Photo Story: Backyard Battle - Couderc Edition
Words: Backyard Battle
BACKYARD BATTLE | COUDERC EDITION
Second stop of the BYB series goes off in France!
MTB slopestyle phenom Paul Couderc invited a stacked hand-picked line up of riders to his round of the BYB series. The French local hosted the second stop of the Monster Energy Backyard Battle series in his hometown, the picturesque commune of Figeac in the southwest of France. Officially dubbed the Couderc Edition, the rider line-up was off the chain, with fellow Crankworx competitors Max Fredriksson, Tom Isted and Tim Bringer on course, along with big names like Sam Pilgrim, Vero Sandler and a sprinkling of absolute style cats like Lukas Schafer, Billy Meaclem and Matt Begg to round out the crew
Paul Couderc, Lukas Schafer and Sam Pilgrim bringing their own signature styles to the perfectly crafted line
The Couderc edition of Backyard Battle embodies what Paul is all about - Going big and making it look good. With a course resembling something like a dirt roller coaster with beastly features like an 11ft dirt spine, super tube style berms terraced into the hillside with XL booters giving maximum airtime, the riders couldn’t get enough of the course once it dried out after some wet weather leading up. “Paul’s stop of Backyard Battle has been so good! The jumps are perfect and super sendy. Everyone was throwing down!” - Daniel Ruso
The rain stopped play on the main line for the first couple of days, swiftly remedied by switchback corners being cut in to the hill alongside the main course for some wet, muddy fun to pass the time
Many crashes and just as many laughs
Further rainy day activities ensued, this time with added engines
If one of the best jumps lines you could dream of wasn't enough entertainment, Pauls dad also built a miniramp to keep everyone occupied between sessions
When the rain stopped, it was finally time to build bikes and get on course, with two full days of riding to follow
The spine at the top of the course instantly became a favourite feature amongst riders, pushing the limits on how high they could go. Which may have resulted in one or two frame casualties...
It wasn't just the spine that allowed room for huge airtime and equal amounts of style - the whole course was littered with perfectly shaped hits built for big air and effortless flow and many a happy rider
The final hit on the line provided ample room the biggest airtime on the course and the tricks to match. Tim Bringer taking home the highest air award, by some margin
Newest addition to the Monster Energy family Vero Sandler was ripping top to bottom laps all weekend in her fresh new lid and had this to say - “Backyard Battle is the sickest, the best vibes with the crew on some amazing jumps, I like the way it feels low key, but the course is insane! Big ups Paul, such a sick event you put on!”
Once the riding was done, it was time to hand out the awards from the week and have some fun off the bikes...
MVP of the week - Maurice!
Things may have got a little rowdy once the bikes were packed up and the final night of the event kicked in...
Already making waves from the snippets of coverage making its way online, stay tuned for the full video highlights of Backyard Battle Stop 2: Couderc Edition dropping soon on the Monster Energy YouTube channel. Make sure to check out @backyardbattle_mtb on socials for the onslaught of MTB freeride bangers to come.
“I want to give a huge thanks to my family, friends, and Monster for supporting my vision, hosting my own event was even better than I had dreamed. Having all these riders at my jumps, I can’t tell you what it feels like!“ - Paul Couderc
Backyard Battle is an innovative series that supports Monster Energy athletes to invite riders from around the world to ride their jumps in relaxed but progressive sessions that allow them to push their abilities to the next level. The intention is to create world class Freeride courses and features that are not only utilised during the event, but for years to come by the host athletes and peers to boost progression in their local scenes.
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The pics really translate the action and vibe. Big Props to the photographer. I absolutely love those pictures.....make me wish i´d been there!