EVENTS – Red Bull Copenride, organizing an event in the midst of the Covid Pandemic

2020 was a short year in terms of events with very few contests a going ahead and most of them without audiences.  In 2021, everybody was thrilled to see live action back on the scene.

Red Bull Denmark together with RASOULUTION organized one of the best come backs possible: Red Bull Copenride – a new FMB Gold Event in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Organizing a mountain bike contest on one of the flattest countries on earth is no easy feat. After the confirmation of the course’s initial design, our team coordinated both construction teams -wood and dirt, to build one of the biggest urban slopestyle course ever seen.

A contest is nothing without contenders. Our team got in touch with the FMBA to set the event status, rules, judges and contact the riders. Gathering athletes from around the globe during a pandemic was a challenge. RASOULUTION studied each of the athletes’ personal situations (travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, etc.) to make sure they could not only attend the contest but do it with the minimum of stress.

Everything was in place for the events original date, mid-July. Unfortunately, due to external factors, the event had to be postponed by one month. The team adapted its efforts to make it possible for the event to go ahead. On August 13th,staff, judges, athletes and bikes descended on the venue for the first day of practice. Everything ran as planned, Friday was booked for the qualifying runs and for the Shimano Best Trick jam session and Saturday for the final runs and price ceremony.

After two days with perfect weather conditions for practice and qualification, the weather changed drastically on Saturday., Considering all the possibilities, RASOULUTION and Red Bull decided to cancel the finals in order to guarantee the safety of the athletes.

Nonetheless, our team managed to adapt and provide the fans with one last Best Trick Show. Although the official finals were off, thousands came to see the best MTB riders in the world.

 

Photos by Esben Zøllner Olensen / Red Bull Content Pool.