goodbye Fabien...

c'mon, you can't race forever... the man is a legend of the race track!

wont be the same without him.....his pre race dirt tv interviews are priceless they are always challenging and quiet technical and usually fairly dynamique...

mad man on a bike

Damn, always thought he had a third world championship left in him!

Udi said:

Damn, always thought he had a third world championship left in him!

Click to expand...

Fourth?

Looks like hes not going to string that run of results and take the WC overalls i thought he always seemed to threaten to do when not injured.

This seems to be a French thing, Nico and ACC retired at a similar age. I really hope its not the last we have seen of him.

Quick video interview with the legend that is Fabien...http://dirt.mpora.com/news/fabien-barel-announces-retirement.html

Is Mondraker about to get one of the best team managers ever?

This really caught me out of nowhere... Fabien is one of those guys that makes the sport better: Intelligent, methodical, consummate professional, articulate if not prosaic, great sense of humor, philisophical, disciplined, dedicated, and most of all passionate about what he does and radiates this love and enthusiasm in a way that people can relate to...

It's because of guys like him that our sport has a certain dignity to it.

...a decision that I'm sure was difficult for him to make but one that will leave him happier for it.

Fabien - you will be missed out on the track! Looking forward to seeing you in other capacities in DH MTB!

Gutted.........

Cheers to one of the greatest of our time. You cannot help but to look up to him as a person and racer, I sure as hell couldn't. From the solid, down to earth personality to some of the best race craft in the history of our sport tied together with a friendly attitude and mad skills, he is going to be missed by all. What more can one say??

Wait a minute, does this mean he'll be the latest(and hopefully permanent) addition to the commetary box?! If so, hell yeah!!!!

I bet he read the thread about elliptical chainrings on RM. And figured that he either can have antisquat or better pedaling efficiency, but under no circumstance he can have both. This completely crushed his spirit and now hes retiring.

Shame on you RM!

Today is a really important day in downhill mountain bike. One of the biggest and greatest is leaving us as a racer. A day we will never forget, a person we will always remember for being such a professional, committed and technical rider.

I remember my first world champs back in 1998 in Mt Saint Anne, where he won it. As a junior in that days he was the person to follow, that was my first worlds and I remember finishing 8th and wanted to be like him next year, I looked at him on that top step dreaming on being there...

A decade after that, being able to develop the summum with him is been such an amazing experience since all started.

I remember the day we took the first prototype of the racing summum to his house. He was holding the frame on his hands and said, I’m not going to ride this, is going to snap (the prototype he rode the complete first season 2.995gr and he rode it all season on the same until production one came.) it was funny to see his face though, he was really scared. The thing is, that I wasn’t that sure it was going to hold a season, but it did. That day was really special not only because I was on his first day trying the prototype of the bike, also because it was my first day back on the DH bike after breaking my hand in crankworxs the year before, so riding with him on the new bikes was something I cannot describe.

I remember it was pissing so bad those days, lots of rain… We were walking to the start of the track and some sun appeared and we got to see the rainbow, I pointed to it and said to him, this is a signal, you need to get one of those, he hasn’t got it yet, but Champery is waiting, I’m sure… He can make dreams come true.

And some months after we got to Slovenia,… He took the Bike to a amazing win on just his second world cup on the new bike, and injured!!! Something I’m sure no one will be able to repeat again in the history of downhill. Something left for the greatest of the sport.

Being there, racing as well those finals, seeing him staying in the hot seat for such a long time, riders coming, not beating him… I think I’ve never ever been so nervous in a race and never felt so emotional for a result and that wasn’t even mine.

I can remember as if it was now, jumping the fence, running into him and giving him a such and emotional hug, that is all about, there is nothing greater that that feeling there. Him, winning again, seeing something you’ve spend so many time designing it, winning a world cup on the first try,… is it anything else you can ask for? Dreams can come true!

For this and for many other things, I can only say merci, merci beaucoup Fabien!!! You mean a lot to me and to the Mondraker family. You’ve helped us growing as persons, and as a brand, and this is something that will be going together with us for the rest of the years.

Fabien has made probably one of my best days in my life and it’s going to be difficult to feel something similar to what that day happened. I still can close my eyes and see Fabien on the top step of that Maribor podium. I can feel the tears coming down my face as if it was now, so many emotions mixed that day,.. (my heart is beating so fast right now while writing this.)

Thanks Fab, make your end as a professional be epic!!

A link to the note with that great picture of "the moment"
https://www.facebook.com/notes/cesar-rojo/fabiens-retirement/10150730238345487
https://www.facebook.com/notes/cesar-rojo/fabiens-retirement/10150730238345487

one of my all time heros.. Barel just always had the best style on a bike..

today after he nearly lost it and then pops a manual on the pedals.. he has style skills and he just always shows himself as a true pro and allround nice guy.

I can only hope he does what nico and CC did, and head into enduros and pops into the random DH race from time to time

Sad day for the racing scenery but I'd love to see Fabien Barel riding Avalanche races as ACC and Nico V from now onwards! so Cesar maybe you can start thinking about developing a specific Avalanche-type races Mondraker frame!!

