Markus Stöckl is the guest on En Roue Libre Podcast
Episode recorded in English — French subtitles available
Markus Stöckl is a former downhill mountain bike racer and multiple speed world record holder — both on dirt and on snow.
He was also the first man to ride down Kitzbühel’s famous Streif on two wheels.
Today he owns the MS Racing team.
If you think Markus has retired from crazy projects and chasing speed records, think again.
During this conversation, you’ll hear him fighting a heavy cough — not because of a cold caught on his sofa, but because, at the time of recording, he had just returned from an expedition near Everest base camp, at 6,700 metres, where he believes the thinner air lets you go faster on a bike.
Some of Markus’s projects — like his descent of the Streif — have become among the most-watched Red Bull videos of all time, which might give the impression that he spends most of his time on this kind of challenge. But that’s not the case.
For Markus, mountain biking remains a passion above all, and there’s much more to his life than these spectacular stunts. In this conversation, you’ll get to discover these lesser-known sides.
I was lucky enough to meet Markus at the Loudenvielle downhill World Cup round, and in this conversation, expect to hear:
– How he became one of the very first Red Bull athletes in the brand’s history — and why he is still one today.
– How he started his quest for speed records, what it took to reach 210 km/h on snow and 167 km/h on dirt, and why he chose to set these records on production bikes.
– Some very intriguing details about his recent expedition to Everest base camp.
– The incredible story of his descent of the Streif on 1.5 cm studded tyres.
– Why he created his team, which has become one of the most successful on the circuit.
– Why he thinks gearboxes are the future of downhill.
– His unsuspected life away from the bike.
– And much more.
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My warmest thanks to the Hôtel Mercure Loudenvielle Peyragudes for welcoming us and allowing us to record this episode in excellent conditions.
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Episode chapters
00:00 Teaser
01:55 Introducing En Roue Libre
02:23 Introducing Markus Stöckl
05:15 Done with speed?
09:35 How it all started
14:42 Why speed biking?
18:09 Cycling as a hobby
22:56 His work as a scaffolder
24:20 His racing debut
28:51 Creating his team
32:56 The speed records
43:16 How to set a speed world record
46:27 The impact of the records on his career
47:50 The dirt record in the Atacama Desert
01:00:13 The Streif
01:05:39 The 1.5 cm studded tyres
01:12:31 Where is the speed limit?
01:14:42 His role as team manager
01:17:45 Val di Sole 2016
01:19:28 Riding with Zerode
01:27:10 What can we wish him for the future?
01:29:22 A guest he’d like to hear?
01:29:59 Final word
01:32:26 Outro
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