Eric Barone
Eric Barone is an entrepreneur who clashes, who shakes up received ideas, for nearly 30 years, he has led the development of his business and a sports career. Top-level athlete, downhill mountain bike world champion, true extreme adventurer with multiple world records for cycling speed, Eric is also a stuntman for the cinema. This atypical, difficult and tortuous journey punctuated by successes, failures and an accident of life, forged her personality and her philosophy of life which is today her strength and a real source of inspiration.
For Eric an obstacle is a springboard, a problem, a solution, he does not think like you and me, so what!
In 2012 at the age of 52, after his reconstruction following an accident 10 years earlier, Eric sets out again to attack the mountains with the success that we know, a world record: 227.720 km/h by bike on snow.
Today a real speaker, Eric expresses through conferences, meetings, his vision of life or health through prevention has become his profession.
In 2019 Eric piloted a pioneering project, the birth of a sports discipline named Alpine Snow Bike, www.alpinesnowbike.com
Discipline which seduced the greatest authorities of cycling, the UCI (Union Cyclisme International) which approved it in stride. This ambitious project is underway, an international circuit is under discussion with the UCI in 2023 and the 1st French FFC Championship (French Cycling Federation) will take place during the winter of 2021/22. Event which would also be the first planetary competition of its kind
FOUNDATION OF A NEW DISCIPLINE
The Maison Mondiale du Cyclisme UCI (Union Cycling International) validated with great interest in June 2018 this new Alpine Snow Bike discipline founded by Éric BARONE.
The principle is simple, the terrestrial attraction by the descent, a handlebar, a snowy and hard ground, it does not need more to associate rolling and sliding. A driving sensation identical to a motorcycle circuit, fun and playful.
Inspired by alpine skiing, whether downhill, super G, Cross, the bike in its place on snow. This new discipline, tested over 4 winters, offers the prospect of using the AE (Electric Assistance) mountain bike around the “Nordic e.bike” hike inspired by Nordic skiing. Practitioners having tried themselves, experience their safety interest in this practice of cycling on snow where the fall is less penal than on land.
For the little ones, the tests carried out on a “snow garden” type course on balance bikes are very popular. For all its forms of practice, a short technical apprenticeship is necessary to feel the reactions (grip in turns and braking). Once this initiation stage is over, it’s time for pure pleasure.
For more information: www.alpinesnowbike.com
THE ORIGIN OF THE RED BARON
The Red Baron alias Eric Barone, legend of extreme sports was baptized thus by the specialized press, the name and the color of the combination of Eric Barone is surely responsible for it.
The human qualities of Eric Barone throughout his long career to be fair to himself and to others, to pay attention to others are linked to the real character named the Red Baron who was this famous German pilot during the 1st World War, named Manfred Von Richthofen.
His passion for aviation makes him almost forget that Europe is at war. He became a legend by his position in front of the German army by using his image for propaganda purposes. He must then make the choice between his distaste for war and his sense of duty…
PARALLEL PERFORMANCE
This PARALLEL PERFORMANCE was born in the head of Éric Barone by a need to find a mental of steel following his accident in 2002 in Nicaragua.on the volcano. During these 6 years of reconstruction, Éric, already a business consultant, suggested showing through sporting action that there are several possible paths to achieve his goal. Breaking the rules, causing a rupture, change codes, which for him is synonymous with of creativity.
Eric therefore tackled this parallel performance to (in absolute terms) become the fastest man on the planet in a basket by running the 100m from a standing start on uneven sloping ground.
This parallel performance was not suppressed to denigrate these great sprint Champions like Maurice Greene in 9.79 in 1999 or Tim Mongomery in 9.78” in 2008, or more recently Usain Bolt in 9.58” in 2009 , but rather to open the mind on the paths of entrepreneurial projects.
At the same time it showed Eric that these great Champions were even greater than he thought because running at this speed on the flat is just phenomenal!
At the time of his project, Eric contacted Stéphane Caristan, 110m hurdle world champion, to get his opinion on this challenge.
Stéphane Caristan replied as follows to Éric:
From a purely sporting point of view, it seems difficult to me to beat the world record in the 100m downhill and in basketball…
At the time, Éric contacted Stéphane Caristan World Champion in the 110m hurdle to get an opinion on this challenge.
Stéphane Caristan replied this to Eric:
On a purely sporting level, it seems difficult to beat the world record in the 100m downhill and in basketball…
The descent being carried out on an unstable ground on the one hand and on the other hand, the more the ground will be inclined, the more it will seem to me difficult to break the world record.
I don’t doubt your desire to ”throw” yourself downhill to get this world record but on the muscular and technical level, it seems unlikely to me to be able to achieve such a performance… This being said without a real study of the ”problem” but ”like that”, it seems to me really difficult to beat this performance without being a ”real sprinter”.
A study of the terrain, substantial training and physical and technical preparation over several months (not to say years ……………), seems to me the minimum to hope to take up such a challenge!
But you are, aren’t you?
His return email pleased Eric because the word ”improbable” sounded in him like ”impossible” and that was the trigger to say let’s go, we’re setting up the project because above all, this sporting action was a personal need for Éric in the process of his reconstruction.
It was on the slopes of the same volcano as his accident in Nicaragua that several years later, Éric established this world first.
9.08 ” the official time of this 100m in rough terrain on a slope
His top speed was over 47 km/h and according to him, if he would have swung his torso forward at the finish, he could have gone below the 9′ mark.
Whatever the objective was achieved and Eric had been right to believe in it!
MOVIE THEATER
In parallel with his dazzling career in downhill mountain biking, Eric stuntman in the famous Team of “Rémy Julienne action” achieved several world 1sts such as a back flip on a scooter in 1998 in the famous film Taxi 1 by Luc Besson as well as the pursuit in scooter at the beginning of the film, this, after having done it a few years earlier on a motorcycle (a world first), during a night show under the leadership of Rémy Julienne.
Eric also realizes in this same Taxi 1 another figure this famous jump of hands over the handlebars of the scooter, figure which Eric often takes again on his VTT during events conferences and seminars.
In Taxi 3 it’s always Eric who does all the fast mountain bike chases with this famous Santa Claus gang except for the trial passage on the cars where Thierry Girard World Champion of mountain bike trials is fun to do.
His last appearance with 34 other stuntmen was in Luc Besson’s film “Lucy” with Scarlett Johansson.
THE VOLCANIC ADVENTURES OF THE RED BARON
EGS has been my premium partner with SUNN Bicycles during all these adventurous years of mountain biking which also allowed me to test their fabulous products.
ACCIDENT IN 2002
This dramatic accident which could have cost him his life was a real revelation about our potential. In the section: : Mon Chaos – Ma Renaissance,
Éric explains in detail his path of “re” construction and the strength he has drawn from it…
Following this accident, Éric did not get back on a bike for 10 years.
It is only by a coincidence at the age of 52 that Éric gets back in the saddle with a clear and asserted vision of a project; seek in 2015 and 2017 new world speed records for mountain biking on snow by relying on technology. And in 2016 take a break involving artists with the aim of performing an artistic performance.
A vision of projects that motivated his entire team.
Crédit photo © : Richard BORD | Marc REBUTTINI | Olivier LEBLOND | Alban PERNET | TAM TAM | Eric BARONE