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The grit and glory of Amaury Pierron and Myriam Nicole

The story of two riders going from hospital beds to the top of the box

Downhill mountain biking is a sport of razor-thin margins. A split-second decision can be the difference between victory and disaster. Few know this better than Amaury Pierron and Myriam Nicole. Two of the sport’s greatest athletes, who faced their toughest battle yet—not against the clock, but against their own bodies.

Broken neck

For Pierron, the 2023 season was supposed to be another chapter in his decorated career. But in Lenzerheide, everything changed in an instant. A crash sent him tumbling, and while he hoped it was nothing serious, the truth was devastating—he had broken his neck. In that moment, racing wasn’t the concern; walking again was. Doctors rushed in, braced his spine and warned him not to move. One of the sport’s fastest riders was now immobilized, his season over before it had truly begun.

Concussion

Nicole, too, faced an invisible battle. A brutal concussion had sidelined her, stripping away not just her confidence but her very identity as a competitor. Recovery from a brain injury isn’t linear and as the women’s field got faster, doubt crept in. Could she still be competitive? Could she even ride at her former level?

The road back

Pierron rebuilt himself from scratch, enduring months of therapy, strength training and painful reminders of how fragile an athlete’s career could be. Nicole, once fearless, found herself second-guessing every movement—a dangerous hesitation in a sport where instinct rules. Their setbacks were different, but their fight was the same: to return not just to racing, but to winning.

The 2024 season marked their long-awaited comeback. Pierron’s return at Fort William was shaky, a harsh reminder of how far he still had to go. But in Val di Sole, he turned back the clock, delivering a legendary run that silenced every doubt. Almost a year to the day after his crash, he stood on the podium once again—a moment of pure, unfiltered triumph.

Nicole’s resurgence was just as inspiring. At the start of the season, she failed to qualify for finals—an unthinkable result for a former world champion. The realization was crushing, but she refused to let it define her. By the time the circuit reached Loudenvielle, she was back where she belonged: on the top step of the podium.

The documentary

Racer dives deep into the raw, unfiltered reality of Amaury Pierron and Myriam Nicole’s fight to reclaim their place at the top of the sport. Thanks to the trust between the riders and the production team, nothing is off-limits—every struggle, every breakthrough and every breathtaking moment unfolds during these two films. Well worth the watch.