good memories and
1:23:02
yeah nothing crazy you ended up second
1:23:05
in the overall
1:23:07
yeah if you look back on that now as
1:23:09
like a a massive achievement or are you
1:23:11
still a little bit disappointed that you
1:23:13
didn't manage to get first no it's been
1:23:16
over a year now and didn't think about
1:23:18
it anymore I'm just more in the future
1:23:20
right now yeah we did uh already one
1:23:22
season after this 2021 and 2022 I did
1:23:27
not nothing crazy this season just
1:23:29
nothing really good so now I'm really in
1:23:33
the future and trying to work and get
1:23:35
better cool coming into uh 2022
1:23:39
um after everything we talked about
1:23:41
right now
1:23:43
um did you have a plan for the 2022
1:23:45
season other than just go full gas like
1:23:48
you always do no I didn't have any plan
1:23:50
just uh try to be as good as the 2021 or
1:23:55
just maybe be a bit better on some point
1:23:57
but at the end I was at the beginning of
1:23:59
the system I was not really prepared
1:24:01
because uh I've been late on the bike
1:24:03
and less prepared because of these
1:24:05
little injuries but they were quite long
1:24:07
for the little detours but uh
1:24:12
then uh I just tried to write the the
1:24:16
best I can but maybe not as much risk as
1:24:19
I took maybe the year before but it has
1:24:22
not work because I did some less good
1:24:25
result Justin for William was very good
1:24:27
and then I did mistake I crashed and uh
1:24:30
I was slow sometimes the fighting too
1:24:34
safe and
1:24:35
a lot of mistakes but I learned a lot
1:24:37
again this year maybe more than last
1:24:40
year even yeah so talking about the
1:24:42
races one after another like the season
1:24:44
first started in taruka I think in
1:24:46
Portugal
1:24:48
um you had a flat tire in your in your
1:24:50
race run
1:24:52
um but I'm already Miriam in Hugo we're
1:24:55
all like really on Pace and one there so
1:24:57
I guess like this was also a good start
1:25:00
for for the team for the knockoff team I
1:25:02
had a good good atmosphere I'm coming
1:25:05
into the first World Cup yeah for sure
1:25:07
this race was really good uh and the
1:25:09
Korea was really fast but I crashed the
1:25:11
last corner but at the end my time was
1:25:13
really quick and then uh was uh for the
1:25:16
final I had a good run but I I had to
1:25:19
stop and do a rerun yeah because uh
1:25:21
crash crap the guy crashed really bad
1:25:23
and then this friend uh maybe we didn't
1:25:26
have to check the bike and stuff and I
1:25:28
had a flat tire so it was a bit Shady
1:25:32
but it's like that you know and then
1:25:34
coming to um Lord I was uh very excited
1:25:37
I feel ready but uh just one week we
1:25:40
followed oh yeah so I just arrived I was
1:25:44
covered free but it was really like uh
1:25:48
sick you know the the heart was like I
1:25:50
was like being so bad but I was feeling
1:25:54
good on the bike and uh yeah maybe a bit
1:25:58
too much and I crashed pretty bad but no
1:26:01
injury I was lucky just one week without
1:26:04
working really good but the rest was
1:26:06
good but it was a big bummer because uh
1:26:09
start the season like that was uh which
1:26:11
two crash and two bad races was not free
1:26:15
the three good after what I had the last
1:26:17
few races there before yeah so you're
1:26:19
forcing quality and like I said you we
1:26:21
all can remember your crashing in that
1:26:23
tree and I guess um closest George is
1:26:27
brought in the script like how's the
1:26:29
tree doing because you hit it so hard it
1:26:31
looks it looked like a pretty Savage hit
1:26:34
um I'm a solid Rider so I guess you
1:26:36
weren't really phased about that yeah it
1:26:39
was fast fast crash yeah um I already
1:26:42
took the win
1:26:43
um how like I know we talk about a lot
1:26:46
with amury about this like when he was
1:26:49
on the podcast like you guys have a a
1:26:51
good chemistry I can push each other but
1:26:53
I guess sometimes you still want to be
1:26:55
in front like he was saying I still want
1:26:57
to be in current people you know so was
1:26:58
it the same for you like were you a bit
1:27:00
disappointed when you took the win no
1:27:02
absolutely not because you know the year
1:27:05
before it was not really high this level
