# 64 - Anne-Caroline Chausson – Her Journey, Her Victories, and Her Battles on and off the Bike

[00:00:00] I kept Dye at the start of the season, opening of the World Cup and I win there. Max took me straight away if I wanted to go and do the World Cup, all the World Cups with Francois, it's okay we'll send you there. It looks like I had a super long career but I've stopped racing downhill quite young. It's because I couldn't take the pressure anymore.

[00:00:24] It was the whole season where I was racing with numbers on the chin guard on my helmet and in fact that was the number of the boys I had beaten in the semi-final. And a month before the Olympics I told myself I can win, I can beat her. If I get out in front of her at the start I can beat her. And then I got into, well, the warrior mode was engaged. I was a Jedi and I was on a mission, clearly.

[00:00:56] All the perspectives, there was nothing to foreshadow, nor the fact that I'm now in pretty good shape. So, uh, well, maybe the mind does have a superpower. Max Comensal calls her the Queen of Queens of Queens. And I guarantee that after listening to this episode, you will understand why.

[00:01:25] Anne-Caroline Chosson is a 12-time downhill mountain bike world champion and an Olympic BMX racing champion, winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In everyday life, Anne-Carol is calm, reserved, almost shy. But the moment she puts on her helmet, she switches into warrior mode or more precisely, Jedi mode.

[00:01:47] Just like a Jedi, she brought together everything she had learned throughout her career to achieve the ultimate goal, the pinnacle of all her efforts, becoming the first ever Olympic BMX racing champion in Beijing. But even after such an incredible career, Anne-Carol's fight is far from over. Today, a toughest competitor is illness, and she's facing it with the same mindset she had on the bike.

[00:02:12] And if you were expecting to hear from an extraordinary woman who never gives up, trust me, you're in for exactly that. During this conversation, I had the privilege of speaking not only with a legendary champion who left an indignable mark on her sport, but also with a woman whose resilience and determination to overcome immense challenges, both in sports and life, deeply moved and humbled me.

[00:02:39] In this episode, get ready to discover how, coming from BMX with no prior experience, Anne-Carol found herself in the legendary Sun Team, the biggest mountain bike team in history. Why she made the switch from BMX racing to mountain biking and how she adapted to it. Why she was feared on the World Cup circuit, not only by her female competitors, but also by the men. Why she started mental preparation very late in her career and why she now believes she should have done it sooner.

[00:03:09] A deep dive into her meticulous and unique preparation for the Beijing Olympics, including some fascinating details about her race strategy to beat her competitors. An update on her health, her battle against illness and the role of sport and mental strength in overcoming treatment challenges and much more. Hi, my name is Antoine Taillefer and welcome to En Roux Libre. En Roux Libre is the show that fuels your passion for cycling.

[00:03:35] In En Roux Libre, I sit down with inspiring guests, athletes, champions, entrepreneurs and engineers from past and present for in-depth conversations. They share their stories, expertise and advices to deepen your love for cycling. The episode you are about to watch or listen to has been entirely produced using voiceover from the original recording in French. To make this possible, I used technique from the film industry and had the help of my incredible girlfriend, Michelle.

[00:04:03] Despite having no experience in this type of work and facing technical challenges, she handled it brilliantly and I hope your messages will encourage her to keep going. This project of bringing you Anne-Caroline's story was made possible by Max Comensad, Anne-Caroline's first sponsor who provided support for the production of this episode. I extend my warmest thanks to him.

[00:04:27] And if you enjoy what En Roux Libre is doing, take a moment to subscribe on YouTube, Instagram and your favorite listing platform. If you've tried selling a bike online lately, you know it can be a hassle. So many listings and less haggling and let's not even talk about scams. It feels like you have to pay someone just to take the bike off your hands. That's exactly why Bicycle exists. Bicycle is the number one marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned bikes and they have solved everything that makes the process frustrating.

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[00:05:24] And for buyers, bikes up to 70% of retail plus full transaction protection. If your bike arrives and isn't as described, Bicycle has your bike with refusers. So whether you're looking to sell clutter or score your next dream bike, Bicycle makes it simple, safe and hassle free. Here's the deal. Use code ENROU30 at checkout for 30% off seller or buyer fees. ENROU30 and the link is in the show notes. And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest, Anne-Caroline Chausson.

[00:05:54] Well, Anne-Carol, how are you doing? The answer is going to be simple because right now it is simple. It's been like that for the last two and a half years. Everything's going really well. My health is fine, so everything's a lot simpler. It's, I wouldn't say I'm living my best life because it's always a bit complicated. There's always stress around, illness. In any case, I am well, I'm enjoying it.

[00:06:22] I do a lot of cycling thanks to the e-bikes. It's the best. Brilliant. I had the privilege of riding with you yesterday and I could see that you still have a great technique. Yes, I don't know if I still have good technique. It's not what it used to be. Firstly, because I don't want to injure myself, it would be too complicated to injure myself.

[00:06:52] Going to hospital, I'm more fragile than I used to be and I don't want to hurt myself. So it creates fear. I'm more cautious now, then less physical, less fit and all that. So inevitably, I ride differently. It's a bit frustrating when I see you ahead and all that. I try to keep up. The competitive spirit is back. That's part of me. But I really do try to be careful. The main thing is that I'm still enjoying it.

[00:07:23] Yesterday, I had the feeling that you really wanted to push to keep up and remain close. To keep up. That's what I've always done with the boys. So I love riding with the boys. Plus, it's a great way to progress. In my case, it's just bringing back some of the sensations. It's great fun. And that's it.

[00:07:46] And that's also made possible by e-bikes. Oh yeah, clearly. Since I've been ill, around 10 years ago, I started getting ill. The first treatments, the first operations, that was the very beginning of e-bikes. At that time, Mustache lent me a bike. And that's how I discovered e-bikes. It was really great because it allowed me to spend time with my friends without exhausting myself physically.

[00:08:14] And I could have never have done that on the conventional bike. And today, it's completely accepted. Yesterday, for example, the whole group of us, there were e-bikes, there was Muscular, there were biggie bikes, lightie bikes. And the most important thing is that we were all together. And for me, that's what's important today, is to have a good time with my friends and share moments. I've had so many great moments and also moments that I would have liked to have shared with my family.

[00:08:43] And my parents aren't around. And now I want to make up for that a bit. It's not the same, but it's still sharing. So in the end, e-bikes are not only for lazy riders? It depends how you do it. It depends how you do it. I still give some energy and sweat. So from that point of view, I don't think it's a sport for lazy people. It's a different approach.

[00:09:11] And in any case, it allows all of us who are aging to continue to do what we do in places that are not very accessible or are hard, climbing all the way up there, things like that. So we used to pedal all the way up, which took longer, but we were in better shape. Today, we do it on e-bikes, which suits me fine.

[00:09:34] I felt this desire to push forward, to progress and to remain close. And I'd like to do a flashback and go back to the beginning on your start on the bike. I'd like you to remind us a little bit of how it all began. So obviously we know a little bit about it, but I'd like you to tell us a bit more about it. A quick reminder of how it all began.

[00:10:04] So I come from a family of three children. I'm the youngest. I have two older brothers who used to ride BMX with their friends in the village. And there was a real buzz around that. I think we arrived at the first race to watch them with my parents, and I wanted to do the same as them. I didn't want to be left out just because I was the smallest, because I was a girl. They quickly gave me a bike, and there you go. And that's where it went from there.

[00:10:35] There was clearly a sense of motivation. When you're the smallest, you're often left behind. And unless you're up for it, and unless you manage to adapt and prove yourself. So I did everything I could to hang on and to be behind them. And that allowed me to be with them and share all of that with them too. So clearly that's how it started.

[00:11:03] It quickly became a passion, a family passion. Even my dad rode. He used to go racing and bring the caravan, the dog, our mother. There were three children and our father who rode a 20-inch bike as well as a cruiser. There was a lot of bikes. And in fact, it's rare that there wasn't a member of our family in regional races on a podium at the end of the weekend. They were very good times. What were BMX races like back then?

[00:11:31] They were like in Carpac? So BMX at the time, it's clear that the tracks were dirt tracks, not concrete as they are now and all that. Not necessarily big sharp bends, but at least some nice ones. Small jumps in my time. And yeah, the paddocks and campsites were in the car parks. The supermarkets were in wastelands. It wasn't glamorous, but in fact, that's not why we were there.

[00:12:00] We were there to have a good moment, whatever. We were there to ride. And it was a bit of a gypsy caravan that was on the move from race to race. And it was a great atmosphere and it was great to experience it. And what did you like about it? Was it the jumps, the race, the competition, or being with your brothers or a little bit of everything? What excited you back then?

[00:12:29] I can't remember exactly. I remember being with everyone, with my family, and that was important. With my brothers and my friends. And afterwards, I liked trying to clear the jumps. I was quite young. I must have been seven. So right from the start, jumping the jumps, doing the same technical moves as the boys. That was always my goal. Always.

[00:12:57] I saw them doing something and I said to myself that it shouldn't be impossible. So I tried and tried and tried. And then after a while, I was able to do it, in theory. What was the age gaps you had with them? Three years and six years younger. So the oldest one was more protective. And the younger brother, I spent more time with him. He's the youngest brother, but older than me.

[00:13:25] We were fighting all the time. But I think it's okay. I was the youngest and my parents protected me. But it also gave me this desire to fight a bit. To be with the boys. Those were good times. Now we're laughing a lot about it. Because I think I made it a little tough for him. I was the youngest. My parents always protected me. It was always his fault and never mine.

[00:13:54] And I played up to that a lot. And that's life. That's just the way it is. What I'm hearing is that you were close enough in age to believe that it was indeed possible to do the same as them. And at the same time, there was enough of an age gap. And they had a bit more experience. So they would do things that were a little bit more advanced, a little bit more daring. Oh yeah, they were always better than me. That wasn't even a question. But in any case, it showed me the way. They showed me the way.

[00:14:24] Them and their friends. And then my coaches, club mates and all that. But in any case, there have never been any barriers. For example, because I was a girl or because I was too small. But I knew that. I knew it was a way when I managed to do something cool. It was also a way of getting their attention and making them look at me a bit. So that was good. And at what point did it start to get a bit, quote, serious?

[00:14:54] Was it when you started winning races or having good results that made you think BMX was something you had to focus on and keep pushing? So we didn't see things like that. At the beginning of the season, I decided I wanted to get into BMX racing. My parents say, OK, let's go ahead and sign you up by the equipment and so on. On the other hand, you shouldn't tell us in the middle of the season that you want to do karate.

[00:15:23] So these were the rules from the start. But it was OK for me because in the end, I think we were all very passionate about it. We committed to it fully. When I started out, I was at the local BMX club in my little village near Dijon. It really was a friend's club. There was a small track with handmade jumps. And then I quickly started to win.

