INSIDE THE PROS’ BIKES: AMAURY PIERRON AND HIS COMMENCAL SUPREME DOWNHILL BIKE 

France’s Amaury Pierron might well be the fastest downhill racer on the planet these days. He won four World Cup races in 2022, as well as the overall title for the year.

Pierron now has a total of 10 World Cup wins to his name, as well as two overall World Cup series titles. What’s more, he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Before joining the Elite Men’s ranks at 17 in 2013, Amaury had already made a name for himself as one of the top junior downhill racers in the world. He took his first Elite Men’s World Cup medal, a bronze one, in 2014 at Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Three years later Pierron picked up a silver medal from Val di Sole in 2017.

The next year his career exploded. He won three World Cup gold medals and the overall title in 2018. Then he won three more races the next year but lost the title to his friend and fellow Frenchman Loic Bruni. After a bit of a dry spell the next two seasons, Amaury won four more World Cup races in 2022, as well as the overall title. Thanks to his total of 10 World Cup wins and two series titles, Pierron now ranks seventh among the top male downhill racers in World Cup history.

If there’s some kind of gene for going fast on a bike, it must be in Pierron’s blood. Amaury has two brothers, and they’re both World Cup downhill racers, too.

The oldest brother, Baptiste, 29, won the European Downhill Championship three years ago and won a bronze medal at the Les Gets World Cup race in 2021.

Amaury’s younger brother, Antoine, 22, just started breaking into the ranks of the top-30 riders on the World Cup circuit this past year.

Amaury will always be the middle child of the three Pierron brothers, but he’s definitely the top guy in the family when it comes to racing.

 

 

RIDER PROFILE

Name: Amaury Pierron

Nickname: Maurice

Age: Too old (27)

Birthdate: March 4, 1996

Birthplace: Colmar, France

Height: 1m 80 (5-foot-11)

Weight: 80 kilograms )176 pounds)

Shoe size: 43.5 EU (10.5 U.S.)

Helmet size: M

Marital status: Single

Current town of residence: Sispony, Andorra

Your vehicle: Volkswagen T6

Started racing: 14

Turned pro: 22

Favorite course (North America): Snowshoe

Favorite course (Europe): Lourdes

Favorite food: Kebab

Goals: Goat (aka Greatest Of All Time)

Heroes: Too many heroes

Favorite recording artist: Nekfeu

Favorite movie: The Dirt

Hobbies: Moto, ski, sunset, food

Jobs held: Bike seller in a sport shop

Most embarrassing moment: Being with a couple—one is cheating the other, but both are your friends.

Always takes on a trip: Food

What you would be if you were not a racer: Sports teacher

 

 

AMAURY PIERRON’S COMMENCAL SUPREME V5

Frame: Commencal Supreme V5, large, aluminum, 200mm travel

Fork: Fox 40, 200mm travel

Tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary, 29″ x 2.35″ front, 27.5″x 2.35″ rear

Tubeless sealant: Muc-Off

Tire inserts: Tubolight

Rims: Enve M930

Spokes: CN spoke

Front hub: Chris King

Rear hub: Chris King

Rear axle width: 157mm

Brakes: TRP DHR Evo,223mm rotors

Handlebars: Enve M9,800mm/20mm

Grips: Lizard Skins Bearclaw

Bottom bracket: Race Face

Pedals: HT X3

Cranks (model and length): Race Face Atlas, 165mm

Chainring: Race Face 36T

Shifter: TRP Gen2 Evo 7S

Rear derailleur: TRP Gen2 Evo 7S

Rear cassette: TRP, 10-24t

Chain: TRP

Saddle: Fizik

Seatpost: Enve

Headset: Chris King

Shock: Fox Float X2

Stem: Burgtec

Head angle: 63.5 degrees

Bottom bracket height: 352mm (13.9″)

Weight of complete bike: 17.5 kg(38.6 pounds)

Estimated value of bike: 14,000 euros ($13,500)

 

 

MBA Q&A

MBA: Where did you grow up?

Pierron: Alsace, and Brioude in Auvergne (France).

MBA: What kind of work do your parents do?

Pierron: Kind of architect.

MBA: How old were you when you learned to ride a bike?

Pierron: Four, I guess.

MBA: Who taught you?

Pierron: My older bro and my father.

MBA: Did you race any other kinds of bikes before mountain bikes?

Pierron: I just played football (soccer). That was sick, but not as sick as DH.

MBA: When did you get your first mountain bike?

Pierron: 14.

MBA: How did you finish in your first competition?

Pierron: In my first national race, I crashed three times in my race run. Not great.

MBA: What titles did you win as an amateur?

Pierron: None.

MBA: What was your favorite subject in school?

Pierron: Mathematics.

MBA: What other sports do you enjoy?

Pierron: Moto, ski, hiking.

MBA: Can you tell us something interesting or unusual about yourself.

Pierron: I’m weird.

MBA: Is there anything else that people might like to know about you?

Pierron: I love cats. They are so cute. ο