Age: 23
Hometown: Pavas Lomas Del Río, Costa Rica
Current location: Barcelona, Spain
You came over to Barcelona from Costa Rica. How long have you been in BCN and what was the reason for the move?
I have been living in Barcelona for 3 months, but 9 months in total here in Spain. I think I was motivated by several things when I moved to BCN. First the absurd amount of spots. From a very young age watching the famous spots in videos motivated me to come out here so I could ride them myself. Then there is the quality of life of Europe, its just much better out here compared to back home. The main reason though was the lack of support that there is towards street riding in Costa Rica, its non-existent.
Your DIG video was incredible. How long did it take to film? Did filming go smoothly?
Thank you very much. For me it is an honour and a dream come true to see a project of mine being published by DIG. It took me exactly two weeks of filming, shout out to Rafa Black for helping me with the video!
The best story is probably with the last truck off Parallel. On my first day when I arrived in BCN, I went to check out the spot and clocked it as soon as I rolled up. I saw it and I knew it was possible. On the first attempt I blew out both rims and messed up my thumb pretty bad. I was about to stomp it on the first attempt but my right foot was ejected by the impact and blew my feet off the pedals. I then spent three weeks recovering and trying to fix my bike.
A month or so later, it was a normal day of filming and halfway through the day, something just told me that today was a day I had to go to Parallel and get the truck done. Almost all of my friends and locals in BCN were there and this motivated me even more to get it done. It managed to stick it on my second attempt, I was hyped. If you see the video you can see it was a moment of pure happiness and one of the best moments in my life so far.
You’ve just become the latest addition to the Wethepeople AM team. Can you explain how that came about what we can expect from you and Wethepeople in the future?
Actually, I’ve always been hyped on Wethepeople since I was a kid. The brand is known for quality and innovative products and an a solid team who put out seriously hevay video projects. It seems like the perfect fit for me as a rider and it’s really a dream to be part of the brand. After my DIG video went out, I received a message from Dave and Paul at Wethepeople saying they wanted to talk to me. It was the perfect way to be introduced and then welcomed onto the brand. I’m really excited to be working with Wethepeople and for what the future brings. Right now I’m working on my welcome video, and there’s already a trip planned with the team. I’m hyped! This is the first sponsor I’ve ever had, it feels like I’m really going through a good time in my life right now and I’m excited to focus this and grow together with the Wethepeople family as a rider and as a person.
It turns out your're half German? What a perfect fit for Wethepeople! Did you ever live there?
Yeah the crazy thing is I've never really been to Germany. My father died when I was a baby, so I was never given the opportunity to go to Germany. I’m looking forward to making my first trip over there though to visit the guys and ride somewhere new.
How did you choose which WTP parts and frame to run?
It was pretty simple for me. I chose Felix Prangenberg’s signature Pathfinder frame in 20.75”. Its got the perfect geometry for me since I’m not really a super tall guy. The other parts I had a lot of freedom to choose so I just went with what I thought would ride perfectly for me. It’s the best bike I’ve ever had or ridden, everything is dialled. I’ve never had a brand-new whole bike so being able to ride a full Wethepeople setup right out of the box feels incredible. I’m really liking the BUCK bars and the Hydra stem in the 25.4mm OS clamping. I like to do big stuff and it really helps prevent the bars from slipping.
What can we expect to see from you in 2020? Are you working on something new already?
For 2020 I really hope to represent Wethepeople in every way I can. I plan to be really productive this year, getting to as many events as possible. Dave’s planning a trip right now and I can’t wait to ride with the other guys! We already started working on my welcome video, I hope to make this the best video part I’ve ever done and to get it out in the next few months.
Have you got any advice for a young person who is looking to move half way across the world?
The best advice I can give is to be prepared economically and mentally for what awaits you and also to follow your passion. Don’t let anything stop you from following what makes you happy.
Any last words?
Huge thanks to Dave Paterson and Paul Robinson for giving me this opportunity and believing in what I do. I also want to thank Rafael Black for helping me in my last video and my family who support me from the other side of the world.
