Brian Lopes is arguably the most successful mountain bike racer in history. Since winning his first double NORBA series titles in 1995 Brian has collected Four World Championships, Six World Cup Championships and Nine National Championships. We sent Brian some questions about on racing, products, and the future of gravity mountain biking. Brian took some time out of his busy schedule talking with sponsors, talking with future sponsors, and getting back to a daily routine that most of us call “being at home”.


DM:: Over the 2007 season we have watched you race many different types of races. From Mountain Cross on hard tail, and short travel bikes. Downhill races on mid-travel to full suspension bikes. How important is it that your bikes have this range of travel variety ?


BL :: I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A VARIETY OF BIKES TO SUIT ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF COURSES AND FORMATS OF RACING. IN 4X I RUN A HARD TAIL MOST OF THE TIME, BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THERE IS A COURSE THAT IS BETTER SUITED FOR A SHORT TRAVEL FULL SUSPENSION BIKE AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT OPTION WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EVERY ADVANTAGE POSSIBLE. SAME GOES FOR CERTAIN DH RACES. MOST DH RACES REQUIRE A FULL ON DH BIKE, BUT COURSES LIKE A-LINE IN WHISTLER ARE EXAMPLES OF COURSES WHERE MID TRAVEL BIKES ARE AN OPTION. THIS IS WHEN YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION WHICH BIKE SUITS YOUR STYLE BEST AND THAT WILL GET YOU DOWN THE HILL QUICKEST.

DM:: In 2006 you noted that you were interested in racing one of the World Cup DH races but ended up injured. With the incredible results you received at events such as crank worx will Brian Lopes fans be cheering you on in World Cup DH events ?

BL :: I DON'T THINK I WILL BE DOING ANY WC DH RACES IN 2008, BUT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. THE SPEEDS THE TOP GUYS ARE GOING THESE DAYS IS AMAZING AND BEING OUT OF THAT DISCIPLINE FOR SO LONG WOULD MAKE IT VERY HARD FOR ME TO GET BACK UP TO SPEED ON THAT LEVEL. BUT IF I COME ACROSS A COURSE THAT IS NOT TOO CRAZY WHICH I THINK COULD SUIT MY STYLE, I COULD POSSIBLY GIVE IT A GO.

DM:: How much influence does your input on your sponsors product make it to the real world?

BL :: SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, BUT WITH OAKLEY I HAVE A LOT OF INPUT ON MANY OF THE MTB PRODUCTS. WITH KENDA AND TROY LEE I HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH MY SIGNATURE PRODUCTS. WITH OTHER COMPANIES LIKE GT, HAYES, BELL, EASTON, FIZIK, MARZOCCHI I ALSO COMMUNICATE ON A REGULAR BASIS ABOUT HOW THE PRODUCT WORKS AND WAYS TO IMPROVE ON IT.

DM:: The logistics of racing just the World Cup alone is a nightmare. Is this something that Team Lopes looks after or is this an item that a Sponsor Team Manager is assigned.

BL :: IT IS AN EFFORT OF BOTH. WE COMMUNICATE TO MAKE SURE OUR SCHEDULES WORK TOGETHER AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.

DM:: For a WC racer what kind of on site support do riders at this level require ?

BL :: IT IS ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE A DRY, COMFORTABLE PLACE TO HANG OUT. HAVING SNACKS, DRINKS, AND FOOD IS ALSO HELPFUL. A MECHANIC IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE A HUGE HELP, ESPECIALLY WHEN LOTS OF CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE TO YOUR BIKE. MY MECHANIC BASICALLY MAKES MY LIFE MUCH MORE STRESS FREE AND RELAXING, SINCE HE MAKES SURE IT IS IN TOP CONDITION AND ALWAYS RUNNING JUST AS I WANT IT. WE ALSO ALWAYS HAVE A SPARE BIKE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY AND FOR BACK UP PARTS.

DM:: The next group of up and coming racers have shown their faces at this years World Finals. What advice could you give to young racers so that there racing career lasts as long and successful as riders like yourself and Steve Peat ?

BL :: WELL, I WOULD SAY TO BE SMART AND USE YOUR HEAD. TREAT IT AS A BUSINESS, COMMUNICATE WITH ALL YOUR SPONSORS, & BE PROFESSIONAL. WEARING THE RIGHT PROTECTION CAN ALSO PREVENT INJURIES, WHICH CAN ALSO BE KEY IN MAKING YOUR CAREER LONGER.

DM:: At the last WC race the UCI held a riders meeting to discuss 2008. One of the topics was 4X or DS. What are your thoughts on this topic.

