Life experiences make us realize that we are in a learning process that is called life. When I was 10 years old a problem of growth cost me 2 years. This experience was, perhaps, what determined my destiny. Next to my father who was in the construction business, I started at the age of 18 in 1978 to be a manager of a company. Then I learned in sports how to organize my sports and film events followed by a career as a coach and conference speaker.
In 1988, I obtained the state diploma as a physical trainer and I started working for the cinema with the famous team “Rémy Julienne Action”. My life was quickly transformed by speed, involvement, creativity, danger, risk and at times a border line free fall, but always with a vision and spirit of sharing. I have tried to understand these parallel paths I took which were so stimulating, but at the same time, complicated and difficult to manage.
Only at the age of 34 in 1994 did I discover mountain biking and from that moment on all went very quickly. At 35, I joined the French Mountain Bike Team, but, meanwhile, continuing the management of my small business. I won the European Downhill Championship in Czech Republic, just one month after winning the World Championship in Germany. This dazzling European career lasted only 6 months.
At the same time, I was drawn to pure speed on snow on a mountain bike, then mountain biking on land for 1994 to 2000. I set a good number of world records including the famous 2000 record on snow at 222.22 km/h on a speed slope in Arcs, an incredible exploit I have underestimated.
Two years later in 2002 on a volcano slope in Nicaragua with an ultimate land speed attempt, I beat the world record. However, I almost perished at a speed of 172 km/h because of defective equipment. I was destroyed physically and mentally. I encountered chaos, breakdown, rebuilding and coming back. All of this was an incredible experience and it was not because of my accident, but thanks to my accident that I’ve become a strong man whose only limits are those I set.
