Hometrails: Remy Absalon in the Vosges [Video]

Although the choice of mountain bike trails in the Vosges is huge, Remy has selected some of his all-time favourites for this video part. Remy and Julien Absalon live and train in Remiremont. There are single trails en masse there, they are practically everywhere. Remy builds trails here all year round and also keeps them in shape - something he is very proud of: "I spent the whole winter shovelling for the trail in this video." Hard work, but: "No sweat, no party."

"Descente de Nol" is an old hiking trail, peppered with ancient rock formations - and Remy's ultimate enduro dream, very technical and extremely challenging to ride. Another part of the video was filmed in La Bresse, which is located in the famous High Vosges: higher altitude, very varied terrain, loamy ground and lots of forest: the "SP de la Vierge" trail is playful and very, very fast.

The Absalon brothers Julien and Remy

Remy and his older brother Julien spent their entire childhood in the forest. Their everyday life: BMX riding, pushing berms and constantly pushing each other characterised this time, which shaped them into mountain bike champions. The transition from BMX to cross-country (Julien) and enduro (Remy) was seamless. The result is history - both of their careers adorned with countless victories, medals and records. Remy had tried his hand at cross-country and downhill, but ultimately ended up with his true passion, enduro biking.

The still young enduro discipline is generally dominated by French riders. Remy Absalon has been one of the defining figures for years alongside Nicolas Vouilloz, Fabien Barel and Jerome Clementz. Remy has won the famous Megavalanche no less than ten times. He attributes his unmistakable riding style to the very special and unique terrain in which he grew up and in which he still trains every day.

The Vosges mountain bike region

The Vosges mountains are located in Alsace and the Lorraine region in north-east France. The topography of the mountains is not comparable to that of the Alps, but thanks to the sheer endless forests and hidden mountain bike trails, the Vosges have nothing to hide from any bike region in the world. The variety of terrain and the very special nature of the ground make the Vosges the perfect playground for mountain bikers to hone their technique and tackle single trails. The region has produced many prominent cyclists, but two names stand out: Julien and Remy Absalon.