William Robert - his name sounds typical of the British Isles, but the 24-year-old freeride pro comes from France, more precisely from Fontainebleau, just south of Paris. Here lies the second largest state forest in France. The forest used to belong to the king, was then privately owned and has been state property again since 1983. William built his own freeride terrain here with drops, fat jumps, step-ups and hips.
This personal playground made William Robert what he is today: a freeride pro. William rides for the Canadian brand Norco, is kitted out by Ion and has had just one goal all these years: to take part in the Red Bull Rampage in Utah. In October 2022, the time had finally come. The pro rider actually got one of the few starting places. The decisive factor was his own video evidence. William travelled to Utah beforehand and filmed the video edit "Pure Satisfaction" (see above), with which he finally convinced the organisers of the Red Bull Rampage around Todd Barber.
William Robert was both lucky and unlucky when he took part in the Red Bull Rampage in autumn 2022. Although he was allowed to start, he had to be the first to show what he could do. The competition judges are still reluctant to award points, especially in the first runs. Robert also felt the effects of this. And then the weather struck: strong winds prevented the second run.
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As a result, Robert "only" finished in 14th place, outside the top 10 who are automatically seeded for the following year. Whether Robert will get a second Rampage chance is questionable, as the wildcard applicants are numerous and flood organiser Todd Barber with applications. But we're keeping our fingers crossed for William Robert, because his flat-spin 360s are sick - it's just part of the Rampage.
William Robert: His top 5 in keywords
My heroes:
- Andreu Lacondeguy
- Nico Vink
- Candide Thovex (Ski)
- Ken Roczen (MX)
- My parents
Riders that I admire:
- Andreu Lacondeguy
- Brett Rheeder
- Szymon Godziek
- Thomas Genon
- Paul Genovese
I like listening to this music:
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Iron Maiden
- Black Sabbath
- The Blaze
- Georgio
My favourite bike spots:
- Coast Gravity Park, B.C.
- Kamloops, B.C.
- Royal Hills, South of France
- My backyard near Paris
- Evo Bike Park, France
No-Gos:
- Falls
- Bad mood
- Cold
- Lots of rain
- Stupid people
Good Times:
- Hanging out with friends
- Freeride Fiesta
- Fest Series
- MTB tours
- Holidays
I could get weak here:
- Good whisky
- A cold beer
- Get sponsorship packages
- Start video project
- Plan a trip
My dreams:
- Win the Red Bull Rampage
- House with forest for trail construction
- Stay enthusiastic for a long time
- Buying a small boat
- Teleportation
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
