K.OS Interview for the German Mtb Rider Magazine:
1. Introduce yourself
My name is Kostantinos Poulopoulos. Aka (K.OS)
I am a Greek passionate freerider.
I own two private bike parks one in Athens and one on Mykonos Island where I organize the annual Votsalaki mtb camps,
Ah I almost forget that I work as an architect occasionally hahaha.
2. How is the freeride/dirt/street scene in Greece at the moment?
It’s getting there. I think it was smashed between the downhill and the BMX scene. Always there but never up front.
I am positive though that into the next years the Greek freeride scene will define itself with a specific character. We have ‘the’ landscape’ and the weather after all.
For the uncertain state of Greek freeride scene at the moment, I blame the lack of Contests and magazine exposure and lack of good and safe places to ride and, gradually, improve.
3. Do they build spots on their own?
Yes, riders build trails but most of the spots are on public grounds that eventually the councils demolish them straight when they figure out that they exist.
I have been there, done that several times, hopefully never again.
4. How many professional freeriders live in Greece? (Sponsors in Greece hard to find?)
Professional free riders in Greece? That has to be a joke.
There are no professional free riders in Greece.
The best case scenario is been in a semi - pro category, meaning is a matter of getting ,sometimes, free gear or at better prices which is fine concerning the level of the Greek riders .
And there is another category that the bigger brand importers have followed, mostly with downhill racers though, meaning they let them ride their test bikes that are always for sale and never theirs demanding that they have to pay themselves to follow all the races around Greece . So professional free riders at the moment?
None in Greece.
5. Are there big sponsors who invest in bike riding? (Monster, Nokia, Ferrari)
Yes they are.
But they are always communicating and making deals with the bike industry importers or bike gear importers or even local councils that they do not have a clue on how a good event should be , or what the riders need in order be satisfied and perform well.
I have travel all over Greece in the recent past ,when I was racing mostly into downhill events, hearing of the large amount of money investments from big sponsors and getting really disappointed of the amount of money and time that I have spend riding low trail quality or awful jumps that they have build . The big sponsors should contact the riders and the teams directly in order to have good events.
6. Is there a scene outside of Athens?
Yes I am really happy because I realize that lately groups of freeriders are getting active building their own ‘illegal’ parks and try to sending it all over Greece.
We are communicating through photos and videos through internet .they are building in Patra, Crete, Xanthi, Pilio, and Elasona. There are a lot of smaller scenes all over Greece .
keep it real guys.
7. What´s the problem of Greece and freeriding? Why is it not that huge?
What should happen to make it huge?
A). There is no help from the bike and gear importers, big companies to the riders need to the scene.
B). There are no freeride contests in Greece. Contest could bring all the freeriders together and they could stimulate sponsors and bike brand importers to invest on the winners and rookies.
C). There are no safe places to train like indoor parks or foam pits to practice new tricks and get the whole scene completive with the rest of Europe. My private park in Athens (K.os backyard) is going to have the first decent foam pit practice area in Greece in 2012.
D). There is no athletic education in Greece generally. It’s a pity because we were the founders of the Olympic Games, but I guess this was thousands of years ago eh?
So our sport, freeride seems to the masses a spectacular show of ‘circus’ riders (kids) and not as a stand of extreme athletism and devoted practice.
The hand build dirt bike parks and jumps are as destruction of nature and not as in specific terrain for athletes to practice.
E). There is no serious specific freeride press exposure on the current bike magazines that obviously deny facing the progress of the rest mtb world.
Last year new television programs made a huge effort having around three programs parallel one national TV channel dedicated on educating people on different kinds of biking riding. This year the effort is continuing so the future of mtb in Greece is not looking that shady after all.
8. What kind of riding do the most mountain bike riders prefer in Greece? (Street, Dirt, Freeride, Downhill, 4x?)
4x there are one or two races per year so I wouldn’t say that there is a scene or 4x racers.
Most of them prefer downhill because there are several races around and the sport is getting advertised through them.
It seems though that everyone wants to come first. That’s not a bad thing because competitions bring crowds to the sport. The problem is that organizers do not invest on digging the best technical DH trails steep with jumps, drops, berms. So the DH races in Greece are filled with low skilled pro-looking amateurs on amazing expensive bikes on a steep XC single track. They think that freeride is dangerous and it’s not for them, my opinion is that freeride can ‘educate’ on bike skills this colorful crowd otherwise they will have figured it all wrong under their shiny troy lees.
