Ludovic Henry is the guest on En Roue Libre Podcast
Episode in French.
Ludovic Henry is the organiser of the Pyrénées Bike Festival and of the downhill and enduro mountain bike World Cup in Loudenvielle.
He turned a small resort tucked away at the end of a valley in the Pyrenees into a top-tier destination on the world mountain bike scene.
And yet you can’t say he started with the best cards in hand, or nearly.
Because originally, the small resort of Loudenvielle Peyragudes didn’t really have cycling and mountain biking in its sights, and it was through repeated discussions with local stakeholders, after presenting them with a solid project, that the way ahead cleared.
In this episode, expect to discover:
– How Ludovic discovered Loudenvielle and what motivated him to make it a mountain bike destination.
– The economic and political stakes involved in developing this destination, and the key role events play in that development.
– The negotiations he had to lead to host international events like the World Cup.
– What it takes in teamwork and organisation to offer routes for leisure riders as well as the best riders in the world.
– The difficulties he faced and how he overcame them.
– His vision for the future of Loudenvielle
– And plenty of other things.
Discover the 150 pump tracks built by Htracks and find the ones closest to you at Htracks.com.
Episode chapters:
00:00 Teaser
01:47 Introducing En Roue Libre
02:18 Introducing Ludovic Henry
03:48 Why the Pyrénées Bike Festival exists
06:31 The intention behind it
09:51 Does a destination work without events?
15:04 How Ludovic arrived in Loudenvielle
23:08 The open-mindedness of local officials
25:29 Freeride trails in Loudenvielle?
29:24 How do you convince officials to host World Cups?
35:53 Keeping volunteers on board
40:38 The idea of organising a World Cup
47:22 How do you build a World Cup track?
55:45 His view on the tiny gaps between riders
58:07 How do you measure an event’s success?
01:03:04 The line between fun flares and not-so-fun flares in the finish area
01:07:00 A World Championship?
01:11:50 The economic benefits
01:15:52 What we can wish him for the future?
01:17:12 A next guest?
01:18:30 A final word?
01:19:27 My final word
01:21:51 Outro
Episode links
The Pyrénées Bike Festival: pyreneesbikefestival.com/
Thanks to the Hôtel Mercure Loudenvielle Peyragudes for treating us like royalty.
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