1:27:07
and compared to what he did the year
1:27:09
before and uh was taught for him because
1:27:11
he won and it's been quite a while that
1:27:13
he didn't want to race so no absolutely
1:27:16
not I was really happy and uh yeah no no
1:27:19
for sure
1:27:20
so sixth Fort William Dash no just you
1:27:24
and your mechanic working out of the
1:27:26
back of a van which was pretty low-key I
1:27:29
was quite surprised to see that but it's
1:27:31
it seemed to work and then on to the
1:27:33
World Cup coming into that race Emery
1:27:36
was on the full 29. did you think about
1:27:38
going that way no absolutely not I hate
1:27:41
having something in my back so I don't
1:27:44
want to rub my butt
1:27:46
no it's too too big this wheel in the
1:27:49
back for me I'm too small P2 you were
1:27:53
just four tenths back on Amory and it
1:27:55
all came down to the Sprint and we asked
1:27:57
him about it and he said he he'd be
1:27:59
pretty pissed if if you beat him in a
1:28:01
Sprint because he's five years older and
1:28:03
you're you're only just at the start of
1:28:05
your Elite career is sprinting something
1:28:07
you're working on this off season uh I
1:28:11
worked it every year but for sure I'm
1:28:13
getting older and I try to be stronger
1:28:15
and
1:28:16
yeah you need to be prepared for 40 I
1:28:19
mean next year it's a world championship
1:28:21
so yeah I hope I will be stronger than
1:28:22
him next year on this pillar section
1:28:26
are you a fan of fall William uh
1:28:29
absolutely not
1:28:33
like I'm not fun I really like this
1:28:35
track because it's a really tough long
1:28:38
and strange but I've never been really
1:28:39
really good on this track so that's why
1:28:42
my goal was to be the best people I can
1:28:45
for this race then I was really stoked
1:28:47
about this place because second and from
1:28:48
William uh it's amazing and when you
1:28:51
even if I was just really close to the
1:28:53
wind Armory has been good for years on
1:28:56
this track so second place was like a
1:28:59
win for me on this track you know I love
1:29:02
about doing this podcast is that
1:29:04
everyone always
1:29:06
told me or thought William is so good
1:29:08
fought William's so good and I went and
1:29:10
wrote it and I was like I can't believe
1:29:11
people really enjoy this track
1:29:14
they're all liars
1:29:19
like I would recommend to any of my
1:29:21
friends
1:29:24
no I know it's long it's uh you can
1:29:27
broke Wheels everywhere it's physical
1:29:30
there's wind like it's terrible but you
1:29:34
have a good viewer to stop
1:29:36
that's a good point so when Emery took
1:29:40
the win there I don't think I've seen
1:29:41
anyone ever more delighted that their
1:29:44
teammate has has won and it's not just
1:29:47
happened at that race it happened a few
1:29:49
times this season tell us a bit about
1:29:51
not necessarily a relationship with
1:29:53
Emery but what it's like being on on the
1:29:56
team with someone when they are
1:29:58
clearly the fastest Rider on the circuit
1:30:01
that this season
1:30:03
do you does it add to the pressure or
1:30:07
does it take a bit of pressure away from
1:30:08
you or does it not really affect you no
1:30:11
there is no no more pressure it can be
1:30:13
just an help because you know as he's
1:30:16
fast every race you know if you just
1:30:18
follow him and you know you are as fast
1:30:20
as him you know you can win the race so
1:30:22
it's pretty helpful I would say yeah and
1:30:24
if you follow each other in practice
1:30:26
quite a lot and you share lines
1:30:29
visualize but we don't really like to
1:30:32
follow each other or we don't like to
1:30:34
follow anyone I guess
1:30:37
so we try to discuss and exchange about
1:30:41
lines and stuff but not really follow
1:30:44
each other and uh
1:30:46
yeah it's not I don't like that it's not
1:30:49
really helpful you can see where you're
1:30:50
going
1:30:51
and tell me a bit about the Telemetry
1:30:53
you've had on the bike this season
1:30:55
because you see you guys seem to run it
1:30:56
a lot uh yeah
1:30:59
plus yeah I think we were in more than
1:31:02
the past few years maybe because uh
1:31:03
maybe this year we know more how to use
1:31:06
it and maybe help us to to focus more on
1:31:11
the lines and now on us than on the bike
