At the 2020 Crankworx Innsbruck Emil Johansson (SWE) and Tomas Lemoine (FRA) only needed their first runs to put down scores that would see them finish in first and second place. With only them still to do their second run, they even decided to do a victory lap together – a Victory Train. While Erik Fedko (GER) was not able to finish his first run, he was also one of the only riders that was able to dramatically improve their score in the second run and complete the RASOULUTION podium.
With the 2021 Crankworx Innsbruck (June 11-20) just around the corner, the trio will aim repeat their outstanding performance from last year. Belgian slopestyle ace Thomas Genon and Max Fredriksson of Sweden, who finished sixth and seventh in 2020, will bring even more RASOULUTION power to the competition.
Please find the complete start list below:
• Alex Alanko (SWE)
• Paul Couderc (FRA) • Erik Fedko (GER) • Max Fredriksson (SWE) • Thomas Genon (BEL)
• David Godziek (POL)
• Lucas Huppert (SUI) • Emil Johansson (SWE)
• Lukas Knopf (GER) • Tomas Lemoine (FRA)
• David Lieb (USA)
• Garret Mechem (USA)
• Nicholi Rogatkin (USA)
• Torquato Testa (ITA)
• Jakub Vencl (CZE)
Alternates on deck will be Timothé Bringer (FRA) and Tom Isted (GBR).
For more information on Crankworx Innsbruck please visit: www.crankworx.com
During winter, Heby Skatepark is a regular ride spot for Emil. He has been riding there since 2015 and already filmed there for “XXII.XI”. We’ve had a chat with Emil about tricks being ready to show to the public via video as well as the difference between filming and contest:
Your style is often referred to as effortless, but every trick takes time to perfect. At what stage do you consider a trick “ready to film”?
Emil Johansson: Good question, there is not really a stage where I say this trick is done or perfected to a 100% but there is a time when I can be pleased with how it looks that I feel like it is ready to be filmed. During a process of filming, I am sometimes trying out tricks that does not make the end cut just cause I am not pleased enough with how it looks yet… tricks are difficult to perfect and they never really get easier, you just get better at them.
Similar to putting together a film part, your contest runs are very methodical and equally complicated. Do you go through a similar process to building a video part when working out a contest run?
Emil Johansson: They have common areas but putting together a video can be more relaxing in the way that you can build it and put it together however you want, while on a contest course you need to get everything done in a row on a set time on a set course that someone else built, even if it might be super windy… all those things come in to play when putting together a contest run. While in filming you can really try a trick however many times you want.
Lenzerheide can already look forward to hosting a double mountain bike event in summer 2022. From July 8th to 10th, 2022, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup with the disciplines Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) including Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill (DHI) will take place once more at Parpaner Rothorn.
While Lenzerheide was still missing as a venue on the UCI 2022 racing calendar published at the beginning of the year, another double mountain bike event in 2022 is has now been confirmed. The organizers around OC President Christoph Müller could not be happier: “Lenzerheide has built up a lot of know-how in matters of world cup organization in recent years. We look forward to the opportunity to prove once more that we can host a great mountain bike festival.”
Next stop: UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2021
Before the organizational work of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2022 begins, all eyes are on the organization of this year’s world cup from September 3rd to 5th, 2021. In contrast to last year, when there was hardly any planning security for major events and the World Cup had to be canceled around two months before the event date, the current situation looks better. Thanks to the three-phase model proposed by the Federal Council to combat the corona pandemic, the event – as of today – can be guaranteed, possibly even with a limited number of visitors.
Further information on this year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Cup can be expected from the beginning of July.
With his mind-blowing bike handling, infectious positivity and insane ideas for edits and riding features, it is no wonder Tomomi Nishikubo has been making waves in the freeride and trials scene. Projects like Ride to Survive and Chase Her have been viewed by millions and have truly established Tomomi as the Trials Ninja. At Canyon, people could not be happier about welcoming such a huge talent into the CLLCTV.
