Trail-volution : Spots And Riders Grow Up Together

Once upon a time, in a far far away country beyond seas and mountains called "France" there was a bunch of friends fed by North American video production. They decided years ago to start building their own trails, according to the mood and the level of each riders. Nowadays the crew had changed, some people left, some others joined but the core is still the same. Let's follow us in this 10 years back jump.


2002

This is the beginning of the story. At this time we were always riding in pedestrian paths but as we were watching first videos coming from America we understood that if we wanted similar spots we had to dig. Thanks to loggers (hard to say that for me...) we found a place naked of trees on the upper part and with a beautiful forest covering all the resting area. A road was making the link between my front door and the top of the trail... let's go that's the place!

2004

After 2 years we had a full trail from the top of the mountain to my house. We started to build jumps, berms and crappy shores with the available material. We didn't even have a chainsaw! Luckily I found on an old hard disk this footage we shot this year. It's always fun to see this utterly non HD video and remember that at this time I already loved to shot in the snow.


You can see my first riding friends, Ivan and Geoffroy. Oh my god! I just realize that publishing this video is just giving everybody a chance to laugh at me.

2005

We dug a lot year before and all the upper part is done so let's make some shots.

David Dondana entering in the forest by a jump that doesn't exist anymore.

David Dondana and Gaetan Rey

David Dondana and Gaetan Rey. One of the first shore we made. Now destructed.


2006

This year saw the evolution to bigger things.

David Dondana on the upper part of the trail.

Gaetan Rey on the big road gap of the middle section. This one stood only one year. We could'nt find time to build the linkage to the rest of the trail and it became quickly a jungle of brambles.

Gaetan Rey on the big hip. That was so much fun to hit that 6 meters jump. So big for us at this time

Gaetan Rey. Another angle on the same road gap.

2010

No, there's no mistake, we are in 2010 yet. Things changed after 2006, all the crew split, I even stopped ride my bike. But after this break I came back and with the help of Nicolas Masse everything was rebuilt bigger and better. We worked on new shores, new jumps but keeping most of the original line. We just couldn't get through the vegetation of the top part. It was also time to make new videos.






I think that the best in trail building is when you just finish something, you take your bike and you test your work. Always a great time bursting fresh berms and hitting new jumps without knowing where you will land.

Nicolas Masse on the new rock gap.

Gaetan Rey on the edge without pulling the trigger.

Gaetan Rey hitting the new step down shore for the first time.

The first shore of the trail rebuilt. You can see old version on the tree stump below.

2011

Building, riding and then shooting!


Now adding young talents to the crew. Here is our rising star Vincent Tupin and our beloved logger Etienne Gurnel

The track evolved with the rider likes but also in function of the bike we were riding. With David, we rode also a lot hardtails. That's why we adapted some step downs with skinny chicken lines.

On the right you can see the first one shore destructed, on the middle the new step down and on the left the hardtail chicken line.



One foggy and slippery hardtail shredding of the trail


2012

This year was great! So much people came riding with us, so much people with a great smile at the bottom, so much unforgettable memories.






Chicken line with Nicolas Gaiffe.


Vincent Tupin throwing "wheel grenades" to that tree.


David Dondana trying to kill that tree... Or maybe his rear wheel...


Full speed brakeless line with Gaetan Rey


This is end of the story for the moment. Unfortunately loggers built a new road on the top. They stopped just between the two step down. We don't really now if they are going to cut the whole forest or just some trees or maybe nothing. So we are waiting and we ride this spot as much as we can. But even if it's destructed, it will just be the occasion to get there again with shovels and chainsaws and build new lines. Freeride still rocks!

Photos : Ludwig Rey, Gaetan Rey, David Dondana, Vincent Tupin
Text : Gaetan Rey

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