Brandon Semenuk - 2012 FMB World Tour Champion
Brandon Semenuk dominated the 2012 FMB World Tour season and after a nail biting head to head battle with Martin Soderstrom at Red Bull Rampage, he was able to take his second consecutive FMB World Tour title and the golden CamelBak Better Bottle. The 2012 FMB World Tour Podium is completed with Martin Soderstrom (SWE) in 2nd and Thomas Genon (BEL) in 3rd position.
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Three riders could have taken the FMB World Tour title at Red Bull Rampage – Thomas Genon sadly didn’t make it to the finals meaning Martin Soderstrom and Brandon were going head to head on the blood red sand. At Red Bull Rampage, Brandon came out the gate in true ripper style, taking probably the hardest line on the mountain. Successfully manoeuvring down the slippy loose rock on almost vertical faces, with multiple drops and a never seen before step down transfer but unfortunately crashed later in the middle section. After Brandon’s first crash, Martin could almost touch the golden Camelbak Better Bottle but as fate would have it, he also crashed on a 360 off a massive step down. So it all came down to the second runs. Realising that the judges were highly rewarding the upper section of the mountain and the line difficulty, Semenuk kept his gnarly technical upper line and flew down the mountain but later crashed while landing a backflip on the soft soil in the middle section. Martin’s eyes lit up! This was his final chance to win the 2012 FMB World Tour title after battling for it all year – all he needed was a minimum of 69.0 points (7th place finish) for his run. Martin chose a typical flowy and fluid upper section and once again set himself up for the 360, but he also became a victim of the mountain, slightly over rotating and his bike along with his hopes of winning the title sank into the soft desert sand.
![photo]()
With Soderstrom not scoring at Rampage Semenuk didn’t need another top score to secure the title and so it was his great earlier performance with six victories at Jumpship, Chatel Mountain Style, Crankworx Les 2 Alpes, Claymore Challenge, Colorado Freeride Festival and Bearclaw invitational that once again earned him the FMB World Tour Championship.
![photo]()
Aside from the battle between Soderstrom and Semenuk for the podium, this year has been particularly competitive and the top ten in the overall ranking consists of a very high calibre of riders. Thomas Genon stunned the world with his win at Red Bull Joyride and a 3rd place overall – a fantastic result for the 19 year old rider from Belgium. Placed 4th overall was newcomer and Canadian young gun – Brett Rheeder. This young talent shone through at Claymore Challenge, placing second, only just missing out to Brandon Semenuk. He carried on climbing up the ranking with further podium finishes. We can expect to see a lot more from Brett in 2013. Experienced riders Sam Pilgrim, Yannick Granieri and Sam Reynolds, were all battling for the podium until misfortunes and injuries hindered their climb to the top – but with a strong finish in the top ten they end the season with a positive result. Anthony Messere has exceeded all expectations finishing in 7th overall after scoring big with a bronze medal at Bearclaw invitational and a respectful top ten finish at other Gold events. The McCaul brothers rounding off the table in 9th and 10th can be upbeat about their finish. Cam had a great 3rd place finish at Red Bull Joyride and Tyler had a solid year with a strong 5th place at Red Bull Rampage – results which consequently lifted them into the top ten - freeride mountain bikers of 2012.
![photo]()
Two FMB World Tour Champion titles in a row and a second place in 2010 is an impressive demonstration of Semenuk’s strength. Does he have a secret for success? If he does, he isn’t telling! But Brandon definitely takes full advantage of the natural environment at his local area in Canada– training hard and dedicating his lifestyle to his mountain bike career. His attitude and commitment to the sport and the FMB World Tour has paid of with a consecutive title.
![photo]()
Slopestyle and big mountain events are not just about going bigger or faster than the rider before you. Attention to detail, technical skills, creativity, fluidity and trick skills all help put together a winning run. A FMB World Tour champion needs to have all of these attributes completely dialled. Brandon Semenuk delivered all this, giving the judges an easy job by ticking all the boxes. His consistency was unmatched and with six wins in a row, he made a statement loud and clear – he is the one to beat and once again is the one and only 2012 FMB World Tour Champion.
Three riders could have taken the FMB World Tour title at Red Bull Rampage – Thomas Genon sadly didn’t make it to the finals meaning Martin Soderstrom and Brandon were going head to head on the blood red sand. At Red Bull Rampage, Brandon came out the gate in true ripper style, taking probably the hardest line on the mountain. Successfully manoeuvring down the slippy loose rock on almost vertical faces, with multiple drops and a never seen before step down transfer but unfortunately crashed later in the middle section. After Brandon’s first crash, Martin could almost touch the golden Camelbak Better Bottle but as fate would have it, he also crashed on a 360 off a massive step down. So it all came down to the second runs. Realising that the judges were highly rewarding the upper section of the mountain and the line difficulty, Semenuk kept his gnarly technical upper line and flew down the mountain but later crashed while landing a backflip on the soft soil in the middle section. Martin’s eyes lit up! This was his final chance to win the 2012 FMB World Tour title after battling for it all year – all he needed was a minimum of 69.0 points (7th place finish) for his run. Martin chose a typical flowy and fluid upper section and once again set himself up for the 360, but he also became a victim of the mountain, slightly over rotating and his bike along with his hopes of winning the title sank into the soft desert sand.
