Video: RockShox - French Lessons
French Lessons — What is the secret of mountain biking’s fastest language?
What makes French mountain bikers so fast? Is it the air? The mountains? The cuisine? Is it the fact that there are about 1,000 varieties of French cheese? Their ability to invade neighboring countries to shred awesome trails? Anne-Caroline Chausson, Nicolas Vouilloz and Julien Absalon took home more than 30 World Championships between them — and we won’t even mention the World Cup wins, Olympic medals and rally-car championship. Loic Bruni rode away with this year’s UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championship faster than you could devour a baguette and chunk of Brie..
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We headed to La Thuile, Italy, to study the habits of a few of our French friends and, hopefully, tap into the secrets of their incredible style and speed. This beautiful alpine recreation destination, which was once known for its coal mines rather than ski slopes and mountain bike trails, is a hotspot for French mountain bikers. Its terrain makes it the perfect proving ground for some of the world’s fastest enduro riders and their equipment.
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The reality of racing a mountain bike for a living is often one of uncertainty, exhaustion, sickness and injury. To be good at it, riders have to truly embrace the joie de vivre of mountain biking. Perhaps that’s the reason why Fabien Barel, now retired after a career that included two Downhill World Championship titles, enjoys every day on the bike like he did back at the start of his 20-year career. Perhaps it is why Yoann Barelli is always smiling and laughing.
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To be truly fast, a rider also has to have a creative approach to racing lines and life itself. Bryan Regnier has a nose for fine wine and an impressionist interpretation to line selection. And so does Pauline Dieffenthaler, who, while riding “like a girl”, manages to go faster than many of the boys.
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So what is it? Ask Walker Shaw. Shaw is half American and half Belgian, knows how to smile and is plenty quick on the trails. But there’s just another certain something special about French mountain bikers and their ability to dominate race-result lists — a certain je ne sais quoi.
You say you want to ride faster? It might help to learn French.
Photos by: Adrian Marcoux
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MENTIONS: @SramMedia / @mindspark
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step 2: go straight there.
Just like the French, I [can't] manual.
SRAM Marketing Guys:"Sh*t! What do we do with that Frenchie Enduro vid we made? Ah screw it, just wait a few weeks and no one will get it anyway."
The starving orphan line in the first paragraph is hands-down the most crass, and unfunny attempt at humour I have ever heard in my life - the line would make Frankie Boyle blush (Google him!)
B) Starving oprhans exist. There is nothing wrong with mentioning that. In fact, trying to sweep it under the carpet is probably worse...
Venez sur nos terres d'enduro guyz, come on !!!!
Now that I have signed up to learn french, I am not afraid to learn it anymore
No need to joke about a starving orphan to make this stupid point. It is in very poor taste, especially for a site dedicated to a sport only people with extra cash can enjoy. Terrible writing; oblivious and out of touch with reality.