For this episode of All About Bike, Paz sits down with longtime Pivot athlete Jordi Bago to talk about Jordi’s life, career and of course his favorite bike the Shuttle LT.
*If you speak Spanish, there is a Spanish version of this podcast.
For this episode of All About Bike, Paz sits down with longtime Pivot athlete Jordi Bago to talk about Jordi’s life, career and of course his favorite bike the Shuttle LT.
*If you speak Spanish, there is a Spanish version of this podcast.
Pivot Cycles (00:21)
Hello Paz, how are you? How's it going Jordi? Everything good? Good. So...
Jordi, before we start talking about your riding achievements, let's share with our audience who is Jordi Baga? Just a single guy that rides bikes around the world riding for Peabird, the biggest family I ever met. Well, I don't know what to say about me. I love riding bikes. I love helping different countries in the world building bike parks like I did in so many places.
I am also developing a lot of stuff, helping to develop the bikes with us, for example, Cambrothers, Manzur, Cas. Well, so many brands that I'm involved, not just riding, developing the product. So basically that's me 24 hours a day. Where is your hometown? Where are you located? I am half an hour from Barcelona city, which for me is insane because I have
the sea, which I'm not so much fun, but I have an amazing mountains around my house for go with our boat or a cross country bike and do it over. I think it's a paradise. I invite you many times. You didn't want to come yet, but I will. I promise. Maybe this year pivot will send me there. Okay. Do some testing or some just having fun and sharing some of your home paradise. Yeah. When you want. So.
You said you've been working with a lot of sponsored and developing brands. Give us an example of a company you work with and a little bit of things that you do with them. Okay. I could say period, but this is our family. So I'm going to speak about Cramroads, which is the longest partnership I ever had. So over 20 years writing for them. Since 2013, it started with a new CEO.
which is Gasparay. Now he's riding our bikes as well. He's one of my best friends and since I met him, I develop almost everything for them. I start with the new Highline dropper post, also the carbon Synthesie wheels. I did all testing with them since 2018. Everything is coming from Cranbrothers, the new child pedals, the new Boa shoes that they just launched. Well, I had it for over a year testing.
some of the other athletes in the World Cup as well. They use the products, but who is in touch with them all the time, with Europe, in Italy, and with America, and with Andy, the product manager, it's me. So, yeah, I'm so proud to see a lot of people riding, especially our pedals. So, yeah, when my friends ride that, they say, hey, I was doing this. And I have some photos like, hey, see, I got it two years ago or three years ago, and they just launched it now.
Yeah, so that is really cool. That is really, really, really cool. And you also said that you've built some tracks. Is that the one that you built in Colombia? In Colombia, I make two bike parks, one in Bogota in the middle of the city. It really in the middle of the city. I don't know exactly the location, but it's on the middle. Then I build one near to Manzur, which is my sponsor of clothing. I also did in Sochi. I did in Bulgaria.
I did so many. I did in Azores, in Canary Island, so many spots. Are there gravity bike parks or dirt jumps? What kind of tracks? It's more like enduro, some airlines, downhill tracks. Well, in Bulgaria, they have everything, even a family trial. It's a resort one hour from Sofia. And that is insane. We have like 15 trials.
All different levels they do European races. It's really good. It's really good. And it's cheap to go there. It's easy to get there. And there is plenty of trials. It's really good. That's so fun. Travel all over the world, building trails and riding bikes. That's a very exciting job you have. So it's pretty rad that you've done all this on a bike, but you've also had a lot of television appearances all around the world.
How is that lifestyle and how is like being on television benefits your career or your sponsors? Well, yeah, I did a lot of things, but for me, the most important thing is that I never change. I asked my friends so many times and because people change a lot when for me, it's super cool that I go or not here where I live, but in Barcelona and nobody knows me. It's amazing.
