From the top of the mountain, from the deepest of the forest, something descends. It is still impossible to know what it is, but a trail is heard that lifts the earth, a whistle that increases, the speed rushes. On several occasions, a silence opens and, in the end, a rumble: it has been making long leaps. The confusion disappears soon and Andreu Lacondeguy (Llinars del Vallés, 1989) appears in the air, who, after making a mortal taking his bike only by the handlebars, lands sitting in the saddle as if nothing and greets his friends.

The show is over and Lacondeguy, relaxed, accustomed, begins to chat with him if he was at home because, in reality, he is at home. About 30 kilometers north of Barcelona, ​​at the foot of the Montseny massif, lives a legend of freeride mountain biking and does so in a farmhouse surrounded by a spectacular circuit of seven hectares built by himself, the baptized Lacondeyard, with jumps up to 17 meters. The entrance to the enclosure opens the door to a world where something really extraordinary happens in a sport as minority as yours: for its medal winners, Lacondeguy only needs to compete in one event a year, the Red Bull Rampage held in Utah, the most important competition of his specialty, and in it he can focus all his efforts. Starting with its vast terrain.

«A couple of years ago I bought the farm and decided to take this project forward. Now I have my own circuit and with my brother Lluís , who has a Bike Parks construction company, I make and break my whim. I am continuously changing it. When the Rampage approaches, for example, I dedicate it to preparing my tricks, my lines. It is a luxury, ”explains Lacondeguy who, when October approaches, imagines that it is in the barren ravines of the Zyon National Park in Utah from the Prelitoral mountain range of Barcelona.

These months, yes, he lives his preseason that focuses on training at home or in the nearby La Poma circuit and recording videos, many videos. It is their way of life, beyond the competition. The brands of mountain bicycles, bicycle components, cycling clothing or other related products sponsor their descents and jumps and therefore no longer need to earn more. As he admits, he does what he wants. «Freeride is a small sport in Spain, but the mountain bike market is very large and continues to grow, with electric ones, for example. I am lucky to be able to cover my season with publicity and just focus on the Rampage, which is very fat. In the United States and Canada it is broadcast and has as much impact as skiing, ”says Lacondeguy who is not only the only Spaniard who has participated in the test sponsored by Red Bull, is the only one who has won it: it was in 2014. In others twice, in 2015 and in 2018, he finished second.

A milestone for a young man who, in reality, was going to footballer. Like so many other children, in the countryside of his village, Llinars del Vallés, he was introduced to the sport, but a lumbar injury took off his boots and a doctor who prescribed him a cycling gave him a trade. He started in the Olympic cross country cycling mode, then he went on to the freedom of the BMX and in the end he ended up joining both worlds with the thriving freeride mountain biking. At 16, a trip to the United States and a contract with Red Bull finished shaping their future. Since then it was clear: he would jump through ravines with a small bicycle.

Their sport is simple, each cyclist throws himself down the hill doing tricks and the judges punctuate the descent, although in recent years it has been complicated. 10 days before a contest like the Rampage, competitors can build their own downline along with three assistants - with pickaxe and stack, without motor machines - and each time the jumps are longer, taller and, of course, more dangerous. Lacondeguy points out that "only" the collarbone and one of the menisci has been broken, "nothing serious", but that the risk grips. «Five minutes before throwing me I had a bad time. People watch my videos and think I'm crazy, but there's a lot of control behind, a lot of preparation, ”says the freerider before returning to his bike.

Soon he will rise again on his own hill and descend again through his own forest through a path that passes a few meters from the back door of his house. The circuit, he admits, is a dream come true and all freeride professionals who visit him from various parts of the world envy him, but at the same time Lacondeguy acknowledges that in recent weeks he has discovered a fear. From the window of his room, from the foot of his bed, the vision of one of the jumps reminds him that he must train and that "can become tiring." Having the home office has its advantages and disadvantages.

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