Age is just a number
At the age of 43, Fabien Barel dominates the EDR-E World Cup. His young competitors can only marvel. Germany's most successful e-racer Johannes Fischbach says: "You can trust this guy to do anything. If Barel were to set himself the goal of racing in the Downhill World Cup again, then I would trust him to finish in the top ten after two or three races."
Back in 1995
Born in Nice on 26 July 1980. He tried trial biking at the age of eight. He started his career on a DH bike in 1995. He received a professional contract in his second season and rode for Sunn, GT, Kona and Mondraker in the following years. He won three world championship titles, one of them in the junior category. In 2012, he switched to the enduro camp.
Fabien, the alpha animal
"You either love him or you hate him," says an insider behind closed doors. Fabien is considered an alpha dog. According to the motto: Everything listens to my command. He is often said to be so convinced of his ideas that he doesn't accept other opinions. According to insiders, this often leads to disputes with racer Troy Brosnan, who is also considered to be the authoritarian type.
Setbacks
In 2014, Fabien breaks his back during the Enduro World Series in Chile. The crack in the vertebral body is only 1.2 millimetres away from the spinal cord. Just five and a half months later, he wins the EWS race in Finale Ligure by eight seconds.
The inventor type
Fabien Barel is considered to be extremely tech-savvy and has a degree in engineering. Together with Cesar Rojo, he devised the Fast Forward Geometry (Mondraker), which is still successful today. Barel also has a significant influence on development at Canyon.
The mental master
While mental coaches are commonplace today, Fabien recognised the benefits much earlier. Fabien meditates to better digest injury trauma. Insiders claim that his mental strength in particular is the secret of his success. "One of my main goals in life is to always stay in control," says Barel.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