I have some friends that they are basketball players or football players, they cannot go on the street. So it's crazy, but I did a documentary for BBC Channel. It was insane. So many millions of views. I did RTV, Discovery so many years. Since 2012, I'm working with Discovery. I am doing something with SPN and we will have at the end of this season something that I already spoke with Chris and Brian.
to have the permission because we want to do kind of not a reality, but we want to support some young talent from South America. So we will do different. I think I never told you that, but we will do like three different training camps and then one final in Colombia. So we will involve our distributors, some of our distributors, the main ones like Argentina, Ecuador, and some that I'm still talking because we need three.
And we will choose some of these young kids to go to Columbia and life in SPN, in SPN2, we will choose one which is going to have our bike with the Cranbrothers, SCAS, Manzoor, Triptych all support for 2025. And we will have three or four programs for SPN life, which is super amazing. Prime time that cause a lot of money. It's not just about the money for me. It's not about the money is for me is about to help to enjoy and make everyone.
around me, my sponsor's happy, which I know that everyone in Peabody is super happy, so that's enough. I mean, those social programs are add a lot of value to all the brands and having us that connecting piece, it's really, really cool, especially doing it outside of the US. I mean, we've been super focused on our brand for the US in many, many years, but like expanding it and doing this programs outside is...
Really, really cool. And I really appreciate it. So let's talk about 2023. You had a really busy racing schedule. I had a lot of podium finishes. You were third at the Masters downhill world champs in Argentina, third at the European downhill champs. You podium in all E -Enduro UCI World Cups. Top spot in France. You got first place.
and you won the overall series. That's a very impressive 2023. Out of all these races, which one did you enjoy the most?
I don't know what to say. Honestly, honestly, I won the... It's so hard to win a World Cup. My best friend, David Baskets, on the pass once won four downhill World Cups, which is the Spanish -speaking guy, which won more, and was so close to winning a lot more. But we talked about it. When I won in Ludoville, I was not... I thought that I would be more excited.
I was, I don't know, the only thing I told Chris is I remove a bag of 50 kilos of rocks in my bag. Cause I win so many times, so close in downhill, especially. And, but I was like normal. I was so happy because when Chris saw it, wrote me and he said, we made it. And it was so cool because any, any people that is not close to us, like you, Kelen, well,
All the people in pivot didn't know how hard it was. And at the beginning of the World Cups, I couldn't win because we didn't have what I need to have. So when Chris got me that, we won, we proved it. And I won all the power stages with this new bike. So it was a big difference, big step. But honestly, I'm looking for a 2024 and all in the top spot. I know it's hard, but this is my main goal.
I've been training like never in my life. I have, I don't know in miles, but probably 2 ,500 miles already in this 2024. And I feel super strong. So I'm really looking to win because last year, as you said, 13 Masters World Champs, but I wrote all my final with no change. And I lost the World Champs for one second and a half. So... Yeah. So that kind of goes to my next question because like all athletes go through this and...
Do you think that raise was the most challenging of the season? No, it was working perfect. No, no, honestly. I spoke with Bruni. Bruni is living close to my house and he won five times the World Champs. So he dealt with the pressure really well. He said to me, do like you already won. And it's what I did. I went there knowing that I could make it. I write every single...
training, semi -final, like I want. And when I lost the chain, for one second I thought, okay, it's over. But I was training that in winter in my house, like flat tires, my nephew and friends in front for the dust, no chain. So I was prepared for that. Just was some part that was really flat and my bike was not rolling. But honestly, when I came down, I thought that, okay, I'm really far from the first, but actually the guy that wants from US,
was five seconds slower than my semi -final. And Mia was only one and a half slower than him. And I remember really well, because my filmmaker was like, what the fuck, why you didn't pay that? Sorry for the word. And I said, man, did you see that I have no chain? But the guy from the US, he was not even smiling one time, not even on the podium, because he knew that. And for me, it was hard because I was so close the last three years. And always something happened that...
