Damien Oton: from plumber to one of France’s best enduro racers

Damien Oton is a former professional enduro mountain bike racer, owner of the Mondovélo shop in Perpignan and development rider for Orbea

Damien’s journey is the polar opposite of the classic paths that usually lead to mountain bike racing.

After leaving school at 13, he worked as a plumber for 10 years, and on the sports side he seemed well on his way to following in the footsteps of his father, who rode motocross.

But everything changed for him when he put his hands on the handlebars of a mountain bike. And it paid off: despite coming to racing late, he went on to build one of the finest track records among French enduro riders, up against riders who sometimes went as far as doping to stay ahead.

Today, Damien splits his time between developing his bike shop and his role as test rider for Orbea, and you’ll see that he still has a few great things left to achieve.

In this episode, expect to discover:
– How, out of nowhere, Damien made his debut in enduro mountain biking, supported by a certain Anne-Caroline Chausson

– His particular relationship with the training sessions his coach cooked up for him
– How he experienced the doping cases of his two main rivals, enduro world champions just ahead of him

– How he is living the entrepreneurial adventure with his bike shop, and his advice to fellow shop owners for facing discounters

– How he contributes to the development of Orbea’s enduro range
And plenty of other things.

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A huge thank you to the Mercure Loudenvielle for hosting us to record this episode.