Ten Questions - Julien Leleu
Issue 70 / Wed 8th Aug, 2018
Footballer, kiter and videographer, Julien Leleu is an enigma who we haven’t featured before, the fun-loving Frenchman gets out ten questions this issue!
Julien Leleu is an incredibly talented rider and videographer from an unlikely background, had the stars aligned differently he might have been playing in the recent football World Cup, rather than kitesurfing his way around the world.
Describe your hometown, your hobbies as a kid, and how you got into kitesurfing?
I was born in Paris and grew up between Marseille, Montpellier, and Lille. As a kid, I played football for the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG), until I was sixteen years old.
Ever since I can remember, my father would take me to the beach with him to watch him kitesurf. It was while watching him that my passion for the sport began.
I only started kitesurfing when I was twelve years old because I was still committed to football. By the time I was sixteen, I decided to leave my dreams of becoming a football player behind, and devote all my time and attention to becoming a professional kitesurfer.
I moved to the north of France with my father where there happens to be a large and crazy kitesurfing community (comparable to the ‘Dirty Habits Crew in South Africa’), and we all kitesurf together as often as possible, regardless of the weather conditions! It’s great because we really know how to motivate each other.
At university, I was allowed to skip classes sometimes to train, and of course, I took full advantage of that!
My parents made it clear that I could do whatever I wanted with my life, as long as I did well in my finals. So, as soon as I completed my Bachelor’s Degree (with excellent grades, I might add!), I moved to Tarifa and started travelling the world.
We know you had a pretty gnarly knee injury 3 years ago. How did you spend your days when you were off the water? What sort of rehabilitation, training, and exercises helped you regain your strength and confidence on the water?
Indeed. I tore my ACL, lateral and medial meniscus ligaments, bruised my fibula, and fractured the top of my tibia, during a kite loop competition. At the time, I was just starting to get confident enough to compete in the World Cup, and I had already made it to the top ten a few times.
I was really down during that time because the first surgeon that examined my injuries said that I probably wouldn’t be able to compete anymore or ride at the same level. All that did was motivate me to prove the opposite! I decided to get a second opinion and met with a different surgeon. I told him that I would basically do whatever it takes to get me back on the water.
The surgeon recommended 16 months of intense rehabilitation – that’s what had to be done, so that’s what I did! I went to Cape Breton, a rehabilitation centre for top athletes, which was very encouraging because I was surrounded by so many sports professionals in similar situations.
I genuinely learned that when you hit rock bottom, you have to remain positive, meditate and use the bottom to bounce back up even higher than before!
Based on what you went through in your injury, what tips would you share with other riders to try and help prevent such injuries?
Honestly, I think in my case, even with the best preparation, the injuries were unavoidable. In general, I recommend having good physical fitness, which doesn’t only mean lifting weights but also working on balance. The key is proprioception, flexibility and, to strengthen the muscles.
I would also advise training with a professional that knows the sport well, and it’s physical demands until you understand your own body and learn the proper training routines that work best for you.
The funny thing with kitesurfing is that the more you injure yourself, the more you understand your body and the fewer injuries you get afterwards!
Always remember to stay hydrated and eat well!
You are a strong believer in “choose the job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. If you could only choose one, would you rather spend your day’s kitesurfing or filming and why?
Absolutely, this is the philosophy I live by! Find what you love, put all your energy and focus into it, and eventually, you’ll make a living out of it.
I love kitesurfing and how it makes me feel, but I also enjoy using my brain and not just ripping on the water! It’s great being a professional kitesurfer, but what’s next? What happens when you are in your 30’s (especially for freestyle kite surfers) and have had so many injuries that you can’t compete anymore?
Just imagine, for years you’ve been travelling to the most beautiful places in the world for competitions and photo shoots, and suddenly you need to get back to reality and have a regular job, a routine. Without a backup plan, you would shoot yourself!
Professional kitesurfers aren’t like other athletes; we don’t make enough money to keep us comfortable forever. So, in my case, creating videos and taking photos has always been something I enjoyed. I decided to start up my own company with my good friend and business partner Soufiane Hamaini.
