Vallnord World Cup: A Day With Remi Thirion
All through this season there has been one rider that all of the photographers and filmmakers have been talking about. A young, quiet French guy has been smashing apart the biggest, manliest lines the circuit can offer and looking good doing it. That rider is Remi Thirion and before his result today we were going to tell you that he's a rider you need to start watching as he is undoubtedly something a bit special... Now there's little we need to say about him. He also has history on his side, he rides for Commencal, who are supported by BOS Suspension this season. That brings back together the two men, Max Commencal and Olivier Bossard. The last time they worked together was on the legendary V-Process team in the 90s that propelled Nico Vouilloz and Anne-Caroline Chausson to success after success...
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 It was a fairly easy start for Remi, rolling into the pits about half eight to give himself some time to chill and get ready for the short practice session in the morning. |
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| Cut spikes were the tyre of choice for the track here in Vallnord. His mechanic, Loic, spent much of the morning trimming them down so he had fresh rubber for the big show. |
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| Remi's Commencal Supreme isn't just any bike, it's made out of lighter weight tubing than the production models, which sheds between 200 and 500g, depending on the size frame. |
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| Before practice runs Arthur from BOS Suspension popped by for a quick air pressure check and a couple of last small adjustments. |
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| Lying here on the table like this, it may not look like much... But this is something a little bit special for mountain biking. In fact this kind of approach hasn't been seen at a World Cup downhill races since when the Sunn team run by Max Commencal and Olivier Bossard worked together to dominate downhill for the best part of a decade. Today it is back in mountain biking when, well... Max Commencal and Olivier Bossard have started working closely together again. All of the big suspension companies datalog at some point, but to use it as part of a race weekend is something else. |
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| This is the digital output of the datalogging, they are measuring wheel speed, travel used, acceleration and the composure of the bike. |
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| After the first day of data logging, Arthur the BOS technician realised they were going to need a larger air volume in the rear. A quick call to the factory in Toulouse and one late night shift for an engineer later new air cans were with the team. |
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| Some days Arthur at BOS has a tough job. He has to go and ride his downhill bike, dialling in the fork tunes so they are ready to be dropped into the racers forks. The tape at the bottom is to mark which tune this is and who tuned it. |
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| Production versions of these bikes come with a solid brace there, but at the request of BOS the race bikes are machined out to give the bikes a bit more flex in the rear end. |
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| Remi's setup for this course was to go high and slack, getting the bar height up and taking a little of the head angle with an Angleset. |
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| He is a very precise man, spending a good deal of time getting his tear-offs and lenses just right in between practice runs. |
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| Drifting a couple of corners in practice. He had a little slide off the bike on the second run, but was feeling good. |
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| A quick glance at the timetable to see how much time he had to get out and do another run before the track closed. |
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| Unfortunately he was a little late, getting to the track just as it closed. |
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| The Riding Addiction Commencal is by no means a big team, their meal times have a distinctly family feel to them. |
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| After an afternoon nap Remi was back out and checking his bike over with Loic. |
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| This was a familiar site for the afternoon: waiting, passing time quietly. If all you see of downhill racing is the live feed, you'd be forgiven for thinking it is all action. Reality is far from that. Days consist of lots of waiting for those short spells of intense action. |
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| Clean kit, fresh googles and his helmet ready for the race run. |
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| About 15 minutes before his run Remi began his warm-up, it started with plenty of steady spinning on the bike building up to short sprints. Nothing too exhausting, but enough to warm his muscles up and break a sweat so his body is ready to go all-out when he reaches the race track. |
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| Then, just before he heads out, time for a few quick skids and wheelies around the paddock. |
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| Leaving the pits behind for the start gate. |
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| As far as the timing gate where he signs for his transponder while the marshall fits it. |
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| Ever wondered what the red dots are on the forks of World Cup riders? Now you know, timing transponders. |
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| And he's off... |
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| What is there to say about the run that followed? Sublime is the only word. |
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| Riding for Commencal at a race on the French border meant this was more or less a home race and in the age old tradition of racing, when the local lad won, the crowd went nuts. |
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| Remi is a shy man, it was hard to hear what he was saying to the TV crews over the noise, but the safe bet is very little. That grin says everything that needs to be said. |
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| Olivier Bossard was one of the first people to congratulate him once the media and the crowd gave him a minute. This is a big day for Olivier too, the last racer who won his suspension was a certain Nico Vouilloz back in 2002. This is the first time a World Cup downhill has been won on an airshock and, after being here datalogging all week, you have to wonder how big a part that work played in Remi's victory. Even Olivier can't say for sure, racing is never as simple as a single element, but there is no doubt that lots of little factors all add up to big results. |
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| The police stepped in to give the official camera crew access to speak to him. |
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| Grinning ear-to-ear. His teammate, Miriam Nicole, took third in the women's race today and he joined her out of the way while they waited for their podiums. |
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| A changing of the guard. On the day one Frenchman who reached legendary status, Cedric Gracia, retires a Frenchman wins a World Cup for the first time since Fabien Barel stepped away from the sport. |
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| A short walk behind the screens and... |
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| ...Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2013 Andorra World Cup, Remi Thirion! |
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The French really seem to take their sport La seriously. Well done Remi.
sounds like he had to go to the toilet real urgent if you write world cup like that ..haa
They're the legend of the bike engineering.
It was Max Commencal who in 1982 he started his first bicycle company, Sunn Bicycles.
Then, in 1993 he invited Olivier Bossard to take care of the suspension in his race bikes.
In 1994 François Gachet and Anne Caroline Chausson aboard Sunn bikes went on to win everything:
World Cups, World Champs, European Champs and French Champs.
The rest is history!
BOS took it very seriously in Vallnord and it paid off!
goo.gl/HSClKz
Video of Remi Thirion testing BOS suspension in Vallnord @ 5:16
www.pinkbike.com/news/Video-DirtTV-vallnord-World-Cup-Qualifying-2013.html
Then I'm so glad for Remi!! he's such a gnarly rider on the track, and so calm off!!! Well deserved win, and to live this on the inside was amazing!!!! BRAVO, CHAPEAU L'ARTISTE!
That happens on a lot of sport broadcasts, not only on free ones. You can´t blame Red Bull for that.
Great news from Cam Cole, he's sore but moving around after that nasty crash yesterday.
twitter.com/CamColeMTB
Many thanks to Remi Nico Fabien Damien Anne Caro, all the guys and girls still shredding and, of course, thank you Cedric!
(absolutely no offense to other nationalities rider.)
(and by the way: GOOOO TROY!!!)
Good for Remmi yesterday!!!!!
Interesting that it was not the suspension, the light frame, the datalogging that won the race, but the vision and commitment of a rider to spot and ride 1 line, 1 section so much faster than anyone else.
Gee was so far up with 40s to go he was out of probably the 5th last corner before Remi entered it, then there was the steep steps section as you exit the woods. Remi and Sam insided the way in when others went around it, then Remi insided and doubled the way out, the line and commitment was a winning formula, Gee made a mistake going outside, add the carried speed and Remi demonstrated how much 1 line can be worth.
A well deserved win, just based on that line alone.
Knowing the result and spkit times in advance of the delayed coverage made it more exciting in some respects, looking for where it was won and lost. Gotta say I screamed when he hit that inside line and doubled the flat bit at the bottom of the chute. Sooooo good.
No mention of how he handled the delay for Cole crash...obviously unaffected tho, haha
What model Kenda has rolled you ?