1:31:14
so yeah well we didn't even think about
1:31:17
that it's just aren't sure the
1:31:19
engineering just take about take care
1:31:21
about this it just takes the day does is
1:31:24
your bike set up very differently
1:31:26
between tracks or is it pretty much the
1:31:29
same no no no it's pretty much the same
1:31:32
every tracks we just make few changes to
1:31:34
make it perfect but no we didn't change
1:31:37
that much so Leah gang p7 in quality in
1:31:41
some awful conditions you were then any
1:31:45
race when you were full attack
1:31:47
chin on the bars near the top getting
1:31:50
wild but you didn't seem to have any
1:31:52
special lines up there this last um this
1:31:54
year last year I remember you telling me
1:31:56
you had special lines up there and I
1:31:57
think you were like three seconds
1:31:58
quicker than anybody else at the first
1:32:00
split tell us a bit about Lee again yeah
1:32:03
absolutely uh
1:32:05
uh nothing crazy you said no crazy Lines
1:32:08
no crazy speed maybe you'll be too
1:32:10
confident on the track you know I knew I
1:32:12
was fast on this track and
1:32:15
so it's been quite not helpful so yeah
1:32:20
really bad race uh compared to how I
1:32:23
like this track uh was really slow yeah
1:32:26
even quality p7 was not crazy
1:32:28
and then like crashed in the Steep
1:32:31
section but I didn't see me crashing you
1:32:34
know I crashed but uh I didn't there is
1:32:37
nothing crazy on the floor and was just
1:32:39
uh maybe uh I lose the focus on this
1:32:43
part
1:32:43
so yeah really shitty race
1:32:50
until that
1:32:55
that to win everywhere so maybe it
1:32:57
didn't feel like that to you but for us
1:32:59
watching it looked like you were like
1:33:01
going really full on and
1:33:04
um after that race
1:33:06
um maybe there's a bit of change of
1:33:08
strategy
1:33:09
um and maybe you stop risking that much
1:33:11
but I kind of have the feeling that
1:33:13
you're gonna have a different opinion
1:33:15
about this is it true that you maybe
1:33:18
thought oh I crushed in this race and
1:33:20
this was maybe I should like I don't
1:33:22
know your church right after this phrase
1:33:24
uh
1:33:26
they start to be even bad bad
1:33:31
even worse than uh I tried to stop
1:33:34
taking risks and start to be slow and
1:33:37
it's been a
1:33:38
it's been hurt
1:33:41
in the race and in Andorra you had a
1:33:44
arbitrary quality than 15 in a race yeah
1:33:47
um so I guess it was not like you were
1:33:49
thinking about the overall it's more
1:33:51
like you like maybe try to like find the
1:33:54
right balance between attacking and it's
1:33:56
I know it's not it's not easy like of
1:33:58
course I raised myself I know how it is
1:34:00
but like
1:34:01
how do you like did you find it in the
1:34:04
end or like how how is it to deal with
1:34:07
that kind of mental stuff no I tried to
1:34:09
found it for but from Lanza right to
1:34:14
uh mostatan I try to
1:34:17
to found a good balance but uh didn't
1:34:19
achieve the easy goal so even after more
1:34:21
Satan just before Leisure was uh still
1:34:25
not me you know I was running slow and
1:34:27
not pretty good on the bike not feeling
1:34:29
good so and you can sell my results I
1:34:32
did nothing crazy just doing snow shoe
1:34:34
because it was wet and you know when
1:34:36
it's wet there is no problem for me but
1:34:38
I crashed one more time because I was
1:34:40
trying to to push her as the first like
1:34:43
the first races and try to win not think
1:34:45
about the boy German you know it's good
1:34:48
sometimes just to have a Podium and I
1:34:50
think maheli was just to win because I
1:34:52
could have win this race but you know
1:34:54
it's like that but no I was uh the the
1:34:59
feeling and the speed and the good
1:35:01
balance between speed and risk and
1:35:04
everything was back in Leisure I was
1:35:06
really fast in Nigeria really good on
1:35:07
the bike but even if I had a small crash
1:35:10
in the in the quality I think it was
1:35:13
really really fast uh but then in final
1:35:16
once again I was lost between risk and I
1:35:19
don't want to crash and I was super
1:35:21
super slow
1:35:23
well I guess Leisure is hard for for you
1:35:26
guys as frenchmens as well we have a lot
1:35:27
of expectation on yourself and