[00:15:49] But I was very young, so we weren't thinking ahead at all. It happened naturally. As I progressed, I went to the club in Dijon. My parents worked in Dijon. So it was easy for me to get there. And I trained on Wednesdays and Saturdays with my brothers. And all the time at school, it was like that. It was weekend races and trainings on Wednesdays and Saturdays,

[00:16:17] as well as training camps during the holidays and enduro events. Back then, it was already called Enduro Racing. But with a BMX bike, it took place in Burgundy in muddy conditions in the forest. You had to ride a BMX bike in trials, downhill and in endurance. It's a bit like the racing format we have now for young riders. Yeah, exactly. But all in BMX. And the conditions at the time were really wet and cold. And that clearly shaped us. And we have great memories of it. So that shaped you.

[00:16:46] It really helped you to progress. So what's next? Any titles? It was a natural progression. Being regional champion. And after that, a club, a Cicle de Guerres in Dijon, let me get bikes. A bike for the season. If my parents couldn't take me, they took me. And then there were the World Youth Championships. My mom took me to the World Youth Championships. It happened gradually.

[00:17:15] And I was growing up too. I think I won my first World Championship title at the World Championships in Bordeaux. Bordeaux Lac, something like that. I can't remember. I must have been 10 or 11. And so I'm in these age categories. And maybe a few things happened there because I'd never done anything like that before. A truly international race.

[00:17:43] I was doing the French Championships and that was it. So it went on. It took its course. After that, I changed sponsors. And they took me on a bit more. I was taken a little further. We joined the French team. I joined the French national team. I was one of the youngest, I think, at the time. Michel Alain was looking after us at the time. And they were elite riders. So when you put young people together with elite riders,

[00:18:12] it's really interesting because some great things happen. When you're a kid, you see things. And in some ways, you dream of that too, so to speak. So I was... I can't remember all of my results. But for example, in the junior category, which was later, I once finished third. No, in the cadet category, I finished third once and second once.

[00:18:40] And then I won the championship of the junior world championships in both years. And it was also around the time that I had to think a little more about my future. So I wanted to be a sports teacher or something related to sports. I wanted to get a sports scholarship at university. And my aim was to go away for a season to the US for a BMX season. At the time, it was not an Olympic sport. There were no professional women racers.

[00:19:08] So I was very aware of that. And that's how it was. That's it. I didn't ask myself any more questions. But I wanted to continue riding BMX as long as I could as an amateur. So how did you make the switch to mountain biking? It happened... I had a few friends in the French BMX team.

[00:19:38] Cédric Gracia, Florent Poussin. We were in the French team together. And they told me that they had already tried downhill mountain biking through their sponsors, Sun. And they said, yeah, it's a cool discipline. You should try it. It was 1993. There were world championships at Meta Bia in France. You should try it. It's cool. So I didn't have a sponsor.

[00:20:06] My BMX sponsors at the time weren't into mountain biking. But I had one of my brother's friends who was involved in racing. So we asked him. And eventually to ask if anyone could lend me a bike. He found me a bike. So I should have got a bike from the brand Gitain. But the team manager at the time was on holidays when I had to get the bike.

[00:20:35] So we had to hurry because I needed to get it in a very short space of time. Sorry, wait. What's the time frame? I think I had gone on holidays after the BMX World Championships, which was at the end of July. And at the end of August, there was a French downhill cup in Vars. And that would allow me to qualify for the World Championships of Meta Bia in September that year. So basically, I had a month to find a bike and qualify. And training in the meantime?

[00:21:06] Oh, no. I didn't think about that, actually. For me, I just had to find a bike. There was no... Firstly, I didn't really know what mountain bike was. There were no bike parks as there are now. For me, it would be impossible to train around my home. There were only small mountains, but no real downhill tracks. Yeah, I think I had to go to the races to train at the time. So I had to go to Vars.

[00:21:33] So this team manager was on holiday. And I called back the only person I knew who could have let me a bike. It was Max Comensal. So he was delighted, because that would also mean that I would be part of his BMX team. Because you already knew each other a little? Yeah, well, yes. Of course he did. Because he followed all of the championships around my age in BMX. They were all on his team, actually.

[00:22:01] So I had competitors who were on his team. But not really my age. They were all older. So yeah, I think it was a good fit. And then there's Max. He just knows. And that hasn't changed. So he sends me the bike. Within three days, I receive the bike. My brothers and I are going to Vars. Where I'll be competing in the mountain bike French cup. And I finish on the podium.

[00:22:29] As a result, I qualify with the elites. Therefore, I qualify for Meta Bia. And that's it. At the beginning of September, I set off for Meta Bia. It's not very far from where I live, because I'm from Dijon. And for this world championship. Let's do a quick look back. Vars. First race. First mountain bike experience. Do you remember how it all happened?

[00:22:56] Handling the bike, the brakes, the gears. Well, yes. It was incredible. Great, in fact. You arrive, you know nothing. All my friends explained everything to me. Especially Cedric. We came from BMX, so we didn't know what clip pedals were. So flat pedals. Well, the lycra wasn't great. We wore lycras, I think. So you had to wear lycra? I don't know.

[00:23:23] I think the whole kit of downhill mountain bikers was lycra at the time. And the memory that stuck with me the most is that we had shifters. But with the stress from the race, the mud, the sliding and everything, I could easily find the lever to shift down the gears. It was really easy. It became inevitably harder and harder to pedal.

[00:23:53] On the other hand, I could never shift up the gears. As a result, I always finished the track with a huge gear ratio. That you could handle with the BMX, you had strong legs? I was powerful. I probably managed to shift up the gears a bit, but I really struggled to manage the gears. It always was a bit of a mess. I didn't want to lose too much speed in the corners. And you had two brakes. Two brakes, yes.

[00:24:23] How did you manage the front brake, by the way? I don't know. I'm not really sure if I used it a lot. I was a BMX rider. We only had one brake. But I got used to it, and it worked. And it went really well. And then I thought it was fun. There were a few jumps, and we all rode together. It was a really good atmosphere. So, third place, you get your qualification. You go to the World Champs. How are things going in Metabier?

[00:24:53] Metabier, no one expected me to be there. I was competing in the junior category. And the big favorite was Nalvin Le Caille. And I ended up winning. It was raining. It was... The conditions were terrible. So, Metabier. It was a tough race in the rain. But we had our flat pedals.

[00:25:18] And with the experience of all of us, the boys around me, that did it. But it wasn't. I knew nothing about it. I'd been mountain biking for two weeks. All the best riders in the world were there, and I didn't know anyone. The only thing I really enjoyed was that I was in the biggest BMX team in the world. And I was going to go to the United States in the winter, racing BMX in the US.

[00:25:48] I was riding mountain bikes, and I didn't know where it was going. But it was a total blast. What's more, at the age of 16, I think there were already some good bonuses. There was no money in BMX. So it was a win-win situation. It was the good life. So you win Metabier 93. What happens next? Do you have to choose between BMX and mountain biking? Not yet, not yet.

[00:26:15] We said I would continue with BMX and then do mountain biking, like Florent Poussin or Cédric Gracia. So it's likely to be the World Cups and the French Cup races in Europe. French Cups, of course, in France, but more in the European rounds. And on that side, I'll be doing my BMX season. And then I went to the US to do the Grands at the end of the season.

[00:26:39] We did a lot of training over the winter, physical training, because the downhill used to be longer and more challenging. Pedaling a little less technical, at least in 93 and 94. 95 was pretty physical. And I started specific training. So I'm doing less BMX training sessions.

[00:27:06] And then kept I at the start of the season. Opening of the World Cup, 94. What's more, we had a brand new bike, the Radical. The very first, Radical Plus. And I win there. So there was no junior category. I was 16 and I was riding in the under-17s. And I was riding with the elites. And I win. And all of a sudden, everything really changed for me.

[00:27:36] In other words, Max told me to show the way. If I wanted to go and do the World Cup, all the World Cups with François. François Gachet. It's okay. We'll send you there. So I didn't think too much about it. It was new and it was fun. For me, it happened quite naturally. I had to do a few BMX races afterwards, but very few. And naturally, I stopped and really stopped.

[00:28:06] I never got back on a BMX bike for over 13 years. Was it so easy at the time? Because it was a new sport and there weren't many competitors there. Did you find it easy or did you feel like you had to fight? In the beginning, it was, well, yes, Medebié. I had no pressure or anything. I was just riding. It was really just making progress.

[00:28:35] With each run, I made more progress. So it was great. And I wasn't even thinking about winning races in those years. I did the best that I could. And then we saw the result. Cap Dye was quite technical. So I won that one. But after that, there were other races that were much more physical. But this time, I was far behind. I'd look at Alka Brusserts or Kim Songye's ties and would get scared. They came from road cycling.

[00:29:04] They must have been sprinters or something. And I was young. I came from BMX. I had legs. But we had to pedal for five to eight minutes, sometimes during long, flat sections or steep climbs. I was still learning. Except during the World Championships, where I would compete with the juniors. There, I really wanted to win. After that, I think for several years, it was the learning that was the most important and to do the best that I could.

[00:29:33] I must have been disappointed sometimes whenever I would have had a bad result because I'm a winner at heart. But if I didn't win, I could see that I wasn't able to compete against the others. Were there other riders who came from BMX like you? Or was it more road cyclists? Well, there was a whole wave of us. But almost all of us, we came from Sun.

[00:30:00] So there was Florent Poussin, Jean-Christophe Tricard, even Christophe Lévesque tried his hand at it. Camille-Christophe Falco. For me, it's really the Sun team. I'm sure there was others, but they're the ones that I remember. Yeah. And among the girls, were there any others? Later. You were? Later. Like a girl, Sabrina Jean-Yé or Celine Gross. But in my day, I was the first from BMX. Okay.

[00:30:30] You've obviously seen a lot of changing, but you told me that the radical, the radical plus later, had really changed a lot of things. Can you tell us why and how? So, well, once again, I had very little experience, but we were riding a bike that was the first full suspension bike with hydraulic suspension, not just an elastomer.

[00:31:01] I've never even tried elastomer, but of course, it can't work that well. And when people ask me which is the most technically advanced bike that I know of, I'm sure I wouldn't tell them that it was the radical plus. But I think that was the bike that has revolutionized downhill riding the most. It was that bike. But it's true that there were some great bikes after this one,

[00:31:28] but it's true that going from hardtail to full suspension bikes must have been... And it worked. And it worked. And then it worked. And then I think there was a little more head tube angle, a little more... Yeah, it was at the beginning of everything, really. Then perhaps the GT already had a suspension. Yes, the LTS. The LTS. I don't know if it's not just afterwards.

[00:31:51] In any case, in any case, we trained all winter long with the hardtail, and then the race comes along. Wow. So, go ahead and ride it. Too good. So, how are you welcomed into Team Sun? Because there were already great champions in the team, like François Gachet, who was the boss world champion. I believe... Reigning world champion, I think. But not in 93.