Tomomi has twice been crowned National Trials Champion in Japan – but from his earliest demo reel in 2010 it was clear his love of street trials and pushing the boundaries of what is possible on an MTB, away from competition, was another huge motivation. Tomomi has continued to explore his own limits and take his riding to new levels in recent years, and he shows no sign of slowing down through 2021. With some outrageous plans already in place to put his prototype Canyon trials bike to good use, as well the Spectral, Torque and Sender platforms. We can’t wait to these projects come to life.
Away from developing his own riding, Tomomi is also working hard to grow the street trials community in Japan. Bringing riders together and inviting new riders to the sport is simply awesome – and shows Tomomi’s commitment to making the future of MTB brighter than ever.
‘’I am super stoked to be a Canyon rider! Canyon is my dream brand. Their bikes are really elegant and innovative, and there are so many great riders in their team. For this year, I already have some awesome film ideas and I can’t wait to realize them with my new bikes.’’ – Tomomi Nishikubo, Trials Ninja.
The Epic Bikepark Leogang is the first Austrian bike park to celebrate its second decade; so many memorable experiences have been collected over the first 20 years. Today the park is one of the oldest and most well known bike destinations in Europe. Bikers from all over the world make their way to Pinzgau, year after year to enjoy the famous lines and trails of the Epic Bikepark Leogang. A look at the history quickly shows how passion and dedication for mountain biking has created a sustainable formula for success.
In 2001, when Epic Bikepark Leogang opened its doors to the public as the first Austrian bike park, the concept of a “bike park” was still being created. The mountain railroads, together with 33 shareholders, had invested €450,000 to get the bike park and lifts rolling. Initially viewed critically by the general public, however, additional payments had to be made until 2005. Then the mountain railroads took over not only the maintenance, but also the sole operation of the Epic Bikepark Leogang and within a few years operating sustainably.
When the park first opened, there were a total of four lines at the Asitzbahn. The Speedster and the Flying Gangster led from the mid station down to the valley, while the Four Cross and Dual Cross courses were located in the valley area. The trails, which were rather challenging at the beginning, quickly got known in the gravity community which led to more people speaking about the project and visiting the park. Riders in Saalfelden Leogang recorded 16,700 trips in the cable car in 2001. By 2002 there were already 25,000 and in 2020, mountain the resortreached to 195,000.
The founders of the bike park reacted to the increasing demand and engaged the shape crew of the Snowpark Asitz to create a variety of new and well developed tracks and lines. Over time, more and more alternatives suitable for beginners were created. In recent years, the Leoganger Bergbahnen, together with the tourism association, have once again invested heavily in the expansion of the bike park. Novelties such as the World Champs Pumptrack, the downhill track “Valis Hölle”, the natural trail “Knappentrail”, the Hot Shots fired by GoPro and the GoPro Landing Bag speak for themselves and complete the big variety of the park. Today, Saalfelden Leogang offers a trail network of eleven bike park trails and four single trails and puts a smile on the faces of bikers of all levels.
Kornel Grundner, Managing Director of Leoganger Bergbahnen, has been involved in the bike park since the beginning:
“It was a very courageous step at the beginning and everyone was curious to see the outcome. We were in the fortunate situation that we were able to launch the project with the help of 33 shareholders from Leogang. 50% of the investment was made by the mountain railroads. The first years weren’t easy, but from 2006 onwards the number of visitors increased year by year, and especially within the last five years it has become a completely different dimension again.”
Amir Kabbani, Backflip nohander in Leogang, Austria. Photographed in July 2009 during 26 Trix by Mattias Fredriksson
For many years, the Epic Bikepark Leogang has been the venue for events and competitions in the MTB scenery. Unique concepts like the “White Style” contest – a dirt jump competition on snow – provide unforgettable moments and pictures. The annual Out of Bounds Festival combines the typical bike festival flair with participatory events and offers enough bike action for all participants. The 26TRIX Dirtjump Contest, which was held until 2017, enjoyed great popularity and offered scene greats like Andreau Lacondeguy or Greg Watts the necessary airtime for tricks never seen before, like a double backflip. The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships also found their ideal venue in 2012 and 2020 with the Epic Bikepark Leogang. The Downhill World Cup will now take place in Pinzgau for the tenth time this year.
