Tony Seagrave: is downhill going too fast? Safety, concussions and talent spotting
Downhill has never been this fast, and for Tony Seagrave, safety is not keeping up. The team manager of Orbea FMD Racing, a team built from nothing around a single rider, his daughter, sat down at the En Roue Libre mic.
I met Tony Seagrave in Les Gets, the day before the World Cup, in an apartment lent by Emerald Stay. I wanted to understand how a football coach ends up running one of the biggest set-ups in the paddock, and what you learn when your own daughter is kept away from racing.
Speed, tracks and safety
The conversation covers tracks that have become too straight, helmets getting bigger and airbags. Tony Seagrave talks about what he calls the bubble wrap around the riders, and about the role of television, the UCI and the Formula 1 model in the sport’s evolution.
Concussions, sensors and the connected mouthguard
He discusses the connected mouthguard he paid for out of his own pocket, which he believes should be compulsory in racing. He also calls out some sensors on the market that do not do what they claim.
Orbea, Subaru and talent spotting
The talk also covers Subaru and Orbea, style, speed suits, neck braces and the wind tunnel, and a football that costs 15 pounds when a bike costs a hundred times more. Tony Seagrave keeps running development camps and is now looking for kids who do not own a bike yet. He would also like Tahnée to come and tell her side of it, on the mic.
And you, should a concussion sensor be compulsory in racing? Tell us in the comments.
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This episode is supported by SFG (Protect Bike, bike insurance) and Emerald Stay (official accommodation supplier of the Les Gets World Cup). To keep up, subscribe to the En Roue Libre newsletter (in French). You can also find the podcast on Spotify and on the site.