[00:32:21] He was world champion. Yes, maybe. But he was still a bit of a team leader. Yes, absolutely. Can you tell us a bit about how you were welcomed? So, I don't really have very clear memories of that period, but in any case, there's never been any trouble or problems. And throughout my career, I've always joined teams where I was made very welcome,

[00:32:50] where they always did everything to make me feel at home, in the best possible position. And then, of course, François, he was so much older than us. He really saw us like spoiled kids who were given toys, and who had the good life. And in reality, that was true. The reality was there too. We were spoiled children. We had everything that we wanted, and that was fine.

[00:33:19] In any case, we had a great time, that's for sure. And we made good use of it. The aim was, of all of us, to make progress. And it brings titles to the sponsors. And I think we did that well too. Yeah, and you were a great team with Cédric and Florent, Christophe Levesque. Yes. Yes, at the beginning, they were practically only downhill and BMX racers in the team. So it was incredible.

[00:33:48] The atmosphere was crazy. And Max was, you interviewed the other writers. He's generous. He's generous. When he believes in us, he is generous. After that, you shouldn't mess with him. But it's going well. So you're talking about Max. There was Max, and then there was Olivier Bossard. This duo had created extraordinary things. Can you tell us a bit about that, maybe quickly?

[00:34:17] What do you think made them such an exceptional duo? In terms of competition, there were the engineers at Sun who were developing the bikes. But when Olivier started working with us, I think I arrived at the same time as him, or maybe just after him. He could do whatever he had in his mind.

[00:34:43] He came with his experience of motocross and his little experience of downhill racing. And he knew that there were things that existed. So it must be applicable to downhill mountain biking. And with Francois, they developed, they worked very, very hard. And it's true that we would finally ride the bikes.

[00:35:12] But in the end, we couldn't really feel the difference with the settings. But I learned alongside them, alongside Olivier Bossard and Francois Gachet. And then there was Alex Ballot. And so it's enormous an opportunity to learn from them. And I had, as a result from my own experience of downhill racing, as a downhill racer,

[00:35:39] you have to work on the physical aspect, on the technical aspect, and a little later on the mental aspect. But knowing how to adjust your bike is essential. And that's something I developed alongside them. And I was, I think, quite sensitive to that. And I don't mean gifted, because I was just setting up my bike. I was able to give fairly precise feedback on the face of it.

[00:36:08] And I wasn't too wrong. In any case, it was easy for them to interpret what I was feeling. And that was pretty cool. Yeah. Testimonials from Olivier and Max, who told us that in terms of feedback, feeling, accuracy of feeling. Yeah, I'm really sensitive to that, to how it feels. So something a bit annoying, because I'd like to say to myself, stop worrying about it.

[00:36:36] Just ride, enjoy, and it will be fine. But there's always the little things that come through my mind that are not perfect, and I want to improve. And that's what a downhill racer is about.

[00:36:51] And unlike Nicolas Vuillot, who didn't just have that feeling, was technically able to say it, technically put some other different shim stacks, or he also knew exactly what he had to do. He was almost the main mechanic. Plus, he was able to visualize his runs down to the second, the timing of the race run.

[00:37:19] I wasn't really good at this, but on the other hand, I have this sensitivity on the bike, which meant I was also strong enough to develop bikes for the average rider. What I mean by develop is to field test the bikes for the average person, and to know whether they would like it or not. Okay, so you were a bit of a product manager for the rangers? No, I wasn't a product manager at all. But in any case, I know that Max loved my opinion on the rangers.

[00:37:47] So your opinion was quite clear, quite precise, clear cut, that you were able to express clearly? Yeah, quite clearly, yeah. It's good, it's bad. Besides talking about strong opinions, you also showed at this race, Kirchsharten. Kirchsharten. Kirchsharten. World Championship, 95.

[00:38:14] Yeah, whenever I think about it again, it's not a good moment for me, because what's really important and drives me in sport is the spirit of fairness. And also, I was also taught to respect the rules or decisions. So when the rules are set straight from the start, afterwards you mustn't change them too much. You go straight ahead and respect the rules.

[00:38:41] And so in Kirchsharten, it was my, so 95. I had just two junior world championship titles, but I was still competing in the junior category. And I wanted to compete with the elites because on the technical tracks, there was a way that I could have won. And so in fact, we made a request. The French team makes a request.

[00:39:09] So I'm doing all the practice runs with the elites and the qualifying sessions with the elites, which I won quite easily. And then, so then the evening before the race, it must have been 10 p.m. or 9 p.m., there's Manu Hubert, the coach of the French team, who knocked at the door. And he told me, well, tomorrow there's a claim. The Americans filed a claim.

[00:39:36] And the claim was to prevent you from riding with the elites. So tomorrow, you won't be riding at 1 p.m., you ride at 10 a.m. or 9 a.m. with the juniors. And I thought it was so, so unfair. And that was very hard for me to get my head back in the game. And I had a bad night. And I thought it was just too unfair. I think I nearly broke my fingers banging against the wall. There was Alex Ballot was in the room, and I'm sure he can vouch for that.

[00:40:07] And I did the race. I won the junior race. I won it with a good margin in the junior race. And I also won the best time in the elites race. And so on the podium, I refused to wear my junior world champion jersey because I thought it wasn't my jersey. So you won't be seeing any pictures of me on the podium at Kirch Sartén with my jersey on. You were holding it in your hand. I was holding it in my hand. In front, like this. I was there.

[00:40:37] This work with Sun, well, this Sun team, how did it continue? How have you evolved in the team? At the very beginning, we traveled. We did the whole season with Francois, Alex, and Olivier. And it was a bit of a disaster because we didn't speak English. At least very little English. And we learned, especially them. And I would follow the group. And then the team grew.

[00:41:06] The cross-country riders arrived. At the time, Nike came along and then Nico came along. I started to win more and more. I was becoming more and more mature. I had learned. And the race formats were becoming a little more steep, a bit more technical. It suited me a little better. And that was it. And that was it.

[00:41:35] I kept on like that, winning more and more. But I didn't win everything. I didn't win everything. There were always some physical tracks where there were riders like Missy Jovi or Leigh Donovan. And it was complicated. But I was on some World Cup overall podium. I was a regular podium finisher in the World Cups. How were your relationships with the other competitors? Was it cool or was it pretty hard? So it wasn't hard.

[00:42:05] I was, let's say, I was still a child. I was still a young girl. And I'm very shy. I'm very introverted. So I don't talk easily to people. And what's more, I didn't speak English. So I didn't speak much English. So I could gavel three words. But when some of my competitors would talk to me, I wouldn't understand anything. And Missy, she'd often get annoyed with me because she would talk so fast. And I couldn't understand a word that she was saying. And as a result, I couldn't pick it up. I didn't answer.

[00:42:34] And I didn't know what to say because I didn't understand what she had taught me. And she was always angry with me. And then I'd leave. And then afterwards, I don't know how she sees me. But I think we just didn't understand each other. Okay. You showed, you told us a bit about the fact that you had a bit of a temper.

[00:42:59] It was also your way of putting yourself in your focusing bubble. Can you tell us a bit about your routines at the time? Habits? Things you started to put in place to help yourself, concentrate, to be effective in races, mental prep, something like that? So at the time, people were starting to talk about sophrology and mental preparation.

[00:43:29] And things were going well for me. I was just getting better and better and getting better and better results. So I told myself that I was in the right vibe. And I just shouldn't change anything. Or on the contrary, I was afraid that they would. I was really afraid that they would change me. That they'll guru me and they'll change the little things that made me win. Because in Downhill World Cup, you always talk about the cliques or whatever. I was always afraid that they would take this away from me.

[00:43:59] I didn't want to hear about it. But I... So now I realize, because I'm interested in mental preparation and everything, and I know that on my own, I've put things in place that they're called routines, actually. But there's a routine and then there's OCD. And I was full of OCD too. For instance? And to the point, you know the saying, never two without three. So I'd turn the light off three times, turn it on three times.

[00:44:28] Or I would walk only on certain parts of the paving stones or the tiles. I would always put the right sock on before the left sock. Never new equipment on my bike. Never put new components on my bike before a race. I would have to ride it at least once before the race. Especially the saddle. The saddle was the worst. Every time I had a new saddle, I fell off and damaged it. So there was no point putting on a new saddle on the day of the final. There was a lot of stuff like that.

[00:44:57] Then one day I saw on a TV show where a guy was so full of OCD like that, that it was becoming a disturbance for his everyday life. Because he had integrated them into his everyday life. And I thought, that looks like me and I don't want to look like that. They also explained how to get rid of them. So I tried it and it worked. And that's how I got rid of most of it. Sometimes I still feel a few anyway.

[00:45:26] As a result, we have the impression that there's something wrong with me. So if I understand correctly, you had already put in place certain techniques that were not already called mental prep techniques, but conditioning techniques that allowed you to, I don't know, getting into your zone, something like that? There were no GoPros at the time. We did a lot of visualizations, mental visualizations.

[00:45:53] I had some, so I don't have a good memory. My nickname is Dora. I have a poor memory. I'm a goldfish. And so I organized myself to remember the tracks. For example, so I was one of the only ones, for example, to go down the tracks with a notebook, writing down all the details of the track, using my own reference points, and then I could visualize the track and learn it,

[00:46:22] like poetry, with my notes. And if there were parts that were visually missing, I went back over my notes and I would replay them in my head. And after that, a little bit of these OCDs, these routines, that gave me a bit of confidence. If you won in a race in a pair of shoes,

[00:46:50] you would always use the same pair of shoes or something like that. But that's just for confidence. Speaking of confidence, I imagine that with all the victories you've had, you've built a little bit of it. Is there anything in particular that explains such domination, talking from the point of view of girls, but also talking about men, because you were winning overall races?

[00:47:18] Yeah, in any case, that was the aim. In fact, I knew if I had a good run, good timing, I was happy not just to win, I was only happy if I won with a good time in comparison with men. And a good time was 30 seconds out of 5 minutes. That was the goal. 30 seconds behind the men, over 5 minutes, correct? Yes, never more than that. After that, sometimes it was better, but more than that, it was bad. And after that, I don't know what would explain it.

[00:47:47] In any case, one thing is certain. Yes, there is. I don't know if it's a gift, or there's something that I have, some technical skills from my very first BMX races. It was very clear. The people around me still tell me that. After all, there's more to it than that. And that goes for all athletes of the world, who are gifted or not. There's a lot of work. There's a lot of work to do, and there's a supportive and stabilizing environment

[00:48:17] that doesn't push you, but supports you when you need it. And yeah, I think to be a top-level athlete, you need a good background and a good family environment, a good environment within your sport, and a work in every aspect. Were you putting pressure on yourself a little? Barely, barely. Barely.