And again there are these guys who love to ride dirt and they enjoy street and skate parks as well and in the weekend they take their bikes to the woods and ride in a funky way the singletracks , tearing up the berms on the downhill tracks , dig and shred on bigger jumps, sending it of drops. I would call those few, Greek freeriders.
9. Does anybody knows each other in the scene or do you often meet people that you don’t know?
I am riding for about 10 years now in Greece and I could tell with confidence that I know most of them until recently. I’m riding with the same people all these years and it seems that they are the only guys really interested on the sport.
But since 2 years now, I meet new young people and they contact me asking about bikes for dirt and what they should get. They are not interested for the posher looking rig but the best. I hear that they dig and ride and that they want to visit my backyard and ride and dig together there. I m really exited meeting them.
10. Why do the most people visit Greece? (Holidays) and where do they go?
Most of the visitors are coming here for the ‘glorious’ summer holidays on the beautiful Greek islands of course for the famous ancient culture and monuments of Greece.
There are also a lot of people who visit Greece all year around to enjoy the controversial Greek landscape and weather and to feel the laid back way of living on the villages. We have great mountains and greats beaches not far away from each other, through in the amazing Mediterranean weather yes we have a great ‘package’.
When I was living in London studying for my Architecture degree I missed all that qualities of my country.
11. Is the actual political situation a problem for you? (Does it influence your kind of living/acting?)
The political situation in Greece has a big influence to everybody. Having this economic and legal instability you don’t know what the next day will bring. You can’t invest or create a business plan. And once again the new taxes and law system pushes to extinction all the medium and small business and the middle wedge working class.
It is unethical unfair to invade in such ways to humble households that are not at all responsible for the works of decades of corrupted governments and politicians.
There is an obvious change on my living and acting in mtb manner.
I have stopped riding- and own one bike for each mtb discipline because I found difficulties maintaining them.
I had cut the cost of traveling and biking around the Greece or abroad.
I have difficulties on maintaining and developing my two backyards. The economic crisis could have a positive effect though.
Now I can really concentrate on my most favorite bike riding and quality trail building without getting destructed.
12. What are you doing in the scene? (Video, contests, spot building….
Back in the day around 7 years ago when I came back of cold England I saw the potential that the Greek landscape and weather conditions have to offer and with my current team ‘Respect’ we organized the first and only series of 3 freeride events -contests on the island ‘Salamina’ not far from Capital of Athens .
We organized the ‘Free your ride’ series events with optimum TV exposure and attendance.
We built 10m gap jumps and drops with no money coming out of any sponsor only with labor from our hands and fellow riders.
Back then I was been supported from a big bicycle company importer that didn’t appreciate our efforts and our labor. I got really disappointed of the whole experiment.
So the freeride contest series got postponed for good.
I have participated on the production team of the ‘Gravity’ fanzine which got published with a general bike magazine and was the only magazine in Greece exposing our sport to the public. Unfortunately it only lasted for two issues.
I have been a trail digger-builder for a long time now taking action to multiple ‘legal’ or ‘illegal trail buildings.
I have participated to a lot of videos and shootings that organically are getting produced by me or fellow riders and photographers.
Currently I am concentrating into planning and finding financial support to make a realization of a dream for all the Greek freeriders beginners and advance and that is a bike park. It always will be a hustle to fight the Greek bureaucracy with endless laws and get a license for to convert my private backyard into the first dirt and ramp bike park in Greece.
My motto to younger kids is that you don’t need the best bike but you need to train to the best place to be the best rider.
13. What is your favorite kind of bike riding?
I like all of mtb and I ride everything from DH to XC but my favorite has to be dirt and freeride single track. There is something magical of couching some fresh air.
Very often I ride alone but is always great to have some riding mates, with the right attitude around.
14. What do you think the mountain bike scene will be in Greece in 5 years?
Concerning the growth of the last two years I think is going to be huge in bike sales.
And if all riders that we are seriously love sport get active and collaborate with the right sponsors we can do amazing things for the Greek scene in the future.
15. what should change in Greece, to increase the number of bike riders?
Bring the media in K.os backyard Bike Park,
I will invite the riders.
We will get the ouzo and the souvlaki and homemade traditional pies from our Girlfriends and mama’s.
And the rest …let the Modern Greek history decide.
Ya mas. (cheers)
Special thanks to:
My sponsors: SRSUNTOUR, Greek importers of POC and Dartmoor, and VOTSALAKI MYKONOS MTB CAMPS
