Video Interview

This or That: Yoann Barelli & Katrina Strand

Video AJ Barlas

Yoann Barelli moved to Whistler a few years ago to be with his crush, Katrina Strand. Since then the two have had a baby and begun to work together coaching bike skills to Whistler youth. Katrina doesn't race mountain bikes anymore but she's still heavily involved in the sport and runs a development team for aspiring and talented young riders. Her business, Strand Training, helps athletes improve and she's also involved with other youth mtb programs in Whistler. 

While Yoann helps with the coaching and development his focus is still racing the Enduro World Series. He took some time to be with his young family in 2018 but still made it to the majority of the events. Everyone knows Yoann for his high energy and those that may know Katrina, know she is more laid back. So how do these two think about a range of topics? I found some of their responses quite surprising. 

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Comments

IslandLife
+3 AJ Barlas natbrown Beau Miller

Haha, nice.  Never personally met them, but I get the impression they are some very nice, down to earth, good people.  And very nice, down to earth, good people are a big part of the reason why I love this sport.

Reply

Brigham_Rupp
+3 natbrown Mammal Lacy Kemp

Great stuff! I love glimpses into the lives and personalities of athletes and industry folks. I would love to see less product content and more people content. But the MTB community seems to have an insatiable appetite for bike bits.

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AJ_Barlas
0

All the nerds. Haha. We’re trying to bring more on the people and brands and it’s great to hear people dig it!

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natbrown
+1 AJ Barlas

Couldn't agree more. Also, while I imagine it's challenging to capture in a satisfying way, stories about riding and our culture are also my preference. I've always figured the reviews were a necessary evil to keep the lights on, but I certainly encourage some exploration and creative thinking to shift balance to more of these other kinds of content.

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stinkbat
0

Beautiful family. Such a blessing - all the best!!!!

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