[00:48:45] No, the pressure, the same thing. All the people who knew me during those moments of competition and who know me on this side, they say, but you mustn't do that. You mustn't do that with your body. In fact, it's not something you can control. Oh, afterwards, I didn't try to change myself because it was actually a pressure which was costing me. But at the same time, it made me win. So I said to myself, I really said to myself,

[00:49:15] why change that? In fact, it's pressure that makes you move forward better. It makes you a better person, more motivated, more efficient. So above all, I didn't want to change that. I learned later with mental preparation that it was possible to change and live better in those moments, which in the end were unbearable. And that's why in the end, it looks like I had a super long career,

[00:49:42] but I've stopped racing downhill quite young. It's because I couldn't take the pressure anymore. Okay. We are going to move forward a little on this career. So let's say 97, Nico arrives. How do you feel about Nico's arrival? Who has become something of a leader who replaced François Gachet

[00:50:11] in the team? How did it work? How did you get along together? We got along because we had no choice. He's there. He's there. He's the champion. He wins everything. And somewhere along the line, I said to myself, I really enjoy watching people and learning from them to enrich myself. In fact, you make progress. But it's clear in the team,

[00:50:40] it created tension. It put a lot of strain on things because he has an individual way of working in a team. And that created tension, in fact. He got a bit of preferential treatment and he wasn't much funny either. He wasn't doing anything like us. He was the champion who was focused on his own performance and only on himself. And he was part of the team,

[00:51:08] but he didn't really give a damn about us. And when I say us, I don't mean me because I don't think there was ever been too many problems with me but the other members of the team. We were torn between the fact that it's a bit of a mess, a lot of tension. There were real rivalries at the time when he joined the team. Yeah. And I was also linked to the fact that he already had his own structure with his father, George, who was also...

[00:51:38] He spent a lot of time with his dad. Olivier was so happy to have such a sharp guy to help him making progress on the bikes in terms of feedback, everything. So he was developing things for him that others didn't have access to. So sometimes I had access if I was useful, sometimes not. It was... But in any way, I think it made things move a bit because it brought some challenge.

[00:52:07] And when you're not challenged, you tend not to push hard enough sometimes. Rivalry in the team can be productive. It can be positive too. It's not all bad. But in any case, it made things tense between the boys. Many consider the Sun Team era to be an absolutely extraordinary era, which has... which has... gave birth to concepts that are still

[00:52:36] in vogue for some. What was it like for you on the inside? Were you aware that that was happening to you was exceptional at Sun back in the day or was it natural? I was aware we were living in a bit of a preserved environment and that we were a bit overprotected and that we were very, very lucky. And afterwards, no, we couldn't see it. When you're in it, you don't realize. We were mini stars,

[00:53:06] but it was at our level of downhill mountain biking, you don't really realize it. No. And then... And yeah, it was, of course, you realize this more when you get out of the thing and when you're actually watching it from the outside. When you're in it, you're in it and you think it's normal. And since there has been a bit

[00:53:36] of progression and also a bit of progression of the structure, at the beginning there was the four of us traveling around with some tents. Then there was the semi. The semi was huge. It was a big revolution. Then the team, downhill, cross-country, BMX, the riders won everything. And Sun was one of the reference brands. When we interviewed people in the street, for the average person,

[00:54:05] it came out on the top 10 brands, I think. First, you have Coke, Renault, or one of the top 20 brands, Sun was coming out. It wasn't just the mountain bike world. It was cool, but we clearly didn't realize it. Clearly. We didn't realize it. How did that Sun era end for you, for all of you? So I had been in the Sun team

[00:54:35] for just over four years and I was starting to win a lot. And then there were things that had evolved. The cross-country riders, Nico, I was approached completely by chance by the Cannondale team. so that was the end of 1997. And as we chatted, I found myself on a journey between two World Cups, sitting next to the team manager

[00:55:05] from Cannondale on the plane. So with the little English I spoke, we managed to understand each other. In fact, he thought I was under contract with Sun for life. And he made it clear that he was interested in having me on the team. And then that's why I said we don't necessarily realize all that we had because from the French riders' perspective the biggest team for me was

[00:55:33] the Volvo Cannondale team. Miles Rockwell and Missy Jovi, a giant structure. There were other big teams too but this one was like a dream team to me. So when they approached me I reflected on my career. and that was quick for me to understand that this was going to boost my career. For me it wasn't that I needed a boost because I was in full progression but in any case for me it was a real motivator.

[00:56:02] It was the American dream. So how did it happen? You talked to the manager, it's the end of 97 but then between the end of 97 and the time you get there there is a little gap. What's the deal? Cédric also told us a little bit about it? It all happened pretty quickly after that though. We'd already started talking a bit before Mount Sonan. I think it was during the world championship

[00:56:31] in 97 Mount Sonan and national speed ski racer and it was him who negotiated the contracts. He had more experience and that was fine for me and during the negotiations Volvo told us they wanted to have another Frenchman with me. They wanted to have Mikel Pascal

[00:57:01] and I was happy to have another Frenchman with me in the team because I was feeling bad to leave a loan to the US in a big team like that so it was reassuring and so we go and see the person who was in charge of Mick's contract at the time it was Manu Hubert and Manu he said no Mick he said I don't know what he said to my boyfriend at the time but basically

[00:57:30] he told him that he was too young and that he wasn't ready for it because Mick was super introverted so it wouldn't have been easy for him so the two of us could have succeeded and so he turned it down and from there I thought yeah wouldn't it be so cool if Cedric was part of the team so we suggested to Cedric we're proposing to Cannondale and they said that they were very excited about it and we offer Cedric of course he instantly is super excited about it and so yeah it was

[00:58:00] it was great because Cedric and I had known each other for a while we'd already spent all the years at Sun together Sun MTB and and we're completely different but in a way we complement each other at the time we used to say that we were like brothers and sisters he still took care of me and protected me a bit I was a bit I'd not say fragile but I was a girl in a man's world it was great

[00:58:29] to have all those guys around me I was just like them but they protected me too so it was cool so going to the US with Cedric was a dream it was the real American dream and then he ticked all the boxes in a row he left for the US he settled in and me for me it was more difficult everything with the team was great they really

[00:58:59] looked after us it was really good the good life too at the same time the team was a little less family oriented we had to be more autonomous American style they gave us budget and we had to manage or season with those budgets it was also more strict there were more things to respect as a result we were fined if we didn't respect the schedules for example so it was a change it taught us a few things it's true that afterwards for me being in the

[00:59:29] States at the time was a bit difficult I really needed to come back to my family to Europe to France and you had some very famous teammates like Brian Loops you had Missy oh no Missy so I took her place you took her place yes I took her place so four of us at the time it was Brian Loops Johan Engstrom Cedric and me and then there were some cross-country writers writers like

[00:59:59] Christophe Souser Cadell Evans Tinker Wise I've forgotten a few others but there you go there were really big stairs too all of them so it was nice it was nice it was nice how are those Cannondale days going we know that Cannondale had developed some rather bizarre concepts and we have one behind you who we'd like to introduce a little but

[01:00:29] you've still ridden some pretty weird bikes so to speak can you tell us a little bit about these tests these bikes that you had developed for a few of them at first my first experience there was a little story it's in so Mount Saint-Anne I was riding sun it was 97 world championships and the bikes were great and the bikes I was riding was the sun

[01:00:58] and the split top tube right as a result I was a little afraid to move to Cannondale because I wasn't sure that the bikes would be as good as the one that I had and so the engineers at Cannondale they told us but you just have to give us the geometry of your actual bike but I didn't have anything on paper I told them that I've got nothing and that I never kept a bike with me because Olivia Boussard never wanted us to keep the bikes with us at home

[01:01:27] so every time that we'd finish a race at the finish he would pick them up and he would take them to the truck he wouldn't want any journalists too close to them to see the detail and everything or to make photos if they were that close I was doing some interviews with some journalists and my boyfriend at the time took the bike he goes to our apartment that was close from the finish line and then there were the the Cannondale engineers

[01:01:56] waiting to take it all the measurements the geometries the angles angles and all and all of a sudden Olivia arrives in the apartment and asks where's your bike and I say well I don't know I gave it to Philippe and so he goes to the apartment searching for the bike and in the meantime I was I went I went back to the apartment I can't remember

[01:02:25] exactly how it all happened but Olivia knocked on the door and the engineers were in the apartment with the bike and shit what the fuck do we do the engineers go into the bathroom and then he comes to collect the bike asking why did you bring the bike here well this is a story so we thought good with Cedric we thought we were going to have a great bike it was going to be the same geometry at least the same angles and lengths not the same

[01:02:55] kinematics at least the same geometry and then the first the championship is over we go home part of the winter is over and then there comes the first team camp the engineers arrived with the bike and it was obvious we could easily see that there has been a problem I don't know what they did they forgot to convert the inches and centimeters I don't know they had the handlebars at an incredible height no head tube angle

[01:03:24] it was it was a very weird bike I don't know what they did the bike was unrideable afterwards I don't remember everything but Cedric said it cracked and opened in two pieces at the same team camp okay great we're off to that jose jose bikes which is behind me so I could try out this bike and then I did

[01:03:54] the first five minutes on it and I said that's not possible I can't ride this bike it's too heavy I can't pedal and these were the times when the tracks were still technical I mean physical and David Vasquez who went ahead of Nico with this bike I don't know how he did it he must have thighs from another world and yeah we knew it was when we signed with them we knew that we would not get the best

[01:04:24] bikes that would be a lot of work to do we always worked hard and we were really into it the engineers the whole company they worked really hard I don't think they've managed to make the best bikes on the circuit but it still allowed us to express ourselves and to do great things in any case you kept on winning but more than ever yes I had my best seasons with them really winning every race there was always at least one in the season that I didn't

[01:04:53] win just to clear my head and get me motivated again and but yes those were my greatest years when I was winning and I was doing some really interesting times with the boys that was crazy for me sometimes the wetter it was the better I rode and it was cool can you remember any races in particular where you set times that were really close to those of men

[01:05:24] I don't know if you remember there was the whole season where I was racing with numbers on the chin guard on my helmet and in fact that was the number of the boys I had beaten in the semifinal sometimes it was zero sometimes it was 25 40 I think I did some top 20 top 20 overall scratch race ahead of the boys yes all the time when it was wet especially when it was wet yeah I'm talking about when the conditions were the same

[01:05:53] for sure conditions are never the same but yes yes yes it became a goal in itself it was fun always this competitive mindset yes because to motivate yourself when all you can do is win sometimes it's hard to stay focused and continue seeking for victory and everything it takes to perform well and stay focused so that was the challenge for me

[01:06:24] talking about challenges those were your challenges because it's true that when you win everything you have 55 world cup titles I think victories victories it's true that at some point you say to yourself what am I doing why do I keep on going at some stage you ask yourself the question and when you ask yourself the question it's time to stop in reality because that's what happened when I stopped

[01:06:54] when I wanted to stop two or three years before I stopped I was already planning to stop around 2000 2001 I knew that I was starting to exhaust my resources people always thought it was easy for me from the outside but actually it was not there was still a lot of stress for me so it was not very enjoyable the moments before the race had become increasingly difficult the race in itself was fine and then you win

