©Damien Bettinelli - @damienbtnli
Hello Mathias, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your career?
**Mathias Riquier: Nice to meet you, and thanks for the invitation! There have been a few zigzags in my career: in fact, I've only been working in the outdoor world for 5 years. But I've always more or less tried to turn my passion into my job, so I spent the first few years of my professional life as a culture and music journalist, for *Tsugi* magazine or for the Tracks program on Arte for example. I've also done a few things I hadn't planned to do, like a stint on the TV show C à Vous, or a stint as a bike courier!
Now I'm based in Nantes, I'm originally from Brittany - a region that means a lot to me - and I spend as much time on a bike as I do at music festivals or playing video games, becauseyou can like to sleep outside and be a bit of a geek at the same time!
"Les Others is one of the only outdoor media to develop a cultural sensibility".
Could you introduce us to Les Others?
Mathias: It's a truly unique medium, and I was a big fan of it before I had the chance to settle in. It's one of the only media outlets that looks at outdoor subjects like climbing, biking, hiking or mountaineering, with a sideways glance and a "cultural" sensibility. Les Others is a medium designed to marvel at and question the world around us, inspired by literature, cinema and design. We develop a magazine that comes out every 6 months, with a strong theme each time. Our latest volume, issue 18, is called "Par amour".
Our podcast Les Baladeurs is also a big success, with almost 80 episodes and a real following! We're also very active on social networks, we publish a digest of outdoor culture in a newsletter... And we've even created a little brother, the Recto verso medium, which is 100% practical, with advice, tutorials, adventures with lots of concrete details, etc... In short, we're not idle!
What was your first contact with cycling?
Mathias: Unlike a lot of people, I wasn't brought up on a bike. I even learned to ride a bike quite late, at around the age of 9, because it didn't really interest me when I was a kid. I always had a good excuse for putting off learning, because I found it too restrictive. Then, one day, I decided to give it a try, because I could see that it could be a way of gaining independence.
My first real moments of pleasure on a bike came with BMX, around the age of 16-17. It was a completely different world from classic cycling, closer to a sliding sport. I was very attracted by its community aspect and the adrenalin it provided. I spent a lot of time riding BMX, until a dislocated shoulder and a spell in hospital put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm! But these experiences definitely marked my debut in the world of cycling.
How do you go from BMX to bike travel and a job that's all about the outdoors?
Mathias: It was in 2013. I was riding around Paris with my girlfriend at the time, near the Bassin de la Villette, when we came across green signs pointing to London, 624 km away. They had been put up after the London Olympics, to promote the Paris-London cycle route. We said to ourselves , "Gee, it would be more stimulating and enjoyable to travel by bike than by plane!"
So we bought bikes and set off, even though we weren't really experienced. Finally, a week before departure, the weather forecast predicted awful weather for our initial route. So we changed our plans and opted for a route between Bordeaux and Sète, of similar distance but with much milder weather. This last-minute change showed us just how flexible and fun bicycle travel can be. It was the beginning of a real passion for cycling adventures. When I got home, I started cycling to work every day. I don't think there's been a day since that I haven't cycled in my daily life...
"Thanks to cycling, I have that feeling of improvisation and flexibility that I look for on vacation"
Sophie Gateau @sofigato
What are you looking for in cycling?
Mathias: I like cycling for the freedom it gives me. I don't like to plan my vacations too much in advance, and this instrument allows me to change my plans at the last minute. It's a sense of escape, improvisation and flexibility that I really appreciate. Sometimes you think you're going to sleep there, and then, at the last minute, you feel like changing, because another place catches your eye. With a bike, you don't feel trapped by a schedule, which is what worries me the most! What's more, it's a means of transport that lets you meet people you'd never have met in real life. It's very enriching.
Can you tell us about your most vivid memory?
Mathias: Ah, that's a tough question! But I think it was my first ultra-distance race in 2018-2019, the "Born to Ride". This event involved me pedaling 1,200 kilometers, from Paimpol in Brittany to San Sebastian in Spain, with checkpoints at various lighthouses along the way. It was an enormous challenge, requiring us to cover between 250 and 300 kilometers a day for four and a half days.
In the end, looking back, I realize that it's not just the kilometers covered that I remember, but above all the adventures and memories created along the way. Each day started at 6:30 a.m. and ended at midnight, with breaks for snickers to replenish my energy. Sometimes I'd eat three in a row, but I knew I'd burn them all in a few hours (laughs)!Crossing several départements in a single day was dizzying, and meeting people who were curious about our journey added to the magic and richness of the adventure.
What are you looking for in these challenges?
Mathias: It's not really the performance that attracts me, but the intense experience these events offer. In some ultras, there's a ranking, and you can set yourself goals like finishing in the top 10 or just managing to finish, which is already a huge challenge. But there are also very long-distance events without rankings or podiums, where the objective is not competition but rather the great ride. These events are physically very demanding, but this physical commitment is a means of accessing strong, memorable experiences.
