Martha Hucker catches up with Emmeline Ragot

Emmeline Ragot is a fast French rider whose name you’ll already be familiar with if you follow the World Cup racing or visit this site much. She’s been kicking ass at both 4x and DH this year after spending her summer down under learning English and riding bikes (more on that here). We put her language skills to the test yet again with an email interview to find out how Emmeline’s 2009 season is going in her own words. It helps if you imagine the French accent while you read it!

Hey Emmeline! How’s the racing going? You’re second in the World Cup series at the moment, do you think riding in NZ over summer helped?

For the moment it’s my best Word Cup season, 5 WC rounds so far, and 4 times I have finished second, arkkkkk, and more and more close. I never won a WC and most people say, “that will come”, but when?!!!! Haha, I’m pretty patient but now I’m starting to lose it, it’s like an obsession, because I’m thinking there are just 3 more WC to try and get it. I continue training at home but my best training was in New Zealand last winter, best training ever. I rode every day there, every situation, rode in such beautiful places, and met such nice people for ride with me, and try new tricks on my bike. It was really a good experience because normally i stay at home and here it’s pretty flat and I can’t ride downhill. So yup i think went in NZ was a big help for me ;)

This is your first year racing 4x too. How’s that going? Will you do it again next year?

Yup it’s the first year, heu almost, I rode in Schladming last year because it was the last WC and i was sad the season stopped, so I decided to do the fourcross for ride more, haha, it was really fun, I borrow my team-mate’s bike, and just go…. I don’t remember how I finished, maybe 7th. Anyway, it was really fun so I decided to ride this season, and maybe doing all the fourcross WC. And I did so far, twice I almost gave up because I don’t want to fight with the other girls in the race, I usually ride alone just against a timer, so it’s pretty hard to ride with other riders. Some people ask is it hard doing both 4X and Dh? I don’t know what to answer, yup it’s probably hard physically doing both, and Sabrina or Tracy can rest during this time. But there are some riders who do both, like Fionn Griffiths or Mio Suemasa, so I don’t think it’s a problem to do both, I think on the contrary that allows thinking about other things than just the downhill. I dunno if i will race fourcross next year, it depends on the team and a lot of other thing, just would like to ride for the fun.

This year’s World Champs are on a very pedally course – not the best syle for you, right? But you have been ’spying’ on the track…are there any other special training techniques you are using to be ready for Canberra in two months time?

Yup it’s not really a track for me, but I can’t change it ;). Though i like this track, it’s pretty fun to ride on it, berms jumps…. I think it’s fun to ride just for training but not for racing because it’s horribly physical, because the last part it’s 30 seconds, maybe more, of flat……..ark so hard for finishing. So I will train for it, i don’t know what and how i will do it (haha maybe it’s a secret ;) but I want to be ready for the world champs!!
Yup i went in Oz in January for the Australian Champs, to see if there are some new things on the track, but there are not. It was good though ;)

Your team (Suspension Center) are winning the World Cup 4x, thanks to you and Anneke Beerten. Are they a fun team to ride for?
Yup my team is really nice, it’s the second year now I’m riding for them and I’m pretty glad of it. We have a good relation between our team mates, Maxime Remy, Anneke Beerten and Lars Peyer, we laugh so much,and the team manager is a cool guy, and “I love my mechanic “;) he do really a good work on my bike. it’s a relaxed climate in the team, and i like it, i don’t need more pressure before the race ;) I’m already stressed, haha.

When is your DW link Turner coming? And do you have any other cool new things on your bike or to wear this season?

Haha, I’m not sure at the moment when i will get the new bike, maybe i will try in Canada, but I’m pretty afraid to change my bike now at this time in the season, I’m sure the new bike will work really good but it’s always hard to change and I have a good feeling on my bike, I love my bike ;) But I will try the new bike, maybe I will have a good feeling and then ride it for the World Champs.
Yup I have some new things on my bike, a new stem, an orange titanium one with a funny name on it ;), if you want see there is a picture in the Pointone website here, check it out.  Another new thing I did, I polished all my frame, now it is very shiney ;) Another thing, each time before the WC Gery the manager gives me a lady bird for my luck, last time I put it around my stem. And another other thing, my team like drawing on my bike, especially on my fourcross bike, it’s pretty funny ;)

You have been racing on the World Cup circuit since you were very young. Is it a different experience now that you are older and more independent?

I dunno, heu yup sure I don’t have the same view, at the start I was hoping to ride fast to get up on the podium, like all the young riders want. And there were Missy and Anne-Caro, they were like idols, haha. And i started up on the podium when I was a junior, and now I’m more relaxed, sure I would like win but i want to take pleasure and have fun riding too, it’s really important for me now, because if you’re not happy riding, why do you ride??

Why is your nickname at the races ‘Princess’?
Haha, I don’t know really how I got this nickname, it was at the first race in South Africa, my team call me “princess”, because I was the only girl in the tent and my team mate and manager did everything for me, they are really nice people, so they said I’m a princess but it’s more for fun (heu i hope;)), haha. And now they call me this.

What’s been your favourite thing about the 2009 season so far?
Heuuuuuu I think the best thing is that I can speak English with people and can understand when the people try to talk with me, hahaha, yup the years before was suck and horrible, I couldn’t make an English sentence, just some words I learned at school, ark I was so ashamed!!!!
And the other little thing, I learned take a life more relaxed, I think, it was a good experience when I went to NZ for me.

Anyone you’d like to thank?
Would like said thanks to my parents for helping me since I was young, thanks to all my sponsors and my team. And thanks to Rita Langley for riding with me in NZ and helping me start learning English and thanks to all the other people who make me smile ;)

Cheers Emmeline, and good luck with the rest of your season! (And yup your English is pretty sweet, but I dunno, maybe you’ve picked up some special kiwi expressions?)

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Published on 14/07/2009 by Martha Hucker.

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