When he was still a teenager, renowned French author Marcel Proust had a friend called Antoinette who offered him to a chance to be in her book entitled "An Album To Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc.". It consisted mainly of each interviewee revealing his or her aspirations and tastes, a style of questioning that originated in England and became popular throughout Europe at the time. The original manuscript of Proust's answers, published in 1890 and called "Marcel Proust par lui-même" ("Marcel Proust by himself"), was re-discovered in 1924, two years after his death. This manuscript became an important piece of history due to Proust's fame as a writer and the effort and passion he put into his answers to Antoinette's questionnaire.

So, inspired by the original manuscript, we decided to sit down with some of our favorite riders and submit them to this extraordinary questionnaire in order to better understand their motivations and desires. We decided to start the ball rolling with our French mascot, monsieur Julien Haricot, also known as the sensitive L'Arrogs!

Your biggest virtue:

Haricot, coeur d'artichaut (it's a typical French saying, it means I fall in love easily). And I'm a natural-born procrastinator.

Your favorite quality in a woman/man:

Tolerance.

What you appreciate the most in your friends:

Their loyalty, their sense of humor and their integrity.

Your biggest fault:

Being indecisive.

Your favorite occupation:

Going out with my friends.

Your idea of happiness:

Love, health… And money!

Your idea of misery:

Getting a job that I don’t like!

If not yourself, who would you like to be:

A bass player in a rock band.

Where would you like to live:

Holland, Canada or the States.

Your favorite color:

I’d say black, but since I heard it isn't really a color, I’ll go for red!

Your favorite writer:

André Malraux, Weber, Pamela De Barres and Frédéric Beigbeder.

Favorite fictional heroes:

Tyler Durden (Fight Club), the Goonies (all of them), Hank from “Californication”, Jack Sparrow and Peter Pan. For the girls, Juno and Tinker Bell.

Favorite musicians:

Joy Division, Leona Naess, The Velvet Underground, The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, The Beatles, Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Kurt Cobain and The Rolling Stones.

Favorite real-life heroes:

My parents, Raoul Duke, Mimi Boissonnet, David Vincent, Roberto Baggio and Bill Murray.

What you hate the most:

Lies and intolerance.

Historical figures you hate the most:

Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot and Jesus Christ.

A natural talent you’d like to have been blessed with:

Drawing and playing several instruments.

How you’d like to die:

Asleep in a plane crash.

Present state of mind:

Light and in love.

Which fault do you tolerate most:

Clumsiness, egocentrism and narcissism… In short, me!

Your favorite motto:

One life… Just for fun… Yeah for it!

Words by Florent De Maria

Photos courtesy of Ero One Films