In 2021, the organizers now dare to take the next step. For the first time, a double World Cup will be held in Saalfelden Leogang as part of the Out of Bounds Festival. In addition to the Downhill World Cup, the Cross-Country riders will also fight for the medals in Leogang. The final races of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be shown live on Red Bull TV and ORF. A limited number of visitors on assigned seats will be allowed, with an extensive Covid-19 prevention concept. Tickets for the grandstand seats can be purchased from 20 May at www.mtb-weltcup.at. Get a first impression here:
Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik: “A lot has happened here at the Epic Bikepark Leogang and I have huge respect for the people who had the courage to bring the project to life, 20 years ago. After initial challenges, the bike park kept growing and more and more people came to experience the tracks and the atmosphere. I have been a part of this project since six years now and it’s great to see the development.”
This is a once in a lifetime chance for a UK based bike rider. Danny MacAskill, Adidas and Five Ten have teamed up and decided to involve one lucky rider in their upcoming film project. Know how to wheelie? Then grab your mate, have them film you riding and post the edit on your Instagram.
This is no joke: Danny wants to see your best wheelies and will pick one lucky winner to join him for his new project with Adidas and Five Ten. It wouldn’t be Danny if he’d choose his next companion only by performance; get inspired by the master himself and be creative. Upload your video before the end of the day on Wednesday, 26th May. The winner will be announced in the second week of June on Danny’s Instagram channel.
Right now, Danny is already scouting for his new project and super hyped about the approach: “I’m really excited to be working on a new project with Cut Media. Looking back it’s hard to believe how many different films we have made over the years and how positive the feedback has been from all of them. For our new project with Adidas and Five Ten we thought it’d be cool to give some real biking fans the opportunity to be in it. This is open to people of all ages with any kind of bike so get out there and show us your skills. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.”
How to take part:
Record your wheelie
Have fun and be creative
Post it to your Instagram
Tag @fiveten_official and use #WheelieWithDanny and #BrandOfTheBrave
Contest closes at end of the day on Wednesday 26th May
Winners will receive a direct message and will be announced in the second week of June on Danny’s channel
The shoot will take place in June and July so applicants should be able to commit 2-4 days during this period for travel and filming with the crew
Due to Covid travel restrictions the contest is limited to UK participants only
For Claudio Caluori, the summer of 2021 brings on a whole series of new challenges in his home region of Graubünden. Three years after Claudio and Danny MacAskill had a spectacular chase through the “Home of Trails”, it’s all about glory again this year, but mostly about honor – times five. A handful of famous mountain bike riders will challenge Claudio on the legendary trails in the five biking regions of Graubünden. Click here for the opening clip.
Claudio Caluori, the jack-of-all-trades of mountain biking, knows the trails of Graubünden inside out. To kick off the 2021 season, Danny MacAskill, Claudio’s 2018 counterpart, is launching a new call with the slogan “Take Claudio to the Limit.” Starting July 2021, Claudio is to face five challenges against a mountain bike all-star team. French downhill superstar Loic Bruni, German slopestyle and YouTube hero Lukas Knopf, Danish endurance specialist Annika Langvad, British downhill legend Steve Peat and New Zealand freerider Vero Sandler will push Claudio to new heights on his home turf. The five showdowns will be held in the regions of Laax, Davos Klosters, Arosa Lenzerheide, Engadin and Engadin Samnaun Val Müstair. Bike fans can look forward to spectacular videos from Graubünden, which will be published successively on Graubünden’s YouTube channel from mid-July on.
