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2012 Claymore Challenge Qualifiers

Jul 19, 2012 at 22:19
by Tyler Maine  
photo

Sixty started, but only fifteen would advance to Saturday’s Final event in today’s Claymore Challenge qualifying event. Riders from around the world brought their A game to Highland Mountain Bike Park throwing down everything from front flips to truck drivers in a field that guaranteed an insanely competitive final event on Saturday.

Martin qualified first today with an 89.00

Martin Soderstrom was today’s top qualifier scoring an impressive 89.00 with a truck-driver to no footed can on the step up and a perfect double whip on the Red Bull Freebird Jump; a “Surgical dismantling of the course” is how announcer Aaron Chase put it.

The top 3 in qualifying:

1. Martin Soderstrom 89.00
2. Szymon Godziek 84.67
3. Sam Pilgrim 83.33

Today’s qualifier set a high bar for the finals with more than a handful of front flips including an unbelievably massive front flip on a downhill bike by Highland AYR Academy Coach Jamie Goldman.

Your run going to shit When in doubt throw a bar hump

All of the riders in Thursday’s qualifier have a chance to score an extra $1,000 thanks to Teva during Friday’s Best Trick at 6:00pm on the famed Red Bull Freebird Jump at the base of the Claymore Course.

Crashes in both qualifying runs mean Messere will have to sit out finals. Look for him to throw down at Friday night s best trick contest.

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Several favorites did not make the finals due to crashes in both runs.

Cam Zink crashed both runs trying a front flip.
Antony Messere crashed out.
Cam McCaul crashed out.
Andreu Lacondegut didn't ride today and is out with a knee injury(?).

Tough day for Cam as he crashed out in the qualifier.

The show continues on Saturday when last year's podium of Brendan Semenuk, Yannick Granieri and Kyle Strait pair up with the top fifteen riders from Thursday’s qualifier to battle it out for the title of Claymore Challenge Champion. You can catch the action live in person, or if you can’t make it to Highland, tune in to redbull.com/bike at 2:00pm for the livestream presented by Red Bull Media House.

Sam Pilrim 360 s the GoPro Canon Drop

Saturday's Start List:
Sjöholm Linus
Kirchmann Simon
Wallace Reece
Gustavson Teo
Howard Ryan
McCaul Tyler
Barrett-Hay Brayden
Vencl Jakub
Groves Casey
Genon Thomas
Watts Greg
Rheeder Brett
Pilgrim Sam
Godziek Szymon
Söderström Martin
Strait Kyle
Granieri Yannick
Semenuk Brandon

Winner of the previous four Claymore Challenge events Semenuk will look to make it 5 in a row.

About Highland Mountain Bike Park: Highland Mountain Bike Park is the world's only lift access mountain entirely dedicated to biking. The park is located just 90 minutes north of Boston in beautiful Northfield, New Hampshire. Boasting an extensive downhill and cross country trail network, skill building areas, a 9,100 square foot indoor training facility and NEW for 2012, another step in progression, a 50’ x 50’ “Ayr Bag”. Highland offers lessons and camps for all abilities and is home to the Ayr Academy, a week long, overnight camp taught by the best celebrity pros in the business. Highland Mountain Bike Park is America’s Bike Park…100%.

View all of Lee's Claymore Challenge Pictures here.

