It is not easy for anyone to completely reinvent themselves. Especially not if you are used to an adrenaline-fueled lifestyle full of action and then have to start a completely different life almost from scratch. Mountain bike freeride professional Tarek Rasouli was forced to take exactly this step when he seriously injured his spine at the height of his career and was confined to a wheelchair from then on. Since that momentous day in 2002, Tarek has been proving every day that giving up is not an option and that there is nothing that can drive a thoroughbred mountain biker out of the mountain bike business. Red Bull TV’s “The Reinvention of Tarek Rasouli” shows how the Munich native ticks and how he managed to go from being a professional freerider to becoming one of the most important opinion leaders and influencers in the bike industry.

The dramatic accident turned Tarek’s world upside down. His whole life, from BMX Races around the world to his admission to the legendary Rocky Mountain Froriders, was geared towards a career as a professional athlete. In all the uncertainty that set in after the paraplegia, only one thing was certain: Tarek wanted to remain part of the mountain bike world – and not just on the sidelines, but still in the middle of it.

With the development of the freeride pages of the German Bike Magazine, Tarek’s second career began to take shape. His first event “Ride to the Lake” soon followed – a huge success, from which the famous Red Bull District Ride would later emerge. In addition to journalism and event organization, Tarek kept asking himself what was missing in his active time and what would have made his life easier back then. His conclusion: for someone who really just wants to ride bikes, having somebody to take care of the organization and administration involved. The idea of ​​professional management for bike athletes was born.

Today, Tarek’s agency RASOULUTION manages top athletes like Danny MacAskill, Fabio Wibmer, Thomas Genon, Emil Johansson or Erik Fedko, organizes bike events all over the world and develops and supervises communication concepts for various brands from the bike industry. Additionally, Tarek volunteers as an ambassador for the Wings for Life Foundation, which supports research and studies on spinal cord and spinal cord injuries with the declared goal of finding a cure for paraplegia one day.

Tarek is particularly looking forward to the annual Wings For Life World Run on May 9th: “Wings for Life is so important to me because it gives me hope – not just for me, but for everyone who has a spinal cord injury. Taking part in the Wings for Life World Run is therefore something very special for me. This year, thanks to a special exoskeleton, I will actually be able to take part in the run for the first time walking with my feet.”

But deep down, Tarek is still the mountain biker who just only wants to ride a bike – he is happiest when he’s out on his hand bike.

 

Follow Tarek Rasouli online:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tarekrasouli

Facebook: facebook.com/tarekrasouli.page

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tarekrasouli

Website: www.rasoulution.com

 

Join Tarek’s Team for the Wings for Life World Run on 9 May 2021:

Team RASOULUTION

It’s that time of the year again: The snow in the mountains is melting and the urge to get our bikes out of hibernation becomes stronger and stronger. Well, good news for all bike park fans: after Pohorje Maribor, Bikepark Wurbauerkogel, too, already opened for the 2021 season on April 24. With the other bike parks of the Gravity Card to follow soon, mountain bike riders all over the Alps (and beyond) don’t have to wait much longer until they finally can do what they love most: shredding trails.

After a record-breaking season 2020 with more Gravity Card tickets sold than in any previous season, there are huge expectations for the 2021 summer season. With 22 bike parks and 175 trails across six countries there is plenty to discover this year as well. Due to the huge variety of the Gravity Card bike parks, every rider can find themselves the right offer – no matter if bike park pro or beginner, adult or child, enduro enthusiast or downhill rider. The latest addition to the bike park group is the Bike Areal Kitzski in Tyrol, Austria with four single trails with a total length over 20 kilometers. “Hahnenkamm”, namesake of the infamous downhill ski race, is a versatile trail of 7.2 kilometers and 850 meters downhill. Its newly built the connection to the Fleckalmtrail offers 7.1 kilometers on a challenging track directly connected. With the Lisi Osl downhill trail for advanced riders and Gaisberg Trail for beginners offers something for every riding level – not to mention beautiful panoramic view of the Kitzbüheler Horn.

“It is a great pleasure and honor for us to be part of Europe’s largest bike park network from next summer. The bike tracks are signposted, a new connection between Fleckalm and the Hahnenkamm was built last fall, we have prepared suitable bike wash areas and our lift staff will be happy to meet our guests’ individual needs. We want to offer all bikers who come to visit us a perfect holiday experience in Kitzbühel and Kirchberg and are already looking forward to summer 2021!”, says Christian Wörister, CEO Bergbahnen AG Kitzbühel.

