Talking to the pros

So without further ado let me introduce you to veteran of mountain bike racing Franck Parolin. As a regular at the Mega events (where the alleged drugs incident took place), I thought Franck might be a good person to speak to on the subject as he’s seen all the riders and attended many events across different disciplines, federations and organisers.

I caught up with Franck having just stepped off the chairlift at last weekend’s MegaR2X race shortly before race one to see what he had to say.

Clive Forth: So how you keeping Franck and how was the seeding race yesterday?

Franck Parolin:  Not bad, with this great weather I’m looking forward to the race, seeding was good, the track is really, really fast.

CF: How does the track suit you?

FP:  It’s really hard, the track is long with hard pedaling sections and a very technical finish, if I have a good first half of the race it will be down to the technical, overtaking is very hard.

CF: So tell me a little about the bike here, you’re on the Giant with 26’ wheels?

FP: Yes its the Reign X with 170mm of travel and the 26’ wheel, full BOS suspension and tubeless tyres, I’ve tried the Trans X with 29 wheel but on this track I prefer the 26‘, it’s easier to move around.

CF: So you’re 32 years old now, how many years is it you’ve been racing?

FP: I started racing BMX when I was 6, then downhill when I turned 14 and now I’ve been racing downhill marathon for the last 8 years.

I let Franck get on with his warm up and caught up with him again in the start grid, having first asked Karim Amour the following question I turned to Franck and asked him for his thoughts on the subject.

CF: So over the winter there was a press release regarding a French rider who was banned for the use of a masking agent, this sparked a lot of debate and allegations on the forums and social media sites, is there anything you would like to say on the subject?

FP: I think it’s really difficult to speak about that, there is not really some control, it’s not really pro, you know the guys are not professionals and they don’t know if they can take something if they are sick.

CF: Yes the banned list is quite comprehensive and controls quite tight.

FP: Yes, we have one friend who was first in a Mega Avalanche, he had a problem at a Mega race, he walked and was the last one of the race, he had a control and a lot of problems followed. If everything is organised and everything is clear it’s ok, but when you see all that goes on in sport it’s difficult to put the problem into context. This behaviour is not normal for sure but I think if it’s all really well organised with professional controls and professional controllers it could be better.

CF: So you’d agree that the knowledge on the subject needs to be shared?

FP: Yes of course, everything needs to be clear and well organised.

CF: I agree, one of the awkward things we face with these disciplines is it’s not UCI sanctioned.

FP: Yes indeed.

Yes, we have one friend who was first in a Mega Avalanche, he had a problem at a Mega race, he walked and was the last one of the race, he had a control and a lot of problems followed.

CF: They set the rules in the bigger picture but there are many things in these competitions that fall outside their rule book.

FP: Yes, I mean if you take all the guys here maybe only like 10 guys know what is the control. I was a professional in downhill and I know the rules, this needs attention. I mean the guys are here to have fun, if they take something for being sick they do not know if they are in the rules or not.

CF: So sharing the knowledge is a key thing?

FP: Yes for sure.

CF: Coming back to your days in downhill as a professional what was your most memorable result?

FP:  Oh my silver medal in the Junior Worlds at Mount-Sainte Anne was great, a good season, good memories, a great year.

CF: Well thanks for your time Franck, have a great race.

This process was not easy for me, I wanted to ask the blunt questions but having been around these guys both at dinner with the event team and on the start grid for last several years it was not easy, I had to use tact and the softly softly approach was my only option. Frank spoke clearly and confidently, his English is good but not great and my French is less than terrible.