[01:07:24] which is cool but there's always a lot of stress before the race so it was painful at some point I knew I wasn't going to keep doing the same thing for 20 years I didn't have enough motivation so I had anticipated it a bit so what was the plan how you saw that the plan was to do the last race at the world championship in Leger in 2004 so a lot happened in the meantime I moved from Cannondale to Commensale Max had been fired from Sun

[01:07:54] I was the first rider so I wanted to finish my career with them in 2004 and in Leger and I won the qualifiers but then I injured myself during the warm-up run an hour before the finals so I thought there was no chance I'd end my career with an injury so I extended to 2005 L'Avignon and I win L'Avignon and I stopped there you win the L'Avignon

[01:08:24] world champs with Fab Barel and so French double win time went by and things changed but the French doubled down Sabrina just behind I also fell in L'Avignon a slight fall so it wasn't easy at the time I was only doing the Europe races no longer doing the whole World Cup rounds so I had to get back into the swing of things there were also a few injuries so I had to come back get back up to speed

[01:08:53] people often told me that it looked easy for me how I won and all that but in fact it had never been easy to perform well and to win a World Cup what happens after leaving you how do you manage are you stopping have you decided to stop so in fact the deal with Max Comensal the new boss at Comensal it was it was to film videos and to do photo shoots so you need to just look back a bit

[01:09:22] and remember that it was back in 2005 there was no really social networks all the advertising we could see was in magazines and I didn't want to do free riding because I'm not like Josh Bender and at the time he was the man but I thought I was already doing quite a bit of traveling and I wanted to ride in beautiful places and take people on a journey with beautiful images nice trips and stuff like that

[01:09:52] so that was kind of the beginning of it all and there were those who did it and those who were just free riders in fact Richie Schley and so at first Max was interested but in fact he wanted me to continue competing for a while when we said we wouldn't after that there were we were no longer on the same wavelength obviously he wanted me to compete I wanted to carry on doing that and then

[01:10:22] we agreed on that in the meantime BMX had also moved on to the Olympics so we said that if I wanted to do BMX again and eventually perhaps they were going to make BMX bikes again when maybe it was that there was a lot of conditions involved the fact remains that we weren't on the same wavelength perhaps there was also the financial problems that affected that Max stopped paying me so I said to myself since I wasn't being paid anymore to do mountain biking I would go back to

[01:10:52] BMX racing I was convinced that he would understand and follow me but not at all I found myself alone but it didn't matter my mind was made up I think we clearly had a falling out at that point we were in dispute for a long time and so there you have it the BMX adventure starts less than two years before the Olympic Games so two years before the Olympics you're back on the BMX but was it already a goal

[01:11:22] or was it just a distant dream or little it must have been somewhere in the back of my head otherwise I wouldn't have jumped at this opportunity but yeah to be honest I really didn't think it was going to happen actually when we put it in the contract and all that it was it was like I thought it was never going to happen I and then at some point in my life I got fed up with mountain biking and they wouldn't

[01:11:51] let me do what I wanted to do so I thought I needed to motivate myself I need to find a goal so despite all the stress of racing and all that I didn't ask myself too many questions I just said to myself I'm going nothing to lose in the meantime I met a mountain bikers but in any case it's thanks to him that I've been able to give the

[01:12:21] Olympic adventure a go I crossed his path and then he quite clearly told me if you get a chance not even necessarily without wanting to win just to be part of the Olympics it's an incredible adventure it's time to give it a try and in those words they really pushed me over the edge except that you are not really the type to just go to take part well it was well initially I didn't know what I was getting into not really

[01:12:51] it's been 13 years since I got on a bike a BMX bike and the discipline has evolved considerably especially with the supercross format I didn't know what I was getting into and I France secured two spots at the Beijing Olympics and only Leticia Le Gorgier was far ahead of everyone else so there was a spot left

[01:13:21] and that's where I was aiming for and there you have us so now we are two on this Olympic adventure in December 2006 yes

[01:13:51] 2006 and so I called Fabrice Fetteretti who was the coach at the time of the French national team and head of French BMX centre in Aix-en-Provence to find out what equipment I should take and all that because I didn't have any more reference in fact and he quickly tells me the name of a bike brand and I ordered the bike and I'm due to receive it at the end of January in the meantime

[01:14:20] I contact a childhood friend David Quichant who was a childhood friend but really a neighbour who had become a coach at the club from Montmelion and so I could go ride with him to ride for the first time with him so I got my bike and started doing so different

[01:15:00] from mountain biking quite simply and I wasn't used to it I completely forgotten about it and well afterwards it didn't it was beginning it was the first time I said to myself it's going to be fine it's going to get better and that was January 2007 the games were held in August 2008 so that's for the bike the technical part the equipment

[01:15:30] namely I no longer had any partners everyone gave up on me when I stopped mountain biking so I left Camensale in the meantime I had called back I said to myself here I am I still got a year and a half to train who knows me best when it comes to training so that I don't waste any time finding out how I work so I called back Stéphane Girard who coached me for a

[01:16:00] large part of my career so who knows exactly how I work he knew nothing about BMX but he said yes he said yes so I'm going for it after that I set up a training system where I would travel three times a week to France in Aix-en-Provence for the technical aspect and anything physical I did at my home in Vars or elsewhere if I had to ride somewhere else what was your physical training like

[01:16:29] my physical training I had weights in the house I used to do everything on my own because there was no gym in Vars very front of my house

[01:16:58] after that I was down in Aix-en-Provence for three or four days to do real training to have a real gym but it was a lot of back and forth it was not so easy and then I quickly made progress I arrived at my first race at all

[01:17:28] what I remember is that I was cramping in fact and I couldn't keep the laps going I had too much lactate in my legs and I was cramping after that technically things went pretty well but it was hard to take and yet that was part of the training I had to go all the way go round and round and round on the other hand it was clear that

[01:17:58] because yes they heard of me then there were the old timers who knew how I rolled back then but did they believe in me not in me in any case there were many who were expecting and there were many who criticized but it gave me a lot of strength to show them this was not just about me there someone else with hard work there's a lot of things that are possible so there you have it it gave me strength

[01:18:27] and what also gave me strength was able to go was being let go by max and all that because I wanted to prove that to them I had to go all the way afterwards so I really wanted to qualify for the Olympics at the end of the first year at the end of 2007 I was still French national champion European of the world championships you make the French Riders

[01:18:57] crash I tried to overtake Leticia who was two and we fall and finish seventh and eight yeah good atmosphere yeah in other world you already had a good aura in BMX in addition you have it was pretty cool yeah it was as I was concerned I was evolving and

[01:19:27] progressing I saw I saw myself it was exactly the plan that what my coach and I agreed on so I was full of confidence and there was the national staff who and I couldn't accept that basically they

[01:19:57] told me and I came second in the pre olympics that year in August so a year before the olympic games I thought they're crazy I have my own experience but it was a big one a high level experience and I said to myself I can't change my coach within less than a ceiling and I was

[01:20:27] not going to make any more progress and so I got angry again still there things when I'm a bit sure of myself despite all my shyness and sometimes my lack of confidence so I said okay I'll do any easy access to the training tracks

[01:20:57] that we would have with the French team or on the international races in any case that's how it was going to be for the games to if I was to qualify so we had to work remotely in any case we put this work in a year in advance for the next year we worked remotely but we were already operating a bit like that and that's when I arrived in Vecluse I said to myself okay I can't be half my time

[01:21:26] between VAERS and AXE it's too tiring and what's more with AXE it didn't work anymore we needed to do things differently so I came to Vecluse because I had friends in the area because there are a lot of BMX tracks between Père and La Fontaine where we are at the moment and Sarriens but it didn't have that aura at the time caviar there are

[01:21:56] plenty of BMX tracks the weather I went to see the gyms I sat my little stable staff around me one doctor who followed me a physio and there we go a year prior to the Olympics they announced us with Laetitia that we were selected quite early on at the Rock d'Azur 2007 which meant that we were really able to prepare properly

[01:22:26] it's not like sometimes I see last minute selections where the guys burn out so they can be selected and they can target their preparation so it was really ideal for me and I was still in my 30s I didn't come from BMX there had been a lot of training and everything if I had done too many races if they put too much

[01:23:02] when was that spring time world championship one month yeah one month before the Olympics more or last one one and a half so late June and early July so you win and no not at all no no no I didn't win I came second second I was second after that we had to put things in place particularly in the meantime so we didn't talk about mental preparation but that's

[01:23:31] in the national team there was a mental coach who followed us and we put things in place and they worked well and we also put some things some kind of race strategies that I should have used at the world champs and then right at the start gate when I had to choose my well a bit before that I thought if I choose my strategy if I try it now they're going to know it

[01:24:20] and in fact we were blocked after that overtaking was difficult so I said to myself I was not going to show my strategy at the world champs so I accepted to pick the lane next to her and let her get close to me to be the last at the bottom of the start gate keep up and finish second and when I did that I thought if I been able to get back up I'm capable of winning and

[01:24:49] that's it let's talk a bit about mental preparation because mountain biking is a sport and there is nobody around but when you are racing BMX you have to fight against other riders how did you deal with the group aspect and the risk yeah it was quite difficult for me and so I was in my 30s and I didn't want to hurt myself

[01:25:19] and then you find yourself in a sport where you clearly have to elbow your way through and I arrived from a sport where the only thing really to think about is to focus on yourself to pick the perfect line and in BMX even if knocks you down you won't ride on your line so you still have to fight and strategize and all that and a more warlike

[01:25:49] spirit more aggressive in any case even though sorry but you still done some dual and four cross in dual there is

[01:26:41] but on the other hand I am not aggressive in what I do and I found in BMX you had to fight and it was very disturbing at first the mental preparation was adding some stress in addition to the stress that I had to perform at races and mental preparation has helped me a lot to manage all this stress in practical terms did you have tools and tricks you can remember actually you have to be

[01:27:11] prepared to compete without stress with no obligation to achieve results so I ended up on the European championship final where I was still there to win and with my coach we agreed on the fact that I should not try to perform at my best I was not physically ready anyway and to win it

[01:27:40] and without the stress of being able to win it how do you do that after all when you go to a race it's to win how do you go about letting go of all that while still giving your best of yourself well by focusing on what you have to do what you can do your because I'm

[01:28:10] focusing on that but before the races when you have time to think about everything I was racking my brain is this not going to happen it gets into your guts and twists them you arrive before the final you throw up it's not very pleasant when it happens from time to time it's fine when it's every weekend and then even for regional races it was worrying did you have techniques I don't know like

[01:28:40] tricks tricks that you used that you can share with us during all my career I haven't used anything I really thought the stress was doing me a favor because I was winning and that allowed me to focus more and perform better but the problem is that after a while it became too much for me and too much stress I could have had burnout

[01:29:09] I may have had burnouts or something similar it's true that sometimes I had a strange reaction with sponsors who were asking me for things and sometimes I just didn't respond or I got a lot of

[01:29:39] relaxation exercises breath work very concrete things that have been scientifically proven but back then we didn't have all that so really at the end of my career with mental preparation I realized that I could have made my life a lot easier for sure if I had accepted that it wasn't going to transform me after when we see what you've done we can't regret it that

