Return of the King - The Adrien Loron Interview

The Les Gets Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox will bring the maestros of raw, mano-a-mano racing to bear on the infamous dirt maze with Adrien Loron doubtless to be right at the front of the pack.

The 23-year-old French rider went pro after winning on the Crankworx pump track in Les Deux Alpes, and he's made it his mission to dominate the sport. Named the Crankworx Pump Track World Tour Champion two years running, he's famous for getting the jump on his competitors—quite literally. He's mastered the art of forgoing pedal strokes to pump down that straight and through the berms, though he's yet to repeat that initial first place finish in a single competition, compiling a collection of second and third places to earn his overall titles instead.


Now signed with Norco, and considered a pump track specialist, he's inching up the King of Crankworx roster—third in 2016—and itching to stand on the top step once more… But better to hear it from him. The interview:

Let’s talk Rotorua pump track. How was it competing in the finals against Keegan Wright, who had the whole crowd behind him?

I was expecting that, as I know he’s a pretty good rider, and it’s always a good help to be at home. But in the end, it wasn’t too bad or too different, because I was just focused on my goal and not really on the rider who was against me. So it was just like another race. I was also happy he won it because he deserved it and I think he’s a cool guy. So at the end, it wasn’t too bad because it was just a mistake from me and he took the win.



You mentioned your goal going in. People know you as someone who always pulls in strong results on the pump track. What type of goal do you go into these events with? Do you go in really wanting to take first, or to podium, or to be the best you can be?

As you said, everyone’s waiting for me when I’m competing in pump track, so my only goal is to win it. And especially, after the qualifying, because I was, again, the fastest rider who qualified, so I know I’m able to do it. I made a lot of mistakes in the last races, so my goal is still to win pump track season. So yeah, I go for the win, every time.

And because, as you say, people really know you as a pump track specialist now, does that add pressure? Or does it really push you to be on your game when it’s go-time?

I think both because, at the beginning, I won my first pump track event, and it was quite a surprise for me. I wasn’t really expecting that. And then the first races after my wins were really hard because, as you said, everyone was waiting for me and it was an extra pressure. But then I won again two years later, and I learned how to deal with it, and now I think it’s a good help because it pushes me to keep my level and improve all the time because I know people are waiting for me and I also want to be faster and stronger. So it’s a good help. It’s a good motivation.

You mentioned earlier, when we were talking about Keegan, that he was on home soil in Rotorua. Then you mentioned also that you first made your Crankworx name for yourself in Les 2 Alpes on the pump track. Do you feel that there is that home soil advantage? Does it push you harder when you’re competing in France, or is there more pressure?

It could be both. It could be a good help or it could be more help because all your friends are watching you, and your family too. Usually, I like it because I think I’m better when people that I love are watching me. I really give my best all the time. And yeah, I think it’s going to be a good help. I will do everything to feel comfortable and I hope I will be able to get a good result in front of my friends and my family.

On that note, how have you been practicing to get ready for Crankworx Les Gets?

To be honest, the last few months I haven’t really been practicing too much because I’ve been involved in a lot of different projects and competing in different disciplines too, so it’s quite hard to stay focused on only one discipline or only riding, nd also building a lot of tracks and different projects. So the month of May was very busy for me. I wasn’t riding too much, but now I have a week to get ready, so I’ll use this last week. I think it’s going to be enough, I hope.

Tell us about the bike you'll be riding on the pump track in Let Gets...
Norco Rampage
Frame Size: Large
Bar width: 74mm
Grips: Deity
Stem: 35mm
Weight: 10kg
Suspension setup: RockShox Pike DJ Rockshox—stiff as hell
Pedals: Acros flat pedals
Wheel size: 26
Carbon vs. aluminium wheels: Never tried carbon wheels
Brakes: Rear brake only SRAM Guide
Air vs. coil suspension: Air
Gearing: Single speed
Tyres: Schwalble Table Top
Tyre pressures: Front 4.5bar rear 5bar



With podium finishes in both pump track and dual speed and style in Rotorua, you’re currently in second behind Matt Walker in the battle for King of Crankworx. How does it feel starting off your season on such a strong note? Do you have a strategy to keep that momentum going?

I’ve been hunting this title for the past two years and got second and third, so I’m starting to have a bit of experience with it. I know it’s a very long season, especially this year because we have one more stop. And, of course, I’m watching the rankings and I’m thinking about it, but it’s not really I...I don’t try to think about it too much. I try to take every single event one by one and do my best in every single race, and then we’ll see at the end. Matt Walker is a very good rider too, and there are so many other guys who can get the title. So I just try to stay focused on my work and yeah for sure I will give my best all the year to be there at the end.

