Martin Söderström wins Nissan Qashqai Challenge in Munich

About 25.000 spectators came to the event in Munich and with that being the biggest crowd of all Qashqai events, a fantastic event was expected. Some of the world’s best mountain bikers like Cameron Zink, Cameron Mc Caul, Paul Basagoitia, Lance McDermott and Andreu Lacondeguy were in Munich to have a good time with a bunch of young riders ready to step in.While shooting, riding and chillin' in my own local Bikepark Heerenveen in the Netherlands, with my little Bro Kevin Katinas, Gosse Idzinga and Marten van der Wal (we own the park together) Kevin received a phone call. Gideon Traas, a Dutch rider we happen to know a little bit asked him to go with him to Switzerland, where he had to do a few hours of work, and after that to the Nissan Qashqai Challenge in Munich. Kevin wanted to go really bad, but he had to train hard for his upcoming events, so I had the possibility to come with Gideon and crash a few days at Cory Moore's place in Munich (Red Bull District Ride Course Designer).

Well, that’s super cool, but as a photographer and journalist I didn’t want to just stand there in the public watching. So I contacted Tyler ‘Brule’ Maine (Pinkbike.com Director) a few days before the contest if he could arrange something with Rasoulution.com for me. Rasoulution is responsible for organizing Qashqai and more great events like the Out of Bounds Weekend.

Luckily for me, Tarek Rasouli (Managing Director) and Bastian Dietz (PR consultant)helped to make it possible. And although I was not allowed on most of the spots I wanted to go for making my best shots, because there were other photographers with a higher rank that were allowed. And although I had this crappy interview attempt with Cameron McCaul at the end of the day (I was so tired from the night before that I could hardly think and talk straight any more, you should have seen Cam’s face, LOL, sorry about that Cameron) Although, although, although…..I had a fantastic weekend! Everyone that helped me and named above, many thanks, I really had a superb time!


A classic but big DJ/Slope Style line was build on a hill in Munich’s Olympic park. With a huge roll-in, two six meter doubles and the second one ending in a right hand berm. from there straight down to the four meter deep and ten meter long step-down. After taking that step-down, was a absolutely time freezing ten meter double awaiting surrounded by the 25.000 spectators and a final double, again of six meter wide. Not the most technical and creative course we have seen during all Qashqai events, but with some hard winds and the hugeness of the doubles and the step down, it was a most exciting to watch and hard to control for the riders.

Unlike the first two events, all activities were held in one day. There only was some free practicing on Saturday. The weather on Sunday was great; warm, sunny and a nice breeze. The day started early at 9:00am with a free practice, and the qualifying rounds at 11:45am and 03:00pm, and the finals at 05:30pm. Qualifying was the most exciting as the McCaul Bro’s, Cameron Zink , Darren Pokoj and Grant ‘Chopper’ Fielder didn’t manage to qualify for the finals.


The finals were a surprise, nobody had any clue of who was going to win. Andreu Lacondequy was talking all day about wanting to do a double Back flip on the last six meter double, so I went to the last jump and placed my camera stuff in place to make a sick sequence shot of it, but the hard winds just wouldn’t allow him to pull it off. But when the wind lay down a bit in the third final run, he just went for it, but jumped off the bike before doing one flip, props for trying! Because he was focusing so much on that double flip in his final rounds, and didn’t succeed in doing it, he ended last in the finals. Phil Sundbaum and Paul Basagoitia also managed to get the best of the public by trying a 720 on the last jump as well. Amir Kabbani did some sick super flips and Benny Korthius was 360 tailwhipping. It was really cool to see that everyone was trying to do more technical tricks, can’t wait for the moment that everyone does them consistently.


The first three places were for the most consistent riders doing the most and craziest tricks. Only 18-year-old Martin Söderström was riding consistent as a robot. His best run started with a truck driver followed by a 360 tailwhip on the double with a berm to the right, on the step down he pulled a tabletop. On the ten meter double he was the only one to land a tail whip and ended his run with a nose dive 360.


Trond Hanson, winner of the first event in Milan, came nine points short of taking the lead. He managed to do a 360 x-up, a tail whip, moto whip off the step-down, 360 on the big double and a switch 360 at the last one.


Another young guy, Brandon Semenuk ended third with a tail whip, truck driver, Nfcc of the step down, then a huge superman seat grab Indian air, riding out a double tail whip on the last one.


Full Result-
1 Martin Söderström COLORBIKES
2 Trond Hansen SPECIALIZED
3 Brandon Semenuk TREK
4 Lance Mc Dermott SCOTT BIKES
5 Paul Basagoitia KONA
6 Korthaus Benny SPECIALIZED
7 Phil Sundbaum HARO, GRAVITY
8 Goldman Jamie SANTA CRUZ
9 Amir Kabbani CANNONDALE
10 Kurtis Sorge GIANT BICYCLES
11 Sam Pilgrim DIAMONDBACK BIKES
12 Andreu Lacondeguy KONA
13 Tyler Mc Caul SPECIALIZED
14 Darren Pokoj FELT
15 Adrew Taylor VERSUS CYCLES
16 Bartek Obukowicz NS BIKES
17 Mitchell Chubey NSMB.COM
18 Mischa Breitenstein KONA EUROPE
19 Cameron Zink FELT BICYCLES
20 Christopher Hatton QBIKES
21 Adam Hauck BLACKMARKET
22 Grant Fielder KONA
23 Damjan Siriski AUTHOR
23 Alex Reveles SANTA CRUZ
24 Cameron Mc Caul TREK
25 Andi Brewi KTM

Why Jamie Goldman wasn’t on the podium remains a mystery for me personally. He was the only rider who was seriously tricking the four meter wide and ten meter long step down with a big trick, he flipped it several times. Too bad he wasn’t rewarded by the judges for that, because it could have raised the level of riding a bit more if he had gotten some extra points for that. To bad it didn't pay of, but Jamie entertained many people for sure!


Munich was the last meeting before the big final event in London. Paris won’t be hosting a event this weekend, as the organization had some bad luck with the event location. The final event will be at London’s famous Tate Modern Gallery. It’s an old power plant, now a museum, right at the Millennium Bridge.

This third event was at the historical Munich’s Olympic park, where the unforgettable Olympic games of 1972 took place.

-katinasd.pinkbike.com

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