Exclusive interview: Why DH legend Nico Vouilloz is ending his racing career!
Christian Schleker
· 29.09.2023
It had long been my dream to go biking together with my idol Nico Vouilloz. So together in the sense of next to each other, at a short distance and within speaking distance. I haven't managed to do that in the last 15 years, although I have often been at the start with the "alien": at the Megavalanche in Alpe D'Huez in 2006, for example. Or most recently at the E-EWS race in Pietra Ligure last year. Nico won both races, of course.
And of course I only saw Nico Vouilloz briefly at the start, from a distance. And then again at the end on the top of the podium, from a distance. Otherwise, there were many participants and minutes between him and me. But now! We were offered a press camp for the new Lapierre E-Enduro. With us: Nico Vouilloz aka "E. T.". Because Nico is the chief developer at Lapierre. Hooray - my dream is coming true! Or is it not? "Nico is coming, but he can't ride his bike after a fall," the press lady announced the bad news. Oh, bummer, what's wrong with him, the downhill god? Collarbone? Cruciate ligament? No, Nico has been suffering for over a year from the consequences of a fall in which he suffered a severe concussion, they said. For a year? And he still hasn't got back on his bike? What's going on? After hearing the news, we were all pretty shocked in the FREERIDE office, because none of us had realised. Nevertheless, I definitely wanted to meet Nico - biking together or not. How is the DH legend doing, what exactly happened and what's next for him?
I meet Nico in Annecy on the second day of the press camp - I'm given an hour and asked to ask the questions in French, as Nico finds speaking in English too much of a strain. WTF? Nico spoke excellent English. There he is. My idol seems tense. That makes me nervous too. What kind of interview is this going to be? Will it even be one? Let's see.
Concussion risk - Nico Vouilloz's life changed in one fell swoop
FREERIDE: Nico, we were surprised when we heard about your condition. So first of all, how are you?
Nico Vouilloz: I'm already feeling better. Because I had a really difficult time. But I'm still not well - I'm still very limited, and it's been like this for a year now. I would like to be further along.
What exactly happened?
It happened the day before the E-EWS race in Pietra Ligure. I was travelling alone to train on the track and lost control at one point. Crash! A fall like many? No, because I hit my head on a branch. It was an extreme deceleration from a very high speed. I didn't have anything else, just the heavy blow to the head. And because I actually felt OK physically, I rode the race the next day. I pushed myself enormously and won. That was one of the best victories in recent years because I beat a lot of young rivals. But it was very hot and the race was therefore very exhausting. I was extremely exhausted afterwards. But I thought to myself: "Hey, you've won! So you're in good shape!" And so I trained intensively in the autumn. I also fell a few times. And suddenly the limitations started. First with my vision. Light really hurt me. I noticed blurring at the edge of my field of vision - worrying! Then I went to the doctor.
What did he say?
He asked the usual questions: Did you faint? Did you feel sick? Did you have memory lapses? And because I answered in the negative, he couldn't really help me. That's also the problem! Many doctors are still not up to date with the latest scientific findings on concussions. What can actually happen if you don't let such an injury heal properly - or even worse: if the mini-injuries add up over time.
So you have continued?
Yes, I continued to train. I even rode another race. But I crashed surprisingly often and made strange mistakes that don't usually happen to me. And then I got hit again during training.
On your head again?
Full on the head again! That was probably one blow too many. Because from then on, my health went downhill. Impaired vision - that's particularly worrying! But also dizziness, sensitivity to noise, sensitive reactions to light. These symptoms started to appear when I rode down a bumpy trail. So just the fact that I was shaken up a bit. And then came headaches. I had a constant headache - that's when I realised that something bad was happening to me. My first thought: brain tumour. So I went to see a specialist.
What did the expert find?
Damage like mine does not give an exact picture. You don't have to think of it like a spot on a brain scan. In my case, it's more of a "cumulative effect". In other words, lots of unhealed mini-injuries have ultimately led to damage to the entire brain system. That's what I'm suffering from now. How much of it will go away, whether it will go away at all, or how much will remain? You can't predict that. My problem was that my GP simply wasn't up to date. He should have done completely different tests. Unfortunately, he wasn't up to date.
Nico Vouilloz: "I will never race again!"
