Andreu Lacondeguy talks DarkFEST 2019

Andreu Lacondeguy is an absolute Freeride MTB master and he showed why by pulling some of the biggest tricks at DarkFEST 2019.
We caught up with the Spanish rider to get his thoughts on riding the world’s biggest jumps, the event itself and more.

How would you sum up your experience of DarkFEST 2019?
It was an incredible week, with lots of riding, chilling with the guys at the house and just having a good time.

Give us your thoughts on this year’s course?
The course is sick. I like it a lot, it’s really fun and really scary at the same time. There’s a few really fast sections and then there’s some stuff that’s hard to judge speed especially because of the wind, but other than that it’s one of the sickest courses I’ve rode so far.

Which feature is your favourite and why?
I think my favourite if the hip. I was happy to session that.

What was it like riding through the course for the first time?
The first hits were interesting because the setup if different to what we usually ride. It was scary and fun, and when I went through the line for the first time I was pretty stoked for sure.

Which riders impressed you the most?
Everyone was killing it. Brendog (Brendan Fairclough) was shredding, C-Dog (Clemens Kaudela) the same, Nico (Vink). Adolf (Silva) was crazy sending Double Flips everywhere. Makken had insane whips. Everyne was on it.

How would you best sum up DarkFEST and what does riding an event like this mean to you?
It was incredible to be able to be there and to ride with the guys. It was sick to ride, hang out, and progress the sport.

How much does riding an event like this take a toll on your body and bike?
Believe it or not, I think it’s fine on the bike – you just need to make sure you land on two wheels. Same for the body, if you keep it on two wheels it’s fine but if you go down it’s gonna hurt because the jumps are so big. Theres consequences for sure. It was a heavy week because we had to deal with the wind a lot, and wait for it the whole time and that gets you a little tired.

Your highlight of DarkFEST?
I’d say the whole setup. How easy it was to get a sesh going, staying in the amazing house right next to the jumps, all the riders together with good food. The vibe was my favourite.