Monday, March 19

Profiles: Thomas Allier

By Scot McElwaney
www.BMXonline.com

Thomas Allier won last year's NBL #1 title. For 2001 he's taking his riding to a whole new level by adding ramps into his repertoire. We spent some time with GT's AA Pro and got a little insight into what makes him tick.

I hung out with Thomas at the Hidden Valley trails in Huntington Beach, California as well as in our warehouse. In fact, we did the interview while Joey Garcia (Schwinn) was going ballistic over the spine and on the wallride. Although this made it a little difficult to concentrate, it certainly provided some entertainment. That's when I realized just how much Thomas genuinely enjoys riding and being around BMX, even during his own interview he didn't want to miss out on watching someone else ride.

That's right, Thomas is taking his riding to different terrains. Here he tables out of a wallride at the Ride Publishing offices.

How old are you?
25

Who are your sponsors?
GT, Oakley, THE, ODI, IRC, Vans, Panasonic Shockwave, Chevy Tracker, Hot Wheels, Shimano, ACS, and WD-40.

How long have you raced?
11 years.

How many titles have you had?
French Championship, European Championship, World Championship, and I just got the number one NBL title last year. That's it.

When did you move to the US?
I moved here almost three years ago.

Did your wife move here with you?
Yes, she moved here as soon as I did.

Was that a tough decision for her?
It's always tough to leave your family, leave everything. When you have to move it's always hard to make that decision, because you come here and you don't know what's going to happen in the future.

Why did you decide to move from your home to come here?
To race with the best Pros, and be part of the best series in the World.

Why did you choose to move to California?
It's just a great place. You pretty much have great weather all the time. I think it's the best place to be able to train and focus on what you want to do. Everything is so easy, you don't think about the next day, and whether it's going to rain or not.

Was learning English a big obstacle for you to overcome?
Yes, it's still a big obstacle. We just try to learn by trial and error.

Is racing different in the US than it is in Europe? If so, how?
In Europe you always have a couple top guys, maybe three or four. So you always fight with the same two or three guys. Also the tracks are different; they are more technical there. I think we go faster on American tracks, they are very smooth and not too many jumps.

Describe the tracks in Europe.
They're pretty much like trails. They have big jumps, small jumps, rhythm sections. I always have fun riding on the tracks over there.

Do you like European tracks better?
Yeah, I love the tracks there.

Do you think it would push the sport if the tracks were more difficult?
Yeah, but it's always a question of how (to do it). The guys that build the tracks have to think about the kids, and they don't want to make big jumps and technical sections.

Thomas spends a good bit of his week at the trails, this particular session went down at Hidden Valley in Huntington Beach, California.

You've been riding ramps a lot lately. Is that something that you've always done or is it something that you're just picking up?
When I see people like Dave Mirra riding ramps, or when I see someone street riding, I just like to watch it, because they do so many things with their bikes. I wish I could do stuff like that, because it's so much different than racing. We just focus on the race, and training. It's something that I've always wanted to do, and now I have a good opportunity. I live close to (Ride Publishing), so I'm starting to come by more often, and I'm starting to like it.

Is your favorite form of BMX still racing?
I started with racing, so it's always going to be the best form of BMX for me. That's how I make my living. I have fun doing it, but it's hard. We travel so much, and by the end of the year we're burnt out. So you have to break your routine, and that's what I'm doing right now--riding ramp, riding trails. It keeps your mind fresh.

How often do you make it out to the track to train?
Two or three times a week.

How often do you go out to the trails?
Not every afternoon, but four or five times a week.

One thing that I've noticed is that you ride the same bike no matter where you are. Why don't you run a different frame for ramps and trails?
I trust my bike. I know GT built a good bike, and I'm not afraid to break anything. But I try to ride as smooth as I can, because you never know.

Do you have a specific training regiment or do you just ride your bike?
I have a pretty good schedule. Someone makes something for me. So, yeah, I have a good training program.

Do you have a personal trainer?
He's kind of like that. He's a coach in France, so he sends me a program to follow.

What's a typical day like for you?
Waking up, breakfast, go to the gym, ride trails, and then go to the track after that. That's pretty much my day.

Has your life changed since you won the NBL's #1 Pro title?
No, nothing changed. You just have a number on your plate. Last year I worked hard to get that number, and this year I'm working harder to keep it. That's the only thing that changed.

How important is it to be number 1?
Any number one you can have, that's always big. I love competition. That's the way I am. I always want to do everything the best I can. It's always good to have something like this in the end, because you work hard and the season is so long.

You've won a lot of titles recently, how do you keep it from going to your head?
I don't think you need to be cocky when you win a title. You should just be the same person you used to be. You never know what's going to happen. Someday you could go down and that's it. It's just BMX. We have fun, we love racing, and I wouldn't be cocky for that.

Who do you normally ride with?
I always have a good group to ride with. Whenever I go to the track there are always five or six Pros to ride with. I have two good friends from France [Flourent Boute (Diamondback) and his cousin] that have come here and I ride with them a lot. I ride with Cristian Becerine (Nirve) - I used to ride a lot with Mario Soto and him. I also ride with Christophe Leveque (Specialized), Brian Foster (Airwalk/Fox), and Stephen Murray (Nirve) when I see them at the trails.

How many days are you on the road?
I don't keep track? Probably between 30 and 35 weekends each year.

What are your goals for this year?
Try to be healthy, try to keep my title and have fun riding my bike.