Pablo was fifteen when he bought his first real mountain bike, investing the small salary he earned at his father's shop. It would change his life. He had been riding a bicycle all his life; in his Argentinian hometown, Bariloche everyone cycled. But Pablo wanted more: He pushed his bike all the way up Cerro Otto and set off on the descent of his life.
«The ride took just two minutes, but I loved every second of it.» From this day on, downhill was his discipline. Soon after, he began winning races, one after the other, and at nineteen, he had become Argentinian champion. «I'm still immensely proud of this title,» says Pablo, who by now counts among the top 20 in the iXS European Downhill Cup.
«As you grow older, you develop a better feel for your limits.»
There are those perfect descents: Pablo's first dash down Cerro Otto was one of them, and then the ride that brought him the title at the Crankworx in Whistler Mountain, Canada, in 2011. By then, Pablo had left his beloved Patagonia. In Argentina, he had won everything there was to win; and he was drawn to the more professional race series in Europe and North America.
Pablo is the kind who wants to evolve, both as a man and a sportsman. «As you grow older, you develop a better feel for your limits. Once in a while, you will go over your limits, too – but that can hurt pretty bad.» His first child, a boy, was born a year ago. «Knowing you're a dad, and the responsibility that comes with it doesn't burden me,» he says, only to add: «But I might pay attention to my limits a bit more than I used to.»
It was his uncle that brought him to Switzerland, by helping him get a job with a heating engineering company. There, he met a guy from St. Moritz, who brought him to Skiservice in the Engadin. In winters, he works at their ski workshop, where up to 2000 skis and snowboards are groomed every night. In summers, he works as a bicycle mechanic with Skiservice – when he's not on tour, that is.
«40 minutes of sheer bliss.»
«Conradin Conrad (Skiservice's managing diector) understood my situation straight away: he used to do competitive ski racing, so he knows first-hand what it means to combine work and a sports career.» Pablo's competition season lasts from May to September. He will be on the road a lot in those months. His young family isn't the only thing that draws him back to the Engadin: «This valley has everything it takes to become the best bike destination in the world. Its natural environment is unique; the terrain can be anything between rocky and soft. The Engadin demands all of your efforts; after every run, you come down a better biker than before.»
To prepare for his races, Pablo does a lot of enduro tracks. From Piz Nair through Val Suvretta up to his doorstep is one of the tours he does most. His favourite downhill course, though, is the ride from Lago Bianco on the Bernina Pass down to Poschiavo. «It's not for beginners, mind you. The route may seem kid's stuff at first, but it gets wilder and wilder. Here, I can bike full-on for 40 minutes,» he says beaming. «40 minutes of sheer bliss.» Like that time, at Cerro Otto above Bariloche.
This story by Christian Gartmann has been published in the Skiservice Magazine, Summer 2018