I ask few questions. Nico answers quickly and gesticulates a lot. You can tell that he wants to tell his story. It also seems as if he wants to convince me - and himself - that he wasn't negligent. That he didn't do anything wrong. He seems excited and frustrated at the same time. I realise how much the situation is bothering him. Even I, as a recreational athlete, suffer when I can't get back on my bike because of an injury. How must a top athlete feel when he plummets from a completely different level of training to zero? And possibly forever?
And now?
At the moment I'm hoping that these are all just symptoms that will go away. I don't know what I'll do if the symptoms stay. At the moment, I can't do what I love. And that doesn't just apply to sport itself. I'm also a passionate developer. I love testing as much as I love racing. That's my main job. But I can't do that either. And it can't stay that way.
What is your goal? Do you want to "only" or are you hoping to race again?
Race? No way! This is over! Forever. I don't want to take any more risks. I've had enough of what I'm going through now - I'm physically exhausted! Any fall could put me in a situation like this again. No, thank you! I've had enough! Competitions - that's really over. Even if I wanted to: If you're out for a year these days, that's it! The competition never sleeps, I'll never catch up again, even if I got completely healthy and really wanted to. Mentally, I can no longer manage this focus. I'm also too old for that. You can still be successful at my age, but only if you keep at it - like Greg Minnaar. But Minnaar can only do that because he's always stuck at it.
Are there still days today when you are happy? Even without sport and with the health restrictions?
There are moments when I'm doing quite well. When I think: It's not all that bad after all. Then I say to myself: Look, things are going well! There's a lot of rubbish going on at the moment, but right now, everything is fine. I have moments like that in the morning when I wake up. Unfortunately, I'm also forgetful. As soon as I'm feeling well, I get active. I start working in the garden. I tinker around the house, stuff like that. And then, the next day, I'm completely exhausted. And I think to myself: Shit, I'm an idiot, I did far too much yesterday.
That sounds like quite a lot of ups and downs. How is it for your family?
I am really grateful for my family and for their understanding. Because honestly, if you have the problems I have, it changes your nature. You become aggressive more quickly, you tolerate less, you're simply not able to deal with conflict. In the car, with the children. You don't even realise how much you overreact.
Nico now seems very excited. This is no longer really an interview, the conversation is more reminiscent of a therapy session. The former exceptional talent is in an exceptional situation: professionally, health-wise, privately. I don't know how much Nico used to reveal about himself and his emotional life in his interviews, but he was always surrounded by the aura of the perfect athlete - well-trained, controlled, optimised, objective, competent. There was nothing emotional about him. And now this.
Is the family suffering?
They put up with me (he smiles). My family is a unit. We stand together. My family also challenges me. For example, I didn't want to go to this press
camp here. I was hesitant. But my family said: Go on, go there. It's good for you. Because my family has seen how I've withdrawn more and more over the last year. Everything quickly became too much for me. I was just exhausted. And of course I didn't want people to see me like that: exhausted, with fat on my ribs. My family knows how far they can push me. They don't force me, but they guide me in the right direction. That's super important to me.
The time is up. The photographer was there in between taking portraits. A door opens and the waitress comes in and starts setting the tables in the hotel lobby for lunch. Time for me to finish. And Nico also gives the impression that he would like to stop talking now.
A life without sport? What does the future hold for DH legend Nico Vouilloz?
Nico, I actually wanted to conduct a completely different interview with you. To find out more about your racing plans and the technical aspects of the new bikes. But all that is probably rather far away for you at the moment. But what interests me in conclusion: What do you dream of? Or in other words: What will Nico Vouilloz be doing in five years' time?
(Long pause). Phew, where do I see myself in five years? In five years, I'll be cycling. In all forms that exist. I'll be riding for fun with my friends. And I'll be testing new bikes. Yes, that's what I'll be doing! Try them out, be the first to see new things and say: That's good, that's not so good! You have to change something here. There needs to be a different suspension. That's something I enjoy doing. And I'll do everything I can to get there again. (Nico takes a short break. Thinks.)
But even if that doesn't work out, I already see things differently, appreciate my family in a whole new way and enjoy completely different things than before. Of course, I would have liked my life to develop differently, for my health not to let me down so much. I've already accepted that the competition is over for me. And I will probably accept everything that comes next. Or learn to accept it. The main thing is that I get an adrenaline rush from time to time. Like now. The camp, the interview, that triggers a bit of excitement in me, and that makes me feel good. And that's enough for me to be happy.