With Soderstrom not scoring at Rampage Semenuk didn’t need another top score to secure the title and so it was his great earlier performance with six victories at Jumpship, Chatel Mountain Style, Crankworx Les 2 Alpes, Claymore Challenge, Colorado Freeride Festival and Bearclaw invitational that once again earned him the FMB World Tour Championship.
Aside from the battle between Soderstrom and Semenuk for the podium, this year has been particularly competitive and the top ten in the overall ranking consists of a very high calibre of riders. Thomas Genon stunned the world with his win at Red Bull Joyride and a 3rd place overall – a fantastic result for the 19 year old rider from Belgium. Placed 4th overall was newcomer and Canadian young gun – Brett Rheeder. This young talent shone through at Claymore Challenge, placing second, only just missing out to Brandon Semenuk. He carried on climbing up the ranking with further podium finishes. We can expect to see a lot more from Brett in 2013. Experienced riders Sam Pilgrim, Yannick Granieri and Sam Reynolds, were all battling for the podium until misfortunes and injuries hindered their climb to the top – but with a strong finish in the top ten they end the season with a positive result. Anthony Messere has exceeded all expectations finishing in 7th overall after scoring big with a bronze medal at Bearclaw invitational and a respectful top ten finish at other Gold events. The McCaul brothers rounding off the table in 9th and 10th can be upbeat about their finish. Cam had a great 3rd place finish at Red Bull Joyride and Tyler had a solid year with a strong 5th place at Red Bull Rampage – results which consequently lifted them into the top ten - freeride mountain bikers of 2012.
Two FMB World Tour Champion titles in a row and a second place in 2010 is an impressive demonstration of Semenuk’s strength. Does he have a secret for success? If he does, he isn’t telling! But Brandon definitely takes full advantage of the natural environment at his local area in Canada– training hard and dedicating his lifestyle to his mountain bike career. His attitude and commitment to the sport and the FMB World Tour has paid of with a consecutive title.
Slopestyle and big mountain events are not just about going bigger or faster than the rider before you. Attention to detail, technical skills, creativity, fluidity and trick skills all help put together a winning run. A FMB World Tour champion needs to have all of these attributes completely dialled. Brandon Semenuk delivered all this, giving the judges an easy job by ticking all the boxes. His consistency was unmatched and with six wins in a row, he made a statement loud and clear – he is the one to beat and once again is the one and only 2012 FMB World Tour Champion.
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That being said, congrats to him, he has earnt his spot, just needs to polish up his PR skills, for himself, and his sponsors. But most importantly, the kids and people he inspires every day. If i get neg props whatever.
I used to kind of wonder about Brandon too—like seriously? Does this guy ever smile? Is he actually a nice guy or a douche?
It was this edit that completely changed my mind about him. Yes, the guy actually smiles and has a sense of humor. And yes, he is a nice guy and a stand up dude.
www.pinkbike.com/news/Brandon-Semenuk-at-Crankworx-Behind-the-Scenes-to-Victory-2011.html
quote from article
"Brandon is a true professional, you'll notice in the Four Long Years edit, he even stops after crashing out his first run to sign autographs, despite the need to get back to the top of the hill. It's no different at the SRAM POP Up store. A true pro."
That right there speaks volumes about his character—not him in an interview after a botched run but him before a serious contest and during a serious contest...signing autographs for fans.
The Claw is a real ambassador for the sport. He ate shit and gave such a good interview after. Hes got the years under the belt tho, eh.
I completely respect what he has done for MTB, but when your 10 year old son who idolizes this guy comes up and asks why he wasn't nice to the presenter and walked off, then asks me if he doesn't like riding bikes anymore, kinda puts a lump in the back of your throat you know what i mean? I don't expect everyone to understand. And for those that state what about all the other stuff he did a few years back etc etc, that's awesome, thanks for pointing that out. Maybe i better point that out to my son too, since he probably doesn't understand.
Kids have simple minds, we could do well to listen to them sometimes, i know its helped with my perspective. We need to remember kids follow and want to mimmick what we do. I'm sure branden would like to look back when hes older and say he had a hand in the next generation of shredders don't you think? So its not always about us, its about the kids.
with the exception of stevie smith, of course
I hope you guys realize the LA Kings are mostly Canadians. Same with the Boston Bruins... Typical Americans thinking they're the best again...
Have been for the last 236 years! Well I don't condone most political actions of the U.S. frankly I don't get involved its all bullshit really were still a good place to live with great places to ride.
Except for all the Canadians who make up 3/4 of this website.
Duh. Not saying it wasn't shitty for him. That goes without saying. Except for maybe in your case. Stop drinking the bike bro Kool Aid...
Thank you! I think this will be my new Pinkbike screen name... StpDrkingTeBikeBroKolAid. If it's not too long.
Martin is way better