Cube is one of Europe’s leading cycling brands. And it just so happens they’re an official partner of Les Gets, a resort that just so happens to be hosting a massive UCI Mountain Bike World Cup stage this weekend! We caught up with the Cube Global Squad for our World Cup special in this summer’s mag, and we also spent a few minutes with Olivier Miclo, Cube’s Communications Manager to talk partnerships, the World Cup and what makes Les Gets one of the best cycling destinations in Europe.
How did your partnership with Les Gets come about?
My wife has skied in Les Gets since she was five years old. So we’d naturally spent several winters in Les Gets before finally settling here for good!
When we moved here I took care of digital communications for the Les Gets ski lift company, SaGets, for two years before moving over to Cube Bikes France. I always kept in good contact with Benjamin Mugnier, the Director of Marketing and Communication at SaGets, and knowing the potential of the resort, and also the potential of Cube (the leading cycling brand in Europe), we started to work together.
How long is the partnership for?
The partnership between Les Gets and Cube Bikes France is valid for three years. It’s the average duration for partnerships of this kind. It gives us sufficient time to learn and get to know each other, as well as put some positive actions into place. In our case, we knew each other before, which quickly allowed us to move up a gear and start considering the future.
What is it about Les Gets that made a partnership appealing?
Our company, Cube Bikes France, distributes products for the brand Cube across the whole of France. And even though downhill represents just a small part of our range, especially since the rise of e-bikes, Les Gets presented a multitude of advantages we couldn’t ignore. It’s clearly a leading resort in the downhill world. I think it’s the only French resort to have hosted numerous MTB World Cup legs, World Championships and most recently, Crankworx!
Les Gets is also the European bike park that’s most easily accessible from the UK, thanks to its proximity to Geneva Airport. It’s also the European bike park that sees the biggest number of visitors during the summer season.
And finally, Les Gets is an excellent resort for families. We came here for riding, but we also came as a family to start mountain biking together, to discover the magnificent countryside on e-bikes and to ride the cols of the tour de France on road bikes. For a cycling brand, it’s a dream destination.
Will Cube Bikes be helping to develop the bike parks and trails in Les Gets?
Les Gets Bike Park was first built in the early 1990s. It was one of the first bike parks in France. Today, with more than 25 years of experience it welcomes the best international cycling events, so we wouldn’t want to get involved with that as it’s not our area of expertise! On the other hand, the development of our downhill and freeride bikes has definitely benefited from Les Gets’ bike park experience.
What does the future hold for Cube Bikes and Les Gets?
At the moment nothing is set in stone. When we started our partnership, there was never a question of the World Championships, or even a World Cup race. But it’s certain that we’re ready to meet the new challenges together!
Will the team be spending some down time in Les Gets and the surrounding area this summer?
Our World Cup downhill team, the Cube Global Squad, is going to take advantage of our partnership and spend some time in Les Gets after to the World Cup. It will be a great oportunity to get some photos and videos in the bike park and around the resort. Our ambassador Remy Métailler will also be around for the World Cup next July.
The schedule for the World Cup races is sometimes very tight. Therefore it’s not always easy for our athletes to spend a lot of time in Les Gets. But with our partnership and the addition of the World Cup and World Championships over the next few years, Les Gets is more than ever the place to be for us!
Find out more about Cube and check out their massive range of bikes HERE.