1:35:29
especially in a situation where like not
1:35:32
everything is going to plan this season
1:35:34
um even if you have a good feeling it's
1:35:36
hard to like put it together for race
1:35:37
run did you did you feel like the added
1:35:40
pressure with your family there like was
1:35:41
it a bit different in usual not really
1:35:43
no for me it was the same as usual I was
1:35:46
just even more angry too to have a good
1:35:48
race and just show to everybody that I
1:35:52
was kind of still there but
1:35:55
um and I was as I was really enjoying
1:35:57
the track and I think I was really fast
1:35:59
in in the practice yeah some people were
1:36:03
starting to tell me oh yeah really good
1:36:05
you're fast it's you it's your time go
1:36:08
go and it was like at the start I was
1:36:11
like trying to show myself yeah and then
1:36:16
it was like I was on the track not just
1:36:20
in my head yeah but that's like
1:36:21
something that I've when you told me
1:36:23
this it's like it makes me think of
1:36:25
Bernard when it has been like this for
1:36:27
years he was just like oh it's so fast
1:36:29
in time practice and then it was getting
1:36:32
like slightly a little bit faster but
1:36:34
everybody else was getting so much
1:36:36
faster and he was thinking he was up
1:36:37
there but then he was just like not fast
1:36:40
enough on race day so I could I think it
1:36:44
was like it's a it's a struggle for a
1:36:47
lot of valid Riders to just find your
1:36:49
peaking Pace yeah you don't want to see
1:36:52
too many risks like you don't want to
1:36:53
crash yourself and go over so yeah it's
1:36:56
it's it's very tricky and it's even
1:36:59
harder when you have been fast and
1:37:00
you've been on the podium for a lot of
1:37:02
races different because you've been
1:37:04
there you won races so yeah and it was
1:37:07
being quick like it happens really
1:37:09
quickly for the first year for my first
1:37:11
eight years so was just my third year in
1:37:14
edit and the first year I really
1:37:17
struggled on the World Cup even since
1:37:19
junior category so
1:37:20
you know it's not the
1:37:22
it's not a problem you know I'm still
1:37:24
really young it was just my third year
1:37:25
yeah yeah I prefer to struggle now then
1:37:28
we'll see here you know 100 it the way
1:37:32
that the points are stacked as well for
1:37:34
in World Cup racing it's it's almost
1:37:37
better to get a Podium and then not do
1:37:41
too well for two races than it is to
1:37:43
just be inside the top 20 for three
1:37:45
races in a row isn't it it kind of
1:37:47
really encourages you to to try and get
1:37:49
that Podium yeah I think so because like
1:37:52
that you don't have you don't lose the
1:37:53
confidence of crashing when you crash
1:37:55
you know you think a lot you have a lot
1:37:57
of creatures in your head when you have
1:37:59
10 or 15 and you just wrote normally you
1:38:03
know you can do better yeah when you
1:38:05
crash you cannot really know what you do
1:38:07
because you didn't arrive to the Finish
1:38:09
Line yeah so is that I mean in Worlds
1:38:13
you got fourth place in quality with a
1:38:15
crash yeah
1:38:17
um you must have been stoked with that
1:38:19
yeah it was super stuck I was like uh it
1:38:23
was amazing because I go to my age to me
1:38:26
yeah so I I had somebody out there who I
1:38:29
know and he messaged me and he was like
1:38:32
um table looks like the fastest man on
1:38:34
the track and so when you when it came
1:38:36
to real estate I was like come on table
1:38:38
this is this is it this is your time but
1:38:40
you everybody else went quicker by quite
1:38:44
a long way
1:38:46
yeah if you
1:38:48
what have you learned from from that I
1:38:51
learned a lot for sure yeah but
1:38:54
um learned that yeah for sure what
1:38:56
championships uh it's a special race you
1:38:58
know uh you need to be specifically
1:39:02
prepared to use race and uh yeah you
1:39:05
don't you need to be 100 focused and be
1:39:09
the fast and take the all the risks you
1:39:11
can take yeah you know it's what Drake
1:39:14
did and did it on this day and not in
1:39:17
practice or the other days because the
1:39:20
other day you can see it on the track it
1:39:21
was not the fastest man but on race day
1:39:23