Heading towards the bike season 2021 with big steps made, preparations are in full swing. The first two parks are already open, MTB Zone Geißkopf is waiting in the wings and aims to open its season on May 1. Shortly after, Epic Bikepark Leogang will follow on May 8, as well bike parks Schladming, Lenzerheide, Semmering, Brandnertal and Petzen on May 13, opening their gates for the riders – some of them only on weekends in the beginning. Due to their higher alpine location, Bike Republic Sölden and Bikepark Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis open eventually on June 11 and 12.

As already known from the previous year, the Gravity Card special arrangement in response to the Covid-19 pandemic will be valid in 2021, too. Highly appreciated, though only hardly put to use, the arrangement gives customers the option to cancel season tickets that have been bought through advance sales completely until the end of the summer season free of charge, provided that they have not been used. Furthermore, if legal regulations or lockdown measures in individual states mean that opening the bike parks and their associated lifts is delayed or not possible at all, the graduated price alterations will apply. For more information and details please visit https://www.gravity-card.com/#vorverkauf

Philipp Kettner, Marketing Manager of the Gravity Card can’t wait for the new season to start: “After an initially quite uncertain start into the last year, we are now more than confident that the 2021 season will build on the success of last year. It’s nice to see how more and more people find their way into biking and enjoy it to the fullest. The Gravity Card offers the perfect conditions and, with 22 bike parks and 175 trails, is becoming more and more interesting, even for mountain bike newcomers or late bloomers. The Covid-19 special regulation introduced last year naturally also applies this season. In this way we can guarantee that the buyers of the Gravity Card have no disadvantage by unscheduled developments.”

 

The Gravity Card season pass is valid from 3 April 2021 to 7 November 2021 with the following prices:

Adults: 519,- €

Youth (2002-2004): 390,- €

Kids (2005-2014): 252,- €

 

For more information about the GraVity Card visit: www.gravity-card.com

Facebook: facebook.com/gravitycard

Instagram: www.instagram.com/gravity_card

 

Header picture: saalbach.com., Nathan Hughes

Last year Fabio Wibmer teamed with the Rasoulution creative unit to capture “The Sound of Berlin” for Fabio’s partner Teufel Audio. The final product shows Fabio doing what he does best and loves most: Shredding cool places with his trials bike while listening to music with his portable bluetooth speaker:

The 1:40 minutes long clip was produced and directed by Rasoulution and shot in Berlin last September with Fabio’s crew consisting of Marius Prell (filmer and cutter) and Hannes Berger (photographer).

Follow Fabio online:

youtube.com/fabwibmer
instagram.com/wibmerfabio
facebook.com/wibmerfabio

Header picture by Hannes Berger

The Epic Bikepark Leogang is celebrating its 20th anniversary. In line with this, there is great news: new trails like “Vali’s Hölle” provide fresh momentum. On May 8, the time will come to open this year’s bike season in Pinzgau. Season highlights include both, the hosting of the first double World Cup from June 11-13, and the BIKE Festival, which will take place in Saalfelden Leogang from September 10-12. 

The Epic Bikepark Leogang has its 20th birthday this year and it’s set to impress with many highlights. There is a new part of the Downhill track, named after Downhill high-flyer Vali Höll; in order to reach this line, turn left into the forest, right before the 100% wallride on the Speedster and Flying Gangster. “Vali’s Hölle” already provided excitement and variety at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships last October. 

Starting this year, all riders can get a taste of the technically challenging course to get a better feel for the skill level of the pros. Kornel Grundner, Managing Director of the Leoganger Bergbahnen, which operate all gondolas in the area: “We are pleased to celebrate the launch of our 20th season this year. Our passion for mountain biking has always been unbroken and we proved last summer that the sport is also possible and save in difficult times.” 

On the Hot Shots line fired by GoPro – which was rebuilt in summer 2020 – riders are going to experience true A-line feelings. This season, the jump line starts directly at the mountain station. It’s now about 125 meters longer with even more airtime than before. But be careful, the challenging track is not suitable for beginners! 

Visitors can also look forward to a new natural trail. The “Knappentrail”, which starts and ends at the same place as the “Schwarzleo-trail”, winds its own way down the slope and promises flowy lines. 

