Weathering the Storm: How Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau Built a Team During a Challenging Offseason

Last winter, Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau (or ALN) found herself hunting for a job at a tough time. After the 2023 season, the Canadian enduro racer made the surprising announcement that she was parting ways with team Rocky Mountain Raceface after more than ten years with Rocky Mountain Bikes.

This news came during an especially tumultuous offseason during which multiple brands announced that they were shuttering their enduro programs as sales contracted across the industry. It was a stressful time for many enduro racers. Even riders coming off top 10 overall finishes like Bex Baraona and Dan Booker struggled to find sponsors.

ALN’s experience was no less taxing, despite her resume as a consistent contender with nine career podiums. I sat down with Andréane this spring ahead of her local Squamish Enduro to discuss the wild ride of the past year and her plans for the future.

“[After leaving Rocky Mountain] I was pretty stressed and a bit down and low…[everything] just felt like it was falling apart for a bit there,” Andréane told me.

Making It Work

Thankfully, Andréane was able to land a frame sponsor for 2024 with Commencal Canada which she has managed to turn into a full-fledged team with mechanical assistance from Commencal's race support program.

But how did a rider manage to leverage a frame sponsorship into a full team at a time when marketing budgets in the bike industry were heavily contracting?

“It kind of just happened, honestly,” Andréane told me. Lanthier-Nadeau had signed a frame deal with Commencal, but when she learned that 22 year old World Cup DH racer Elliot Jamieson was also talking to the brand, they worked to create a team together. Behind the scenes at Commencal Canada, Derek Tsui worked hard to sort out a travel budget.

After locking down help from mutual sponsors like Fox, 7mesh, Maxxis, and local design firm Stark Architecture, the pair were joined by pro skier and U21 Canadian Enduro National Champion Weitien Ho. From there, team Commencal 7mesh was born.

A Good Attitude and Its Perks

Despite her modesty, it’s clear that ALN worked very hard behind the scenes to make her 2024 race season happen.

ALN credited her upbringing and leaned into regional stereotypes to explain her motivation. “Growing up [on] the East Coast taught me to be such a hard worker,” Lanthier-Nadeau told me.

“I'm glad people appreciated how I conducted myself in the industry. This year I get to harvest the fruits of my labor.”

ALN’s mental fortitude persists no matter the challenges the sport of enduro faces. While some athletes have been very outspoken with their criticisms of the UCI and how the organization has run professional enduro races, Adréane understands the issues that come with trying to run and market a logistically tough sport like enduro. “They're not trying to actively kill the sport of enduro, you know? They're literally doing their best.”

At a time when the future of enduro is uncertain, ALN believes it is as important as ever to work with the organizers rather than against them to ensure the long-term health of the sport.

When she moved on from Rocky Mountain, ALN’s friends told her that if anyone could figure out how to build a team it was her.

One thing that stood out in my conversation with Andréane was her positive attitude. ALN credits the fact that she landed on her feet this offseason to how she carries herself. “It was a very nice surprise to be met with lots of brands that wanted to continue to support me,” she remarked. “I'm glad people appreciated how I conducted myself in the industry and the vibe that I put out, and I feel like this year I get to harvest the fruits of my labor.”

Commencal 7mesh has been a new experience for Andréane. ALN has had to take more of an active role in the logistics of running the team than she did with Rocky Mountain Raceface, booking Airbnb’s and procuring transportation in Europe.

Despite Andréane’s increased responsibility, her time with Commencal has breathed new life into her. “I would say it's kind of like every 40-year-old divorcée,” She chuckled, “[I have] new energy.”

After so many years on Rocky Mountain, ALN needed to work to get used to riding her new bike. Despite finding Commencal’s suspension platform agreeable, she said that learning how the new bike handled in different situations took time. Thanks to multiple training camps, ALN feels up to speed on her Meta SX.

Back To Racing

"I know when I'm strong and very well-trained, I can do quite amazing.”

Thus far in 2024, Andréane has been steadily improving on the new bike. In the first two rounds of the EDR, ALN got 9th at the grueling Finale race and managed 6th in Bielsko-Biala.

Even with these steady results, ALN is not focused on how she places. Andréane told me she was making a concerted effort to deal only in qualitative goals rather than any results-based objectives in 2024. “For the last two years, I hijacked myself so much by focusing on performative goals that were results-oriented. So I would like to stick with process goals this summer. I know when I'm strong and very well-trained, I can do quite amazing.”

As part of the goal-setting process, ALN keeps a belief wall, a board on which she pins notes detailing her accomplishments. These can be anything from ticking off a gnarly feature on the bike to feeling good on a training ride. Lanthier-Nadeau then uses the board to visualize her success.

Beyond 2024

Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau, who will turn 31 this summer, is very candid about her future. She told me that after her deal with Commencal expires at the end of 2025 she will seriously consider retiring. “Racing is something special because it ends…I think something that people don't really see is that it's sometimes quite a lonely and isolated pursuit to try and be one of the best in the world.”

“I really feel like once I step back from racing, there's a good flock of racers coming up.”

Though she is matter-of-fact about nearing the end of her career, Andréane is still hungry. ALN told me that before hanging up her jersey, she wants to race an EDR in Whistler one more time. Andréane said she wanted redemption after her fiasco at the 2022 EWS in Whistler, when she led the field heading into the final stage but fell just before the finish and dropped to 5th.

Sadly for ALN, the EDR will not stop in Whistler in 2024, “I might have to organize that for 2025 before the end of my career,” she joked.

Though ALN’s racing days may be numbered, she has done her part and more to ensure Canadian enduro is in a good place, especially for young women.

When I asked who she was most excited to watch at the Enduro World Cup this year, Andréane raved about Canadian young guns Emmy Lan, Elly Hoskin, and Lily Boucher, who she helped land a ride with Rocky Mountain in 2023. “I really feel like once I step back from racing, there's a good flock of racers coming up.”

For everyone from racers to fans, Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau’s impact on the sport has been enormous, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.