[01:30:09] you're not no I have nothing to regret but it's true that it would have been perhaps more pleasant to live with at certain times in fact I advise all young people to do so but you need to start early because it's above all knowing yourself and knowing what will work for you so it's trying a lot it won't be the same

[01:30:39] technique we'll have to refine it it takes time it takes having a good relationship with the mental coach you're working with there has to be a lot of trust and for coaches to get to know you too so it takes a lot of time it's not always easy so don't start too late it's never too late you might say but the sooner you start the more you'll have chances of bearing fruit and after that you'll see that it doesn't do what you want it to do it doesn't mean that you shouldn't change your mental coach as well to find

[01:31:08] another one who uses other techniques but yes in any case as soon as you feel that you have everything under control technically physically and all that stuff you can't afford to waste any time mental preparation is a real tool a real tool so did it help you to ride in a pack in a group in BMX to ride in a group no to play elbows

[01:31:38] but to be less stressed to be better able to deal with these moments yes so you don't have to be stressed so much before the race regarding the aggressivity I inevitably generated some along with the motivation created by the stake of the event the more important it was the more I was going to play elbows the less important it was the less I

[01:32:54] a eu un personnage super bruni qui servait à lui pour mettre en mode, pour mettre en mode de conditionnement. Et tu as eu, plus ou moins, la même technique, dis-tu que le mode Jedi ? Je ne sais pas si tu as eu quelque chose comme ça ? Donc, dans toute ma vie, je ne pense pas que j'ai jamais mis en mode

[01:33:16] parce que, en fait, je pense que dès qu'il y a eu un « start beep » dans la box, quand tu as « beep, beep, beep, beep » je me suis déjà pensé par ça, il y a déjà cette stress, que par le faire, il y a quelque chose qui me est dans un moment, et je suis concentré. Et le helmet,

[01:33:45] quand je mets le « face » en fait, il y a un peu un peu un introvert qui aime avoir fun avec ses amis, mais quand je ne connais pas les gens, je ne suis pas confortable. Et quand je mets mon helmet en, il y a un moment où je peux me expresser. C'est vraiment le moment où je peux… C'est mon outlet. C'est mon outlet. C'est…

[01:34:13] C'est mon outlet. C'est bon pour moi. Et quand je mets un helmet et si il y a un competition goal, je suis un autre person maintenant, clairement. Je ne suis pas changer, mais il y a Anne Carole comme un « everyday life » et il y a Anne Carole comme un « rider ». Ok.

[01:34:42] Et puis, quand je suis venu aux Olympiques, oui, je suis en « warrior mode ». C'est un moment qui s'est passé. Je regardais la série de Star Wars. Je regardais la série de Star Wars. Je regardais la série de Star Wars. Parce que je n'ai jamais vu ça. Et il y a un troisième premier premier. Donc, je regardais tout en ordre. Et je ne sais pas si ça signifie rien à vous. Oui, bien sûr. Mais là, vous avez ça. Et donc, « Jedi »… Je regardais la série de Star Wars. Et puis, je décide que je suis un « Jedi ».

[01:35:11] Et je n'étais pas là pour jouer le sport. Je suis là pour être un « warrior » et pour tout. Et pour tout. Et c'est ça. C'est un « Jedi ». C'est un « Jedi ». Mais « Jedi » avec une bonne énergie. C'est toujours un sport, nous concrions. Pour moi, sport est toujours un sport. C'est un « parallel life ». Il y a beaucoup plus important. Mais quand vous préparez un « event »… Et… It matters.

[01:35:41] Et il y a surtout, on cette race… Actually, often during races… I wanted to go, but at the last minute… I could escape. I would actually escape, because of the stress and all that. But not this time. I'd been waiting for it. And I had been waiting that long. I'd been waiting two years. But now, it had to happen. And I was ready. And I really wanted to go for that start gate. This finals and all that. What's more, when I arrived at the Olympics, it's going really well. I was in really good shape.

[01:36:13] This was just this hitch with the weather, which also irritated me a little. So there's the story. The story is… You mustn't irritate me. The real story here is… In fact, there's this regulation that… In the regulation, if it starts to rain, the day of the finals, for example, the timing of the seed runs will define the results. It's not cool for the discipline, because we're not showing what BMX really is. But in the meantime, it's the rules.

[01:36:42] And then it was supposed to rain on the day of the final, like lashing rain. So the qualifications have never been so important. We were playing for an Olympic medal on the qualification run. And just as well, because that's where I was my strongest time trials, along the track. So my first time was really good. On top of that, I was trying to go even faster in the second time. And I fell.

[01:37:11] But I still had the best time at the end of the final, and at the end of the day. And Leticia was third, I think. And the Englishwoman came second. So I was happy with that. So all night long, I didn't sleep. I was waiting for eventually the rainfall and the rainfall. I got up in the morning and it was raining. I thought, well, that's it. That's the way it is. Those are the rules. And then there is this team managers meeting and all that.

[01:37:40] And in short, the race was postponed by a day. So at the time, I have the impression of seeing the medal get away from me. So I was very, very, very, very angry. And then during the day, I went for a walk in the town and then I made it all go away. And then I turned all of that anger into, well, that's how it is. Now you have to show them. You have to go and get that medal.

[01:38:10] But this increase of motivation, and I think it served me well. It came in handy for the finals. And above all, what helped me was that I had fallen the day before. So on the day it rained, I was still a bit sore. And the next day, I felt much better. So there's always an explanation. And on the day of the race, the race of my life, that's how I see it.

[01:38:40] I was determined. More or less, as expected, 30 seconds before my finals. Not 30 seconds, but 10 minutes. I'm going to vomit in secret. So not to show the others that I'm trembling. Because as a French woman, we're also rivals. Clearly, Leticia was also a rival. So I got up on the starting grid. I looked Chanez Reed in the eye, and I told her, this one, it's for me.

[01:39:10] In English. You really tell her? Yeah. Yeah. You see, it's not my character in life. I'm not like that, you see. Did you have the helmet on or not? Yes, I already had the helmet. I said, this one is for me. And she had already fallen twice. We could see that she was very feverish on track, especially in the first corner. And then the strategy I should have put in place at the World Championships.

[01:39:37] So I actually slowed down a bit in the semifinals, because it's the time of the semifinals that counts for the choice from the starting grid in the final. I had slowed down a little bit so as not to choose first. So I was able to get away from her or as much as possible. As a result, I didn't choose first. And I don't remember if she picked lane one. So in the inside and normally everybody always done that with the girls.

[01:40:06] You pick lane two, then lane three, then lane four. And I went straight to lane four. So in the middle. Yeah. Well, even on five. Yeah. Five or four. No, four. I can't remember. Four or five. Anyway, I really moved away. She may have switched to two and then to one, but that wasn't possible. So I wanted to get away. Leticia didn't know either. So I could see her wondering what we're doing because it's not normal.

[01:40:33] And then I could ride the first section normally. Normally. So I give my best. I'm not in front, but I'm close to her. And after that, she took the inside lane. So of course, she had the advantage. And I was expecting that. And the rest is experience. She goes wide with her first turn, which she had done practically every lap. And I'm just, I'm riding towards the inner lane.

[01:41:02] And then after that, I was in front and I was more or less managing the race. And I was blocking her a bit, in fact. And then at the last bend, she tries to cut me in half. And I think I was very lucky. I think that was my day. Could she have brought me down? She could have brought down Leticia too. She falls by herself. She was disqualified because it was an anti-sport gesture. We did the first and second. It was just incredible.

[01:41:26] Knowing that if she had hit you a little earlier, you had less of an angle and you could have really crashed. Yeah, anyway, a bit before that, she cut me in half. Yeah, that's it. There I was really on my feet. I clearly didn't feel anything. She just touched me and I didn't feel it. It was so frank. It was just afterwards, I closed the line again because I knew she could have passed. With a quick look, I could see that she wasn't far away.

[01:41:55] I think this was the race of my life in that sense, the experience of my life. In the sense that is the experience of a lifetime that served a 30 second race. I work a lot like this. I don't have much memory, memory in my head to bring things out. But on the other hand, in terms of motor skills, senses, all of that, it just comes naturally.

[01:42:26] It's a bit like the tangle of all the things you've learned, that you've put in place, brought together in that moment. Yes, who comes out without thinking for the better. After that, it was all about winning the Olympics. It's what the French BMX experience is all about this year. They needed experience. When you have the riding skills as well as the physical strength, when you have everything, then it's a moment when it all comes together.

[01:42:56] Talking about this, and before we talk about today, the news and indeed the Olympics that we saw together, almost at Saint-Quentin. So once you crossed the line, what happened for you at that time? What happened to you at this moment? Yeah, the doubt, happiness, doubt, happiness, doubt, happiness, doubt, happiness.

[01:43:24] Actually, I believed it because I'd just done it. So I laughed and suddenly I said, no, that's not possible. The aftermath for hours on end. I didn't believe it until I actually had the medal around my neck. And even in the night, I slept with the medal. I couldn't believe it. I thought they were going to take it away from me. Someone was going to come in the night and take it. It was really strong. Stronger than most of the world champion titles.

[01:43:53] Because it's the Olympics too. I also knew that this was my last international competition at this level. It was all had a special flavor. And it was the first BMX Olympics. So for me at the time, it could have been the second ones. It was the same for me. There was the first, but it was my last. So there was no point. I didn't want to miss this opportunity. What happens next?

[01:44:22] Are you particularly popular because of this or not? Yes, clearly, clearly. Even myself within my family, or not necessarily within my family, but there were some people around me who didn't necessarily consider me as a champion when I was racing downhill. Then I was a champion, but they didn't consider the discipline as a real discipline

[01:44:49] or something important, or the fact that I'm a professional and I'm in it for the long haul, all my heart. And then all of a sudden, I was a champion. And I was quite shocked to see some people's behavior of people. I knew well that they changed. When in fact, I just carried on doing everything I'd been doing for years. So yes, it was a special title. But for the children, for people who had been following me for a long time,

[01:45:19] that shouldn't change their behavior towards you. Did you realize at that time that the Olympic side of things was something really different? Yes, absolutely. Yes, yes. The media coverage, after all, they talked about it a lot at the time. And then it fades away. In the case of the least popular sports, although I think BMX would be extremely popular

[01:45:49] if the media really got on board because it's a great show. But that's the way it is. It's not up to us. And yes, yes, the games are something special. Let's just say that when I was a mountain biker in the Sun team or the Cannondale team, we made people dream, but only mountain bikers. But now you're making France, your country, dream. And it's a much wider audience. And then when you're an Olympic champion, it's for life.

[01:46:19] I went to Andorra for the World Championships. People from the UCI, they don't know me. I'm exaggerating a little, but you're not a world champion for life after all. You are in the hearts for the people who know you and know your background. But in the institution, you're not. But an Olympic champion, it's a bit, not an all access pass, but it's something quite special. It's an extra layer of respect.

