Red Bull Ride + Style 2012

ABOUT:

Red Bull Ride + Style 2012 was the 2nd of 4 annual fixed gear freestyle and track racing events hosted by Red Bull at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco. The trick portion of the event was invite only to compete.

San Francisco, CA (April 11, 2012) — On April 28, Red Bull Ride + Style will put the world’s fastest and most stylish fixed gear riders on center stage in Justin Herman Plaza for the second year in a row. Red Bull Ride + Style, a collision of fixed gear biking and urban contemporary art, features riders facing off in both track and freestyle competitions with the obstacles designed and decorated by local San Francisco artists. A fixed-gear bicycle is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast — the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving. This allows a cyclist to stop without using a brake and also to ride in reverse. In 2011 the event brought together more than 50 invited riders from both coasts, including riders from fixed gear meccas San Francisco, Portland, New York, and Japan. This year non-invited riders will have a chance to qualify for the track portion of the event at the Red Bull Minidrome.

The 2012 event boasts a redesigned course for both racers and fixed freestyle riders, featuring artwork from the area’s top artists: Chor Boogie, APEX, Max Ehrman and Jet Martinez. The artists will be collaborating to bring the ramps to life by adding their own style to each feature, utilizing their fine art, graffiti and mural styles to give the course a new look. Each artist is individually established – such as Jet Martinez, the first “artist in residence” at Facebook – but for Red Bull Ride + Style, they will be collaborating to create something that represents their collective creativity. More information about both the artists and the riders can be found at:
http://www.redbullusa.com/ridenstyle

Riders interested in participating in the track portion of the Red Bull Ride + Style will have an opportunity to qualify on Thursday, April 26th at Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street) on the Red Bull Minidrome. The fastest 15 times will be invited to face off in Saturday’s event against the top ten racers from 2011. The Red Bull Minidrome is a shrunken version of a velodrome, a traditional arena for track cycling. Consisting of a steeply banked oval track with two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straight sections, the Red Bull Minidrome delivers velodrome racing conditions in the smallest possible dimensions.

Due to the expected volume of qualifying riders, a pre-registration sheet will be available at the Chrome retail store (580 4th Street). Riders will be able to sign up for a qualifying time slot and fill out the appropriate paperwork starting on April 20. There is no entry fee for the qualifier (or Red Bull Ride + Style).

Notable aspects of this event:

• Most riders in the event were now on 26″ bikes as opposed to the 2011 event where many riders were still riding 700c wheels.
• The event saw a much higher caliber of riding, with Josh Boothby doing consistent backflips in his runs.
• BMX Legend Edwin Delarosa was a judge at the event.
• Miles Mathia, who was top 10 in the previous year’s event, injured his shoulder during his first run.

Invited Riders:

Alex Blanco, Anthony Combs, Antonio Wothe, Christian Hamrick, Corey San Agustin, Devon Lawson, Edward Laforte, Elliott Milner, Gus Molina, Hiro Nakajima, Jakob Santos, Jamil Gray, Jeff Dempler, Joe Mckeag, Jonathan Davis, Jonah Kessel, Josh Boothby, Justin Mitchell, Kareem Shehab, Kenny Arimoto, Yuhei Hirose, Matthew Montoya, Matt Reyes, Michael Chacon, Mike Schmitt, Miles Mathia, Nick Ramirez, Oscar Khan, Simon Andraca, Steven Jensen, Tyler Johnson

Date: April 28th, 2012

Location: Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco, CA

Organizer: Red Bull