Red Bull Hill Chasers saw 16 elite level bike athletes and 16 bike enthusiasts from BMX, mountain bike, road cycling and fixed-gear compete in a series of gruelling head-to-head knockout rounds on the unforgiving incline in front of a 6,000 strong crowd. Riders were paired randomly giving aspirant riders the chance to compete head to head against the 16 invited elite. The enthusiasts were made up of the fastest 16 riders from a qualifier, open to anyone, held on the morning of the event.

A random race draw for Round 1 saw a number of bike mad qualifier winners come one step closer to their dream by knocking out their pro counter parts. Riders battled bravely through the gut wrenching rounds and amazed the crowd of 6,000 with their pace.

Many of the competitors such as David Hynes( 28, Clifton) hailed from Bristol and Murray Roe (26) didn’t need to travel far as he lives on Park Street! One of the elite competitors, Multi World Champion and Red Bull Athlete, Michal Prokop set the fastest time of the day on his 4X mountain bike but ironically was forced to retire from the Quarter Final with a broken chain. He said: “This was a unique race for me. Where else can you compete against so many different bikes?! Even though my chain broke I still had an awesome time taking on the enthusiasts!”

The semi final saw an elite vs enthusiast showdown in both races as Ben Simmons took on Gareth Montgomerie whilst John Whittington fought Cobble Wobble winner, Lewis Lacey. The enthusiasts prevailed as the final showdown saw Ben Simmons against John Whittington (23 from Redland, Bristol) both on road bikes.

In the end, there could be only one to take the crown from last year’s Champion, Charge Bikes Chris Metcalfe. And it was cycling enthusiast qualifier Ben Simmons who beat the elite riders with a blistering time. After getting his breath back Simmons said he was,” shocked and surprised” at his win, especially as he’d travelled to Devon earlier that day to take part in another cycling event! “I’ve never taken part in anything as short and punchy as this before in such a great location. Its so exciting. It’s a tough race and I never thought I’d win but hopefully I’ll be back to do it again next year.”

The top three riders who rode home on their specially made prize Charge bikes were: 1st Ben Simmons – 2nd John Whittington – 3rd Gareth Montgomerie.

Red Bull Hill Chasers will see 16 elite and 16 amateur cyclists from BMX, mountain bike, road cycling and fixed-gear compete in a series of gruelling head-to-head knockout rounds on the unforgiving incline. Riders will be paired randomly giving amateur riders the chance to compete against the elite. Look out for some big name competitors!

A knockout format will halve the field until just two riders remain for the ultimate showdown. This year, the course has been shortened and pinch points added to make the race equal amongst all disciplines. A qualifying round will be held on Hill Street, just off Great George Street, between 8.30am and 11:00am on 18 February.

In 2011, the final of the Red Bull Hill Chasers event in Bristol was truly awesome. Charge Bikes team rider Chris Metcalfe eventually won the knock-out competition in front of a huge crowd. In all, 16 national and international pro cyclists, including Red Bull Athlete Danny MacAskill, competed head-to-head in drag races against top local cyclists from five different disciplines; road, fixed, BMX, cyclocross and mountain bike.

After the race Metcalfe said, “The crowd is so close to you as you ride up the hill that they really spur you on and it’s great that relative unknowns can ride against some of the best riders in the world, all right in the centre of Bristol!”

For your chance to compete against the elite as one of the 16 amateur riders go to www.redbull.co.uk/hillchasers and register for your place in the qualifier.

Thirty two of the UK’s top Downhill Mountain Bike riders hit Swansea city centre for Red Bull Downforce 2011 on Sunday 4 December

The city centre course took riders overlooking Swansea Bay, down cliff-like steps, terraces, high speed narrow archways and some of the steepest cobbled streets in the UK. Riders jumped over specially made table top features, as they crossed the line to be greeted by cheers from the excited crowds at the finish.

The format saw each rider having two heats with the fastest being recorded. The riders with the fastest time went through to the eight man final where there was only one chance for glory. The worthy champion was Rowan Sorrel, 29 from Newport, South Wales, who beat his closest rival Michael Thickens by an outstanding five seconds. Third place was taken by Nikki Whiles, only a half a second shy of second place. Rowan said: “What an event. Red Bull Downforce brought mountain biking to the centre of Swansea and it was a great buzz for us all to race, especially with so many people out to watch and cheer us on! Its great to take 1st place.”