The GoPro Bag jump, which has been an important part of the Epic Bikepark Leogang since 2011, also received an upgrade. The new landing bag is 15 meters long and ensures even more fun and safety thanks to the adjusted landing angle. This is the spot to work on your skills and optimize your riding technique. 

With plenty of innovations along the way, the bike park is ready to kick off the season. And that’s not all: for the first time, a double World Cup in the disciplines Cross-Country and Downhill will be held in Pinzgau from June 11-13, 2021. Whether and how many spectators will be able to follow the season highlight on site, depends on the development of the pandemic. However, it’s certain that the Saalfelden Leogang region is well-prepared with elaborate hygiene measures. The final races of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be shown live on Red Bull TV and ORF. 

Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik: 

“For the 20th birthday, we want to give our bike park visitors and of course ourselves the one or the other small gift. With new natural trails and tracks, such as the Knappentrail, “Vali’s Hölle” or for example the reworked Airbag landing, there should be something new to explore for every kind of rider. We are also looking forward to the upcoming double World Cup, which takes place in Pinzgau for the first time in that form.” 

Finally, from September 10-12, the BIKE Festival will take place in Salzburger Land. The visitors of the festival can participate in competitions and get insights into innovations of various exhibitors and different workshops to improve their own skills at the bike fair. 

More current news, dates and information about the tracks of the Epic Bikepark Leogang can be found at bikepark-leogang.com, instagram.com/BikeparkLeogang or facebook.com/BikeparkLeogang 

Header picture by Klemens König

“I was on a road trip with Ayato and Kiyoto, a you trials rider from Japan. We were around the Gunma prefecture.. Fortunately, it was the perfect time to see the cherry blossom, so we cruised around the city to enjoy its beauty and ride trials in some cool spots. After riding, we camped at a nice spot on the river side. We cooked rice and beef. It was the perfect dinner for me.” – Tomomi

Follow Tomomi on Social Media:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tomomi_nishikubo/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TomomiNishikubo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tomomi_nishikubo
Website: https://rasoulution.com/athletes/tomomi-nishikubo/

With Brandon Semenuk, Cam Zink, Brage Vestavik, Vero Sandler and DJ Brandt the competition is high in the X Games Real MTB video contest 2021, forcing Scottish mountain bike professional and trials wizard Danny MacAskill  and filmmaker Robbie Meade to pull out all the stops. Watch his entry here:

Winners will be announced on Saturday the 25th of April, once the jury has made its final decision. To support Danny (or one of the other riders) in the official fan vote, please visit:

http://www.xgames.com/xgames/real/31243520/real-mtb-2021

 

Follow Danny:

Danny’s Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/dannymacaskill
Danny’s website: www.dannymacaskill.co.uk
Danny’s Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/DannyMacAskill
Danny’s Instagram profile: www.instagram.com/danny_macaskill
Danny’s Twitter account: www.twitter.com/danny_macaskill

 

Header picture: Dave Mackison

In Johny Salido’s latest edit “Synergy”, he shows outstanding riding to launch his new Mazawi Yú Signature shoe. The shoe will be initially only available in México, online and in stores. See Johny hitting Utah’s big jumps and freeride lines: 

In the edit, Johny is in his favorite riding location, bringing back some Rampage feelings. It has been a life dream of him competing at Red Bull Rampage which hasn’t been truly fulfilled yet, because he injured himself there in 2019 on a practice-run just before the actual event.

This time, Johny went back to Utah together with Charlie, the owner of Mazawi, and “redeemed himself” by turning off the fire in his hand. He shows impressive riding in the most prestigious desert in the MTB world, riding with his Mazawi Yú Signature shoe – Yú means dirt in Zapoteco, a Mexican culture. The shoe will be available in México online and in stores and will cost $1,800 Mexican pesos ($89 USD).

Charlie Torres, CEO of Mazawi, about the collaboration with Johny:
“Since we started Mazawi, we wanted to create a worldwide brand that represents Mexico and Latin America. Working with Johny has been amazing, because he shares all our values and passion for doing great things, as a result we achieved to design his Mazawi Yú Signature shoe.”

Johny Salido:
“Working with Mazawi for the last couple months has been nothing but #gudtimes! After more than a year talking about a signature shoe with Charlie, we finally made it happen for 2021. The first time I put the shoes on, it felt like home, so much comfort and grip – this is everything I look for in a shoe. I’m beyond excited to release this project for my signature shoe with the best and only Mexican MTB shoe brand.”

