olivier cuvet
From a backyard to Alchimie, drawing the lines of a bikepark and its vibrant community.
Heroes belong to the extraordinary and to everyday life too. The motivation to ride can be triggered on the streets you already know and on new paths to be explored. Meet the Heroes is a new deep-focus series based on Ride Your Way, released to feed your dreams with stories of cyclists who made the ordinary extraordinary.
“I always liked being outside and doing sport! I remember very well the first time I rode my bike on two wheels, without the small wheels in the back. I was probably 2 or 3."
My parents love the outdoor too, they are mountain people but it’s more a lifestyle than a real sport addiction for them. They never forbid me to do anything, while they never really pushed me to evolve and excel in something.”
What makes a sport a lifelong passion? We’ve asked Olivier Cuvet - one of the most promising ambassadors of our community- to share with us his dreams and the project Alchimie we are so proud to support.
Speaking with him about his love for outdoor life, how it grew and developed throughout the years it seems as simple as it is. The idea of performance that usually comes to mind when talking about sport is a natural consequence when you believe in your feelings and just do what makes you happy. Indeed, Olivier did that, he felt the authentic connection with outdoor sports as a sparkle that ignited his passion for riding.
When you practice a sport that you really love it becomes part of your life, you’ll see the challenges that raise as opportunities, not as limits. And that’s what happened, with a hobby - the one for riding a bike – becoming rooted in the place he lives and contaminated with other sports he loves practicing throughout the seasons, different activities but somehow very similar to riding.
“When I was a kid, we were doing wheeling or long jumps contest in the street with my friends. It was super fun but I had no clue this was a sport."
the project, the event, the community
Alchimie
Alchimie is the project that since its early stages was meant to be a huge one, “a concept that aims to develop mountain biking in the area I live in, bringing all together the different aspects of biking."
"We try to develop tracks and spots, for pros and beginners, and offer the services that go with it. We think that biking is more than a sport, and that it’s a community as a whole.”
A first spot for gathering and promoting riding took shape 4 years ago in Olivier’s backyard. Le Labo then evolved until last year’s first proper Alchimie Invitational. The huge resonance and amazing vibes of those days turned out as the clear message that what Olivier was creating with his friends was more than just an event. That’s how Alchimie has grown until 2023, some big work on the main lines have been carried out with jumps that go from 12m to 5m longs.
inspire people to enjoy the bike life
Utopia
“As explained in Utopia, there were pretty much nothing to ride at my place 4 years ago. Now we gathered a good group of people and honestly have some of the best freeride/enduro trail I’ve ever ridden. Same for jumps!”
Watch Utopia and get inspired by a sustainable and local way of life and riding.
A second part of Utopia, with more stories to tell and meant to be more freeride oriented, is on the future plans, as well as more events to be attended in the European scenario. A great job has been done, not just developing new tracks but actually creating a strong sense of community around a spot, encouraging riders who belong from no-matter-level to join and feed the crave for riding with constant care for the mountain environment.