"In Ireland, during a solo cycling trip, I had a real emotional shock at the raw beauty of the landscape".
What's the most mystical itinerary you've ever done?
Mathias: It was in Ireland, two years ago. I'm moving more and more towards slow bikepacking, returning to my first love of cycle touring, but with a gravel bike and more modern equipment. I prefer to go off on my own, as it allows me to escape after interacting a lot with people in my job.
On this trip, I cycled along the Irish coast, where, as you know, the weather changes constantly - it can rain and shine several times in the same day! On the fourth day, I saw an island to the west and decided to venture out. Arriving on the island, I was struck by the raw beauty of the landscape. The rock formations seemed almost unreal, as if shaped by titans. The sight overwhelmed me, almost like an emotional shock.
I felt transported, a sort of Stendhal syndrome, that fascinating psychological phenomenon that some travelers experience when confronted with the intense beauty of a work of art.
That evening, I took refuge in a small bed and breakfast. They were fully booked, but they found a way to make me feel welcome. I fell asleep in a warm bed, telling myself that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. This place, near Keel, west of Sligo, remains one of my favorite places in Ireland today.
Do you feel aligned with your values, thanks to your job?
Mathias: It's gratifying to have a meaningful job and to be aligned with your values. At almost 40, I'm enjoying the rat race less and less, but every morning I know why I get up. I visualize the concrete impact of my work: if, at the end of the year, 10, 15, 20 or even 100 people choose to leave the plane behind to hike or bike and discover a nearby region, then I know I've made a difference. It's tangible and it motivates me.
"I find that cycling has become very Instagrammable... Whereas for me, it should remain playful and fun"
What do you think about the evolution of outdoor and cycling?
Mathias: It's a subject I observe a lot in my work. There's been a real explosion in bicycle travel and a modernization of bicycle touring, now called bikepacking. In the past, cycling was often seen as an activity for local clubs or tourists on vacation. Today, the image of cycling has become much cooler and more desirable, andI have to admit that I'm even finding it very Instagramable and trendy. Bikepacking, for example, has become very fashionable and is often taken very seriously. But for me, cycling should always be fun.
When I'm on my bike, I feel like I've got a toy between my legs, I'm having fun, I'm making silly noises, I don't care whether I'm going fast or slow, and I'm back to the carefree days of my 15s. It's important that cycling is fun. For me, cycling should be as much fun as a music festival, where you can really enjoy yourself and relax.
Sophie Gateau @sofigato
Is cycling more inclusive than it used to be?
Mathias: At conferences and events, we're often asked if cycling is a rich man's sport. Although bikepacking is popular and very well represented on Instagram, this sometimes reinforces the image of an activity reserved for the privileged. We need to diversify this image, by including people of all ages, practicing different disciplines, with a real diversity of genders or morphologies, to show that everyone can ride a bike.
This diversification involves many initiatives, from special events to partnerships with brands offering more affordable bikes. I think it's crucial to remain vigilant and critical of these developments to ensure that cycling and outdoor activities remain accessible to all, and not just a privileged elite.
"There's sometimes a big dissonance between ecological intentions and actual actions in the outdoors"
Damien Bettinelli - @damienbtnli
Does the outdoor sector encourage people to be more sober in their daily lives?
Mathias: Yes, for many people, outdoor activities encourage them to love and preserve nature. But we have to remain vigilant. The environmental impact of our outdoor activities can be considerable, especially with practices such as air travel for hikes, spectacular climbs or the accumulation of technical products and equipment. Sometimes, I observe a great discrepancy between ecological intentions and actual actions. For example, many people adopt outdoor practices while multiplying van or plane journeys, which often cancels out the expected environmental benefits. For outdoor activities to be truly beneficial, we need to promote the use of second-hand equipment and more sustainable modes of transport.
How can we avoid falling into the cult of performance?
Mathias: The cult of performance in the outdoor world is omnipresent, with strong pressure to achieve spectacular feats and share them on social networks. We often see queues at the foot of Everest or publications boasting impressive climbs. To avoid this, it's super important to focus on pleasure and personal experience rather than measurable achievements. A quiet hike in a forest close to home can be just as rewarding as a famous climb. The important thing is to enjoy the moment, without worrying about external expectations or judgments.
Mathias Riquier's culture minute for traveling by bike
Music for straight lines: "Abyss", Talisk
Music for ascents: Meshuggah
Music for descents: "Break My Soul", Beyoncé
Music for curves: "Start as you mean to go on", Aphex Twin.
A book for the evening: "Dans la forêt" by Jean Hegland, an excellent read about our relationship with nature.