It's so weird what happened. And yeah, I don't know. I'm really looking for Australia in May. I'm working so hard for that. No excuses. I hope that everyone has a good run that if I won it's because I deserve it, not because some people crash or fail. Because I will feel bad to win like that. But it's crazy because the guy that beat me in Argentina the day before, he felt so bad on the hotel and it was me helping him.
with some pills and stuff. And I was not like, okay, you know how is this world? And for sure there will be people saying, okay, I'm not going to help, but I was helping him and then he beat me. You know what I mean? But he's so many times sorry, even in the hotel, I'm sorry. And I was like, okay, that's racing. But I did an amazing run, really, because with no chain was good, but I'm really looking to win this year, really.
I mean, a third place, it's still a really good spot. I know you were going for that first place and if you didn't have dropped that change, you would have achieved that. But it's not surprising that your hard work and experience are still producing amazing results. What keeps your competitive fire going and what do you like most about racing?
I mean, for me, it's like I go so many nights to sleep very late, like sometimes because of you guys or the Clam Brothers or even the Colombian guys. But I wake up when I feel that I have to wake up. I don't have alarm. And I wake up and I go training. Well, doing is not training. It's doing my job because I go riding, but I'm testing some tires from Schwalbe, our new motors or whatever, you know.
But I enjoy it so much. Every day I feel so lucky that I'm doing what I'm doing. But about racing, I don't know. I think I have these on my jeans because I could just stay with you and just go in some events, see others, whatever, do like training camps or demo, whatever. But I feel that I need racing. I don't know. It's part of you. Yeah. I'm so competitive in everything.
in everything, really. And I thought that because people ask me, oh, when you're going to stop? And I thought, OK, when I won the World Cup or something, but I'm not. I want to go for this year again. And it's not just me. You have another example, even on a more high level than me, way much more. It's Greg Minard. He's only four years younger than me, but he's the same. He could stop. He's an achievement.
Absolutely everything but he's still fighting with all the 20 years old guys to win. Was a stiff pit as well, soon will be Bernard the same thing and he's there still and doing the best results right now. So I think experience gives you a plus compared with the young people that knows how to really push or when you need to slow down. But you need to train, nothing comes for free.
It's not like, okay, I'm not training, I'm good. No, you have to training. But probably you train better than before, not doing too much or doing like picking really well what you have to do, the kind of trainings. And that's what I'm doing now. I mean, I'm training a lot, but I enjoy so much. I just came now from 60 kilometers today that rain catch me, but I don't care. After that, I will go to make cross feet and I don't know. I enjoy it so much doing what I do. So.
I don't know when I'm going to stop, but I don't think it's soon. Yeah, that's good. I hope you have a few more years on you. Yeah, I think you do. Do you prepare differently if you're like training for a regular downhill enduro race or an e -bike? Is there definitely like a different training for it? Now, the thing this year is very crazy because in one week I have the...
me and others as the first enduro world cup in finale ligure but the same weekend I have to fly to Australia because we have the world champs the week after well three days after for me it's no problem to fly because I will sleep all the time so no jet lag or no excuses at all I know everyone will have been training but that's fine I have some videos from the track so easy enough but the cool thing from the e -bike and downhill is that I can
I don't know, at least for our bike, it's pretty similar, our Shuttle LT, than my Phoenix. I feel the same. It has not so different driving or the way I ride. And also helps me a lot, the e -bike, because my, well, our Phoenix is super light. So when I, like yesterday, I did enduro and then I did downhill, I felt so good, so fast, also.
I have gulfers rotors like we have in our shuttle and I have it on the downhill and you can brake late, it's crazy. So it helps me both. It's totally different than normal enduro because I'm riding a lot of miles every day. So I would say different than training, but e -bike. My friend says we have an e -bike, we go on a e -bike, but you training on a e -bike. And it's true. I'm training on a really low help assistance. So I do so much miles suffering a lot.