[01:46:48] There's plenty of world champions who don't have the chance of competing at an Olympic sport. But it's the same job and everything. For me, it's to have experience both disciplines at a high level, downhill, mountain biking, BMX, and not necessarily for people to have the same recognition. I find it a bit unsettling at times. What happened next for you in terms of BMX?

[01:47:15] Well, I said I do the Olympics and stop afterwards. So I really did stop, as I do every time I say I stop something. After that, I don't think it's necessarily a good thing because there's certainly people, young people and all that, that would have been better for BMX than if I had kept it up for at least a year just to show myself off or to show off my medal, for the good of the sport in fact. But that's the way it is.

[01:47:40] So I quickly hopped back on the mountain bike and continued the mega volanche, maxi volanche, indoor series, no more downhill. And after that, at the same time there, there was enduro which became international with the EWS and I am enduro world series and I thought, why not do that?

[01:48:08] So probably not a good thing for me because actually I put a lot of pressure on myself and at the time they were testing a lot of things on us. So the enduros in France were really great. Often they were superbly technical courses with very physical stages, but there was a real race format. It made sense. There on the EWS, they made us try everything and everything, anything in fact.

[01:48:35] I think there were even stages, they were less technical than an actual cross-country course and I'm still a downhill racer so inevitably I prefer when it was steep. And finally, I put myself under pressure. In my first season, I suffered a Puna motor accident on the first race, the first stage. But I think it's linked. I wanted to do it without wanting to do it because I didn't like it. I didn't like the stages in the race,

[01:49:05] the fear of not succeeding. And here you go, injury. That's what happens very often when things aren't quite right and you're not sure of yourself. So the first year had been a bit up and down. But now with good results, at the end of the season, at the end of my second season, I came second to Tracy Mosley and still won a few races.

[01:49:32] So let's say it's anecdotal in my career because I won and that people as a result follow it less. But I think it had an impact about myself, the perception of the competition, because I'd always done everything for the fun and really out of consideration. And at that time, I was doing something I didn't want to do. And I also switched sponsors.

[01:50:02] I had Vario, then Sun, then I switched to Ibis, with whom things went really well. And at that moment, I started getting sick. How do you go from there?

[01:50:30] I was in New Zealand. And so it lasts, I don't know, six months, a year. And then my goal was, I was in New Zealand when things started to go wrong. And then the first race where I had to drop was in Simone. I'm in year, I'm so bad with the dates.

[01:51:01] I don't have it. In 2015, something like that. And so I give up on the race and leave for doing some scans. And they find out that I'm ill and that I've got cancer. I had an operation, some treatment for six months. So I thought it would be a good idea to give myself a bit of time and to try and do a few more races after this.

[01:51:23] So I went to Whistler a year after this, about a year after I started the treatments and the surgery. And I didn't do anything fancy, but I still managed to finish the race. I think I came second on one stage. And for me, it was so good. So happy to be there. Then for four years, things went really well. So I was being followed by the doctors and I was almost out of trouble.

[01:51:52] And then, so I had a partnership with Le Orde and with Comensale. And then I had a big pain in my back. So my surgeon told me, no, but that's normal. The sport you've been doing it, the falls, and that's normal, it's normal. And I said, if this is normal, I might die straight away. Because I don't know, I wasn't very old at the time. I was in my 40s and I thought, but this is too painful. So we did some more tests.

[01:52:22] And in fact, I had another tumor in my back on the bones. So it was a bad start. After operations and treatments, it stabilized. And then it's back in other locations. So each time, operations, treatments, tests, treatments,

[01:52:45] and with prospects of impossible recovery, so very complicated to deal with that mentally. And every time, in fact, the treatments are really painful, that's really the thing. It's pain. They invent a treatment that is less painful. It will really be better. But then chemotherapy isn't cool.

[01:53:09] But the operations afterwards, I've always lived them like a wound to which I need to get up again. Recovery, a kind of getting back into shape, a kind of fitness. All relative because at the same time, you've had chemotherapy, so it's complicated. But then my aim was always to get back into sport and cycling. So at first, I would get out of bed on my own.

[01:53:37] And then I would get out to the letterbox, then going out to the field. It's a big field. But it's a series of stages. And you do that in sport after an injury. You get your goals back. And there I went just like that. The doctors and my surgeons have become a little like friends. We've done a little mountaineering together. So they've probably seen my character.

[01:54:03] And I don't know if we can talk about resilience, but my ability to accept the worst and to try and bounce back afterwards. And so they tried surgery in really critical places, which could have been critical. And it worked. And now I'm stable. So we're far from out of the woods. But in any case, I'm stable. And well, after that, to be continued.

[01:54:34] Case to follow? I don't know. No one knows, in fact. I'm outside protocol, outside all the perspectives. There was nothing to foreshadow, nor the fact that I'm now in pretty good shape. So, well, maybe the mind does have a superpower. How has this mindset helped you?

[01:55:01] And perhaps what is the contribution of sport in your experience in relation to the treatment? Clearly for me, the illness is a challenge. And I have to say to myself, as long as I'm alive, as long as I can fight, I have to fight. And after that, there are levels of acceptability. And I think when I decide it will be no longer possible, in any case, I'm not there at all today.

[01:55:27] I think it's a bit like when I stopped cycling, BMX or mountain biking, at some point I'll stop. But today I'm not there at all and everything is fine. I have no treatment. What I've learned from the mind is that we don't know everything. We're discovering a lot of things. All my life, I've been discovering new things about nutrition. I'm interested in a lot of things in terms of relaxation. We were talking about breathing just now.

[01:55:57] But there are many other ways full of new techniques. Maybe we'll find out later, in a few years' time, the superpowers of the brain, or at least of positive thinking or thinking at all. Because it happened to me. And I'm not mystical or anything like that. But things have happened to me, even in competition. When I shouldn't have won, but you believe very strong in something.

[01:56:23] Or I don't know, when everything is going in the same direction and you believe in things, there are still things that happen. And so every day, if you get up and you say I'm shit, you're probably not going to do well in your life. And there are chances that you'll turn out shit. But if you're positive, and if even in the moments of doubt, doubt, but if deep down you say to yourself that it's going to be alright, it's getting better.

[01:56:53] Or after that, I don't know what happens with the illness. But in any case, I know that the mind has a great deal of power over the body. Physical exercise too? Into the... Yes, now that's been clearly proven. Right at the start, I was sick.

[01:57:18] If you've never stopped me from doing anything, but they said, yeah, maybe don't overdo it. Then in fact, you have to listen to yourself and not overdo it. Because doing nothing is worse. It's worse for the head. It's worse for the body. You have to get rid of these substances. You have to respect your body too. It could also be that you've fallen ill because you haven't respected your body enough. You have to find the right balance. I don't know if I've got it,

[01:57:46] but for the moment, it's working for me. Well, in any case, it seems to be working for you when we see how you're still riding. Yeah, but not good enough in my opinion. But I know, I'm very lucky to be able to be doing everything I do. And the illness has given me a sense of self. I'm always overstressed because I always want to perform. Or relationships in relation to death or whatever. It's just, well, enjoy.

[01:58:14] I've always been extremely lucky in everything I've done. But that's a given. And it's not an end in itself. You have to take life one day at a time. And it's necessary to be happy with what you have. And then frankly, you realize that even me being sick, there are people much more unhappy than me and who suffer far more. And that's the way it is. I'll deal with it. I have no choice. And then we'll see.

[01:58:44] We saw you happy at the Olympics this summer, watching the magnificent trio. What was that like for you?

[01:59:25] In fact, I've been waiting for this for a while. And he didn't deserve that. And it doesn't matter. Because today, we know that this expectation was far better. And after that, they had been announcing the podium sweep for at least a year. They did it at the World Cup. Sometimes I joined them on courses that they were doing with the national team in Saran. And the coach made no secret of it.

[01:59:54] He said, we're aiming for a podium sweep. So when I say the power of the mind, when you think that something is possible, it's still easier than if you're sure that it's not going to happen. And yeah, they all deserved it. They all deserved a medal. And that's fantastic for BMX. It was a great moment because we'll never live Olympics like that again. Because for all of us as French people, it was crazy.

[02:00:21] The atmosphere, the venues, the organization. We're French. We have a very strong culture. And you could feel it very, very much. These Paris Olympics and that's it. It's done. It's taken. It was great. We've also seen you carrying the Olympic torch. Yes, that's right. It was a great honor. A great honor.

[02:00:54] Because you could sign up to carry the torch. And I said, Olivia, that I would love to carry the torch. He's my boyfriend. I'd love to carry the torch up in Montfanto. It made so much sense to me. I'm not from here. I'm from Burgundy. But on the other hand, I arrived in the region to train for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. This is a region that really welcomed me with open arms.

[02:01:24] I'm an Olympic champion. And today, when I had to make the choice about my life, I really moved to this region by choice because I love it so much. So representing BMX and cycling in general on the summit, as legendary as Venteau for cycling. Le Venteau is a worldwide myth. But it's also a local myth. So for me, it really made sense. It really made sense.

[02:01:54] And to have been chosen by the French Federation, it was really a great time. What's more, it's someone you know, well, who gave you the torch? Yeah, with the pleasant surprise of Miguel Martinez arriving with his mountain bike and passing me the torch. It was a real surprise. It was great. A very, very good time. It wasn't that we were the stars of the show.

[02:02:22] It was clearly to announce the Paris Olympics. But it's cool that after more than 10 years, we're being called back and put in the spotlight. And frankly, they were great games. Inevitably, they left out a few people and all that. But on the whole, I think they tried to reach everyone. And at the older generations, the younger generations, the men, the women, all of them, I think it worked out well. I think it was good.

[02:02:50] If we go back to mountain biking for a moment, how do you see things today on the world of competition? Do you follow downhill, enduro and all that? Yes, I do. There have been times when I let go a bit, but this time I've been working for Commensale on the World Cups. So that was three and four years ago. And I'm really into it. I can't wait for the season to start again, for downhill and enduro riding too.

[02:03:23] Yes, sport has evolved. Downhill is a different sport to when I was doing it. It goes faster. So I'm not a big fan of the bike park sections and all that. But that's the way it is. It's part of the evolution. I like when it's a bit more natural, when it really goes down. After that, it's a bit more compact, a bit. The riders are better trained. There are more resources. I think technique and progression.

[02:03:54] And the videos, the training, the recovery equipment, you name it. That's normal. It's an evolution. And it's great. And it's going fast. It's going fast. It's impressive. Do you have any riders who have particularly impressed you this season? Well, of course, Amarie blew us away with a comeback. Amarie, Laurique. I was really happy for Laurice.

[02:04:22] Laurice, you get the impression that he's always apologizing for being behind Laurique. And it's embarrassing. The guy is so great. To see him on the bike, he's so strong. He needs to assert himself. I'm really hoping that this jersey will help him. It will give him wings. What's more is he's going back to common style, so that's cool. I don't know. At the moment we are talking, we don't know yet. We'll see. I don't know.

