10 Mins with: Jerome Clementz

STORY BY Emmanuelle 27th June 2017

Enduro World Series rider Jerome Clementz,twice Enduro World Champion, is a mountain-bike legend who has competed in the toughest endurance events on the planet.

 

What’s your goal for this year on the EWS?

Have fun, stay healthy and be able to compete with the young and talented new generation. I still hope that I can give them a run for their money … ! Since I’ve been EWS Champ and twice on the podium of the overall 2015/16 season, I don’t have much pressure; I just hope I can give my best, enjoy the moment and finish every race with a smile.

 

What has been your favourite year for racing?

The 2013 season will probably remain as the best one. It was the first year of EWS, and the level increased quickly; everybody was expecting me to do well and I wanted to. Being able to win the championship in 2013 and other great event this year was the highlight of my career and definitely the one where I achieved one of my biggest dreams, if not the biggest.

 

In the masterplan, you talk about fun stuff and serious stuff …

Now Enduro has a really competitive field and the races are really tight; every second counts. We are professional athletes, and in order to perform at your best, you need to introduce some exercises that are not especially fun: for example, going to the gym in the winter; following a training programme day by day, whatever the weather is; watching the helmet camera footage of your practice run; or walking the stages. It’s something you do because you understand that it will give you benefits in your performance. On the other side, I believe that mental attitude is a big part of the game, and if you want to be performing, you need to enjoy what you do. Luckily, in Enduro, a part of the training is working on your technical skill. Travelling and riding in remote places with your friends is also a good way to train; spending the day out and then having a drink can’t be bad and will keep your spirits high. You need to learn from the facts in your results of your VO2 max test but you do it with pleasure and you even ask for more.

 

VO2max – can you describe how that helps your training?

At some point, if you want to improve your fitness, you need to do it properly with facts. The VO2max test allows you to build a training programme knowing at which pace you will be able to get the most out of each exercise. Once you’ve done the test and depending on what tool you use (power meter, heart-rate monitor), your coach can define the zones where you need to be in the different exercises you have to do. Without this, it’s easy not to train in the right way and get overtrained or badly trained.

 

Describe your ultimate MTB road trip. 

Ultimate MTB road trip … well, let’s start dreaming. It would be a remote place, maybe Canada, Chile or New Zealand, private for the occasion where the trailbuilders have rebuilt all the trail before you arrive. Fresh and loamy in the technical areas and smooth and fast on the jump lines. It also needs to have some unridden natural trails and a long descent (more than 1,000m). You take some friends, stay in a comfy hut (not luxurious) with a place for a big fire, pit bike and good sound system. You spend your day shuttling with a water-powered car, ride until you are done, watch the sunset on the deck of the terrasse with a beer then the party can start with a BBQ, some Piscola, music and, at some point, Metallica comes and plays for your crew. Then you go to bed with your girlfriend and restart the next mornin

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