And when I go down, I switch off totally the bike. So I don't use much the help, but, but it's good. Our bike is insane. It's really, really fun. So it helped me both to training. So yeah. Is there anything that makes racing e -bikes more challenging or different while you're on course? Like when you're riding different than like regular Enduro? I think I was talking with Matt in Italy.
because we spend time together, but we have different stages, so we cannot train together. But we talk about it because we had a stage that was a big uphill, and he told me that people were dying there. So, because it was like probably two minutes climbing, but really climbing, and for them it was really hard, so we took them a lot of time there. But when you go on that level, riding e -bike is not easy because...
In the US you have 32 kilometers, I don't know in miles, but in Europe we have 25. So it's 7 kilometers, 7 kilometers speed difference. So it's a lot. And today, for example, if I could ride at 32, probably I will not catch the rain. But anyways, what I want to say is that we ride over 25 all the time. So you need to push really hard. I mean, if you cruise on the bike, you don't feel it. But when you push...
in flat or little uphill or down, all the time you are over 25. So you're carrying a lot of weight on the e -bike, so it's hard. Also, you have to brake before the turns because of the weight. So you need to learn how to drive an e -bike. Last year, for example, when I ride my first Enduro World Cup, which I finished second, probably I did 200 kilometers or less in our shuttle before the race. Now...
I have so many, I have thousands of them, so it will be another game. But it's different, it's totally different. Well, dip diving more into e -bikes, you were running the Shimano EPA motor in the Shuttle LT and recently changed the EPA to one. Did you notice a big difference as soon as you rode it? Yeah, it is. I can say something very funny.
I did the first two world cups with, let's say, with the all -motor and it was really hard for me because we know we have a super amazing bike because it is our bike for me is the best. It's not because I ride it, it's because the sloping, the system, the frame, everything is so high quality. We don't have anything cheap in our bike. All is really amazing.
And also, I'm so lucky that it is the first day that they let me use my frame protectors to make it cooler without cover anything in our bikes. So I got the permission. So I have my own style, let's say on the bike that make it looks even more cooler. But back on the motor, it was frustrating because I lost the first two Enduro caps on the power stages. It was impossible. It was impossible. I pushed as hard as I can.
and so I had to push the bike up. So when Chris, we met at Eurobike, between the race, I fly to Eurobike and then I back and Chris said to me, I'm going to get you the new motor. And he did on time, one week before the Ludo build. And it was a big difference. I won this race, I won all stages and since that I won all power stages with our new motor in our Chateau LLT. But the funny thing is that when I get it the first day,
I go riding and my bike was not working and I called Chris and I call Ian. Hey, the bike is not working. What's going on? I even crashed and it was funny because Shimano sent us the motor with the 20, 27 inch wheels. Yeah. So we didn't know because I just put the motor and go for a ride and
My nephew was in one of my other e -bikes and I was full gas at 20 and he was at 25. So I said, something is not working. So then we changed it to 29 wheels and then it's when I felt the difference. But the first time was crazy. It's like, oh my God, it's even worse than the other motor. But no, no, but it's big difference. It's a big, big difference. And you can play a lot because now you have eight modes to play on the bike. So really you can challenge yourself.
If you are tired, you just go on like six, seven, eight, whatever. But normally I'm riding two or three, which I can do. I did 74 kilometers, I don't know in miles, but five hours on a bike and still two bars. So I'm totally sure I would do 100 kilometers on this bike with a lot of climbing also, because my house is a lot of climbing. I save all my profiles and some of the guys in Peabody like Brian, Chris, Ian, Kellan even.
I send the pictures so they know how much we can do on that bike. So yeah, it's a big difference between the old motor and this one. So that's the fine tuning on the EP801. Which one do you prefer more, that fine tuning or the basic mode for racing? Well, I'm not going to say what we did for racing because I think this was a long journey of work with Ian, our engineer. And...
