The turning point of Thomas Genon’s career was surely the moment he stunned everyone last summer, as he fought off serious competition to win Red Bull Joyride @ Crankworx, the star-studded Diamond-ranked FMB World Tour event in British Columbia (see his winning run, above!). It’s fair to say it was stunning because it surprised the man himself.

Thomas Genon Red Bull Joyride winning run from Crankworx on Vimeo.

“I was fixing my music at the top of the run and someone came over to tell me that I won the comp,” confessed Thomas afterwards.

But this result in Whistler, while it will live long in the 19-year-old’s memory, was no fluke. The truth is that Thomas Genon has been on the up over the last few seasons. An earlier win in the Gold-standard 26Trix in Austria in 2012 and third place overall in last year’s FMB World Tour standings behind his illustrious co-riders and fellow Red Bull athletes Brandon Semenuk and Martin Söderström are a clear sign of greater things to come.

Like many successful younger riders, Thomas got on the saddle early, his father introducing him to jumps on a mountain bike aged eight. He attended a “bike school” to further hone his obvious skills, and by the age of 14 he’d progressed to full comps, taking part in the Roof and Slopestyle event in Avoriaz, France in 2008.