Quadruple downhill mountain bike world champion, Loïc Bruni is sponsoring the Outdoor Festival 06 in the Alpes-Maritimes this year. The 27-year-old young man from Nice confides in Paris Match on his way of understanding his sport and filling up on sensations. Meet.
You are one of the youngest ambassadors of this Outdoor Festival, which promotes activities in the heart of nature in the Alpes-Maritimes. What do you want to pass on to those who want to discover mountain biking?
The goal is really to inspire them and to discuss, if they have questions about my background. I have been mountain biking for ten years, so I can share my experience. By bringing together life experiences, I think it’s important that they take advantage of each other’s advice. When it’s young people, I tell them to enjoy every moment. We have time, the goal is to do it for fun, to give ourselves every chance without taking ourselves too seriously and avoiding missing out on life’s opportunities. There are so many things to share. This sport is special, we are against the clock and we don’t really have a direct opponent. We are all very good friends and we have the same values. Even our rivals, we will rub shoulders with them. But we don’t have the same team spirit as in team sports. But when you’re 15, I tell them above all to enjoy themselves and do things well. It’s true that I’m not too available with training and competitions…I’d like to do more things, develop cycling in 06 (the Alpes-Maritimes). This is my native region and I would like to be more present to represent my sport and develop this discipline thoroughly.
Read also: We tested for you: snorkeling, hiking and zip-lining in the Alpes-Maritimes
When you go downhill with a mountain bike, how do you feel? What I love about mountain biking is that you can really feel a lot of things. Mountain biking is choosing sensations. You can pedal for your physical condition, for your own good and to exert yourself. But for my sport, it’s quite specific, I feel like I’m having fun. You get in the truck and you only have the good part where it goes down, where you can stop whenever you want. You can ride alone or with your friends. It’s different all the time, and every day teaches you how to master new conditions. Through this sport, I also like the freedom, especially when you are in the forest. There’s no one, it’s escape, you only see beautiful things. As soon as I go into nature, I don’t see it as a path but more like a playground: you accelerate, you go right to left… You will use each element of the ground to help you and everything seems more natural !
Read also: Guillaume Néry: “I try to be a voice of the sea”
You have nevertheless injured yourself several times, in a more or less serious way, while practicing this discipline… Is downhill mountain biking a dangerous sport in your opinion? Every sport has risks. In the case of mountain biking, you ride in stones, in trees. If you’re tired or not in top form, you can easily make turns and go into the background. If you hurt yourself, you lose confidence, but that’s part of the game. In training, we train for this type of situation so we know it’s a possibility. Every day can then end with a good workout or a good injury. You have to keep in mind that this is a sport where you have no room for error.
“
My mother didn’t think you could make a good living with the sport I do today
“
Several people among your relatives (your father, the cyclist Jean Pierre Bruni, your partner, etc.) practice mountain biking in competition. How does it help you on a daily basis?My family in Nice understands my situation very well, even if my father has done mountain biking on a different scale. I always needed to go to school because my mother didn’t think you could make a good living with the sport I do today. The relatives I love are very aware of the situation. Sometimes when I come back from a preparation or competition weekend, for two or three days I’m a living hell if it goes badly… But my girlfriend understands all that and supports me every day. We have so much to bring and share. And it’s the same thing when I go on the road: the family has an important role and I know that I can talk to them. Even if I’m not too present, they are always there when I need them. And I’m so happy to be able to share that with my father, it’s a passion that really brings us closer! When I was younger, he gave me advice but now I have made my way. We have a very different approach, because our disciplines are not exactly the same. But it’s really good to talk to someone who really knows what I’m going through. Next step: the rest of the World Cup in Scotland. How do you feel ?I am prepared and confident, but above all very excited at the idea of participating in this competition. Between the first stage in Lourdes and this one, there was a big break, which allowed me to have had time to prepare and learn from my mistakes. Today I’ve mastered what didn’t work in Lourdes, the speed is there but it’s still a real challenge. In any case, I really feel this competition. From there to say that I will win? I hope so, but see you in two weeks to find out!