It was hard to find what we need to compete with Bosch guys or Polini guys that has a really amazing engine. But we got it. Mine, I'm super happy with the modes we have for the racing. But I'm not training with these modes. I'm training with the regular one, I think we talked about it, which give you and deliver you so much power. I don't think you need more for a...
for riding for a normal customer or even for advanced customer because now we deliver a lot of power. And if they use our bike and they do big climbs, they will realize that they need to put the weight quite in front because it delivers so much power at the beginning that if you are back, the bike is like going like this on the air, like doing a wheelie. So they will see a big difference between the old motor in that, but big, big, big one, big, big, big one.
That's pretty, that's really cool. And seeing your results, right? Like what was happening with the old motor and how racing changed. Well, I can tell you the first, the first four stages, I was 20 seconds behind the first guy, which that the most impressive thing is that people think, okay, pro masters, whatever open I'm riding with guys has 15 years younger than me. And even the guy that
wins that races the two first Enduro World Cups did the overall scratch in the power stages between Barel and all these guys. So it was crazy because they checked the times and the fastest time was the guy that beats me. Was not Barel or my friends from Portugal or the guys from Yeri. No, no, no, no, no. Was these guys. And it was insane. So it was different because on Ludovic I beat them.
for I think was half a second and in France in Chatelle was the same and it changed a lot. To see yourself like only like second second or first second and then 20 fuck it was hard. It was hard and I was like riding crazy and said I'm sorry but I cannot do anything in the power stage. I do my best, I'm training but bike has no power. It dies. I saw the guys starting full gas and me there was no chance. There was no chance and
even was worse that the boost was helping me less than the trial because boost on the all motor was giving you a little power but then finish. So it was hard. Now it doesn't happen anymore. So now, now is way better. I've been training a lot. I have really heavy uphills like I training for power stage and I'm not using six, seven, eight because with four and five, you have a high cadence give you a lot better support, like more progressive. No.
to climb, so I like it. As soon as you push and stand up on the bike, it works better than if you sit on the bike. Because what I said, you sit on the bike and these are steep uphills, you are like a passenger because your weight is on the back and the bike is going like this. So I've been learning from some friends of me that have been riding the Enduro World Cubs in Ibex since the beginning. And they tell me, they told me some tips and I apply on that tips and it's really good. So I'm working on that.
I do some kind of training on cross -fit that is moving the way like we move the bike. So it helps me as well. So yeah, all. Yeah. I mean, racing, it's not just training on a bike. Like you have to do some more upper strength and especially on a heavy bike like an e -bike. Yeah. Yeah. And it's crazy because I was totally like fell in amateur because I go to the first Enduro World Cup and I didn't walk.
So I didn't see the stages only on the one run training, one run racing. That's it. Okay. So I was like, okay, I'm going to get by some boots, some sticks, and I'm going to walk. So I did walk and the next day I couldn't even walk because we walked 25 Ks and it was so hard because I was not used to that. I felt like so tired. Then I went to Eurobike in between and I was like, Oh my God, I'm so tired. So,
It was a process. I learned every stage and the results were insane because in every single stage or race I learned. So now I'm prepared for this season really well. I'm hiking as well at home to the top of the mountains. I'm running down. So I'm working in everything to make everything easy in the process of the racing. What do you prefer to race? Analog bikes or e -bikes?
Which ones are more fun? I think both are fun. I want some enduro, let's say, enduro, normal enduro, because for me, when people start putting names and muscular, whatever, bike and e -bike, that's it. It's so simple. But anyways, I think enduro is what we did all life. Because at the beginning, when I start, whatever Chris can...
say about it as well, when we were riding to the downhill, we were climbing same bike and going down. So for me, this was enduro. Then they put the target enduro. But yeah, I it's a little bit different first because you get more tired when you climb on the on a normal bike for sure. But then also when you go down, it's harder on a e -bike because the one thing is going down, but the other is pushing down. It's totally different. When I ride with my friends here.
All they have an ebike and they go on boost and I'm going two or three. So I'm training and they just whatever they cruise up. But when we go down, they feel it. They get tired. They need to stop. It's so heavy to to move the bike. And yeah, for me, I'm used to that. It was hard. It's not easy, but I do like 20, 25 minutes down from the top of my house, full gas down. And I enjoy it so much.
