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
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.
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:
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).
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.
“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
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:
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.”
ThomasGenon 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:
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.
Nino Schurter, Bike Kingdom, Kingdom Class, Älplisee
“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.
Nino Schurter, Bike Kingdom, Kingdom Class, Drop
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:
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Skogås bike parkisa big outdoor park in Sweden, that formed the rider, Max Fredriksson is today.Livingdirectly next to the park, young Max learned his first tricks and worked hard on refining those tech skills he is known for today, while shredding the ramps of the bike park in the South of Stockholm.
As the park is being torn down within the next few days, Max and Anton Thelanderdecided to pay their respect to the park theygrew up in and have one last session. Watch Anton and Max ticking off some last-minute goals and stomping new tricks:
