FREEZE FRAME
FREERIDE FUNTIMES
Tie-dye and mega-trains were the order of the day as riders thronged to Wind Hill B1kepark in Wiltshire for the inaugural Status Festival. The event was loosely aimed at showing off the capabilites of Specialized’s new Status 160 freeride rig, but essentially just a little-needed excuse to get wild!
“It started as a seed of an idea, which I planted with Specialized UK,” explains West Country wild man and Spesh pro rider Joel Anderson. “Months later, the day dawned, a mega-train set off and everyone got involved, from 10-year-old shredders to dads trying to keep up. First up was the whip-off. Everyone was sending it! With bangers pumping from the Red Bull truck and the crowd roaring, it went off. I haven’t seen that many good whips since Crankworx Innsbruck!
“Next, another mega-train was brewing. If you’ve been to Wind Hill, you’ll know about Payrise, one of the fastest, flowiest berm-tracks in the UK. So much noise, speed and excitement! After that was the high jump. The hype built and the cheers got louder as the bar got higher, and the vibe was awesome. Kids under 5ft tall were clearing the bar, taking out spectators!” For Joel, the rest of the event is a blur. “Over-excited and pushing too hard, I jumped over the maximum height of the bar, off-balance, and fell back to earth with a loud bang, open-fracturing my tibia. I think I killed the vibe!” he says. “I can’t tell you much more about the event, because I was otherwise engaged, but come next year to join in with the fun!”
Gear changes
Pedals worth a look
LOOK were one of the first brands to make clipless pedals, but it was only two years ago that they made their first foray into the flat-pedal market, with the Trail ROCs. They now have two new sets for your delectation – the Trail ROC+’s, their flagship aluminium offering, and the Trail Fusions, a more affordable composite option. Both are made in France and have a generously-sized 107mm platform. The Trail ROC+ pedals’ forged and machined body is just 16mm deep and contains 10 screw-in bolts working as customisable-length pins. Internals appear to consist of an inboard bushing and two outboard needle-roller bearings. Colour choices are black, orange or silver. You get even more hues to choose from on the Trail Fusions (black, ice blue, lime, purple or red), which sport eight pins, locked in by steel nuts. Both are up against some serious competition at these price points so we’re keen to see how they perform. Trail Fusion £44.90, Trail ROC+ £149 www.lookcycle.com
FREEZE FRAME
JORDAN’S JUBILATION
It’s been an amazing season for Jordan Williams (pictured), who’s not only the UK’s newly-crowned Junior DH world champ, but also won three Junior World Cups, including the final round in Val di Sole, Italy. It wasn’t quite enough to win him the overall title, which went to Jackson Goldstone, but tops off an incredible year for the 18-year-old Madison Saracen rider. All that practice in the Quantock Hills is clearly paying off!
The final World Cup round wasn’t as successful for everyone, with the tough course breaking both bikes and riders. Notably, Greg Minnaar suffered a broken back and Camille Balanche scrapped seeding to rest a recently-plated collarbone. Britain’s Bernard Kerr continued his resurgence, bagging fifth in Elite and securing fifth place overall, while Loris Vergier took the round and Amaury Pierron the season. In the women’s race, Myriam Nicole won and Camille Balanche took the series title, while Gracey Hemstreet did the double in the Juniors. Bring on 2023!
Say What!?