Johny Salido:
Facebook:  JuanDiegoSalido
Instagram: johnysalido
YouTube:   Johny Salido

Mazawi:
Website: www.mazawi.mx

Pictures: ©HombreMonoFilms

Thomas Genon sat down with Schwalbe for their “Pumped! The inside podcast”, to talk about his life as a full-time pro rider, future projects and his off-season routine. Get ready for some unique insights and tips to keep things fresh by one of the most experienced riders of the FMB World Tour:  

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JhdNfsF8LG0kW0Pdl4KTm 

Follow Thomas Genon online:

Facebook: ThomasGenonMTB
Instagram: thomasgenon
YouTube: Thomas Genon

With no one less than mountain bike legend Nino Schurter, the Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide has presented its new king. The Swiss cross-country hero is a more than worthy heir to Belgian ripper Thomas Genon, who ruled of the bike monarchy in the Swiss Alps as their first sovereign in 2020.

“The Bike Kingdom simply offers everything for mountain biking. From flowing trails to technically demanding passages. All of this embedded in a beautiful landscape. For me it also means home”, says the new king.

The new ambassador celebrated his most emotional victory to date in his career as a mountain biker in the Bike Kingdom: “At the home World Cup in 2018, when I was able to defend my title, the atmosphere was simply incredible. The audience freaked out and cheered me on. And all 25 minutes away from my home – this feeling can hardly be put into words even today.”

As his first official act, King Nino introduced the new video series “Ninos Bike Kingdom class” whose first installment is already available on YouTube:

 

For more information please visit:

www.bikekingdom.ch

www.instagram.com/bike.kingdom

www.facebook.com/bike.kingdom

 

Pictures: Copyright Hannah Bichay

With Audi Nines being one of the only Slopestyle events to have taken place in 2020 next to Crankworx Innsbruck, the riders were bursting with energy and couldn´t wait to finally stomp the tricks they had been working on all year. The Audi Nines sets its main focus on media production, resulting in extensive coverage of all different riders. Emil Johansson, winner of the best Slopestyle line award, took his time to merge his favorite clips and tricks in an action packed 3minute clip with the help of Peter Eriksson. Watch Emil send big tricks, both on his Slopestyle bike and his Downhill bike.

Alongside Emil’s new video edit “Nines Mash Up”, we had the chance to catch up with him and get insights into his off-season, what he is looking forward to in the upcoming season and how he copes with mental and physical difficulties.

 

1. How has your off-season been so far, how has it been compared to normal?

“The off season has been good, but it is longer than it normally is with the first event taking place in June. However, for this year it was very necessary since I injured my knee last September. During the winter I needed to take 10 weeks off the bike to let the knee recover.”

 

2. In which way does your training look different in winter than during the season?

“In winter I work on the fundamentals in the gym to build a strong body going into the season and always making sure I take some time off to recover, as minor injuries are a constant reality. I always find time during the off season to work on new things for the season ahead, and still did this year despite spending a fair bit off the bike due to my knee.”

 

3. What do you enjoy next to riding bikes?

“I’m really motivated to stay fit, so I am doing workouts and stretching, but also other things like skiing or cross-country skiing. Looking forward to when the snow clears, and I can start working on the jumps again. We have some big plans there this year, so keen to get it rollin as soon as possible.”

 

4. What are you looking forward to most this year? Any upcoming projects you can tell us something about?

 

“I am looking forward lots to what I hope will be a full season of competitions and some video projects.”

 

5. People mostly see your videos and are speechless about your riding level and tricks. Do you also have times where things don’t work out that well on the bike? If yes, what actually helps you when you struggle a bit mentally and maybe also physically?

 

“Of course, there are times where things don’t work out like I want them to, just as it is for everyone else. The difficulties never disappear, even though my riding skills are increasing so is the level of tricks and stuff I do on the bike, so the battle and process is just getting harder the more I push it. When there are times like these, I always try to look at the big picture and address what the struggle is, so I can work and move beyond it.”

 

6. If you could wish yourself one thing for the bike industry, what would it be?

 

 “I know there is a big struggle right now for people to get bike parts, and I hope this isn’t stopping too many people enjoying riding. I definitely hope things will get back to normal and events can get in full swing as well.”

 

Follow Emil Johansson online:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/johanssonemil
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/Emil_Johansson
Website: https://www.emilmtb.com/