it was the fastest and it's what you
1:39:25
need to be yeah so yeah it's a good
1:39:29
example and uh yeah I was I think my
1:39:32
restaurant was slower than my quality
1:39:34
rent with a crash you know without
1:39:37
crashing or slurring The Wristband and
1:39:39
any liquidity yeah I think you're on the
1:39:42
server second I don't know which which
1:39:43
way it was yeah yeah
1:39:48
so valdi's Soul was going really well
1:39:50
seeded sixth finished 11th but I was
1:39:54
looking at the splits and you lost two
1:39:55
to three seconds to everyone in the
1:39:58
final sector Yeah I broke my third wheel
1:40:00
ah right yeah yeah wait I would say uh
1:40:05
you have the tight corners and yeah
1:40:09
that's why I lost the I lost the 10th
1:40:12
position because I was not going for a
1:40:14
position for sure it was me I think if
1:40:17
you keep a normal time without the rear
1:40:20
wheel problem I was like seven or eight
1:40:22
yeah what cost me this place and what
1:40:25
cost me the top 10 uh overall yeah
1:40:27
because
1:40:29
which is terrible just for but uh but
1:40:33
you know you were only three points
1:40:34
behind Greg I think who got ten in there
1:40:37
yeah maybe
1:40:39
so it was a great season for the team
1:40:42
but it was a bit of a strange end to the
1:40:44
season because Emery won the overall but
1:40:47
he didn't have this well didn't have a
1:40:49
great race in Bali soil Miriam warning
1:40:52
Valley saw and finished second in the
1:40:54
overall you ended up 11th just three
1:40:56
points behind Greg as I just said common
1:40:59
style mukov took the the team the
1:41:01
overall team prize
1:41:03
but it wasn't that euphoric end that
1:41:05
races I think everybody who races wants
1:41:08
that euphoric finish to a season don't
1:41:10
they where they come down to win the La
1:41:12
the last person down the hill they win
1:41:14
the race to take the overall to win
1:41:16
everything that's the ultimate kind of
1:41:18
Prize did it feel a bit strange to you
1:41:20
as a as a racer at the end of the season
1:41:23
giving the teams won yeah it was really
1:41:26
strange for me because uh the end of the
1:41:29
senator was the the better on the bike
1:41:31
and I was feeling good and for me was
1:41:33
like oh I want more race you know I want
1:41:35
more World Cups yeah and uh for sure for
1:41:37
the team they were a bit
1:41:39
disappointed or not for Miriam for sure
1:41:43
because she won but America Ashley was
1:41:45
the three good but at the end even if I
1:41:47
was 11 I marked some points for the team
1:41:49
overall and it's because of me a little
1:41:51
bit Yeah so we can won this alone
1:41:55
um so it was a really good you know yeah
1:42:00
but you know it just made me as more
1:42:03
Angry to to do better next year and to
1:42:05
be stronger you know yeah I mean racing
1:42:08
is so strange because as you've said you
1:42:11
said you've had your hardest year ever
1:42:14
in in Junior and delay Charlie Hatton
1:42:18
who is 24 years old an amazing Rider one
1:42:22
of the best British Riders he's had the
1:42:24
best season of his career he's finished
1:42:25
12th in the overall behind you and it's
1:42:28
how people look at things is very
1:42:30
different you know you're only 21 and
1:42:32
you finished 11th
1:42:34
um I think at one point when me and Emmy
1:42:36
were chatting on the plot I described
1:42:38
this as being like a difficult second
1:42:40
album you know when a band has a really
1:42:42
big hit single a big hit album and then
1:42:45
they come back and they've got to try
1:42:46
and replicate that success how how do
1:42:49
you feel about it now when you look back
1:42:51
are you just hungry to go again yeah for
1:42:53
sure I'm just angry and I I already
1:42:56
think a lot about what happens so now
1:42:58
I'm reading into the future sure and I
1:43:01
will be more prepared than never for
1:43:02
next year for sure are you working on
1:43:04
anything specific are you back on the
1:43:06
bike now yeah for the moment I'm for
1:43:08
sure I'm not training uh really hard I'm
1:43:10
just going from a mixed ride uh e-bike
1:43:15
and cool races you know we have the time
1:43:18
to be prepared the next season is far
1:43:20
away but I just try to to enjoy the time
1:43:23
on the bike and try to have some fun and
1:43:27
