The latest opus from the Private Sport Shop ambassador is a condensed version of the best lines he has ridden in North America and Hawaii. A great new video that should make you want to get on your bike and ride.
We left him last February with FuegoThe video was shot in South America, on fabulous spots such as the active volcanoes of Guatemala. But Kilian Bron never stops, and this time he chose to go further north on the American continent to ride equally incredible lines and spots in the USA, Canada and Hawaii. In this latest opus, entitled "Cross Countries" (produced with his sidekick Pierre Henni and photographer Jean-Baptiste Liautard), the Private Sport Shop ambassador takes us to British Columbia's mountain bike mecca (Squamish), where there are countless trails perfect for mountain biking.
"I've always dreamed of losing myself in the great outdoors, both in the mountains and in desert landscapes," confides Kilian. "The American continent is an ideal place to do this, but with a different approach to mountain access than we know in France, for example. The aim is always to share my sometimes offbeat vision of cycling, in unusual environments that I seek to sublimate as I progress. It's a real artistic approach, adapting to what exists and adding my means of expression, which is most often the bike."
The diversity of "Cross Countries" is fascinating. Whether you find the Frenchman on a descent through the dense, dark forests of Squamish Jurassic Five and Train Gap in Pemberton, British Columbia, or in the heart of New York's skyscrapers with the bikelife via Slickrock in Moab, Utah, all the Commencal rider's lines are created in a unique setting. This is also the case in Hawaii, where the archipelago is better known for its surf spots, but also conceals some trails perfect for mountain biking, such as this ridge line in Honolulu.
"For years now, I've been orienting my mountain biking around atypical and visually impressive locations, mostly far from bike parks and trail centers," Kilian explains. "I'm passionate about all these places, and the encounters associated with them, not to mention the production work behind a film like this. I don't think of adventure or expeditions in terms of predefined settings and spaces. And it's precisely on this subject that we had to adapt in North America, by accentuating other creative aces, such as the sequence of varied spots in radically different settings, or the light-hearted scripting of a few American clichés, obviously to be taken at face value."
"Today, I'm starting to fight in the heart of our mountains to preserve this freedom. It's an approach that sometimes becomes political, but one that requires a lot of dialogue, so that the next generation can take advantage of this freedom and express themselves in turn, as I was able to do. From my passion for cycling to the discovery of new places, my message is also to defend this concept, through this discourse and our artistic approach. I express myself by proposing this ensemble, sometimes breaking codes and assuming my ideas, as long as they make sense."
Note that Kilian Bron will be present in the Drôme on May 23rd for a day of riding. From 10:45 am to 12:00 pm, he will discuss with students of the high school of Romans-sur-Isère about the benefits of sports. In the early afternoon, at the Valence prison, he will talk to the prisoners about rehabilitation through sport, before joining the local mountain bikers for a ride of about an hour. The day will end, at 6:30 pm, at the media library of Mours-Saint-Eusèbe, with a book signing of his book "Vertige Tout Terrain", a book where Kilian tells his most beautiful adventures and his passion for mountain biking.