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63 Comments
  • 191
 I hope Martin soderstrom podiums this weekend
  • 64
 That would be pretty cool to see him win it! Other than Brandon or Sam
  • 41
 I wonder how austin chipman and erick obermyer did
  • 91
 Sam is looking like he is all business this weekend...hes rocking sleeves!!!!
  • 111
 Specialized punks around beware. He needs a bike for Claymore.
  • 80
 haha so pumped my bar hump made it in there Wink
  • 40
 Ontario represent!!!
  • 10
 Well thats a first for Pilgrim. haha
  • 144
 Hahahah all Semenuks competition is out. He's just gonna absolutely kill it on Saturday. Stoooked!
  • 91
 haha ya he kills it every time!go semenuk go!!
  • 61
 He would destroy them anyway!
  • 106
 I wouldn't be quite so confident. Martin Soderstrom, Szymon Godzick and Sam Pilgrim beat him in qualies. I think the top spot is still up for grabs. I would really love to see Semenuk have to go out of his comfort zone or come from behind to win an event! Lets hope we get to see a Frontflip-bar in the comp!
  • 20
 yup i definatly agree!
  • 150
 semenuk didn't ride qualies he was pre qualified from winning last year
  • 10
 Sorry, my mistake, but I still hope he is behind in the finals so he has to whip out his absolute bangers! He is the man.
  • 70
 The top three from last year are prequalified so Soderstrom hasn't beaten anyone yet. Read the story carefully as you will see that Granieri, Strait and Semenuk will join the fifteen qualifiers for the title. Semenuk has last run as winner from last year and he will destroy them all.
  • 90
 zink and those fronties..
  • 26
flag SpEcIaLiZeDpRo1 (Jul 19, 2012 at 22:50) (Below Threshold)
 He will bust out his frontflip barspin or a backflip off of the flat drop if he has to.
  • 50
 Pilgram is gonna be really hungry for some points on this one after what happened to him at the last contest... still rooting for Semenuk though...
  • 21
 @tornateo tom van steenbergen did a front bar during best trick at wambam dirt jam and landed it..
  • 20
 Im hoping pilgrim goes for a backflip off a flat drop!
  • 61
 Not sure why Zink was pushing it so hard in qualifying. He should have just thrown down a safe run to get in and save the big stuff for the finals.
  • 12
 Front -bar isn't that hard for Semenuk. At Summer Gravity Camp last year, when he got to the Air Bag the first trick he did was a front -bar and he didn't even fall over on the landing, he just casually rode off the other side of the 15ft high Air Bag.
  • 30
 He's hasn't done them in contest so it isn't that easy.
  • 20
 I'd put money on him doing one during is Whistler Crankworx. If i was him I'd be saving it for that or invitational, being the two with the biggest prize purse's.
  • 30
 i wish cam hadnt crashed!
  • 40
 That is exactly what I'm saying. I really want to see him pushed to pull those tricks!!!
  • 20
 Semenuk can and will do whatever he can to win. I mean holy, he's won it 4 years in a row already. Wouldn't you wanna do whatever you can to keep that streak alive?
  • 52
 He'll "send it".."bag it"*" Clean it"..Etc!! Semenuk! He must have been sent down from the" Mothership "unstoppable" did i say that out loud?he takes this shit two another level..his next trick will be a back flip w/a 360*on top ! what do you think??awesomness to the extreme. I think he can DO IT!!!***
  • 10
 I know what to call it now (A flipwhip) he wins it rubbersidedown&over&out..awesome!
  • 51
 "The show continues on Saturday when last year's podium of Brendan Semenuk"- You made a small mistake. It's Brandon not Brendan!.
  • 60
 Yeah and you put two full stops at the end of your comment. Don't stress the small stuff.
  • 11
 I'm not trying to "stress the small stuff" just pointing out a minor error.
  • 42
 I ride at Highland all the time and I love this place but, honestly, this course seems pretty boring for the level of riding that is happening on it. It doesn't push the boundaries of.... Anything. And the fact that all those big names are no longer riding because they "crashed out"? First off that sucks cuz i wanted to see them ride and secondly, doesn't that say something about the course? Three of the best riders in the world just happen to all have bad weekends at the same time? Just some food for thought. Here comes the neg props.
  • 21
 you say its boring and then its a hard course? last year everyone was pushing it and the features are progressive and challenging riders to try new tricks on different obstacles, eg. the satelite dishes, your an odd one bro 3
  • 11
 what i mean is that yes there are jumps and yes they look fun, but most of the stuff on this course isn't constructively challenging. Its features and design doesn't allow the riders to show everything they've got in the bag like an event like Crankworx Whistler does. Maybe im wrong and it actually is a "hard" AND challenging course. Or maybe its a pretty simple course that wasn't put together as well as they (and us) had hoped.
  • 21
 I read an article on the c3 project riders interviewing each other and they pretty much all said that this was their favorite contest
  • 50
 Zink, Messere... I'm dissapointed
  • 10
 I was riding there yesterday and Messere and Zink were behind me in the lift line after qualies looking fairly disappointed. I had high hopes for them as well. Next year i suppose.
  • 30
 anyone know whats going on with mike montgomery?
  • 10
 He has a broken thumb
  • 42
 Piss poor effort id say. Fabien Barel rode world champs with 4 broken ribs.
  • 61
 You don't hold on to your bike with your ribs though.
  • 20
 Breaking ribs is sosososososososo painful though. But i would imagine there is a good reason for him not riding.
  • 40
 Semenuk for sure
  • 41
 Go Martin!
  • 10
 Claymores gonna be nuts ! too bad some other guys didnt make it into the final
  • 31
 I hope Godziek show us his skills! I saw him and He have huge potential !
  • 20
 I want see Kuba Vencl on podium.
  • 20
 Missing some big names Frown
  • 20
 don`t be so sure Big Grin
  • 31
 Yeah... Sam will definatelly get the podium this time Wink
  • 43
 Strait Semenuk T-Mac 1,2,3
  • 22
 That's the podium I wanna see.
  • 22
 there is no way that strait can win.
  • 32
 none of you know anything.
  • 23
 1-Semenuk Brandon
2-Pilgrim Sam
3-Söderström Martin
4-Strait Kyle
5-Granieri Yannick
  • 20
 you forggot about Godziek!
  • 11
 Cam Zink crashed out trying to do a front flip.... Crankworks anyone?
  • 11
 Waddup where's messere?
  • 40
 "Several favorites did not make the finals due to crashes in both runs.

Cam Zink crashed both runs trying a front flip.
Antony Messere crashed out.
Cam McCaul crashed out.
Andreu Lacondegut didn't ride today and is out with a knee injury(?)."
  • 14
 ^Pilgrim.
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