Isael Cote - Interview by bpvideo

Last season a young filmer by the name of Jonathan Desrosiers came to us with his film that he'd been working on for the past 2 seasons. He filmed it all over Canada and with some riders that we hadn't heard of before and others that are well known in the industry. One part that really stood out was that of Isael Cote and the massive double road gab that he does in the film. Recently Jonathan sat down with Isael and they talked about the gap and life in general, here's the interview.Interview with Isael Cote - Pictures courtesy of Rene Gouin - Questions by Jonathan Desrosiers

Could you introduce yourself to the people reading at home?
My name Is Isael Coté, I'm 30 years old and I’m from Quebec city. I've been mountain biking for the past 6 years.

Since you live on the east coast, how would you describe the riding over there?
Humms! It’s not really the same style compared to the west coast. Freeriding is less popular than DH and the only thing we can ride is DH trails without bikepark, jumps and drops. There are lots roots, rocks and steep single tracks. I like riding Mont-Ste-Anne in the Québec city area, the mountain could be one of the best hills ever if a few modifications would be done around a couple of their trails.

How would you describe your last season riding around the west coast?
I had a very nice season. I spent the season in Whistler and the only thing I did was ride my bike. The secret of Whistler and of theses areas is that they haves trails everywhere. It’s not the same for Qc, not a lot of trails or setups except on the resort property. I had the chance to film with John from BP video. He showed me around and we've been building and riding a lot of sick spots all across BC filled with jumps and technical stunts. The first time that I went out riding during the winter season was in Abbotsford. When I arrived and realize how big the stuff around Abby was, it was like a slap in the face and I knew right away that I would have pretty sick riding season.

The readers at home might not know this but you’ve been riding at a pro level in several sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding, what made you switch to mountain biking?
I did a lot of vert ramp on my skateboard to a point that I got kind of bored but riding my snowboard is still a passion for me during the winter. Mountain biking gives me access to a lot of ‘Air time’ possibilities and being surrounded with steep hills and trees when your riding is as good as it gets for me.

You are pretty good at gauging your speed on big stuff, do you think that hitting big airs on your snowboard has anything to do with it?
Going big on my snowboard helps me out a lot! Especially when I need to gauge my speed for a big biking stunt. Obviously, I much prefer landing at the bottom of the transition than landing short but I have to say that knowing the right speed before hitting something has been one of my biggest strengths.

Did you have any nightmares after the first time that you saw the double road gap?
The first time that I saw the double road gap , I tought that it was impossible to jump it without braking my neck but not a night had passed by without thinking about it before going to sleep. Then I went back many times, even before making the decision of even building it. The next week we started up building the run in but I was still not sure if I would commit on it or not. The day that I felt right, I decide to jump that bad boy because I was 100 % sure that I would land that gap.

With many huge consequences if things went wrong, what made you commit to hit to such a big gap?
This is the type of thing that I don’t really think about when I’m biking but I never throw myself into something that I think that I’m not gonna be able to succeed at. I think that it was worth it to face my fear because it kind of made me grow up in a way.

How's this season looking so far?
This year I’m riding way more downhill since I’m back living in the east. I've been racing a little bit when I find time off work and I've started building a couples of jumps in the area close from where I live. I try to focus on having fun on my bike and I’m always looking for new stunts that would inspire me.

Do you plan to look for sponsors for this upcoming season?
I knocked on fews doors to find some kind of sponsorship help without any luck. Of course it's not the same over here living in Quebec because the sport is not as popular as it is in British-Colombia. I'd like to be able to film more and visit new destinations.

Any last words?
I want thank everyone who made my season great in Whistler, Bullet proof video and the guys from on the edge distribution. Keep on riding!