Author: Marie Tardy

Cross-country is a demanding sport that combines endurance, technique and mastery of the bike. In France, some talented youngsters are setting an example and inspiring mountain bike fans to discover this increasingly popular Olympic discipline. Among the athletes who stand out in particular is Line Burquier from Haute-Savoie. At just 20 years of age, this French cyclist is considered to be the rising star of her sport. Her talent, determination and results on the world circuit are impressive. Her triumph as U23 world champion in Les Gets in 2022 was a memorable one.

During a session in Les Gets, we meet a promising young competitor… in all simplicity!

Line : My name is Line Burquier, I’m 20 years old and I come from Saint Paul en Chablais in Haute-Savoie, a small village above Evian. I’m a cross-country mountain biker and I’m currently studying at the Pôle France mountain bike centre in Besançon.

Line : First of all, it was my father who did a lot of cycling with my cousins and all my family. My grandfather founded the “VTT Pays de Gavot” club, of which I’m still a member today. I’ve always been sporty, but I particularly enjoy contact with nature and the outdoors, I really need that.

Line : I don’t get the chance to come to Les Gets very often, but I have fond memories of winning the U23 World Champion title at the 2022 World Championships in Les Gets.

Line : Difficult – Uphill – Public (the atmosphere)

Line : At the World Championships, I race in the U23 category (under 23). This was the case at the World Championships in Les Gets in 2022, where I was crowned Espoir World Champion, and it will be the case again in mid-August at the World Championships in Scotland. On the World Cup circuit, it’s a completely different approach because I’m upgraded, meaning that I’m racing in the Elite category with more experienced athletes.

Line : A bit, because I don’t have much time given my schedule, but as soon as I can, I get away on ski touring.

Line : I always have a bell attached to my bike…

Line : Braiding my hair (laughs)

Line Burquier is undoubtedly a rising star in cross-country. Her talent and determination make her an athlete to watch closely. The future looks bright for this young mountain bike prodigy. We can’t wait to see her on the track at the World Cup in Les Gets in September 2023 with the elite in her sport.

The whole Les Gets team wishes him every success for the rest of his career!

When you’re riding down the MTB trails in Les Gets, you don’t always stop to imagine the significant work behind these renowned tracks and what really goes on behind the scenes.
Have you heard of shapers?
These are the people we’re talking about! These artists work in the shadows to shape the Bike Park with elegance and passion.

The Les Gets shapers are real architects. They plan out every bend, every bump and jump with great precision, to make sure mountain bikers have a thrilling adventure here without ending up crashing into a tree.
We met with one of them and he revealed some of the secrets behind his fascinating profession…

Noé: I’m 23 years old and I became a professional shaper in 2019. I’m originally from Alsace and I fell in love with Les Gets when I first came here about ten years ago on a family holiday. I’m lucky to be able to work here today as a shaper, with a great team by my side.

Noé: After my Baccalaureate, I joined the team at Bike Solution (design office specialised in creating Pump Tracks) and I learnt so much during my three seasons there. I felt the need to get back to my original calling though, which was downhill MTB. As I was looking for new opportunities, I ended up in Les Gets in 2022 and I’m so proud to be working in one of the leading resorts in Europe for this sport.

Noé: Shaping bike tracks is above-all a real passion. It is a demanding and technical profession that requires a certain level of devotion and commitment. My advice would be to create your own projects first in the forest, with authorisation from the owner. That’s what I did, between the ages of 14 and 18 as soon as I had some free time, I went into the woods to bring my own creations to life

As for the specific training and studies, the shaper profession has evolved in recent years. Now it’s possible to opt for a Professional Baccalaureate in mountain professions, which includes specialist landscaping modules that are particularly suited to this profession. This training will give you specific, in-depth skills that you will find essential to really excel in this field.

Noé: The day begins at 8 am and the whole team gets together in our premises at the heart of the tracks. We meet to talk about what needs to be done during the day, taking into consideration any comments from the Bike Patrol (pretty much the equivalent of the Ski Patrol team) who are always out on the tracks and inform us of the condition of the trails. We also discuss the tracks that haven’t been worked on in a while, the next ones that will need some maintenance work. After this morning meeting, we all set off to start our duties for the day, depending on our roles. I am responsible for the work that requires a mini excavator.

