Sofiane Sehili - back to Bombtrack and back to business
The fast-and-far-riding French ultra-racing supremo, Sofiane Sehili, tells us about his return to Bombtrack bikes and getting back to racing.
[Words by Steve Thomas]
If you follow the major offroad ultra-endurance races, then the name of Sofiane Sehili will be something of a hallowed one and, a few months ago we profiled him in our MTB Icons series. However, his name has been curiously absent from the start sheets and dot-watching boards for a while now. But the fastest beard in the wilds is back at it and has also taken a step back in time with a return to Bombtrack Bikes, his previous sponsor. We caught up with him to dig the dirt on what he’s up to.
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Wiggling out of a job
There’s little hiding the reality that the global bike industry is in serious financial strife, especially so those brands based in the UK, who also happened to be Sofiane’s main sponsors.
2024 sofiane sehili 7.jpg, by Liam Mercer
“I was with DHB for four years and Vitus for two years, and it did come as a shock because it went really quickly. The year before I was sponsored by both DHB and Vitus, who were my biggest contributors. There was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm with the staff because Signa was going to invest and develop the brands a lot, and it shifted completely in a matter of 12-18 months.”
When the news broke, he was knee-deep in dust for a reason unrelated to cycling, which also explains the other reason for his racing hiatus.
“When it happened, I was not focussed on bike stuff, I just bought a house in the South of France, and I was in the house working on renovation and I had a call with the marketing managers, and they explained the situation to me. I looked it up and did some research, and that’s when I found out that there was a massive debt for the whole Signa Sport division of Signa Holdings.”
Needless to say, his sponsors were somewhat commercially dominant in the bike industry, and very different to the smaller brands he mostly works with.
“It's just a matter of this big empty company that’s out there to make as much money as possible, and when the division is not making money, they just let go of it.”
Stepping back to Bombtrack
For the coming race season, Sofiane will be back with his original sponsor, German brand Bombtrack, which is much smaller than the conglomerate, Signa Sport.
“I was with Bombtrack in 2020 and 2021. I’d much rather deal with a smaller company like Bombtrack. It’s not a small company but it’s definitely much smaller than others.”
2024 sofiane sehili 6.jpg, by Liam Mercer
“I’m in touch with the founder, the main guy, and he just has one boss above him, and so you’re hands-on with the guy who has the power to decide if things are going to be made or not.”
Even with the differences, his time with his previous sponsors leaves nothing but a good taste with him.
“I don’t have anything bad to say about the guys I was working with at Vitus for example, they were really great guys and we got on well, and they were very supportive of what I was doing. But ultimately you have the marketing manager, he has his boss, then there’s the owner of Vitus, the owner of Wiggle the owner of Signa Sport, then of Signa Holdings – there are so many levels. The people at DHB and Vitus were really sad to see me go, but there was nothing they could do.”
Arguably, bike packing and ultra-racing are currently all about the smaller and independent brands, and that fits with Sofiane’s mentality.
“I mostly work with smaller companies, and I really like that I have a relationship with the people deeply involved with the products and projects, whether it’s for my bike packing bags with Miss Grape, where I also work with the main people, and they only have a couple of people. It’s the same with my tyres, I work with Rene Hearse and Jan, the main guy there, and also with Hunt. It just feels right, you’re working with people that have things in their own hands, and there’s no multi-million Dollar bosses in a tower somewhere in Manhattan who will decide what happens with the company.”
The rider’s choice
With many of the pro road and MTB teams around, and the smaller sponsored outfits, riders have little or no choice on what equipment they ride but Sofiane Sehili has some say in what he gets to pilot.
“For me, it’s a little bit of both, but in the end, for me, what’s really important is to have the right bikes for racing, and then I’m really open to any other bike they’d like me to test, as long I have the right tools (bike) for the job when it’s an actual race.”
2024 sofiane sehili 5.jpg, by Liam Mercer
With spending up to 18-20 hours a day in the saddle for a week or more at a time, getting his bike choice right before signing on the dotted lines of sponsorship is a must, as Sofiane tells us.
“When I left Vitus, I started chatting with Bombtrack to see if they had a spot for me, and we chatted about the bikes I would need. I’d already ridden and won races with a Bombtrack and was confident that it wouldn’t be an issue for me to go back to them and not be a disadvantage on race day. We discussed what they were offering, and I think I can make it work.”
What to expect in 2024
Having won the Silk Road Mountain Race 3 times in a row, as well as races such as the Tour Divide and Atlas Mountain race, Sofiane is looking to new challenges this year.
“I’ll start the season with the Traka in Girona, and then the bigger events I will go for are the Highland Trail 550, I did it last year but was diminished by a dog bike that received in Greece a couple of weeks before, so hopefully I’ll be in tip-top shape and try to win it.”
“Later in the year, my big goal is the Arizona Trail Race 800, which is a mythical bikepacking race that’s been around for a very long time and is supposed to be very challenging but stunningly beautiful.”
Keep watching those dots and stay tuned to Sofiane’s social media and YouTube channels for more of his entertaining insights from the trail over the next few months.