“SOMEONE’S WRAPPED ME IN A GOLD FOIL BLANKET. MY FRENCH IS ALRIGHT, BUT I’M BREATHING HARD, GASPING FOR AIR, AND CAN’T SEEM TO TELL THE PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT I DON’T NEED THE HELICOPTER THAT’S JUST BEEN CALLED”
Tom Marvin’s alpine challenge doesn’t go as planned
Rad riders
A CHAMPION ON AND OFF THE TRACK
Just two days after winning the 2022 Scottish XC Championships, Robert ‘Rab’ Wardell passed away at home in Glasgow, aged 37. It had been his dream to return to top-flight competition, as seen in his Old Enough to Know Better video series. He won the Elite men’s title despite getting three flats, in what was described as a “show of incredible resilience”. Rab’s other achievements included Junior and U23 wins, representing Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games (in road and MTB) and setting the fastest time for the 96-mile West Highland Way (see MBUK 390). He was also a big proponent of cycling’s mental health benefits. Many have paid tribute to him, including his devastated partner, Olympic track cyclist Katie Archibald, who was in bed with him when he went into cardiac arrest. Rab’s dad Jack summed him up perfectly, saying: “He’s touched many people’s hearts, and inspired many more. He made us laugh, he made us proud. Rest in peace.”
FREEZE FRAME
A Z-TECH!
For his latest urban adventure, MTB trials pioneer Hans Rey met up with DHer-turned-commentator Rob Warner in Mexico City. The duo wheelied their way through colourful neighbourhoods, enjoyed a breathtaking descent from the 15,000ft Nevado de Toluca volcano and rode at the Desierto de los Leones National Park, where local MTBers are working with the indigenous land owners to create a bike park (@desiertobikepark). One stop Hans wasn’t prepared to miss was the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. “These were something I’d always wanted to see,” he explains. “When the Aztec found them, they’d already been there 1,500 years. Nobody knows who built them, why or how.” Of course, he and Rob couldn’t resist a quick bit of back-wheel action in front of them! On their last day, they distributed bikes on behalf of the charity Hans and his wife Carmen started 17 years ago, Wheels 4 Life, which gives bicycles to people in need of transport in developing countries. Look out for Hans’s video from the trip, coming soon.
FREEZE FRAME
THE DISTRICT LINE
The world’s top slopestyle riders battled it out in front of massive crowds on a crazy multi-level course that wended its way through the central streets of Nuremberg, Germany, as the Red Bull District Ride returned after a two-year hiatus. There was some serious carpentry going on, with the course including 16 trickable features plus a lift halfway through the run, which took riders to the top of the next roll-in to perform their final move on a huge trick booter.
Sweden’s Emil Johansson has been on spectacular form this year and took his ninth win in a row with a crazy run that included opposite and switch tricks as well as an effortless 360 windshield-wiper, putting him well ahead in the FMB World Tour rankings. Second place went to the USA’s Nicholi Rogatkin, who also had some massive moves and saved the best for last when he pulled a dizzying 1440 – that’s right, four full rotations! – even confusing commentator and fellow slopestyle pro Matt Jones. Germany’s Erik Fedko was a popular podium attendee in third with a full trick bag featuring his signature Superman Indian seatgrab 360. Bring on next year’s event!
FREEZE FRAME
TRIPLE TRICOLORE TRIUMPH!
As the dust settled in Les Gets, the French national anthem was ringing out loud. Hyped as the biggest downhill race ever, incredibly this year’s World Championships actually managed to deliver. It was the men’s race that really gave local fans something to shout about, with the podium entirely locked down by a trio of Frenchmen. Loris Vergier took bronze and Amaury Pierron nabbed silver as a grinning Loïc Bruni (pictured), returning from injury, became only the second-ever five-time DH world champ and edged closer to equalling the record set by his compatriot Nico Vouilloz. The sight of three French riders on a World Champs podium in France, belting out La Marseillaise, was stirring for all who saw it. Rumour has it local fans are still partying!
The French had to be content with third place in the women’s race, where Myriam Nicole slotted in behind Germany’s Nina Hoffmann and first-time World Champs winner Vali Höll, of Austria. Jenna Hastings won the Junior title for New Zealand (riding a Carsthemed bike, remarkably similar to Laurie Greenland’s!), while in the Junior men’s race, a pair of crashes by the USA’s Jackson Goldstone left the UK’s Jordan Williams (see p20) to take the win by nearly six seconds.