And you mentioned before that you’re pushing to win the pump track series again because you’ve won that every year since the inception of this prize. How would it feel to you to win it for the third time?

I think it would be a very good thing. I would be very proud of it, but, once again, it’s very hard to make plans because every single event is different and there are still three events ahead, so, once again, I’ll give my best in every single race and I would be super stoked to get the title once again.


You’ve said in 2015: “Finishing 1st in pump track and 3rd in speed and style on the same afternoon in at Crankworx Les Deux Alpes was the biggest moment of my career.” Is that still your top moment?

It’s still the best moment of my careers, at least the best memory that I have, 'cause it was a very special situation for me. I had some personal issues at this moment, and the fact that we had to race twice on the same day was very hard too, and I was pretty close to take the win at the Speed and Style, and I got the win in the Pump Track and I was with all my family, all my friends, and it was such a good moment. I think it’s still the best memory that I have.


You mentioned that you’ve been involved in some other projects the past couple months, and you’ve been quite busy. You’ve been involved building pump tracks for a number of years now. What is it about building pump tracks and that side of the sport, that you love?

Building is such a cool thing. It’s one of my passions. I really like building, like I like riding. Of course, it’s not the best official way to be ready for an event, to be building tracks and working hard with machines and doing very hard physical work, but at the same time, it’s my life and it’s my choice, so I think I’m able to combine both things. I did it in the past, so I’m confident in that. I’m really enjoying both parts of my life, so I will keep doing the same I think.

I think people have a lot of respect for you for that. You can see the passion for all things mountain bike, as you really seem to contribute to both sides of the sport. Why is it important to you to be involved in that side?

I think that winning races doesn’t really transmit too much to other people. Of course, it’s cool for the fans and for the kids who are watching, and it’s an inspiration, but I think it’s way stronger to build something where maybe kids can practice and improve, and grow up in this sport. It’s very different. I think it’s good for the future. It’s good for my sport. I always saw that at home because my father spent so much time with me building things when I was a kid, and I think it’s one of the reasons that today I’m a professional. I know how important it is to build. So many it’s thanks to my father, I don’t know.

Can you tell us about some of the projects you’ve been involved in?

I’ve been building pretty much everywhere with Velosolutions. We’ve been building tracks in Switzerland, in Thailand, in Bali, also in New York, in Utah, in Latvia, in France, and in many other places. This year I started to really develop the French part. I started my own company five years again, and I’m developing Velosolutions tracks in France. We started last December with the track that I built in my garden, and I think it’s the biggest one in France and one of the biggest in the world. It’s pretty large. I’m pretty happy about this project, because we did it without too much money, and we did it with volunteers and all my friends and my family, again, and the result is pretty sick. So it’s cool to share this experience with all my crew and my family.

We talked with Jill Kintner at the beginning of the year about pump tracks, and she was talking about some projects she’s involved in Bellingham in the United States as well. What do you think it is about pump track that’s becoming so popular now.

I think we did a good job with Velosolutions for sure, because of the “big boom,” if I can say it like that, was just after Thailand. We went there without knowing the local situation. Well, Claudio was working a lot on the project before, but we didn’t know what we could expect from this place, and we did the largest pump track in the world at this time. And everybody started to see that it was possible to build such cool things without too much money and in exotic places. I think it was a big step. Also the races, the Crankworx season, start pushing this discipline. It’s also a good thing for cities and kids and professionals, so I think it’s very adaptive for everybody.


How does the rest of the season roll out after Les Gets?

I will go straight to Innsbruck, then come back to France to build two more pump tracks, and then I will go to Latvia for a festival, and then from Latvia for a four cross event, the Tomas Slavik place, who’s my friend too, and then I will come back to France for some more building maybe, if everything goes fine, and then I will go to Canada for Crankworx again. So it’s really altogether very busy, and one thing after another. It’s work. It’s such a cool work, but it’s still work.

I just would like to say that for sure I got famous from the pump track races that I had, but I’m trying since one year now to do very different things even when I’m riding, so I’m riding in some urban DH events and I’m getting better every time, and yeah I’d love to be known by people for something other than pump track. It’s not all my life. I’m also do skateboarding and surfing and so many things, so I hope one day I will be able to show to the people the stuff I’m able to do, and it’s also a part of my projects because I’m working on video projects. I hope that soon I’ll be able to show to the people what’s my life like, and I hope they’re going to enjoy it.

Watch the Crankworx Les Gets Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox LIVE on Pinkbike and Crankworx.com.
Friday, June 16: 8–10 p.m. CEST
Friday, June 16: 11–1 p.m. PST
Saturday, June 17: 6–8 a.m. NZST

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