The “Home of Trails” is a bike playground of a special kind and leaves hardly any wishes unfulfilled. If you are looking for single trail action or bike park fun yourself, you will find your own personal challenge in Graubünden. On www.homeoftrails.comClaudio Caluori presents 100 tips for the different styles of mountain biking. Here are five selected highlights:
For more detailed information, you can now once again get in touch with local experts via graubündenBIKE-Chat. The “trail gurus” are more than happy to share their knowledge and insider tips for your next bike ride or bike vacation in the “Home of Trails”.
The second UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Mercedes-Benz of the season 2021 is in the books. Looking back on a weekend filled with mud, tragedy and triumphs, the Cross-Country in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic has delivered once again – not only because it has been the last option to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Among the elite women French young-gun Loana Lecomte proved with her second win in the second race, that she will be the one to beat on the Olympic distance. Next to Lecomte, young US rider Haley Batten draw attention with the second place, after already having finished third in Albstadt. Veteran rider Rebecca McConnell was to complete the top three.
The men’s competition had the multi-discipline experts battling out, with the better end for British rider Tom Pidcock, saving his first UCI Cross-Country World Cup win with a one-minute-lead to Dutch powerhouse Mathieu van der Poel. The third place went to Swiss Mathias Flückiger.
The next Cross-Country world cup races will take place in Leogang, Austria from 11-13 June, where also the Downhill riders will start into this year’s season.
Slopestyle ace and mountain bike rider Emil Johansson has officially entered into a partnership agreement with the Swedish protection specialists G-Form.
“I’ve trusted products from G-Form for a long time now,” said Johansson. “With the training and tricks I do, the right protection is essential to be able to stay consistent, but I also want protection which I don’t notice whilst riding. G-Form is the company I have found that offer just that. I am happy to now be on the team.”
As part of his relationship with G-Form, Johansson will help the company develop new products. Meanwhile, G-Form is excited to watch Emil compete and grow as an athlete over the partnership.
“We are delighted to officially welcome Emil to the G-Form family,” said Rob Kelley, VP, Global Marketing of G-Form. “Without question, Emil’s incredible skills will continue to be showcased on the worldwide stage, and we look forward to working closely with him on next generation protective gear releases.”
Within the past year, G-Form’s overall bike range has received exciting additions of Pro-X3, Pro-Rugged and E-Line guards, creating a complete range of options for all different types of riders and riding styles. G-Form’s patented protective gear technology, called SmartFlex, is created using advanced polymer formulas. All products are designed to allow freedom of movement while minimizing risk of injury by hardening on impact, allowing riders to push their physical limits without sacrificing performance, comfort, or style. SmartFlex is 100% waterproof and machine washable.
After a long and snowy winter, it will soon be time again to put the first fresh tire tracks at the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis trail paradise. The bike park officially opens its doors on 12 June and when planning your vacation, you will face some tough decisions: Which of the many trails will you ride first? Whether it’s going to be a natural single trail or crushed sand bike park track, the family-friendly region offers just the right mix of fun, action and relaxation for every rider. In the 2021 season, the holiday region will again have a wide range of activities, camps and workshops to offer, leaving no family member out in the cold.
Just in time for the start of the season, the 5.8 kilometers long Jochtrail was further expanded and spiced up with a challenging rock garden. Partly natural, partly peppered with north shore elements, the single trail meanders from the Fisser Joch to the mid station of the Komperdellbahn gondola lift, 500 meters below. If you don’t want to tackle the versatile trail in one go, take a break at Mittlerer Sattelkopf and enjoy the panoramic view on the surrounding mountains. Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis’ diverse range of trails now extends to eight single trails and nine bike park tracks. The focus of the holiday region with the motto “We are family” is rookie-friendly. Fun for the whole family is guaranteed with the easier trails such as “Milky Way”, “Vuelta” and “Morning Glory” in the bike park or the “Alpkopftrail” single trail. But even die-hard bike park fans do not miss out with adrenaline pumping routes like “Hill Bill” or the challenging “Downhill” route. Single trail pleasure at its finest is guaranteed on the legendary Frommestrail, which, with a length of almost nine kilometres and over 1,000 metres in altitude, leads from high-alpine terrain down through montane spruce forests.
