The star arrives, the doors close — and the crowd nearly swallows you.
After the Tour de France Femmes there were only two races left, and the first was Les Gets — which I'd been looking forward to for one big reason: Mathieu van der Poel, Paris-Roubaix winner and one of the biggest stars in the sport, was finally back on a mountain bike.
The media crush was unlike anything I'd seen. At every race before this, the teams had been open and approachable, happy to make content. But with the star of the sport in the paddock, everything was suddenly behind closed doors. We had very little access — and made the best of the little we got. It was fascinating, honestly, to watch the whole media circus assemble around a single rider. As a creator, I came away knowing exactly what I'd do differently next year to get better content out of a weekend like that.
And then there's the downhill. Les Gets on downhill Saturday is a spectacle: close to 200,000 people packed along the track, roaring, screaming, chainsaws going. I'd only ever seen it on TV.
Fifty thousand people, all running straight at me. I'll admit it — I was scared.
So when I found myself standing in the finish area and fifty thousand of them suddenly surged toward me all at once, I'll admit it: I was a little scared. The fear got buried almost instantly under the sheer emotion of it — of being part of something that big. Even Emmanuel Macron shared videos from the event — not mine, but from the day — which tells you just how far this sport can reach.
It was an experience unlike any other, and I'm already counting down to Les Gets next year. It's going to be even bigger: next year, it's the World Championships.
