Luca Masserini, the interview

We're starting a new series of blog posts with interviews to interesting people on the sport we love: mountain biking. Send us your comments and who would you like to be interviewed by us at our facebook page

And we're starting with Luca Masserini:

 Luca is an experienced mountain biker, a lover of our sport, and the "maker" of the famous videos series (don't you know them. What the hell are you waiting: http://vimeo.com/user5329420) Caccia al Leprotto.

So, let's start rolling:

AllMountainStyle.com: Ciao Luca, for the readers that don't know who you are or that don't know your background. Tell us a little bit about you and your "Biking Life".

Luca Masserini: Ciao, I’m 40 and I started biking a mtb when they appeared in Italy, but before I was shredding like a gangster a bmx around the streets in Milano. I did a lot of motocross, enduro, trial (freeride) and jet ski, then I decided to quit sports with petrol and I focused on mtbs and ski/snowboard in the winter. For 15 years I’ve been working for the Italian magazines, before with Tuttomtb and now with 365 Mountainbike Mag.

AMS: We're big fans of you "Caccia al Leprotto" video series. First of all, for those non-italian, what the hell is a "leprotto", and the most important: Who has been the rider that impressed you the most? by technique, sheer speed, or by character

LM: Ha ha ha! Leprotto is the wild rabbit, the one you hunt in the bush and run so fast…. I know most of the “Leprotti” for so long and of course with some of them there’s something more than one run at 200% (for me!). For sure Barel is the most clever and nice guy around, Gracia is totally crazy (trust me, it’s 100% crazy) but he’s the one we need not to have the same videos on the web. Danny Hart is like a plume in the rocky garden. Vouilloz because is quiet off the bike but a devil on the roots. Semenuk and Granieri because they fly everywhere. In shorts, every rider has a story to tell you… but what counts for me is the person not the rider. If you are fast and stylish but you are a dickhead, you remain a dickhead for me, not an example to follow.

AMS: We have recently been reading a lot about Enduro, a lot of people think Enduro is really what mountain biking is all about, there are others as italian star Marco Fontana who think cross country is the real mountain biking: read interview at pinkbike. What do you think? What is for you mountain biking?

LM: Marco has to say that! I think Enduro will eat many riders from the xc, many from the dh and for sure some virgin riders, but for sure is something really cool and fun to do. Enduro is fun to do, but races seems to became too hard for average people. 4 or 5 hours on a bike is a marathon not enduro. I have fun with 10 to 200 mm travel, but I have to be in the right place with the right bike, and of course the right people…

AMS: And speaking about Enduro, there's also a lot of talk about the possibility to extensively train the specials before the race. Some think Enduro should be raced blind, but for the first leg of the Enduro World championship, the tracks have been published 1 month before the race. What do you think?

LM: Blind is the best. Too many riders take advantages because they train a lot there…when you ride “blind” you see the man! Not the most lucky or the one who lives close to the race!

AMS: 26", 650B, 29". Which is for your the ideal wheel size for any discipline?

LM: I like them all, for sure not a 29 on my dh, but for sure every size has a field to show their potential. From one side I like them all but it’s frustrating to have the three and mess around with tons of standards and different parts…

AMS: And ... is a race won by a rider on a 29" Enduro bike a Downhill race?

LM: That was not a dh race… take a 29 enduro bike to Val di Sole and you tell me in how many pieces it comes down…

Thanks Luca for the interview. Photos from: matteocappe.com

If you enjoyed the interview, share it with your friends, and remember to send us your comments and who would you loved to be interviewed in the coming ones at our facebook page