Emil Johansson has been crowned champion of the urban mountain biking slopestyle contest Red Bull District Ride, which took place in Nuremberg over the weekend.Thirteen Pro mountain bikers competed in the event which saw the picturesque old town of the Franconian metropolis transformed into a mountain bike slopestyle paradise.
The event saw a number of world-first tricks alongside combos with over 120,000 spectators turning up to watch live. Johansson, who won both the Best Trick Contest on Friday and the main event Slopestyle Contest on Saturday said: “[This] victory means everything to me. The fact that we can bring the discipline of mountain bike slopestyle to such an unusual urban setting and attract such a large audience is simply amazing.”
He continued: “District Ride compared to other events on tour is very different because we're basically riding, I would almost call it a downhill skate park. We're adapting slopestyle into the city, but very few of the landings are actually dirt, a lot of them are wood. So, it's very different compared to what we usually ride on.”
Placing second, Nicholi Rogatkin, said: “[The] event was absolutely crazy. It was so unpredictable because all week we thought it was going to be bad weather, but the weather held off for us and all the boys went crazy. The atmosphere here in Nuremberg, like I've said so many times, is just on another level. The people support us so much. The crowd is massive all the way down the course they're just yelling and it's just insane. I had so much energy during my first run. Really upgraded it from yesterday's action and put the 1440 at the end, which is the hardest, most aggressive trick that I do… So, when I landed that, I was going nuts.”
German rider Erik Fedko placed third on home soil with an outstanding run capped by a Backflip Superman Seatgrab.
He said: “It’s a unique feeling to be here. Five years ago, I felt like a kid. I can’t find words for what it’s like to come back to Nuremberg now. My friends are here, my family is here. The Red Bull District Ride is beyond words – and above all, the atmosphere is really special.”
The track of the Red Bull District Ride, which included street mountain biking across five districts and was about 700 metres long, demanded everything from the 13 world-class riders. Starting at Nuremberg Castle, the track went right through the old town to the Hauptmarkt square, where a massive Big Air Jump awaited the athletes. This year’s course offered them some innovative features to take the progression in mountain bike slopestyle into account.
Tarek Rasouli, the founder and Sporting Director of the Red Bull District Ride, was thrilled with the riding level at the sixth edition of the contest, commenting: “The Red Bull District Ride has made insane progress since 2005, both athletically and in terms of the course. We saw five World's Firsts in the Best Trick Contest yesterday, which was incredible. The contest has gotten bigger and bigger and the fanbase is growing as well. The Red Bull District Ride has become a fixed institution in Nuremberg.”
If you would like to catch up on all things Red Bull District Ride 2022, you still can still watch it globally on free sports tv app, Red Bull TV.
