bike vision INTRODUCING
THE CREATORS OF ST JEAN D'AULPS' NEW PUMP TRACK
If you’re reading this and wondering why a new pump track is a big deal around these parts - we’re surrounded by some of the best bike trails in the world after all - I'll elaborate. Pump tacks keep children of all ages entertained for hours, without fail. They offer guaranteed entertainment, whatever the weather, fostering a community of kids playing outside, away from screens. They help hone those vital bike skills and they’re great fun for adults too. Sébastien Giraldi and his team at Bike Vision Design were charged with construction of the new track. Those of us with small people to entertain have grown used to schralping all the way to Morillon pump track of a weekend. “If only we had a track this good closer to home,” we’d mutter on the way back. If you’re wondering what a pump track is, imagine a circular loop of rollers and berms for bikes, designed to maximise momentum so you can ride it with minimal pedalling. Made of earth and typically coated in tarmac, the modern day pump track often comes with varying routes and degrees of difficulty and is most definitely not just for small people. The 2020 Municipal Elections brought a new mayor for St Jean d’Aulps, which sits just 8km from the centre of Morzine (and is therefore entirely ridable). Despite the first 12-months of his mayorship being dominated by COVID-19-chaos, Mayor Chalençon quickly established and approved plans to build a brand new pump track within his commune, due for completion at the end of May 2021. 60
bike vision - pump track
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© Maxime Rambaud - bike vision team
Why have pump tracks become so popular in recent years? SEB: Pump tracks are beautiful recreation areas that can be easily created today in most towns and cities. They’re versatile, welcoming mountain bikers, BMX-ers, skateboarders, long boarders, scooters, roller-skaters and little ones on balance bikes. The fun is accessible to all! Here at Bike Vision Design we specialise in creating infrastructure in areas dedicated to mountain biking. Our projects include bike parks, trail construction, slopestyle courses and free ride zones in addition to pump tracks. Where did the idea for a pump track in St Jean d’Aulps come from? SEB: Quite simply, it was the will of the Mayor and his team. They were all very motivated to build the new track and their objective was clear; the track should be ambitious and meet the ambitions of the young people in the valley. We presented them with our vision, which had to be well integrated on the site, visually acceptable and technically versatile too. What’s the schedule for the project? When will it be ready? SEB: Here at Bike Vision Design we’re the project managers and we called on local company Coppel Terrassement in Les Gets to conduct the required earthworks. We’ve created three different trails on the one site, with an access ramp, a riprap wall and drainage of course. Once the earthworks were complete, we moved in to model and perfect the rollers, the berms and the jumps. The top layer will be asphalt and once it’s installed we’ll take care of the landscaping, including fencing, painting and the creation on an information board.