It's crazy. Doesn't matter if it's raining or sunny or whatever. I enjoy. So it's different. I do both because now we have the new switchblade. I use it quite a lot as well too. And it's very fun, but it's different. The speed is totally different. Cause when you climb and you climb so slow, even you are so strong, but when you go down, it's different. It gives better the speed than an e -bike because when you are over 25, it's like slow you down the engine, but
I mean, doesn't matter which bike you have, you just have to enjoy. But I use all of them. So when Brian was at home, like in January, that he was at home, and he said, how many bikes do you have? I said, well, you see, I'm not going to say how many, but he was like, you use all of them? And I said, yes, I do. It's true. I use all. Like I was using the two balls, the cross country and the match four right now, the last month, doing a lot of miles on it.
And now I switch more like Firebird switchblade, ShadowCut in my house, the point and of course the Shuttle LT, less SL and the things that I'm using right now. That's pretty cool that even though you're racing downhill and enduro, you also get on a gravel bike, you also get a cross country bike, you like go through all the lineup to prepare for your races. That's pretty cool.
Everyone does it and who doesn't say doesn't do it is a liar. Or it's not training. Because for example, Werner do it, Ma do it, Ed do it, Morgans do it, everybody. If you want to be in shape, you need to have endurance. You need to do sprints.
Bruni is behind my house and I see him on the road bike all the time. Everybody needs to do it. When people say, no, I'm just training enduro and downhill. That's not true. And even CrossFit or gym, Pilates, swimming, everyone is doing so many things because everything helps you to racing everything. That's cool. That's cool. So.
What's the first race of the season? Because it's coming. It's... Sea Otter. Sea Otter. Cool. So, do you podium last year at Sea Otter? No, the last two years I was not there because I had an Argentina the World Champs. The year before I won the duel in the downhill. That's the one I remember. I won four times there.
But last two years I couldn't go because we had in Argentina the same dates. So the plan for this year is downhill and enduro. So I will do these both because it's the ones I have more space between because the other is crazy. The schedule there is insane. You finish one discipline and you have to go to another one. So I will do the enduro, which I never did. I don't know which bike I'm going to use yet. I need to speak with Chris, what he wants.
But I'm going to ride with the Firebird for sure, the downhill. And let's see in the Duro. But yeah, that's the plan. Yeah, I think the Firebird's a good one for the downhill because it's not very steep. No, it's not steep. It has some uphills as well. So yeah, no, it's good. It's going to be good if it's not raining. Yep. Well, Jordi... No, I just want to say now in California it's raining all the time.
Yes, it's been raining quite a bit in California, but hopefully by April. I mean, sea otter weather has always been super funny. It's kind of cold and foggy in the morning and sunny and gorgeous in the afternoon. So hopefully you guys will have an amazing time and hopefully you get great results. And I am confident you will achieve all your goals this year. Your hard working and hard training will pay off. And yeah, like thanks so much for being here.
With us, is there anything else you want to share? Not so much. I mean, we share quite a lot. I don't know. I'm here to help. I'm so proud and so thankful to be in Pivot since the day one. Honestly, it's like a family. You are a very good friend of me. I mean, I go there. I don't remember all the names, but I'm so welcome every time I come. Everyone is super nice to me. And I feel like home when I come there. I'm super, super happy.
And yeah, I just want to say one more time thanks to Chris to let me be part of this family and also Brian. Yeah, no, they are all so cool with me. I feel super good on this company. That's great to hear. Thanks so much for all this time that you spent today talking to us about your career and your life and all the experience you had during 2023. We're really happy to have you as a member of the Pivot family.
That feeling of belonging is really cool and getting to know you over the past couple years has been really cool. So yeah, I think that's it for today. Thanks so much for listening and stay tuned to more episodes of All About Bikes.