Video: Yoann Barelli & Remy Metailler Attempt to Ride a Gnarly Tech Drop

56 Comments

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ElStig (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:08)

It’s refreshing to see the “other side” of these insane trail edits. Seeing how much they talk and mull over the details before getting on the bike is something that I will incorporate into the next time I try to drop off the curb at the end of my driveway.

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Glenngineer (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:12)

I've been doing that for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that my bike is not long, low and slack enough to hit that curb, going to get a new one. Probably a mullet.

50percentsure (Apr 12, 2021 at 14:22)

@Glenngineer: Your standards are probably a year out of date too. Doubtful you'd even make it to that curb let alone off it.

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mountainfishy (Apr 12, 2021 at 15:09) (Below Threshold)

Would you look at that Yoann is wearing a full face. Looks like somebody got a little rattled

monstertiki (Apr 12, 2021 at 18:12)

@Glenngineer: Maybe go super mullet and put a 26 back there. If 27.5 back there is snappy than 26 will be buck wild. Aint nothing finer than a 269er

AntN (Apr 12, 2021 at 23:29)

I like to push my bike over the curb first just to check the chainring has the clearance.

suspended-flesh FL (Apr 13, 2021 at 10:07)

I find that overthinking the curb drop is fatal to progression. Just turn off the brain off and trust these modern bikes to do what they are designed for. I often remember a quote from a famous and highly skilled rider "let the bike dance underneath you" - no rigid death grip and you should be fine.......

suspended-flesh FL (Apr 13, 2021 at 10:11)

@Glenngineer: Make sure it has a high idler pulley or don't even bother.

pgomez (Apr 13, 2021 at 16:00)

@Glenngineer: I heard the motors make the center of gravity lower, so probably a good idea to consider an e-bike for curb drops too.

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mgreitzke (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:32)

I really like their way to support each other... I have experienced that so many guys put too much pressure on their friends to do things out of their comfort zone. Great attitude!

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porkchopsandwich FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:03)

I watch these videos and think to myself that what these guys are riding is so far outside of my comprehension of what a bike trail is. Mad respect.

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pisgahgnar FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:19)

Something I heard recently resonated with me. Think about basketball and all the people who play in rec leagues around the country. Those guys can be pretty good. Then you have your varsity highschoolers, community college, D3, D2, D1, International, and then the NBA. To be in the NBA someone had to decide to spend a lot of money because you were among the top 500 on the planet. That's the perspective I use now when looking at these riders and what they do.

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Glenngineer (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:27)

@PTyliszczak: What I also see, that is a little different than the NBA analogy, is that I genuinely don't want to be those guys. You can make an argument that the lifestyle, the training, the schedule, the public eye mean you don't want to be in the NBA, but it's not the basketball if you love basketball.

I love mountain biking, but a lot of this just scares the crap out of me - I can't do it, and I'm comfortable being too scared too try to progress to that level. I've got the drops, jumps, gnarly lines that I like, those that scare me but I'll hit, and those that I'm working up to... the worst of them are nothing compared to what these guys do, and I consider myself to be a 'good' rider, at the enthusiast dad level.

pisgahgnar FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:21)

@Glenngineer: 100% agree. It's not just athletic ability at this point. I do not ever want to hit that line in this video, never. I have had my fair share of broken bones and months off from the sport, but I can always come back. Those lines look like death if things go very wrong.

friendlyfoe (Apr 12, 2021 at 19:07)

They literally call it the Remy line. It takes a ton of bike control to know that you can make that little pivot in the air 100% of the time. That is an absolute no crash zone.

rrolly (Apr 13, 2021 at 6:38)

I laughed when they called it a jump. It's not a jump. It's a mountain and a cliff.

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radman13 (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:53)

THE TWO BEST FRENCH ACCENTS AND RIDING STYLES UNITE!!

pgomez (Apr 13, 2021 at 15:59)

Baguettes FTW!!

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alwaysMORE (Apr 13, 2021 at 1:53)

Great insight into fear management! This is one of the most inspiring and developing videos I ever saw not because I will be able to drop such crazy feature but because I will be able to make smart decisions without feeling guilty. Massive respect to both riders for being open and honest!!! BTW dropping it every day shows a lot of commitment!

no-good-ideas FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:10)

This is such a reassuring way of seeing technical feature approach. Its helpful to see how tactical these guys are about tackling a feature they either have not done or have tried and failed in the past. The methodical approach is definitely something to learn from.

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Bomadics (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:03)

Shouldn't it be called Gnanalyzing?

likeittacky (Apr 12, 2021 at 19:59)

Good gracious, I've seen this section multiple times in Remy's videos; but have never seen the bottom of the landing looking up like @ 17:06! That line is defiantly barbaric AF!

I support Yoann's decision 100% on taking the chicken line!!

Exceptional support from Remey and great content from both these wonderful people! Stay safe Guys!!!

Puddings (Apr 13, 2021 at 5:06)

and let's not forget the 'chicken line' is not exactly easy either!

FlavienB (Apr 13, 2021 at 13:23)

@Puddings: Indeed, the 'main line' on that whole features is already seriously crazy!

mikaelmtb (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:40)

Being dad doesn't help in that cases. Benefits/Risks balance. This is mental.

thefisherman (Apr 12, 2021 at 21:53)

Ive been liking the technical assessment, thought process of a higher skilled rider, approach to riding features. I'm aiming to bring the bigger features and higher consequence riding back within my comfort zone and these edits have helped me assess a feature/section innmore detail than i was previously.
Good videos guys!

Mugged (Apr 13, 2021 at 12:37)

Risk assessment and threat mitigation by two professionals. Reminds of the way we prepare for challenging landings in aviation. Sometimes that means choosing to not start the approach at all...awesome.

