The Radavist

After the spills and thrills from the 2012 Red Bull RideNStyle track race, the fixed freestyle competitors were ready to rip apart the ramps and rightfully so. The sport has progressed by leaps and bounds in the past year. The tricks are getting bigger, more clicked and are looking more fluid than ever. The good riders really can flow through a park setup now and since people have been spending time at Woodward, a lot of the riders had a new found confidence on big ramps. I feel like I heard rumors for the past few weeks about Josh Boothby’s plans for a backflip and, as we all know, he followed through…

Boothby’s solid runs landed him in first place.  Tyler Johnson’s big and smooth tech lines were more clicked than ever, landing him in second and Joe McKeag’s 540s, truck drivers and clicked 360’s pinned him down in third. Personally, I’m less interested in final rankings and more impressed at the overall caliber of riding that was present. Everyone gave it their all and no one was seriously hurt. But that helmet saved your ass Kenny!

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Compared to last year’s event, the 2012 Red Bull RideNStyle race track was a huge improvement. The lanes were wider, racers were required to use some of the fixed freestyle course and with the addition of two banks on the staircase, people were encouraged to gap the channel. Much as I anticipated, the competition came down to four racers.

In the end, it came down to Addison Zawada, Hern and Walton. Three strong racers, all out for it and the crowd was into it.

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I’ve never seen a Red Bull MiniDrome in person before, so last night was a blast for me. The #RideNStyle MiniDrome Qualifier kicked off at 6pm and went on all night as people raced for their best times. Unsurprisingly, BMX and fixed freestyle racers held onto the best lap times but that didn’t stop people from trying their hardest on their track bikes. Racers from all over the world showed up, clipped in and tried to hold on… In the end, Addison Zawada sealed the deal yet again. 904 Fixed representing!

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Today I went by to check out the progress on the Red Bull MiniDrome that’s being set up at Mezzanine for tonight’s qualifier. At 6:00 the MiniDrome opens to competitors, who’ll be racing for a spot to compete during Saturday’s Ride + Style main event. The crew was just putting the finishing touches on the ramp, so I shot a few photos.

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