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Loïc Bruni is a downhill mountain biker for the ages
From his early rides on the slopes to his mountain bike titles, Loïc Bruni looks back on his career and how he became one of the greatest riders of his generation.
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When asked if he has a philosophy of life, Loïc Bruni simply replies that he tries to improve himself every day. It's a philosophy that without doubt is paying off. At 29, the French downhill mountain biker has already been the UCI World Champion five times and a three-time winner of the UCI World Cup overall [2019, 2021 and 2023].
With those career statistics to date, Bruni is rightly regarded as one of the greats of downhill. However, there's still a lot left from a man who rarely finishes out of the podium positions of major races and currently has seven World Cup career wins under his name.
01
Early beginnings
Nice-born Bruni was always destined to become a downhill mountain biker. His father, Jean-Pierre Bruni, helped forge the careers of legendary French downhillers Nico Vouilloz and Fabien Barel. Bruni Snr also raced downhill in the 1990s, becoming a world champion in the 35-39 age category in 1999. Around the same time as that victory, a young Loïc was introduced to a bike, and under his dad's tutelage, Bruni Jr learned how quickly how to ride a bike.
“Around five or six years old, my father bought me a small bike and I followed him on race weekends. It was there that I met Loris Vergier [a fellow French pro downhiller] since his father was racing with mine. While they were doing their thing, we were doing ours."
A young Bruni on a bike alongside his father Jean-Pierre
© Loïc Bruni
“I just liked to take my bike and ride when I could. In those times mountain biking was not as developed as today. There were no races suitable for children in downhill yet. The only ones we could do were cross-country, but it was too physical and I didn't really like it. So I thought of doing something else."
The early 2000s saw a young Bruni fascinated by motorbikes, and a certain Travis Pastrana, who was at the time in the process of reinventing the bounds of possibility in FMX.
"He was my biggest idol. I then wanted to ride a motorcycle, but my father never agreed to buy me one."
FMX's loss was downhill biking's gain.
02
Going off the beaten track
“Around the age of 10, I discovered BMX racing thanks to Loris and his brother, who participated in events. And that's also when the French MOM Avalanche junior mountain biking racing series was created."
MOM Avalanche races allowed young riders to go downhill. A young Bruni raced one such event and just like that he was hooked and his taste for going fast on a mountain bike was reignited.
Loïc Bruni (centre) was keen to race downhill whenever given the chance
© Loïc Bruni
From MOM Avalanche there was a natural progression to TRJV (Regional Trophy of Young Mountain Bikers) events. TRJV races are organised so that you're able to ride downhill, cross-country and trials on the same mountain bike. This allows young riders to experience different disciplines and see what they like doing without having to buy different bikes for each. Bruni kept riding cross-country races and trials, while also racing BMX.
"I knew that I was starting to have a good level in downhill, but I didn't want to be quick to make a judgement on what to focus on, so I continued to do everything because I knew that it would be beneficial for downhill, which is a very complete discipline.
“When I got my first suspension mountain bike, that's when I knew that downhill was my favourite discipline among all the others. Beyond the sensations and the speed, I loved everything surrounding the discipline, especially the technique involved such as navigating trails, finding the best lines, clearing jumps..."
An early podium
© Loïc Bruni
Bruni wasn't exactly in the perfect place to ride downhill where he grew up. The Alpes-Maritimes region of south-east France was not known for having great downhill trails.
"In the Alpes-Maritimes, there weren't many trails suitable for downhill, so we often had to do everything ourselves. But it's also what forced us to ride well and on all types of terrain."
03
Getting noticed
Racing became a bug. By the time he was was teenager he was competing in downhill in French Cups and the French gravity series Mégavalanches in junior categories and doing well.
"People noticed me at that time [2010], including the team manager of France's Lapierre International team. He came to see me and offered the chance to join them in the Junior category the following year."
It was all quite a mad experience for Bruni at the time. “I was hallucinating, all my idols rode for this team, including Sam Blenkinsop [New Zealand downhill pro]."
5 min
Loïc Bruni
We catch up with French MTB rider Loïc Bruni as he prepares his assault on the 2014 UCI World Cup.