Bike park manager Christian Zangerl can hardly wait for the bike park to open: “After a relatively long winter, we are looking forward to opening the gates of our bike Eldorado soon. The trail crew has done a great job and all routes are in top condition. With the expansion of the Jochtrail, another very interesting section has been added in the lower part of the route. Now that everything is in the starting blocks, we are all looking forward to the first bike guests!”.
Numerous skill camps and technique workshops will be back in the 2021 season. It starts with the “Trail Session” from 24-27 June with Angie Hohenwarter as coach. The female-only camp aims at experienced mountain bikers who want to sharpen their skills with a professional bike rider at their side. Immediately afterwards the first “Woman’s Workshop for Beginners” will take place, a workshop led by the UCI Masters Downhill World Champion Alice Kühne. It’s all about stress-free and relaxed courses where fun is the main focus. Five more of these workshops are spread over the entire season. After the Freeride Magazin Camp at the end of July, there is another exciting event in August, directed particularly towards young shredders. During the Propain Rookie Camp, young riders between the age of 11 and 18 push their limits in the bike park and on the single trails over a period of five days, accompanied by experienced coaches and bike professionals with plenty of expert knowledge. All details about the respective camps and workshops are available here: www.bike-sfl.at/en/camps-events/camps.
After the huge success of the #bestbikebanger challenge last year, a similar challenge will take place this season again. In 2020, all mountain bike riders were invited to share their best photo from the Bikepark Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis or the surrounding single trails and tag it with the hashtag #bestbikebanger. Now, for the year 2021, the challenge was further adapted and new functions of social media were taken into account. In search of the best bike reel, bikers and fans of the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis holiday region can now add music to their best video and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #bestbikereel. The new challenge will be active throughout the whole summer season and already promises atmospheric and action-packed posts.
Further information on biking in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is available at: www.bike-sfl.at/en.
Details on the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis holiday region, the precautions and measures relating to the current Covid situation as well as information on the possibilities to refund or postpone your stay can be found at www.serfaus-fiss-ladis.at/en.
In Emil Johansson’s latest video “Immersed”, we gain an insight to the Slopestyle pros lifestyle and what he does to stay at the top of the sport. The 21-year-old lives for the outdoors and has a focus on details when it comes to staying healthy, is helped by the data from Suunto 9 sports watch. See “Immersed” here:
A pro athlete is used to deal with pain and sometimes it’s hard to get a proper feeling about true body condition or even knowing when it’s time to train or rather recover. Emil made errors like this in the past and often used to train too much instead of resting. He started using his Suunto watch to get information on his heart rate variability as well as his sleep and recovery state. “Immersed” is about Emil’s lifestyle, and living MTB 24/7 in the pursuit of health and performance. The Suunto 9 watch helps him to keep on track and to stay where he is – at the top of the sport.
“I often overtrained my body in the past with lots of sessions both on and off the bike, so I’ve started to use the Suunto watch a long time ago. I felt it was the best way for me to get a second opinion on the condition of my body. I’m stoked to turn this into a partnership, and to keep me progressing in the most effective way.” – Emil Johansson
“We are good at supporting adventures – and what Emil has been through has certainly been quite a journey for him. He does not need a watch to win a Slopestyle contest but the data we provide makes sure he is well prepared for it. Happy to see him shred like never before.” – Antti Laiho, Global Brand Marketing Manager Suunto
Not all videos need a deeper story or a whole lot of moving parts. Sometimes the best way to achieve a great result can be to keep it simple; Take two friends who happen to be one of the best Street Trials riders and one of the best BMX riders on the planet and follow them on a mountain bike ride into the woods and to the streets of a random city. In “This and That”, Danny MacAskill and Kriss Kyle give the best example that the most important thing on two wheels is enjoying yourself and having fun. Enjoy watching “This and That” on Danny MacAskill’s YouTube Channel:
For his latest edit, Danny MacAskill teamed up with fellow Scotsman Kriss Kyle and their partner Endura. In the first half of the video, they explore the woods and magic unfolds on features where most people wouldn’t even think of riding their bikes. Both riders transfer their very own style of riding to their mountain bikes and get inspired by each other. This first part displays a good dose of trail shredding, followed by tree hops, wallrides, creative trick combos and even a couple of crashes in an all-natural environment.
