Red Bull District Ride: The most insane course ever!
A legendary course needs a legendary course designer: for the comeback of the Red Bull District Ride, no other than mountain bike freeride legend Aaron Chase planned the course. The winner of the 2005 Red Bull District Ride is well established in the mountain bike scene. Nobody knows as much as he does how the level of riding has risen over the last few years and how to go about coaxing the world's freeriding elite into showing tricks that have never been done before. In six districts and about 17 hits, riders will show their sickest tricks on September 10th (live web cast starting at 3pm CET) – you can be sure of that! For detailed info about the individual districts and illustrations of the obstacles, go to: www.redbulldistrictride.com
Aaron, what makes Nuremberg so suitable for an urban freeride event such as the Red Bull District Ride?
Nuremberg is an absolutely beautiful city anyway, but what makes it so special is the amazing castle that towers over it. It’s perfect for the huge drop we’re building on it to kick off the course. Thanks to the slope of the old city centre the course really flows right down the middle of super busy streets and the riders are just inches away from huge crowds just enjoying their summer day.
You’ve competed in every Red Bull District Ride so far – what’s different this time around?
Well, I don’t want to give away too much, so let’s just say the entire course is designed specifically to let the riders showcase their biggest tricks. The castle drop is a lot more trickable than last year and bigger than it’s ever been. The course covers every aspect of freeriding with huge drops leading to technical sections and all that’s in between. All in all, the quality of this year’s course is definitely way up from before – anything that may have been choppy before is now perfect!
Did the experience of winning the Red Bull District Ride back in 2005 help you design the course to perfection?
I’m definitely familiar with the town and how different elements can be integrated into the course. Even back in 2005 and 2006 during the contest I kept wondering about different aspects of the city that would work perfectly as part of the course and I’m really stoked that this year I get to try it all out and build a safe, yet challenging course!
You’ve had a look at the riding field – what are your thoughts on the riders?
The riding field for the Red Bull District ride is without a doubt the best there’s ever been. Anywhere. The level of skill and talent that these guys bring to the table is definitely unprecedented in this sport and the contest is going to set some new standards.
Do you have your money on any particular rider?
The Red Bull District Ride is one of those contests where anything could happen. This being the final event of the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour will make the riders push themselves even further. I think there could be a kid, maybe one of the guys who qualified with a wild card who completely blows everyone out of the water. Or one of the seasoned pros could take home first place – anything is possible!
What are the riders saying about the contest and the course?
I talk to the riders a lot about the Red Bull District Ride, it’s definitely a subject that keeps coming up. Everyone is really psyched for September 10th and working on their skills. I have also been getting a lot of input on the course from everybody and have been trying to incorporate the constructive criticism a much as possible. I’m pretty sure this course is going to do the legend justice!
For more info go to www.redbulldistrictride.com
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The course itself is about one kilometer long and the athletes ride through the six districts in about two minutes. On their way from the Kaiserburg to the Nuremberg market square, the riders will pass through every discipline of the mountain bike freeride sport that are represented in the various districts. The riders start off in the Drop District: Like in the past two Red Bull District Rides, a massive drop off the castle wall releases them into a course of insane proportions. In the following Street District, technical skills will get riders ahead, while in the Box District size matters and big jumps are to be expected. As the name suggests, the Ramp District on the Seebalder Platz is all about large wooden ramps, including a few that will surprise the pros with their unusual design. A Red Bull District Ride without dirt component is practically unthinkable, which is why two dirt jumps await the riders in the Dirt District next to the old city hall inviting them to show their best tricks high above the thousands of spectators. The absolute highlight will definitely happen in the Best Trick District. On the market square, thousands of spectators will be expecting their stars when they come right out of the city hall window to gather speed in the direction of the square. This last and biggest jump in the Best Trick District will definitely play a large part in deciding who’ll win the Red Bull District Ride 2011!
The most spectacular tricks will be brought to you live in a webcast on www.redbulldistrictride.com presented by Telekom. For a recap on tv, tune in on September 11 from 4pm CET on Servus TV. You can receive Servus TV over Astra satellite. For further info, go to: www.servustv.com
Author Info:
München, Germany
"Well, I'm glad you asked, I think it's all the taurine and caffeine in redbull (along with secret ingredients) that gave me the wings to push the envelope to the limit of awesome on the computer graphics of this course layout design aesthetic. For sure there is going to be a ton of progression, down-throwing and stepping up of the game as riders come up to the plate to give it their best shot"
-Well said Aaron, is there anyone you'd like to thank?
"I'd like to thank Jesus for giving me the redbull to make this event happen. Without it, the progression and gnarliness just wouldn't happen"