[02:04:51] I didn't feel like I was saying anything, any scoop. But if I did, I apologize. Who impressed me? The juniors impressed me well. Whether it's the Alleran brothers or Aza. The guys are junior. First year, they go fast. It goes fast. It's incredible. Any girl?

[02:05:19] For the girls, it's cool because I think the pack is a little more compact. In terms of riding skills, it's a little tighter. I'm really good friends with Miriam Nicole. I knew as a child, and I'm just so happy to see her back on the bike already. And to have recovered and to see her win races. Maybe a world championship would be great. But there you go.

[02:05:49] And then there's Valli. She's strong. Valli isn't unbeatable. And I stress this because I've been there. People thought I was unbeatable. And no one is unbeatable. She has strength and weaknesses. And on the other hand, you mustn't let her get too far ahead. Because with experience, she'll be more likely to lead. It's going to be hard to cut the momentum. And yeah, Valli, Marine. Any junior? We're waiting.

[02:06:18] The juniors, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm watching. Eurice? Yeah, Eurice. And yeah, she's fast too. She's going well. But I think it's going to be a bit more complicated for the first elite years, the switch, compared to Valli. In any case, that's it. And then, no, it's great. It's great to see the young people coming through. But you think then, where does it end?

[02:06:47] Because the young riders, they go really fast. And then they fall. And we're not going to... They're a bit stronger with the physical training now than when we were juniors. But you only have one body and you have to preserve it. And because it goes faster, there are more injuries. And at such a young age to injure yourself so much, it can be a bit worrying.

[02:07:15] Hence the importance of continuing the fight with the race organizations on implementation of security. Today, there's a little light compared to what's out there. But we are also a little more aware of the risks in terms of concussions, brain-related risks. That's right. But in the meantime, they're still wearing bicycle helmets. Not all with approved motorbike helmets, for example,

[02:07:42] even though we're going as fast as motorbikes. They don't have airbags. They don't necessarily have back protectors. And not necessarily gloves. Of course, gloves aren't essential. But after that, it's not my body. They can do what they want. But I think we were more productive when things were going less fast 20 years ago than today. And it's not necessarily a good thing.

[02:08:12] And don't tell me it's stopping you from moving around or anything like that. It's just a question of habit. A bit like the return of the skin suits. Yeah, in fact, there's nothing really new here. There's even a step backward on skin suits. We've been criticized a lot, especially Fabien Barrel. Why would you take off your visors and stuff? But in fact, downhill is a pure speed sport.

[02:08:41] So yes, it's technical and yes, it's fun. But you're not going to ask a downhill skier to put on visors on their helmets or something. They fight for the hundredth of a second. They train every day to go faster and faster. So aerodynamics is an integral part of speed sports. And back then, we even used windproof suits, which were very expensive.

[02:09:09] We weren't allowed to use them often because they were too expensive. And they were really only used in very important races. But there are real benefits and so it would be a shame to miss out. Personally, I think it's another tool that you can use at the same time and everything. And I think it's cool. And today, we have the impression we have. There's a time when it seemed taboo. It wasn't fun enough. Without removing the visor, but with slightly tighter outfits.

[02:09:40] Then finally, there are regulations that have been passed to avoid having tight outfits. And then today, you see them arrive and there's nothing that looks more like the outfits we had in 1995 than today's outfits. It's the history of the world. It goes around and around in any case. Some things keep coming back. What do you think of the way sport is organized? So I'm not really into it. So I don't know what it's all about, like the details.

[02:10:12] Over the last few years, I've had the impression that there's people, generally speaking, who came to the World Cups, who weren't necessarily good enough to be at the World Cups. So of course, they were super happy and everything. But it's still a World Cup. It should be for the elites. So whether the seats, whether there are fewer places, but it's a bit harder to get in, which has already started to happen in recent years.

[02:10:41] I think that's great. Easier perhaps to organize for the top riders, so you don't have to queue too long for the lifts, to better manage the organization of their day. And then perhaps for schedule changes in bad weather, for example, to make it fair. I think that it's great that there are fewer people at the World Cups in general.

[02:11:10] In any case, let there really be the elites and not the masses. After that, it will only work if there is a parallel circuit that allows, which creates the breeding ground to move up into the elites. Like other sports, such as MotoGP or after that, seen from the outside like this. It's clear that it's brutal.

[02:11:40] That it will reduce the paddock enormously. So of course the riders and the employees involved in mountain biking, it's going to leave its mark because it's too brutal. And since we don't know the exact details, it's still October and we still don't know what's going on with the arrangements for the next season. It's a bit tricky.

[02:12:07] I find that there are ways of doing things that are not necessarily the right ones, so that's for downhill. In cross country, I follow the results, but I don't know how it works. And after that, the enduro, that's a real disaster. And for the pilots in any case, they're in the process of killing off a sport before it ever really blossomed.

[02:12:35] With the first world championship titles and all that. And so it's going to continue, but it's necessary for the riders to be able to make a living from their sport. There has to be teams and this has to inspire young people to go and do the discipline. And that's not good. And what's more of a shame is that it was the person who managed to hatch all of this, which is killing the sport. As a result, it's no longer the chick in the shell. It's the process of killing the chick that has already been born.

[02:13:04] It's a real shame. Would you like to play a role in competition again? Because you wouldn't necessarily want to race, obviously. No, of course not. But getting involved? Getting involved? So yes, I do have some questions about... I like to do things well. I like to go as fair. I'm always ready to go all the way to the end.

[02:13:33] It's true, the fact that I actually could potentially relapse. It's already happened to me. And I'm really affected by it, mentally and morally. So I do find it hard to commit. And when I decide to do something, I want to do it well. As a result, I find it hard to make a decision.

[02:13:54] But it's clear that the work that we are doing, accompanying teams with Max, with his structure, Commensale race support, I found it really exciting. Today, I couldn't do the same thing I did three or four years ago or five years ago, because I don't have as much energy. But while it's something I'm passionate about, for me, high level is what feeds me.

[02:14:23] It's what motivated me since I was a child. Whether it was when I was seven years old on the BMX or in mountain biking, or when I took up BMX again for the Olympics. It's the new experience. It's the learning new things to progress, to meet new people, to learn new things, techniques, to learn what. I'm fed a lot by that. And today, I miss it.

[02:14:51] I'm tired of it because I don't do as much. I look after myself, that's for sure. And that's essential. But I love it. I love it. I love the top level sport gives you that. And so, yeah, having a role, I said, like in mental preparation or as a coach, in fact, as a global coach,

[02:15:12] these are things that really get me going because I think I have experience and a vision of what top level sport can be overall level, which is quite sharp now. We can agree. After that, there are always things to do.

[02:15:34] But yes, if I could work with top athletes, with women on this, it's what motivates me, what motivates me the most and has always driven me the most. Two more questions. Once again, this may seem a stupid question, but what can we wish you for the future? A long life in good health, clearly. In fact, it's a familiar frame.

[02:16:02] If health is good, everything is good. But that's clearly true. That's clearly true. And so for me, this is it's quite simple. I think we all wish you that. And one last question. If you were to hear someone in a future episode of Enrolime, who would that be?

[02:16:27] In fact, there would be a lot of people there because by bringing up all these memories and all that, there could be a lot of people. You can name a few. You can name a few if you like. Well, I would have. So for historical aspect and because we just didn't hear about the end of his career and that it was a bit brutal, more through injury, I would have said Francois Gachet.

[02:16:57] That's for those who love the history of mountain biking and who love mountain bike racing. He was a great champion. After that, it could be my coach. So Stéphane Girard wasn't my only coach, but in any case, just for those who don't know, amongst others, he trained Nicolas Vrouillois. He trained a certain Greg Mignard until not too long ago, maybe even until the end. So there you have it.

[02:17:25] A few longstanding athletes he has trained and they've all had very long careers. And I know he's not in the business anymore, but there you go. You can still get his opinion on this. But perhaps the person who would please me the most, because I think there haven't been too many girls in your podcast so far. And because I've met her when she was young and today she's a champion, Isabel Cudier. Yeah. Yeah.

[02:17:52] And I think their enduro, it's such a tough sport. It's so hard, there are many hours of training and everything. And they don't really get the recognition that they should. And now they have a little bit more with the world championship jerseys. But Isabel, as a result, went through a bit. She knew Tracy. She knew me. She knew Cecile. And today she's a world champion.

[02:18:22] She comes from cross country. I think it would be interesting to hear from her because she's very nice and unusual person. And I agree with you about the need to have more women on the podcast to balance the scales a bit more. There's still fewer women in cycling than there are men. So of course it will never be balanced. But we exist and we're here. Yeah. A final word?

[02:18:53] Well, thank you. Thank you for stopping by. We spent two days together. It's great. It's always a good time to be able to share. It's a bit strange because I feel like sharing my life. But it's still good. Thank you for all your insights. I'm really enjoying listening to everything that's out there. Technical staff, coaches, alumni, young people. To have little tips that I can pick up.

[02:19:22] That's really interesting. Thank you. Well, it's my pleasure. Now it's my turn to thank you for this time, for these two days we've spent together. That were completely unexpected. I originally came for a coffee and then finally here we are sitting around a table to spend nearly two hours together on this. So first of all, thank you for that.

[02:19:51] And more generally, thank you for sharing the inspiration and example that you, which is an example to many categories of people. Oh, Peter. People who, like me, all people. No, but it's the cycling enthusiasts. The women. Thanks to everyone.

[02:20:15] People who, at their level, face challenges and struggle. And frankly, it's so impressive, so inspiring that the word is always used. But it's always inspiring to see people showing us that it can be done. To do this or that.

[02:20:42] And as they say, challenge the status quo. Tell us that in the end, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that. I'm going to fight, etc. I could feel that strength. I think we felt it during this conversation and the listeners will tell us, I feel this strength. And moreover, I felt I was a little bit impressed, even though I did a bit of preparation and all that. But there you have it.

[02:21:11] I had a great time. And thank you for sharing this. Thank you for opening up in a way. So, yeah. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for watching, who have listened to us, who have followed us. And, yeah, thank you for all the messages you send us. Thank you for every encouragement you share with us because it does a world of good.

[02:21:41] And when you spend so much time and so much energy and passion for what we do, well, we need that. In any case, I need it. And thank you, Anne-Carroll. Thank you, everyone. We'll see you next time. Merci, Antoine. Merci. Thanks for watching or listening to this episode of Enron Libre. I hope it met your expectations and inspired you to spend more time on your bike.

[02:22:09] If it did, I invite you to join the Enron Libre community by subscribing to the Enron Libre channel on YouTube and follow us on Instagram. You can also support Enron Libre on the Tipeee platform and by sharing this episode with those around you. You've been listening to Enron Libre, the show that fuels your passion for cycling. And if you haven't already, it's time to start pedaling again. Enron Libre, the show that you're doing is a great day.