Crowds came out in their thousands to enjoy the spectacle and support the riders at every stage of the 1.5km course. Local competitor Manon Carpenter, 18 from Caerphilly finished just inside the top twenty, said: “It was great fun racing through Swansea today, the track was really challenging and it was amazing to see how many people braved the Welsh weather to come and watch!’

Multi world champion siblings: Gee, Dan and Rachel Atherton who live in North Wales were all in attendance, inspiring the riders and giving advice all day. Gee Atherton said: “It was a really good opportunity for to show people what Downhill Mountain biking is all about. Its normally away in the hills and mountains and this brought it to their doorstep. Literally! They were dead impressed. The riders looked really shocked at how challenging and technical the course was. Amazing in an urban environment. Its awesome that Red Bull gave the opportunity for anyone to get involved as big events like this are often invite only. They were stoked to be part of it.

On top of this, Red Bull have partnered with Inspired Bicycles and World Champion Trials rider Martyn Ashton to give wiiings to ‘street trials’ first timers. Carefully constructed ‘Street Light Taster Sessions’ will take place in both cities, providing a platform for trials novices to come and try their hand at the sport in a friendly, yet progressive environment. Inspired Bicycles will provide the latest kit, and Martyn and Danny the expertise! Those interested in securing a place in the ‘Street Light Taster Sessions’ should submit an online application, HERE

More info and for riders keen to go and ride, simply watch CLICK HERE for more details on how to get involved.

The track at Abbeyford was fantastic, a warm, calm and serene woodland setting with a gentle flowing river at the bottom was overshadowed by the wood’s more precious commodities – booming downhills, some fun little jumps, gradual sweeping climbs and sections of trail with multiple line choices that made overtaking fun. A 25 minute lap for most, the track was plenty for riders to get excited about.

Big news of the day was again the Enduro. Three rows of riders on the start grid and some of those ranging from people that were going to have a go at both events of the day through to people that would take most of the two hours to do their first lap. The start was chaos and the fun didn’t stop with some riders managing five laps and others managing just one. With a pretty much empty track after the first lap riders had the place to themselves and with beaming sunshine and dry fast trails they couldn’t have asked for a better morning’s riding.

The afternoon XC race also saw swelling numbers with a cracking field on the start of the elite race including series leader John Whittington (Orbea / CNP) and Torq’s Anthony O’Boyle. It was local rider Luke Eggar glad to be back in the fold of the Southfork team that delivered the ride of the day with a win in the Elite category, riding a bike he’d borrowed off his dad!

Full results, online entry for round four and photos from the event are already online at www.shredevents.com

Please note due to extreme forest felling the venue had to be changed for round four. This will now take place at the immensely popular Woodbury Common, nr Exeter. The date remains unchanged, August 7th 2011

Photos: Snapper Chick

With this in mind, when we heard about our friends at Shred Magazine in Plymouth had come up with a ‘one of a kind’ short course, indoor cross country format, in a local farmers HUGE barn, we couldn’t help ourselves but get involved.

As much as we love sport though, there are times where we just like to relax too, whether it’s watching TV, playing a game of partypoker or just having a cheeky nap. Sports are very physically exhausting, so it is important to take rests and recharge before you attempt to exercise any more.

Taking place on Sat 23rd April, the cycle racing will be in an eliminator heat format, with each race being two laps, which equates to around two minutes of racing. Each heat will have between 6-8 riders. Each rider will get open practice time, two practice events, at least one eliminator race. This is a ‘run what you brung’ event – any bike will do! So expect MTB, BMX, dirt bike, cyclocross, but no engines!

247 Magazine are supplying the soundtrack for the whole day on a phat sound system, as well some ‘yet to be announced surprises’ to spice things up inbetween the racing too.

The day runs from 12pm – 6pm or so and will be held at Wheeldon Farm, Halwell, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 7JY.

