"It's safe to say that downhill racing has come a long way in the last 30 years. The bikes have gone from prehistoric death traps to full-on race-ready machines. We've gone from lycra to baggy and back again. And racing as a whole has gone from a fringe experiment to a professional athletic proving ground. But even with all that progress, one thing hasn't changed: how difficult it is to etch your name into downhill history."
"There's only a handful of riders who have ever stood atop the podium as world champion-12 to be exact-and of those twelve, only two of them have ever won five World Cup overalls. Nico Vouilloz and Aaron Gwin stand amongst the all-time greats of downhill, and it wasn't until 2025 that we saw Loïc Bruni with the chance to join their elite ranks."
Downhill racing has transformed over thirty years from a fringe hobby into a professional sport with advanced, race-ready bikes and shifting style trends. Only twelve riders have ever been world champions, and merely two—Nico Vouilloz and Aaron Gwin—have won five World Cup overalls. Loïc Bruni entered 2025 with a chance to win a fifth overall and join that elite group. Bruni's film, Must Be Nice, examines legacy, sacrifice, personal motivation, and the fine margins where a microscopic misstep can cost a season and a rider's place among the all-time greats. Vouilloz's influence helped shape Bruni's career.
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