um
1:43:28
slowly back into a proper training and
1:43:31
art training yeah when when do the team
1:43:34
camps start I don't know yet
1:43:38
um maybe I think maybe before the end of
1:43:41
the year yeah or I think maybe one and
1:43:44
then there's some reason as we did the
1:43:47
past few years uh I don't know yet I
1:43:49
need to talk about that with the
1:43:51
reference but the bus
1:43:53
and you've had a few weeks off since the
1:43:56
end of the season tell us a bit about
1:43:57
where you've been going yeah um more
1:44:00
than a month
1:44:02
we are the friendships where I was
1:44:06
really good but I crashed once again
1:44:08
but does it feel a bit like every time
1:44:11
you've gone really fast this season
1:44:12
you've crashed yeah for sure for sure
1:44:15
birthday crash but that that's it
1:44:18
then I just uh enjoy for one week I
1:44:23
write a lot of photo and coaching and
1:44:26
even a surgery to remove the plate I had
1:44:29
in the in my right feet
1:44:33
um so this took me off for two weeks
1:44:36
yeah two weeks you know the first week
1:44:39
you're like uh just walking and not
1:44:42
doing crazy stuff and then days after
1:44:44
days you you can do more stuff and then
1:44:47
I went
1:44:49
a few days with my friend in Dubai
1:44:53
I also went to Spain and last week no no
1:44:57
yeah last week we were in Caboto surfing
1:45:00
with the team it was a income but
1:45:06
um vacation that looks Wicked are you
1:45:08
good Surfer uh not free
1:45:13
to do better hate going back to you know
1:45:16
in the sea to take the wave you know
1:45:18
when you need to go back it's horrible
1:45:21
so that's why I did twice surfing but
1:45:24
it's enough for me just tell us just a
1:45:27
bit about French national champs have
1:45:29
you have you won that before as a junior
1:45:31
uh yeah engineer one uh I won a new
1:45:34
category in Junior and Junior an
1:45:36
engineer won the junior title plus the
1:45:39
elite title in the same year oh yeah I
1:45:42
remember yeah yeah yeah because
1:45:44
nothing crazy
1:45:46
and you were really going for it this
1:45:48
year because the other guys were a
1:45:50
little bit they weren't really feeling
1:45:52
it were they lowick and Loris and Emery
1:45:55
I don't think
1:45:57
um going very fast because I think it's
1:46:01
sacred or fruit I don't know yeah he did
1:46:03
that so yeah yeah yeah it was uh I think
1:46:06
when you are maybe in practice everybody
1:46:09
was a bit chilling for us also we were
1:46:12
testing we were not really focused as on
1:46:14
Rocket but when you're on the Stargate
1:46:16
you are giving everything so
1:46:19
no everybody is was going really fast
1:46:22
and Antoine was going real fast he won
1:46:25
the race and uh even
1:46:27
like it was impressive and yeah yeah but
1:46:31
no also was pushing really hard but he
1:46:33
had a
1:46:34
flat tire and um but the truck was
1:46:38
really good also like it was a bit of
1:46:41
French shrimps French wall French cup
1:46:44
track but uh it was fun to write it's
1:46:47
good to end the the season on a not it
1:46:50
was not an easy track but it was not
1:46:51
really hard as well listen because if
1:46:54
after valdisa you have another track
1:46:55
like that
1:46:58
back on the holiday now we're going to
1:47:01
the beach and tell tell us a bit what
1:47:04
one thing you just mentioned all the
1:47:06
talent that the French have got at the
1:47:07
minute what was it like being on that
1:47:09
team at Worlds being with that team we
1:47:13
sort of stacked with Talent yeah for
1:47:15
sure it's amazing to see it I don't even
1:47:17
know why
1:47:19
um all the French French fries are so
1:47:22
fast at this time because you can see
1:47:24
maybe
1:47:25
five or maybe seven years ago when Lloyd
1:47:29
was engineer he was maybe one year of
1:47:32
the only one fast yeah but uh no no no
1:47:35
no I was I think is that and just few
1:47:38
years after you have so many white doves
1:47:40
coming so it is so good to see that and
1:47:44
I hope it will stay like that for a few
1:47:45
years and I hope the the young guys the
1:47:49
the younger Generations are going to be
1:47:52
faster and you're good friends with
1:47:54
lowek and Loris and yeah so we're all
1:47:57
friends uh and did you ride together at
1:47:59
Worlds