More info at www.shredevents.com

The venue usually holds MotoX races, check out the video below to get an idea of what to expect (but remember the bikes will have NO engines at this event!)

In the 11-17s category, 14 year old Louis Clark from Backwell, just outside of Bristol, provided the winning entry with an inspiring film featuring his friend Erik, which showed the adventure, freedom and enjoyment they get out of getting out on their bikes and exploring the network. Louis wins four VIP tickets to the Relentless NASS Sports and Music Festival in July. “Me and my friend Erik made the film to try to get other people cycling and make it look cool and fun – because it is,” he said. “We go cycling because we know that we need to keep active and fit but we use the network as we know it’s a safe place to cycle, no cars passing by and we love the beautiful scenery that we pass.
It only took us a day to film it, although the editing was longer, but it was good fun.”

Steve Castle from Penarth, South Wales wowed the judges of the over 18s category with his slick and well produced film about his commute to and from work in Cardiff. Steve showed how enjoyable and easy an everyday trip into work can be and how it takes him through beautiful areas of Cardiff and keeps him away from those traffic jams. Steve wins a luxury four night break in a log cabin, courtesy of ForestHolidays. He said: “I’m new to cycling to work but once I started I really enjoyed it and now I’m a total convert. Cardiff is a small city and so easy to get across by bike. It’s so enjoyable – and alot less hassle than trying to get a car around. I never thought the film would win – it was just a lot of fun to do. I hope it shows other people how enjoyable and easy it can be to commute by bike.”

Malcolm Shepherd, Chief Executive of Sustrans, sayid: “We wanted this competition to inspire millions more journeys on the Network by compiling stories about the impact it has made on people’s lives so far. These films are fun and inspiring and, we hope, show more people what the Network has to offer – whether it’s for commuting, family time or adventure.”
The Sustrans website – www.sustrans.org.uk – has a free online map service to discover how to get around everyday on foot or by bike. Search for local or national routes, plot journeys, or find what the local area has to offer from schools, supermarkets and local landmarks to car clubs, bus stops and bike shops.

A knockout format will halve the field – until just two riders remain for the ultimate showdown.

More info HERE

Jim Pascoe from the National Trust in the South West is really excited about the tie-up:
“2011 will see the National Trust talking a lot more about the outdoors; why we feel it’s so important to get out there, and the wealth of opportunity that is offered by the amazing outdoor places the Trust has. One thing we want to do is to encourage a lot more people to see the National Trust as a place to enjoy a great bike ride. We have seen the amount of fun and passion that the team at Shred put into riding their bikes and it’s infectious. Their style is very approachable and inclusive: This was an important consideration in our aim to get in touch with riders of all levels and skills and tell them about what’s available to them on National Trust land now and to come in 2012. After working with a similarly dynamic people in the world of surfing over the past couple of years, the Shred team offers a great opportunity for us to use Shred’s enthusiasm and presence in the riding world to convey our messages about what’s available now and what’s coming up. With impressive new trail projects being planned in the South West around Plymbridge and Lanhydrock as part of the 1SW project, we needed a team of ambassadors that can work with the Trust and help us to get the message out into the riding scene. “

Shred founder, Steve Toze explained: “At Shred we have been hammering away at having a good time on our bikes since 1996. With some amazing new trail centres going into our patch of the UK it is great that the National Trust approached us to help to take the message out there. The National Trust owns a lot of land that is great for riding, surfing, walking and camping – all things close to our hearts. What is really cool for us is that this relationship doesn’t pivot around us having to dress in large amounts of lycra and step onto the podium at events nationwide, we just have to do what we’ve always done and ride heaps of different types of events, enjoy ourselves and talk about what the Trust has to offer riders and the new things that are to come – so just adding to what we’ve always done so well. “

National Trust territory covers 24,989 hectares of land across the UK and Ireland.

Shred Magazine was founded in the mid 90′s and is supported by an active race team taking part in road, cyclo cross and mountain biking events across the South West and beyond.

The Shred and National Trust team will be unveiled at their official launch in mid-February, along with more information on the new trail centres being constructed as part of 1SW project.

Follow the Shred Racing team at www.shredracing.co.uk