04
Progression comes quickly
Bruni was riding on the UCI World Cup circuit just a year later in the junior category. At the time, the juniors didn't race separately and went down with the Elite Men. As a learning curve, it was pretty tough, but Bruni was quick to adapt.
In 2011, Bruni became French Junior Champion. The following year in 2012, he was the Junior World Champion. A year that also included a sensational fifth place at the World Cup race in Windham in the USA, beating many of the male Elite racers he was idolising a few years earlier.
“I knew I had a good level, but I didn't expect to break through, there was so much competition. But I was lucky to be surrounded by very good people and these people were able to give me the confidence I lacked."
On or off form, Bruni is a rider that's always in the podium mix
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
More often or not in the last few years Bruni has raced in rainbow stripes
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Among those who he credits with that quick progression in those early days is Jack Roure, his long-standing mechanic.
“I met him when he was already well-established in the industry when I was just starting out. I got to know him well and the relationship between us worked. We were both meticulous. Thanks to his ideas and my trust in him to follow his ideas, we managed to innovate and do things that many others weren't doing at the time, such as testing or data analysis during the off-season. I believe the two of us have contributed to the development of the discipline. I would never have learned so much without him and if he had to stop tomorrow, I'd be a bit lost."
When I go to the races, winning is the main objective, but I don't just go there for that. I want to meet people and inspire everyone who comes to see us
05
Stepping up to Elites
The impressive results as a Junior marked Bruni as one to watch when he moved to full Elite racing in 2013. But things didn't always go the way Bruni thought they would.
“I was doing good races, but I struggled a bit. It was Aaron Gwin's heyday, I was second four times [in 2014] so it was a little frustrating but it motivated me even more. But my biggest enemy was ultimately myself. Until 2015, I didn't go a season without injury. I'm a very emotional person, and I also think that played a part. Depending on the people I work with, depending on the things that are imposed on me, I can react badly and make mistakes. Evolving as you do at a high level, you can't afford to do that. It's something I'm still working on today, but I think it will follow me all my life, it's a character trait."
Before he actually recorded a World Cup win, Bruni won the first of his five UCI Downhill World Championships in 2015 in Vallnord, Andorra. A first World Cup win finally followed a year later in Cairns, Australia. Further UCI World Championship wins would come his way in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. That 2022 win was undoubtedly the most special as it was on French soil at Les Gets. Only fellow Frenchman Nico Vouilloz has more elite World Championship titles with seven.
2 min
UCI Cairns 2016 - Loïc Bruni Winning Run
Loïc Bruni's winning run from the men's 2016 Cairns DH World Cup race
Follow Bruni's MTB career through the years with the Fast Life series
06
Maintaining longevity
So how does Bruni explain being at the top of downhill racing for such a long period and still winning major races as he reaches his 30s?
“I am inspired by a lot of things that my idols or my rivals have done in their preparation for the sport. I have tried to take what was good for me and mix it all together. US downhiller Aaron Gwin used to ride a motorcycle, so I did too. I now do gym sessions, very long rides to work on my endurance. Some things didn't work out, like I tried to train with the same trainer as Gwin and it didn't work for instance."
13 min
Underdogs and overdogs
MTB riders Kate Courtney and Loïc Bruni recall the highs and lows of their mountain biking careers.
With all this winning, and focus on improving himself and bike performance, you'd think Bruni is one serious dude, but off-bike there's another reason why fans love him for more than simply his fluid riding style. He has an affable and friendly personality, whose smile and laid-back attitude on a racing weekend belies the pressure he feels or puts on himself. Bruni also recognises that with being one of the sport's most recognised athletes and big personalities there come responsibilities.
“When I go to the races, winning is the main objective, but I don't just go there for that. I want to meet people and inspire everyone who comes to see us. I really like interacting with the fans.
"I'm lucky to be able to work with people with whom I want to work, and want to do things that are important to me, such as taking downhill to another dimension, developing good bikes, designing outfits, etc. All that will help me for my competitions, but it'll also help the brands to develop new things and allow downhill to grow."
The fans love Bruni for his racing style and personality
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Bruni is super-content with life away from the racing weekends, and just as fun-loving, as he travels the world with team members, family, friends and other loved ones.
"I'd like to continue to live my little life, to be happy, everything that is important beyond sport. I have the chance to earn a good living today and to do what I love, I have to take advantage of it."
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