Cédric Gracia is an MTB celebrity. Now, at the age of forty one and facing a completely different stage in his professional career, he looks back and talks with us from a deep personal perspective.—Forestal Bikes
On the topic of getting personal with Cedric...
Our friends woke up after a drunken night in Fort William to find a picture of Cedrics balls on their phone!
Legend!!
I was a volunteer race marshall at the Grouse mtn world cup I guess sometime in the late 90s or early 00's. Cedric was racing for cannondale at the time and was throwing big steezy no handers off the jump before the finish line. He came and gave me a signature and hung out and chatted for 20 min while watching other riders. It was one of the best bike related weekends I've ever had.
He is such a nice dude. I'm 25 now and I grew up watching him in NWD and racing so it's always been an idol. I was at the airport on my way to Mallorca and saw him from the waiting line and he was on the priority line so I went... Hey Cedric! I'm a fan, can I get a pic? and he took a selfie with me and I was like super stoked. later when I boarded the plane he was already there and he stopped me and asked me where I'm from and I asked him about his knee, you know, quick chat while people took their seat. I spent all the flight going like "what a nice guy". So, to make my day even better, I arrive at Mallorca, walk out of the airport to wait for the cab and Cedric is also there and I'm like "I don't want to bother him anymore" and he approaches me and starts talking all casual about the weather.
That one time CG visited our local trails, his GoPro broke down, so I offered he use mine. He insisted to film me, so I ended up with CG right behind me on a few trails. Never felt so embarassed on a bike haha!
He's the best dude you could ride with
I can't believe he's only two years older than me. I remember looking up to him like some kind of god when I was about 15. He must have turned pro at about that age. Amazing.
WOW! Did not think that perfect bike would be a single pivot? But currently working on building a linkage forked bike & thought would start modifying a old single pivot frame, so may be there is reason behind the madness? Cedric want a linkage fork design?
I raced pro DH as a team rider for a local Front Range CO team in the late 90's and raced the Bromont and Mt St Anne WC events in '99. It rained like crazy at Bromont and the course was short but had some tough tech, including one funky off camber speed sucking log jump that was awkward and tricky, on a narrow section of relatively blind track deep in the thick Quebec woods. During a pouring rain before one of the practice sessions I was walking down the track studying said section with some other riders. The session began and the rain let up a little but it was still very wet and slick. We heard a rider coming down and cleared the course. This rider was moving very fast, came around the left just above the log jump and hucked that booter long to the natural terrain backside and straight into the left turn after the jump. He was there and gone in a instant and we were all left speechless at the perfection of something we had not even imagined as an option, even on a fast and dry track. It was inconceivable considering the mud! Gracia is one of the best, way ahead of his time.
I`ve always been fascinated by your ears Cedric. During the video I couldn`t stop staring at them. It`s like there were perfectly designed to fit your cap :-)
Good to see that you`re working on that promising project.
Everything looks fun and Im excited to see his new brand become big!
But, I was wanting and waiting for more details about the bike and how it all works!
Oh well!
I had chance to meet him on a chairlift in Whistler few years back, was really nice and funny telling me he's riding 29er because he's old and can't ride bikes
@yzedf: ...said so many bike companies years ago and are still struggling with liability claims which are based on years old models. There is a reason why only a few suppliers are successful in this.
That means he has officially been teabaged!!
That means he has officially been teabaged!!
C-bagged
But currently working on building a linkage forked bike & thought would start modifying a old single pivot frame, so may be there is reason behind the madness?
Cedric want a linkage fork design?
Good to see that you`re working on that promising project.
Cheers Bro!