Carola Favoino - SUNLIGHT Adventure Crew (INT)

Carola Favoino was one of the most promising mountain bike downhill talents in Italy. Yet, with 22 she left racing behind and set out to explore the world of mountain biking from different angles. She is talented, she is fun, she is thoughtful, she is curious and she is our youngest SUNLIGHT Adventure Crew member.

Caro, how did you get into mountain biking?

I grew up in Milan – which is pretty flat. I tried all sorts of other sports like fencing, horse-riding, skiing. But my father was in the bike industry: he managed the Gravitalia Squadra UCI MTB Team and organized the Italian DH Series. I went to see a few races, but I was already 12 years old, when I tried out biking first in Châtel. Actually, I went straight to downhill. I remembered being surprised, because I didn’t expect to be so physically challenging. I did one lap and was exhausted.

And then you went to become this huge DH talent…

Well, it was an on-off-relationships for several years before it got more serious. My parents never pushed me, but were a great support: team Mami and Papi…And when I was 17, my dad moved his business – and us as a family – to Finale Ligure. That definitely made my riding levelling up as it is the perfect all-year around training spot. Yet what essentially got me into riding was definitely the community. I met the people, I made friends, and everybody was pushing me getting into it. It’s a big family.

Apart from the people – what is it about biking that caught you?

Well, that has changed over the years. Back then I just had great fun and I loved the adrenaline. It feels good to push yourself out of your comfort zone – especially after. And you are out in the middle of nature discovering places. But when I got into international racing, it kind of shifted. The “fun” was more or less determined by the results. And it can get frustrating when your results don’t match your expectations. I went out riding because I had to train. Then I got injured watched others getting better when I had to start again at zero

That sounds like a load of mental pressure.

Yes, and I took a break from biking when I was 22 as a consequence. It was really hard. I tried to have a normal life, but it felt awkward. I started again only to discover that my place is not in the racing world. Sometimes you are pushing yourself into things that are not made for you. I really believe in positive and negative energy. I had negative signals telling me to do something different. Today, I am enjoying it way more and my riding has progressed so much over the years.

And you have become a big inspiration for female riders in particular.

I have always looked up to men when I grew up. But now there are more female role models and that is really important for us women. I think there is a difference in our approach towards things. Many women have a more emotional approach, I also see that in guiding or teaching. It works way better when women teach women. Guys often want the show-off moves, want to go fast – and literally speed up the process. I guide a lot in Finale and women are usually more in control, they have a better technique. But I have to say that within the biking community male riders are respecting, supporting and pushing women more and more. Slowly, bike brands and competitions are seeing the potential of women and we have successful events like the Red Bull Rampage, the DH World Cup or the Natural Selection Tour.

You started travelling a lot now. How do other places inspire you?

Travelling teaches you so much. And it gives me the opportunity to get better just by meeting different people with different mentality, different attitudes. But it is not only related to bikes at all. I have always been really curious. Meeting people with other backgrounds is gives me a lot of stimuluses. I love Finale it is my chill place, this is where my family is. But I’m really active and I want to push myself physically as well as mentally and just grow. Europe is so rich in history and cultures. We should not take that for granted but explore and embrace it.

What do you love about travelling with a camper van?

The fact that you can actually live the “home is everywhere I go”. Waking up to a nice view gives me an enormous sense of freedom – and then I can just do my own thing. And I love that you are 100% connected to the moment, but you can also be social. When you camp with other people you connect even deeper. But I am often need time to process and be by myself after a day of riding. So, I have my space to do just that.