I also work with RRD as a rider, developing their products and working on their marketing strategy and videos. I think I have the perfect work balance between riding and filming/editing!
You are an incredibly talented videographer! What inspired you to start filming and editing? What was your first movie about?
I started off by creating some fun content with the crew back home, mostly just humorous, raw videos of whatever we were up to. Later on, I moved to Tarifa and started travelling with Forest Bakker. We worked together for four years on many projects, under the company name ‘Light Bros’.
I also went and stayed at Oliver Umpierre’s place in Uruguay a few times. He covered all my travel costs, and in return, I kited at his home spot in Punta del Este and worked for his company called ‘Studio Roff’. It was an excellent opportunity for me to get experience. I was training, filming, and kiting on the days we didn’t have any projects going on.
Later on, I decided it was time to start my own company. My friend Soufiane approached me and suggested we team up and create High Light Productions. I have so much respect for Soufiane and he honestly always motivates me to do my best.
You spend a lot of time in Cape Town, and clearly, it’s a fantastic place to be, but why is it your favourite kitesurfing destination?
Yeah, I have spent many winters in Cape Town, you could consider it to be the second headquarters of RRD. Most of our RRD shoots and product development take place there because its rough conditions make it the perfect place to test and film new products. At the end of last year, I spend two and a half months in Cape Town, directing and filming all the RRD product videos for the 2018 equipment.
Cape Town is such a diverse and unique city, and the kitesurfing spots are idyllic for filming. There are waves, flat water freestyle spots and nuking winds for proper big air mega loop, topped off with some insane parties and amazing music, what’s not to love?
This year, I invited my dad to come and visit me in Cape Town for his birthday. I owe him so much, and we haven’t had a trip together ever since I became a professional kitesurfer. He usually buys me kites for my birthday, so this time, I thought it was only fair that I bought him a ticket to experience my world in its golden moments!
If you had to go on a trip without your kitesurfing equipment and camera, what essentials would you pack and where would you go?
I’d get on a sailboat with my closest friends, a few bottles of rum, music, and sail wherever the wind takes us. Or, we’d go to the best festivals, with our group of friends.
Which other rider inspires you, motivates you and is the most fun to have a session with and why?
Ruben Lenten’s philosophy always inspires me. He knows how to embrace life, he enjoys his sessions, and really shares the stoke! Otherwise, I love sharing sessions with all my good mates including Carlito Ferreira, Alex Vliege, Liam Whaley, Oswald Smith and of course my Frenchies from back home, Val and Seb Garat, Antoine Fermon and the rest of the tribe.
What is your favourite RRD set up and discipline to ride in?
It honestly depends on the conditions. If it’s freestyle heaven, I would take my JUICE v5 140 x 42.5 and Obsession, but if it were a stormy day, I would probably still ride my JUICE and loop the Passion MK10 for maximum lift loops. It is such an easy kite to ride but at the same time gives you the high performance you need, if you ask for it. In all cases I’d always use my boots, I only ever ride straps and pads if it’s a shoot or just for fun.
Do you have any exciting plans coming up this year that you’d like to share with us?
I’m flying out for the DDC (Dakhla Downwind Challenge). It’s a 500 km downwinder along the Moroccan coast, organised by Soufiane Hamaini and Dakhla Spirit. It is going to be an amazing, memorable experience; different from any trip I’ve ever been on. The spots we go to are incredible and unspoiled as people are only allowed to ride them during this specific event. Every night, we sleep under the stars, somewhere in the desert!
There are a few other projects in the pipeline, but I’m not able to speak about them just yet.
Ok, last question! Describe your perfect day from sunrise until… the following morning!
I would wake up to reggae music, just to set the vibe and get amped for the day. I’d head to the beach for a surf session in the morning, a good BBQ with friends around noon, and then I would kitesurf until sunset. After a day like that, there is no better way to end it other than a good, proper party until the next sunrise!
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By Jen Tyler
Italian/Egyptian Jen Tyler grew up on the sandy beaches of the Red Sea and has been on the IKSURFMAG & Tonic Mag team since 2017.
