From Snow to Sand…

Our ambassador and professional surfer, Pauline Ado, takes you behind the handlebar of her Samedi 26 FAT 4 to her riding spots, close to her home in the French Basque country.

Whether it’s at the mountain, at the beach, on skis, on a surfboard or on a bike, the pleasure of riding is universal. Enjoy!

Professional French surfer of worldwide renown, Pauline ADO is a name that will surely be familiar to you if you follow the World Surf League. The ISA surfing 2017 World Champion spends a lot of time travelling from ocean to ocean, and as a native of the French Basque country, water is not her only playground!

For a high-level sportsperson and a keen board sports fan, living at the foot of the Pyrenees has a number of advantages. We can pass from the beach to the mountain in a few pedal strokes… Ah yes, we haven’t mentioned it, but for several seasons now Pauline has been riding a Moustache electric bike! Indeed, what’s more practical than our Samedi 26 FAT 4 for getting to her favorite riding spots? ;-{D

While she’s out for a ride in the saddle of her FAT bike, Pauline shares with us the typical day of a surfer: sports session between friends, sun, waves, snow and this universal pleasure of riding that brings us all together. On a board, just as on a bike, the “smiling machines” concept stays the same!

« We are gaining a little altitude to start the day. I’m already smiling when thinking about our super plans!  My fatbike can go anywhere and enables me to gain a few hundred meters on the hike that awaits us. »

« We’re off for 500m of height gain. The gradient increases progressively… the cardio too! Scenery to take our breath away and our slow climb gives us all the time to appreciate the view. »

 

« It’s time to descend! Loving it from the first turns! The technique isn’t perfect but I’ll worry about that another time. For the moment, we savor each second of our descent. »

« The day is still long and I hope to end on a high note with a great surf session. On the way to the ocean through a pine forest. »

« Now I’ve arrived at the superb Landes beaches. The conditions are optimal and I’m seeking out the best spot. The waves are top and I’m alone on this pinnacle. Quick, there’s not a minute to lose! »

Pauline Ado

Pauline, a few words about you for those who don’t surf: how did you get started in the water? 

I was lucky to grow up on the Basque coast. When I was small, I spent all my summers at the beach playing in the waves with my group of friends. We all quickly asked our parents if we could try surfing. My parents were not at all in the surf world and knew nothing about it. They therefore enrolled me in the local surf club when I was 8 years old. From the very start, I loved it!

                                                                         

Over all these years, you must have covered kilometers of coastline in the four corners of the globe. If you had to stay in just one, which spot do you most like to surf? 

Thanks to surfing and my career, I’ve travelled a lot and surfed incredible waves pretty much across the world.

But the place I most like to surf is at home in Anglet! I have my habits, my friends and when the weather conditions are good, the waves are magnificent!

Apart from surfing, do you have other hobbies and activities? 

My discipline obviously takes up a lot of my time, but I love all kinds of sports and especially outdoor sports. Running, hiking, skating and a little more recently, biking! I like the variety and it’s also a fantastic way to explore my region and the places that I have the luck to travel to!

Otherwise, I am also very busy with charities that work for the protection of oceans such as Surfrider Foundation and those improving access to surfing for handicapped people like Handi Surf. These causes mean a lot to me and I try to do as much as possible to help their actions.

We’re going to come back to a little more detail about your eBike usage, but first of all can you tell us more about your commitment to the protection of the oceans with Surfrider Foundation?

I’ve been a Surfrider ambassador since 2018, but my awareness about the need to protect the oceans goes back a lot longer. Already when I was small, I was very receptive to the messages passed via the beach clean ups, the presentations at school and at surf competitions that they sponsored. At home, I insisted that all the family turn off lights when leaving a room and to turn off taps while brushing our teeth (laughs)!
As an ambassador, I support their actions and relay their messages to my community. I am particularly involved with their “Ocean Initiatives” campaign which consists of cleaning beaches. These days are a great way of creating awareness about the repercussions of our consumer habits on the environment.

You are also a Bosch ambassador and you’ve been riding a Moustache for a few years now, how has the eBike integrated into your daily life? 

Yes and I am very happy to also be a Moustache ambassador for some time! My Moustache Fatbike has completely integrated into my lifestyle. At the start, I thought I’d use it mostly to get to the surf sports close to home and do a little MTB. But I like it so much that I also use it to get about each day. It’s so much nicer to travel by bike!

                                                  

How do your friends and other surfers react when they see you getting about on your eBike? 

The people close to me find it really cool and all want to try it 😉 ! It’s really the best means of getting about for me. Quite a few of my friends also use eBikes and especially the surfers who choose a fatbike that can ride on sand.

Have you noticed people around you taking the step to replace their car with an eBike?

I live in a small town. Public transport is not as well developed as it is in the big towns. I see an enormous effect on the people who invest in an eBike. They still keep their car because they sometimes need to cover a long distance to access certain services. However, they use it a lot less than before, preferring to get about on bike for most of their daily journeys.

A quick last question: what is the accessory that you love the most on your Moustache?

My surfboard carrier obviously! 🙂

17 March 2021
Friends, Gravel, The Vosges

Our ambassador and professional surfer, Pauline Ado, takes you behind the handlebar of her Samedi 26 FAT 4 to her riding spots, close to her home in the French Basque country.

12 August 2021
Jérôme Gilloux | E-team

Our ambassador and professional surfer, Pauline Ado, takes you behind the handlebar of her Samedi 26 FAT 4 to her riding spots, close to her home in the French Basque country.

29 June 2021
Design & Innovation Award 2021

Our ambassador and professional surfer, Pauline Ado, takes you behind the handlebar of her Samedi 26 FAT 4 to her riding spots, close to her home in the French Basque country.

19 January 2021
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