1:48:01
uh no no no no no
1:48:05
keeping your lines to yourself yeah cool
1:48:08
so tell us about you you're going to
1:48:10
Corsica this weekend French French cup
1:48:13
yeah I think I'm I think it's a French
1:48:15
cup I'm doing it on the e-bike so oh
1:48:18
yeah I'm not sure if I will write
1:48:21
flatbed also not but uh today I try to
1:48:25
write also maybe I will write flat
1:48:27
pillars
1:48:28
and is this an Enduro is this
1:48:32
okay I'm pretty sure I need to check
1:48:35
because uh I don't even know where I'm
1:48:37
going so
1:48:38
it depends up hill stage as well like in
1:48:42
uh NWS or no sadly uh I think but I
1:48:46
don't know I don't even know how it's
1:48:48
working I just uh I'm going with my back
1:48:51
I'm riding my bike having some fun and
1:48:54
we'll see how it's working I hope I will
1:48:56
have enough battery
1:48:58
do you think we might see you on the ews
1:49:01
at some point uh I was supposed to do
1:49:03
finale right but uh I prefer to have the
1:49:08
surgery and uh you know having more time
1:49:11
to to be prepared and enjoy after then
1:49:13
yeah and being uh after surgery after so
1:49:19
but
1:49:20
um
1:49:21
maybe if there is one rate before the
1:49:24
downer season just to get prepared you
1:49:26
know to have the good physique but yeah
1:49:29
[Music]
1:49:43
was saying how they couldn't make the
1:49:46
next change almost they had to Sprint to
1:49:47
the next stage because it was too short
1:49:49
I believe I'm like too short in time so
1:49:53
they were like they all had like maybe
1:49:54
one minute two minutes before they start
1:49:56
so apparently it was a real stressful oh
1:49:59
yeah that's something I can't do but
1:50:02
maybe it's good to have some Sprints in
1:50:03
the stage but between stage
1:50:06
I think the lift or I don't know just a
1:50:09
few minutes of pedaling not hours and
1:50:11
hours
1:50:13
[Music]
1:50:14
have you ever done the mega Lava Lounge
1:50:20
yeah 100 kilometers on the snow is
1:50:23
pretty I can you imagine that I never
1:50:25
trade but I don't know that's something
1:50:27
I like to watch you know some good Pros
1:50:31
videos but it's too dangerous to do that
1:50:34
when you have a season uh to do like the
1:50:37
World Cups you cannot do this type of
1:50:39
phrase which which is a big risk I think
1:50:41
yeah it's pretty funny and can be
1:50:44
interesting to do but yeah I think it's
1:50:46
too much risk a bit on the mega Ramey no
1:50:49
no never fancier
1:50:52
said like now I stopped racing because I
1:50:54
don't want to get injured and when you
1:50:56
raise down and you're alone on a track
1:50:58
so basically you have you you can
1:51:01
control your own faith right yeah and
1:51:03
you're right riding with other people
1:51:04
like 100 people at the time it's just so
1:51:08
dangerous like he said like someone was
1:51:10
like what happened to Tracy this year
1:51:11
yeah knocked out because someone ran
1:51:15
into her and she got ridden over about a
1:51:16
writer you don't want that so
1:51:19
um I don't know I don't feel like I want
1:51:21
to raise anyone especially not something
1:51:24
that physical and I like to prepare
1:51:26
myself for something and I don't want to
1:51:28
train that much anymore so I guess this
1:51:30
is an interesting
1:51:33
yeah cool well thanks very much for
1:51:37
coming on the show again TV it's always
1:51:39
great to chat to you and we're we're
1:51:41
loving loving following your career in
1:51:43
Italy
1:51:44
um I hope you can keep up going full gas
1:51:45
again next season thank you um that's it
1:51:49
um for this episode thanks to the
1:51:51
sponsors of the sure hope techno biology
1:51:52
jtex suspension Revolution bike park
1:51:55
ride southern Spain Schwab and
1:51:57
singletrackworld.com as always if you're
1:51:59
enjoying the podcast please subscribe so
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you don't miss an episode and if you've
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got a sec please drop us a review
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numbers we'll be back with another
1:52:11
episode very soon
1:52:13
[Music]
1:52:25
this has been the mammoth production for
1:52:29
making up the numbers

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