Pierre reached goal in 3rd place in the X-Pyr 2022 Manu Bonte returns to the Mayhem to take us into the French team of Pierre Rémy. Pierre is of course one of the most accomplished competition pilots in the world (he’s currently ranked 6th in the WPRS) but this was his first foray into the craziness of hike and fly racing. The 2022 X-Pyr was substantially longer than any of the previous races with a big tweak to the route, and the weather this year was downright brutal. You had to be an animal on the ground, but it was in the air, and often in really scary air that we saw the true aviators make their moves. Manu was Pierre’s weather and route-strategy ace and not only did their team hold in up at the front for the entire race, Pierre was the only bird in the sky late on day 6 (when the forecast called for winds in excess of 70 km/hr) when he took a commanding lead. But once again Chrigel pulled his magic and nipped both Pierre and Maxime, who looked like he had the win in the bag right at the last moment. Manu’s description of that final day and what went down in the X-Pyr and how Chrigel continues to outflank the best in the world is absolutely gripping. Enjoy! Show Notes: * Manu recounts Pierre’s background * Manu discusses the extremes the top athletes are willing to fly in* We discuss Pierre’s “magic” move on day 6 to take the lead and one of Chrigel’s rare mistakes* Making your own decisions* The super-human ground game required* Manu discusses the team and the dynamics* Things they got right, things they got wrong* Luck vs skill* The gear- Niviuk Klimber 2P, Kortel Kolibri Pro* Are the X-Alps next? * The training required* Giving advice where you don’t pay the mistake yourself. The stress of the risk* Maintaining the position vs making risky moves. Strategy…* The Team’s philosophy. * The crazy last day where Chrigel won and how it went down Mentioned in this episode: Chrigel Maurer, Simon Oberauner, Maxime Pinot, XCSkies, Niviuk, Nick Neynens, Ben Abruzzo