Thanks to the instructions given every morning, we know exactly what we need to do. We often work to smooth out the tracks with holes created by the many riders using them, and we modify some of the bends. These are the two most common tasks we are entrusted with. Sometimes, we even need to completely redesign a track. This is a more significant task and it usually takes around three weeks to a month.

After I’ve completed my task with the mini excavator, another shaper takes over with a shovel to go over any imperfections and smooth out the track. Then we all get together again at the end of the day to talk about what we did and exchange views. Communication is key in our profession.

The day usually comes to a close at around 6 pm. We make sure all the machines are ready for the next day and we look after our tools. Teamwork and shared passion for shaping the tracks is what makes this such a rewarding and fascinating job.

Noé: Being outdoors all the time is an opportunity in itself. The sunrise, with the mountains in the background, is simply indescribable. It’s a magical feeling that comes over you when you get into action, whether it’s bright sunshine or even rain.

Noé: Being a shaper is an extremely physical job and requires you to be in excellent physical condition. Working as a shaper involves spending many hours outdoors, often in a variety of conditions, and the tasks are physically demanding.

Handling tools such as shovels, rakes and mini-excavators, and carrying out earthworks, levelling and runway construction work requires considerable physical strength. What’s more, you have to be able to put up with repetitive strain over a long period of time. I don’t necessarily see the physical work as a disadvantage, but the job does require a minimum of training.

Noé: When we’re working on the trails, we close them for the safety of the mountain bikers, but also for our own safety. Despite this, it often happens that bikes go by anyway, which can make us angry, because it represents a real danger. One day, as a bike approached, I got out my shovel and politely expressed my displeasure, explaining that this was unacceptable. To my great surprise, the cyclist took off his helmet and it was in fact my former boss who had come to say hello and check up on me… a misunderstanding that ended in a great burst of laughter!

Every year, major sporting events allow the entire mountain biking world to experience emotions that leave a lasting impression. These events forge the character of an entire region, a generation and its descendants. Les Gets has seen a non-stop succession of the greatest champions, as well as many faithful amateurs in search of sensations and wide-open spaces! Now 18 years after hosting the World Mountain Bike Championships in 2004, history is repeating itself in Les Gets, the birthplace of the discipline more than 30 years ago. A new page in the history of Les Gets was written in August 2022, with the return of the UCI MTB World Championships in the heart of the Alps.

Before enjoying the present moment, let’s go back in time… Let’s take a look at the history, at this inspiring story which links Les Gets and mountain biking from the 1990’s – only 30 years ago, but which seems like forever. This was a period when no one would have anticipated the development and growth of a discipline which, at that time, was reserved for a handful of aficionados – an elitist, closed group, often taken for crazy enthusiasts with their helmets and protective gear, racing down slopes far too steep to be taken on…

The question may be raised whether there is in fact a rational explanation for passion? The drive that pushes you to row against the grain, to take risks, to bet everything on a partner you are still getting to know but in whom you believe with all your strength and soul? Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: love and passion – a mark of destiny, a strong and lasting alliance which has forged the character of the people of Les Gets and left its mark in the DNA of the village. Mountain biking has become its innovative flagship. Partners forever, mountain biking has very quickly occupied a prominant place in the life of the resort, perfectly alternating with skiing and its snowy pleasures, sharing the same domain, the same playground and the same infrastructures. Between Chavannes and Mont Chéry, mountain biking has found its place in Les Gets and has not finished delighting us!

With the range of sensations and intense emotions that mountain biking provides, it was impossible for the people of Les Gets not to make the most of it! What better showcase than the organisation of internationally renowned events to promote a discipline beyond our borders? On this premise, major events have been part of the daily life of all inhabitants and have largely contributed to developing the destination’s reputation and attraction. In 30 years, 14 major mountain bike events have been organised here, including 2 French Championships, 7 World Cups, 3 Crankworx and 2 World Championships… Enough to provoke callings, to generate passions, and to forge binding links with the great names who have left their mark by winning here, from Fabien Barrel to Julien Absalon, including Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Loana Lecomte.