meet the family
Meet Sofiane
“You’re highly unlikely to ever see his name on the result boards of a UCI World Cup MTB race, yet 41-year-old Parisian off-road ultra-racer and bike packer, Sofiane Sehili is a beguiling legend of the long-ride game. Be that on flat or curly bars, it makes little difference to the Sofiane, he simply lives to ride non-stop offroad - and to do it fast, and more importantly to enjoy and savour every moment of his sleep-deprived epics.” (off.road.cc)
Sofiane rode and raced a Bombtrack already until the end of 2021, before finally resuming our collaboration after a 2-year hiatus. As we share friends and a kind of common history as cycle messengers too, it has been out of question to immidiatly confirm the continuous support once Sofiane approached us for a volitional return.
It might sound cheesy, but we don't call it "family" for no reason, and we are more than superhappy once a member decides to return to the bosom of the fam.
Sofiane is quite possibly the world's best off-road long-distance rider of the moment, his results do speak for themselves. Still, winning races is one thing - matching a brand's vibe and being a perfect fit to the mob another. We are just more than happy about Sofiane being part of Bombtrack again, much more because of his personality and our common vibes rather than any former, or potential future results. Even though we know Sofiane's thirst for wins is consistently high.. indeed, we can't deny we are thrilled and excited to see what the near racing-future will bring!
Sofiane Sehili
Year of birth? 1981
Where do you live? Southwest of France, near Cahors
Sponsors: Bombtrack Bicycle Co., Miss Grape, Hunt, PeDALED, Shimano Gravel, René Herse, fi'zi:k, Supernova Lights
Bikes: Hook EXT C, Beyond Ti, Audax AL, Cale AL
Job: Bikepacker
Steel, Aluminium,Titanium or Carbon? Carbon. It's light, stiff, responsive, comfortable. The only downsides are it's expensive and somewhat fragile.
Onroad or Offroad? Tough choice. I like off road because it's quieter and you get to see the most beautiful places. Also all my wins came on gravel or MTB courses. But pavement gives me the opportunity to ride further in less time. I'd say for a race: off road, and for touring on road.
What do you like to ride most? Quiet paved roads. Especially really long, not too steep climbs. I did two of the longest climbs in the world: Taroko in Taiwan and Letras in Colombia.
Flatbar or dropbar? Flat bar. Actually I like both but I have gathered almost all my wins on flat bars so there's that.
2nd favoured sport? Rock climbing. I didn't do it that much but I loved it and was good at it. Maybe if I had grown up in the Mountains my life would have been different.
Largest passion except sports? Literature. I love books, especially novels. I have loved them since I was a kid. I also enjoy writing.
Favourite band: There are many. I always listen to music when I ride. I would say the band that has made the biggest impression on me these past few years is Have a nice life. If you don't know them, you should check them out.
City or countryside? Countryside. I grew upin Paris but the truth is I like it slow and quiet, with not too many people around. That's why I moved to the southwest in a tiny hamlet.
Green or grey? Green. Like the jungles of South East Asia, the pastures of New Zealand, the mountains of Colorado, the valleys Columbia and so many other places I've had the pleasure of seeing from my bike.
South of the equator, or north of equator? North. There's a lot of places I love South of the equator but I've ridden mostly in the northern hemisphere and had my most memorable adventures there.
Meat or Vegetables? Meat. I eat less and less meat because my girlfriend is a vegetarian and I know it's bad for the planet, but I do love it.
Minor or major? Major. I don't wanna go to jail
Beer, wine or liquor? Beer. I don't drink much but I enjoy a beer once in a while. I honestly can't remember the last time I was drunk.
Goals in life: I just want to be happy. And that involves riding my bike a lot, in all sort of places, sometimes alone, other times with the love of my life. As long as I can do that, it's all good.
Favourite place/moment
“When I crossed the Kyrgyz/Kazakh border, I had no idea how stunning Kyrgyzstan was. I climbed a few high passes and seen Issykkul. After riding the Tash Rabat to Song Kul stretch, I know the beauty of Kyrgyzstan can rival that of Tajikistan and its famed Pamir highway.”
Photos by Fanny Bensussan, Louis Lambin