In the second half, the two Endura riders take us to their original playground – the streets. In Blackpool, a town on the north-west coast of England, they cruise around the sea front and make any given trick look easy. Smooth as always, Kriss Kyle puts on a show on his BMX and even uses his backpack to master a wallride to flair while Danny goes big on his trials bike and one more time leaves us speechless with a balancing act at the very end.
Interview with Danny and Kriss:
Rasoulution: We’ve seen you and Kriss riding together a lot in the last years but this is the first bigger edit you teamed up for. How did you come up with the idea?
Danny: Last September I had originally planned to produce a bigger project involving Kriss and another two riders from abroad. But of course as most thing in 2020 those plans fell through because my other two friends weren’t able to travel. So instead we thought we’d change our plans and still go ahead and try do a little bit of filming. This time involving our mutual partner Endura which is a Scottish brand that supports us with helmets and protection pads. I wanted to make a video with Kriss for a number of years now as I think his riding is extremely creative. He is definitely one of the top riders in the BMX community. He has also moved on to the mountain bike in the recent years doing a few really cool films which show of his different style coming from the BMX.
How did you guys come up with the idea of having two separate parts – MTB and street?
Kriss: I guess we just wanted to do something fun and a bit different. We both absolutely love riding all types of bikes so we might as well have as much fun as possible and film on the two different bikes. I absolutely loved it as it was the first proper trip I had been on since lockdown and twice the amount of fun.
What’s Endura’s role in the whole project?
Danny: Endura recently launched their new helmet – the Pisspot, which is focused on sort of anything Trials, BMX and skatepark related. We wanted to celebrate its launch with this new video. They have also been keeping us safe with their MT500 helmet which we used for mountain biking and of course their range of knee pads.
How is Kriss’s riding inspiring you?
Danny: His riding has really inspired me over the last years. He is always doing really creative moves. Especially the wallrides to flair and the spin variations he does on the BMX. It’s something I would love to try to replicate in some of my riding.
How is Danny’s riding inspiring you?
Kriss: Danny has been a massive inspiration to me for years. The way he looks at spots is insane. He’s a creative genius and inspires me to think more outside the box of what’s actually possible on a bike. I love working with Danny as he brings the best out of you.
What’s the craziest trick the other one does, you can’t get over and can’t imagine doing yourself?
Danny: On the BMX in Blackpool Kriss did a wallride to flair off this slightly slope bank using his bag with a metal sign on top of it as a ramp. That trick blows my mind and is definitely one of Kriss’s signature moves. On the mountain bike one of the hardest things that Kriss does is what you call a 90 degree pocket wallride to wallride to 180. Kriss had a real battle with this trick as the mountain bike really doesn’t like to roll backwards so his gears kept on skipping when he was landing. It was really impressive to watch him doing that.
Kriss: Haha there is so many, it’s hard to just name one. I just can’t get over how he can ride along absolutely anything you put in front of him. When he rode along the chain on the sea front, it absolutely blew my mind to bits, I could never imagine even trying that.
Are we gonna see more projects of the two of you in the future?
Danny: Yes, for sure, Kriss and I have always been good friends but I think in recent years we have become a lot tighter and I would love to do way more projects with Kriss in the future.
Kriss: I’d be hyped to keep this going for sure. I’ve always wanted to do something with him and we had such a blast filming this video. So there’s to many more to come.
Film credits:
A Danny MacAskill project Presented by Endura Directed by Robbie Meade (Peny) Produced by Duncan Shaw
