Philippe Perakis was a pioneer in the use of protection on mountain biking. Some people looked like an astronaut. Born March 30, 1966 (52 years) Occupation Mountain Cyclist Nationality Switzerland Philippe Perakis on Commons Philippe Perakis (born March 30, 1966 in Switzerland) is a Swiss former professional cyclist. He was a pioneer in the use of advanced protection equipment when riding a mountain bike and contributed to the widespread use of upper body protection in other speed sports such as downhill skiing. In the early 1990s, Perakis was strongly exposed in the international mountain bike press, and one of the most profiles and popular mountain bikers. He became known for the use of extreme protective suits with a particularly exciting appearance (commonly called "armor") and full-backed bicycles with futuristic designs, and was often referred to as the "astronaut". In this way, through his professional career, he contributed to making bicycle and protection innovations popular and commercially widespread. Perakis was the first European athlete to win the traditionally rich and extreme underground "Mammoth Kamikaze" in the United States, where athletes get up at speeds of over 110 km / h. During another competition, the 1990 World Cup, in a run called the Purgerator, Perakis finished second in the qualification, in which he drove out and broke his arm. Another rider had two days earlier fallen and had a shortage of both his neck and his arm. Perakis had run so spectacularly that Greg Herbold, who won the competition and became world champion in downhill cycling for 1990, stated "The way he was riding scared me half to death." [1] It was in 1992 when the mountain bike sport was still at the forefront that Perakis on its own initiative started using protective gear from the motorcycle industry. His favorite was the armor of Italian Dainese, a world-leading Italian group in protective clothing for motorsport. Shortly after, Dainese established a dedicated department dedicated to mountain biking and other sports. [2] It was only after this that Dainese had taken advantage of the alpine market and that the use of Alpine backbones became common, including such as the alpinist Aksel Lund Svindal, who was abandoned by the bad fall in Beaver Creek in 2007. [3] After the pro career, Perakis worked as Dainese's Sponsorship and Marketing Manager. He then broke up as a consultant in branding and marketing.