PRCVT (Apr 13, 2021 at 6:47)

I could watch these guys ride trail all day. Such incredible talent, commitment and an intelligent approach to riding these next level lines.

NERyder FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:02)

Both rider have such easy style

Tormy FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:28)

It is nice to see the talking through it. I could never imagine some the things these guys are hitting. I have stuff that is at my level but nothing remotely close to this and I have days where I might look at something and say not today even though I just hit it the day before. Yo has the all the tools to hit that, just needs to be in the right mind set. If the mind is not certain, the body/skill will not always win.

50percentsure (Apr 12, 2021 at 14:15)

These lads are so great to watch together. They are both crazy, but on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Ktron (Apr 12, 2021 at 19:13)

Mad respect to not just see the amount of time and depth in analysing the feature, but that after all that they still have the mindset to pull out and walk away to try another day if it doesn’t feel right.

chris-brown225 FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 22:11)

Nice work! Great to see the behind the scenes work that goes into hitting a line like that. Also, makes you realise the level Remy is on that he hit that line in the snow!

swellhunter (Apr 13, 2021 at 10:17)

I would have to spend two days analyzing the section he flew threw "warming back up"

danstonQ (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:21)

Merci Chip and Dale

fiftypercentsure (Apr 12, 2021 at 14:29)

Nice helmet choice Yoann

slow-af-rider (Apr 13, 2021 at 14:50)

That “chicken line” is the death line for me!

madmon (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:22)

starting to feel like Deja VU

konamat (Apr 13, 2021 at 2:42)

Such a professional way to analyse these crazy features. Good to see Yoann turning his brain on sometimes ha ha!

lastminutetech (Apr 13, 2021 at 12:48)

Respect, Yoann

howsyourdad (Apr 13, 2021 at 4:20)

one minute silence from Yoann... impossible! Awesome video, so rad

further-your-ride (Apr 14, 2021 at 12:39)

Awesomeness!!!

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ReformedRoadie (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:35)

More actual riding in the Loris edit.

likeittacky (Apr 12, 2021 at 20:52)

Such a Dip Shit!

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ReformedRoadie (Apr 13, 2021 at 6:38) (Below Threshold)

@likeittacky: hey, if you want to spend half an hour to watch 3 minutes of riding...who's the dip shit?
when you're done wanking over their bromance, don't forget to smash the like button.

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wake-n-rake (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:26)

I know I'm a grumpy old fart, but the 'famous drop' is 5 minutes from housing and is very popular with walkers, kids, dogs etc and poor sightlines from the top. It'd be awesome if all these riders filming it would show some responsibility and tell people to look before they leap. And if anyone says that walkers shouldn't be on the trail, it's private land, an unsanctioned trail with an unsanctioned drop thrown on top of it. Everyone has the same rights. I'm not saying that it shouldn't have been built but let's use some common sense eh?

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juicebanger FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 12:41)

They literally scope everything first, are spotting when the other is riding, and do multiple speed checks. They demonstrate everything that one should do for riding these lines.

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no-good-ideas FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:19)

@wallheater did you even watch the video?

Canuker (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:30)

Not sure how you watch that video and come to the conclusion that not enough common sense was shown.

no-good-ideas FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 13:42)

@Canuker: This person clearly did not watch the video.

wake-n-rake (Apr 12, 2021 at 14:52) (Below Threshold)

@juicebanger: they are doing the right thing and have exemplary brake control. The point is simply that maybe reinforce the fact it is REALLY important that OTHER people do the right thing

I watched the video but maybe I missed the bit where they told us that this is a popular walking trail and to watch out for other trail users? I knew this wouldn't be a popular opinion on a site like this but whatever..... (and if not clear, I'm not talking about the Guaranga line.....but I am not going to disclose where the drop in question is....)

likeittacky (Apr 12, 2021 at 20:49)

@wallheater: And if your an idiot on a hike, knowing that its a trail where extreme mtn biking goes down, then you also may need a good lecture. Not that bikers have more right of way; but hikers that are not aware and resistant to give heed, are making a bad choice upon entering sections of trail oblivious to possible dangers.

chris-brown225 FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 22:05)

"It shouldn't have been built" I don't think you're talking about the same drop, maybe watch the video before making dumb comments, they're jumping between two pieces of natural rock

gramboh FL (Apr 12, 2021 at 23:43)

not disagreeing with you, just asking if many people hike Gouranga? I guess it has a nice view from the rock drop area. I've never seen hikers around the slab trails at Alice Lake, only dog walkers on the double tracks and hikers on Jacks/Four Lakes etc.

wake-n-rake (Apr 13, 2021 at 8:06)

@gramboh: I'm not talking about Gouranga though. It's the 'other' drop that they go to that I am referring to which people seem to be missing. No-one hikes up the final Gouranga face so huck away all day. All good there. But FWIW that whole is area popular with walkers. People hike / run up the easy exit of Gouranga, across to Highway To Hell and up to the top.

wake-n-rake (Apr 13, 2021 at 8:17)

@chris-brown225: oh the irony

They move away from Gouranga at one point to hit, and I quote from the video the 'famous drop', which is the one that I am referring to. So yes, maybe watch the video and get some Squamish trail knowledge before making dumb comments

Yes, the rock to rock drop is totally fine. Huck away because no-one ever walks up there, as it's too steep and there are two other walking options to get to the top of that section. Thanks also for quoting me out of context. I didn't say that it shouldn't have been built. Merely that people need to watch for walkers as the trail is unsanctioned / not on Trailforks and people walk up it a lot. IMHO it would be really smart for influencers / 'content creators' to point stuff out like this as emergency services are called out around here too much as it is.