A sad day indeed. I loved his interviews and blog posts. He is real inspiration for me and many of my friends. I really thought he would recover this season and put up a fight in the next. He still has the speed.

so Cesar maybe you can start thinking about developing a specific Avalanche-type races Mondraker frame!!

Click to expand...

They already have one.

I know they already have one I was referring to a specific frame made for Fabien with lots of mods and crazy head angles and all that stuff as it was the Summun back in the day as Cesar says when he developed that crazy light frame specifically for him

norbar said:

A sad day indeed. I loved his interviews and blog posts. He is real inspiration for me and many of my friends. I really thought he would recover this season and put up a fight in the next. He still has the speed.



They already have one.

Click to expand...

He'll be back... Don't worry!

Definatley one of my favourite riders both personality and the way he just plain ripped.

I will never forget the day I was standing at the counter of a LBS at the time, just buying parts and minding my own business, I had just discovered there was something called freeride and I was getting hooked, I knew little about DH. They were playing Cranked or some DVD and Fabien comes on, he is just absolutley shredding down a mountain, completely blew me away that anyone could ride that fast. That segment stayed with me for days and changed the way I wanted to ride. Every DVD I now have with Fabien in he is just ripping.

I think yesteday was a testament to older more experienced rider brining home results when conditions truned.

cesar_rojo said:

Today is a really important day in downhill mountain bike. One of the biggest and greatest is leaving us as a racer. A day we will never forget, a person we will always remember for being such a professional, committed and technical rider.

I remember my first world champs back in 1998 in Mt Saint Anne, where he won it. As a junior in that days he was the person to follow, that was my first worlds and I remember finishing 8th and wanted to be like him next year, I looked at him on that top step dreaming on being there...

A decade after that, being able to develop the summum with him is been such an amazing experience since all started.

I remember the day we took the first prototype of the racing summum to his house. He was holding the frame on his hands and said, I?m not going to ride this, is going to snap (the prototype he rode the complete first season 2.995gr and he rode it all season on the same until production one came.) it was funny to see his face though, he was really scared. The thing is, that I wasn?t that sure it was going to hold a season, but it did. That day was really special not only because I was on his first day trying the prototype of the bike, also because it was my first day back on the DH bike after breaking my hand in crankworxs the year before, so riding with him on the new bikes was something I cannot describe.

I remember it was pissing so bad those days, lots of rain? We were walking to the start of the track and some sun appeared and we got to see the rainbow, I pointed to it and said to him, this is a signal, you need to get one of those, he hasn?t got it yet, but Champery is waiting, I?m sure? He can make dreams come true.

And some months after we got to Slovenia,? He took the Bike to a amazing win on just his second world cup on the new bike, and injured!!! Something I?m sure no one will be able to repeat again in the history of downhill. Something left for the greatest of the sport.

Being there, racing as well those finals, seeing him staying in the hot seat for such a long time, riders coming, not beating him? I think I?ve never ever been so nervous in a race and never felt so emotional for a result and that wasn?t even mine.

I can remember as if it was now, jumping the fence, running into him and giving him a such and emotional hug, that is all about, there is nothing greater that that feeling there. Him, winning again, seeing something you?ve spend so many time designing it, winning a world cup on the first try,? is it anything else you can ask for? Dreams can come true!

For this and for many other things, I can only say merci, merci beaucoup Fabien!!! You mean a lot to me and to the Mondraker family. You?ve helped us growing as persons, and as a brand, and this is something that will be going together with us for the rest of the years.

Fabien has made probably one of my best days in my life and it?s going to be difficult to feel something similar to what that day happened. I still can close my eyes and see Fabien on the top step of that Maribor podium. I can feel the tears coming down my face as if it was now, so many emotions mixed that day,.. (my heart is beating so fast right now while writing this.)

Thanks Fab, make your end as a professional be epic!!

A link to the note with that great picture of "the moment"
https://www.facebook.com/notes/cesar-rojo/fabiens-retirement/10150730238345487
https://www.facebook.com/notes/cesar-rojo/fabiens-retirement/10150730238345487

Click to expand...

that day was fantastic!!!! here's a little vid of that day!

A dark day for the sport really, the field just lost a huge chunk of professionalism! The last couple of years have got to have been unimaginably tough for Barel with the injuries he's had, he keeps on going tho, what a character!

Let's just hope he doesn't get a full time job coaching a French youth team

Dirt needs to employ him as a bike tester/columnist. I'd love to hear his unbiased views on the various bikes available today.

monkeyfcuker said:

dirt needs to employ him as a bike tester/columnist. I'd love to hear his unbiased views on the various bikes available today.

Click to expand...

yes!!

so we already found two new jobs for him

commenting on freecaster along rob warner
and testing bikes for dirt

that guy will never be able to "retire"

UiUiUiUi said:

so we already found two new jobs for him

commenting on freecaster along rob warner
and testing bikes for dirt

that guy will never be able to "retire"

Click to expand...

Forgot about being a product manager at mondraker

Will be missed. I hope he still stays active on the scene in one way or another. I'd love to have him on commentary. During interviews he always seems to know exactly what he's talking about and just comes across as really smart but without being snobbish or condescending, which is very unique.

Stick around Fabien!

4130biker said:

yes!!

Click to expand...

This x 100000.

Jones, you waffling muppet - you're out!