Epic Moments from Red Bull Joyride
August 20, 2015
Gathering world’s best athletes in one place occurs mostly during events like the Olympic Games or World Cups. In the world of mountain biking, we have a suitable equivalent – Crankworx Whistler! This is the event that can make or break legends. Here are the epic moments!
Starting of big, it is the third time in a row the local legend goes all out! Huge congratulations to all the riders that tried their best to jump ahead of Brandon Semenuk but his tricks and style shut the doors after run 1. Although Brandon is not competing in the FMB Diamond Series, this win at Crankworx Whistler is a great way for him to round of the slopestyle season.
Red Bull Joyride really shook up the FMB Diamond Series standings. After dominating the season thus far, Brett Rheeder struggled to keep the pressure of Crankworx Whistler under control resulting in crashes in both runs and a 16th place overall finish. For the first time in history we had the chance to enjoy the Crankworx’s “Triple Crown” of Slopestyle and Brett was just a few pedal strokes away from placing the honor on his mantel.
The only other rider to break into the 90’s was Nicholi Rogatkin. This American athlete is in a league of his own when it comes to delivering eye candies. If he had his own bumper sticker it would read: “bangers only”. That is the best way to describe his run from top to bottom at Crankworx Whistler this year.
Coming straight from the land of frites and beer, Belgium’s own Thomas Genon took full advantage of Brett Rheeder’s unusual break from consistency. With the world title hanging in the balance, Genon rose to the occasion, claiming a solid third place and for the first time this season now leads the standings and is in line for the world championship.
Moving off the podium and on to eye-catching topics, Tomas Lemoine did not disappoint. This young Frenchmen landed both of his runs, thanks to his lucky tie-dyed pants and enormous bag of tricks. If you can “one up” every trick even after sticking the run of your life, you well deserve 4th spot at the biggest event of the year.
The British rockstar that goes by the name of Sam Reynolds slipped in behind Logan Peat in 6th place. His run kept the crowd on its toes when performing this sidewinder. Unique moves always catch the eyes of the judges so remember to keep it big next time you hit the jump site!
Mr. Granieri may be one of the oldest riders to hit those wooden beauties but thanks to his aggressive, all-out, go big or go home style, nobody cares. Especially when Yannick takes the lucky 7th spot overall!
Known from last years Swatch Prime Line Munich as “Looping Louis” the Frenchman, Louis Reboul threw down a dialed run, good enough for 8th place.
Tomas Zejda was the only rider representing eastern Europe at Red Bull Joyride and his trick combos clicked him into 9th position.
Crankworx Whistler is often called a birthplace of slopestyle and Greg Watts could be easily called one of its godfathers. Here is a glimpse of his suicide skills, which help him steal the 10th spot.
Wildcard rider and “Italian Stallion” aka. Torquato Testa proved that he is made for charging the rowdiest tracks on planet Earth. A new breed of riders is slowly merging in a scene full of legends. Torquato finished 14th but his performance left nobody disappointed.
With less than 300pts separating the top three riders, the season is far from over for Thomas Genon, Brett Rheeder and Nicholi Rogatkin. The season finale at Red Bull Rampage will decide who reigns supreme in 2015. Follow the FMB Diamond Series Ranking here
The full results from Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler are available here
All photos by Wolisphoto