Groundwork

01 · Queenstown, New Zealand

It started
with a bike.

I took up mountain biking at 28 after moving from Mauritius to Queenstown.

Groundwork follows my riding, the people around me, and my dream of bringing everything I’ve learnt through years of dedication to riding and building trails back home to Mauritius. Between that work and training for a shot at the World Championships, the film moves between the two places I call home.

Eight friends smiling together, seated in three rows — Personal archive
The people.

Back row Kaos Seagrave, Sam Purdie.

Middle row Viktoria Jahova, Matteo Verdier, Guillaume Briand.

Front row Matteo Iniguez, Hugo Frixtalon, Henri Fayolle.

The timeline

Six chapters. From home, into the world, and back again.

Filmed
In progress
Planned

Chapter 01MauritiusLate 2025Filmed

OriginalRiddim’

We begin in Mauritius, with everyday life on the island. At the market, in small shops and around a table, there is time to talk, share food and catch up.

This chapter looks at the places and people behind those ordinary moments. The mix of cultures, the kindness, the humour, and the beauty of the island as people go about their day.

We also visit Mo’Bike in Chamouny, in the south of Mauritius, to explore the landscape and imagine the mountain bike trails that could take shape here.

Henri stands in the red iron doorway of a white shop with blue shutters, a dog crossing the road in front

A vegetable merchant reads the newspaper behind his stall at Port Louis market

A bike mechanic with a long white beard works on a wheel in a workshop crowded with bikes

Chapter 02Queenstown, New ZealandEarly 2026Filmed

This ishome

Queenstown is a place built around mountains, movement and the outdoors. Far from Mauritius I found a new home, where everything shifted.

To John, Emyr and the whole Outside Sports team, thank you for the support.

Riders gathered around a pickup in the mountains

Skippers, New Zealand · Personal archives

Where we areMauritius, Queenstown and a first European stop are on film. The journey continues, with the race ahead next season.

Chapter 03UCI Downhill World ChampionshipsNext season

Worldchamps

I have an amazing opportunity to take part in the UCI Downhill World Championships in 2027. I’ve started working with Rory at Onward Mountain Biking Coaching, and I’m learning so much. Seeing that progress makes me even more excited for what’s ahead.

I’m looking forward to being there, riding alongside people I’ve watched for years and learning from the experience. I hope taking part can bring a little more attention to downhill in Mauritius, and show younger riders back home that there could be a place for them there too.

Chapter 04On the roadOngoingIn progress

Bikein tow

Travelling with my bike has taken me from the trails of Finale Ligure to the ridges above Avoriaz and the forests of Canada. It gives me a way to get to know a place, usually through the people who ride there.

This chapter brings together those trips. Riding with friends, trying unfamiliar trails, and finding places I probably wouldn’t have visited without a bike.

Friends looking at a camera together at Paul Couderc’s Backyard Battle

A rider sitting in the doorway of a van at Backyard Battle

A rider turning a bike sideways above a dirt jump at Backyard Battle

A rider and bike high above a dirt jump at Backyard Battle

A camera operator filming at Paul Couderc’s Backyard Battle

A rider drops down a rocky ridge at sunset, the lake far below

Annie Ford with her bike at sunset during a hut mission in Ahuriri Valley

Two riders crossing a broad mountain valley

A rider leaning into a forest berm in Nanaimo

A trail builder swinging a pickaxe in the forest

Chapter 05Wherever we rideOngoingIn progress

Theessence

The bike became a reason to go places. To stay a little longer. To meet people I would never have crossed paths with otherwise.

What stays with me is often what happened around the riding. Time with friends, a night in a hut, the feeling of being somewhere together.

Chapter 06Mo’Bike, MauritiusLate 2025, ongoingIn progress

Bringing ithome

Everything the bike taught me abroad is coming back to Mauritius. I want to lend a hand to the riding community here, sharing what I’ve learned and helping the sport grow alongside the people already doing the work.

At Mo’Bike, we rebuilt a section of La Faya. The first piece of a bike park, and a place to start sharing what riding has given us.

A rider leans into the freshly built right berm, log retaining wall in front

A big thank you to Jean-Baptiste at Mo’Bike for all the work he has already put into the place. I’m looking forward to getting involved, bringing people I’ve met through riding into the project, and contributing wherever my experience can help.