Enrico Guala, the “Pope of Enduro”, is the guest on En Roue Libre Podcast
Episode in French.
Enrico Guala is an entrepreneur and consultant in the bike industry, a driving force behind the development of Finale Ligure as a mountain bike destination, and co-founder of the Enduro World Series.
Enrico earned the nickname “Pope of Enduro” because, when announcing the results from a window overlooking the main square during a race, he had all the trappings of a supreme pontiff.
But it’s above all thanks to his commitment to developing mountain biking and enduro that he has been allowed to keep the nickname.
For 40 years, Enrico has worked to develop mountain biking in Italy, and more specifically in Finale Ligure, the promised land for every enduro rider.
Having drawn heavily on the model of French resorts to develop mountain biking in his home region in the early days, he has since built a genuine local industry that today generates more than €150 million in turnover and brings together more than 400 local businesses. A success story that tourist destinations around the world are now trying to learn from.
As a true enthusiast, Enrico has a wealth of experience to share and is generous with advice to help other regions replicate Finale’s success.
In this episode, expect to discover:
* How a small seaside resort on the Italian coast grew into a world reference for enduro mountain biking, and the central role events played in that development.
* The surprising roots of the exceptional density of trails you find there.
* How local stakeholders managed to come together around mountain biking, and the challenges and keys to success of such a complex local organisation.
* Enrico’s recommendations to French local authorities for developing mountain biking without jeopardising trail access.
* His view on the place of enduro in racing, and his proposals to make it attractive again.
* Why e-MTB racing has no future if nothing changes.
* How the race for motor power is putting an entire industry at risk.
* And plenty of other things.
Episode chapters
00:00 Teaser
01:47 Introducing En Roue Libre
02:22 Introducing Enrico Guala
03:25 Summary
04:14 A message from Shifter, this episode’s sponsor
05:13 Finale Ligure, the holy land?
05:53 Why Finale?
15:07 Mountain biking, something “real”
17:05 Enrico’s journey
26:09 How Finale became what it is today
38:48 Finale in numbers
45:33 The Finale Outdoor Region consortium
50:02 The difficulties
59:04 The challenges of developing mountain biking
01:01:46 The case of Molini
01:05:48 How to develop a destination without compromising it
01:08:21 Advice for tourist destinations
01:11:51 Enduro according to Enrico
01:16:17 Meeting Fred Glo and Chris Ball
01:25:13 His view on the place of enduro today
01:29:24 How to professionalise enduro?
01:32:56 What solutions?
01:39:39 Doping in enduro
01:42:14 E-MTB racing
01:46:49 Fairness in e-MTB racing?
01:51:55 How to bring manufacturers to reason?
01:54:16 Enrico’s final word
01:55:25 Thanking Enrico
01:58:55 Thank you
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