BL :: I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE DS COME BACK. DS WAS THE ORIGINAL SPORT AND IT ONLY GOT CHANGED TO A FORMAT THAT WOULD FIT LIMITED TV PROGRAMMING. I THINK IT TAKES MORE MTB SKILL TO DO WELL AT DS THAN 4X AND THIS CAN BE PROVEN BY HOW QUICK BMXers COME INTO 4X AND START TO DO GOOD. IN 4X IF YOU HAVE A GOOD START AND SPRINT, THE ADVANTAGE IS MORE THAN IF YOU HAVE GOOD CORNERING AND BIKE HANDLING SKILLS. DS SHOWS THE RIDERS THAT ARE FAST AND CONSISTENT ALL THE WAY DOWN THE COURSE, RUN AFTER RUN.

DM:: At the World Finals 2006, and Jeep events you had been eliminated from the finals simply by other riders causing what could be viewed as deliberate contact. What's your view on how this should be handled in competition ?

BL: IT IS ALWAYS A GREY AREA FOR SURE, BUT IN THE JEEP RACES WITH ONLY TWO RIDERS, THE RIDER BEHIND NEVER HAS ANYONE BEHIND HIIM TO WORRY ABOUT, SO THIS TYPE OF DELIBERATE CONTACT IS MORE PREVALENT. I PERFER TO MAKE GOOD CLEAN PASSES VS JUST SLAMMING INTO SOMEONE TO GET BY, BUT WHATEVER.

DM:: Over the past 10 years the racing has changed dramatically. From product performance to athlete performance. What are your views on this evolution, and where do you see gravity racing in 10 more years ?

BL :: YES, PRODUCT HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY AND IT HAS DEFINITELY ALLOWED RIDERS TO GO FAST. 10 YEARS AGO WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE DISC BRAKES WHICH ARE ON EVERY RACERS BIKE THESE DAYS. I THINK ALL THIS EVOLUTION HAS BEEN GREAT AND IT IS ALLOWING OUR SPORT TO BE MORE FUN FOR EVERYONE AND HAS BEEN GREAT FOR THE BUSINESS. IN 10 YEARS WE WILL SEE BIKES THAT ARE LIGHTER, TIRES THAT ARE BETTER, SUSPENSION THAT IS MORE REFINED TO WORK BETTER INSTEAD OF ALWAYS JUST ADDING MORE TRAVEL, BRAKES WILL CONTINUE TO BE IMPROVED, DERAILEURS WILL MOST LIKELY BE GONE. WITH THE INCREASE IN MOUNTAIN RESORTS BUILDING BIKE PARKS AND LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE REVENUE IN THE SUMMERS, GRAVITY RACING SHOULD CONTINUE TO GROW.

DM:: The 4X tracks on the WC have been quite different that the past years. New tracks with DH style features have given a more event full race. What is your feeling on the 2007 series of courses, and what would you like to see in a race course ?

BL :: YES THE 4X COURSE WERE A BIT DIFFERENT THAN LAST YEAR. I DO LIKE WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO WITH MAKING THEM MORE MTB LIKE VS. MORE BMX STYLE, BUT THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO. I LIKE COURSE THAT HAVE A VARIETY OF EVERYTHING, ARE CHALLENGING, AND HAVE BIG JUMPS.

DM:: With the official WC series completed for 2007 what is your off season training regiment ?

BL :: DEPENDS ON THE TIME OF YEAR, BUT I PUT IN A LOT OF XC RIDES, ROAD RIDES, DIRT JUMPING, MOTOING, AND GYM WORK. IT IS NOT UNTIL THE SEASON GETS CLOSER THAT I START DOING SPRINTS, STARTS, ETC. FOR THE 4X EVENTS. WHAT I ENJOY THE MOST IS GETTING A GOOD WORKOUT IN THE FORM OF CLIMBING AND SHREADING SOME FUN DOWNHILLS.

If you would like to know more about Brian you can follow his on line journal at WWW.BRIANLOPES.COM. If you would like to become as fast as Brian, head on down to your local book store and order his “Mastering Mountain Bike Skills” book.

If you think your as fast as Brian, we’ll see you on the start gate.



Jamie Edmundson aka ExpertJames

	familybikingmusic - October 24, 2007 Great interview. Thanks for that.
	wArden - October 24, 2007 Excellent! DM needs more exclusive articles like this.
	Buck - October 25, 2007 solid interview... hope to see more in future months
	Reaction - November 14, 2007 Great interview. I enjoyed reading that, Thanks

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