NICHOLI ROGATKIN
SLOPESTYLEPRODIGY RIDING IN ISRAEL | NICOLAI ION 16 | TRAIL TROPHY RYCHLEBSKE STEZKY | ENDURO IN POLAND and more....
IN INTERVIEW
content gallery
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short reviews
16
bike check
22
interview
34
israel
48
trail trophy
84
czech trails
100
polish enduro
110
vogtland dh
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ON THE COVER Rider: Hannes Klausner / Merida Velo Team PHOTOGRAPHER: Daniel Geiger
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PHOTO: DMITRIY VAKULKA dirtpix.eu
GALLERY
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Johannes Gauder at www.nacona.de RIDER: Paul Freudenmacher in Bischofsmais, Germany
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Commencal Crew RIDER: Miha Vasilenko in Vallnord, Andorra
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Evgenly Stazenko RIDER: Alexej Averjanov in Kazan, Russia
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PHOTOGRAPHER: Andrey Shevtsov RIDER: Nic Pukhir in Cheget, Russia
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from publisher Dear Friends, some you of you already experience the winter at its fullest, some are still waiting for it to come, and some lucky ones will not see it at all. We are however sure, that after riffling through pages of this issue you will get flashbacks from the beautiful summer time and will crave for the new coming bike season. Enjoy and see you again in 2015! Alexej Fedorov
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TRAILS DE LUXE
Offering you 4 rounds with more than 20 km of MTB singletrack fun in the Ore Mountains: Taster Loop » 5,7 km · Border Trail » 15,8 km · Two Mountains » 16,2 km · Black Raven » 26,2 km
WWW.TRAILCENTER-RABENBERG.DE start of the season on April 4th 2015
SHORT REVIEWS
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5.10 - VXi elements Since 5.10 was absorbed by Adidas, many people joked about three stripes on the iconic bike shoes. Until now, few has changed, the 5.10 shoes hold onto their own style – that’s a positive note. The platformpedal Freerider VXi Elements are remarkably comfy to wear. Due to the Mi6 sole, they also have a fantastic grip what we didn’t cast a doubt on. Unfortunately the sleek soles got clearly visible holes caused by the pins which made us wonder how they will whitstand over the time. This had no impact on the grip, but doubts about the quality appeared in our heads. Another drawback showed up during wet weather: the shoes are described as waterproof, what our wet feet couldn’t confirm. In this regard, the Greg Minnaar”s Impact VXI model pleased us more. Apart from these drawbacks, the Freerider are still a good choice for all “flats lovers” among us bikers. www.fiveten.com
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KNOG qudos The Australian company KNOG is popular for its outstanding products, not to forget the tire patches packaged like condoms or bike locks made of silicon. During the Eurobike 2014 KNOG presented another new toy – a light for photographs or videos in the dark. Three lightning modes, battery indicator, waterproof to 40 meters, thumb drive charging interface, compatible with the GoPro bracket together with a camera and a stand – all this you can get for 120$. The light has a high-quality workmanship, it is delivered in a nice metal box and available in two colors. Now it’s time for us to properly test this new toy from KNOG! www.euro.knog.com.au
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FABRIC grips We don’t know whether you’ve heard of the company Fabric, but we haven’t. However, during last Eurobike we literally “put are hands” on their new quirky, intriguing grips. They are smooth, with an unusual form, continuously perforated with hexagons holes and are unbelievably lightweight. However, they have a bit of a “plastic feel” and are not really soft, what made us wonder how will they really perform on the trail. Available colour range makes them a perfect tuning part for a subtle decoration of your machine. We will put them on on our testbike so stay tuned for a proper review. Price: 20 GBP. Weight: 80gr. www.fabric.cc
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TRAILMECH hubs These bike hubs are really exotic – at least when you are talking about their origin - Ukraine. Two mates were tired of making compromises between price and quality, so they decided to produce their own bike hubs. As you may know, handmade products made by passionate creators are probably the best thing you can get. Trailmech is completely handmade and their premium quality appears in every detail: the vortex ring unique technology, industry ball bearing and laser engraving. Available in various colors and for all standards. Thez weigh 165 and 315gr. We will be running next season hoping to find out how they perform in a brutal reality. www.trailmech.com
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NICOLAI ION GERMANY’S
TOP MODEL BIKE CHECK
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INTRO „Made in Germany“– in former times this was a reliable indication of highest quality. The strength of German engineering skills and diligence are behind this renowned quality. Nowadays, where all the production is outsourced in eastern countries, it is hard to find brands with such tagline on their products. Lovers of high quality and handmade gear don’t have an easy job. Also the bike scene is suffering from the shift to cheap and mass production which is often lacking quality and expert knowledge. Luckily there are still companies which put the highest priority on keeping their production local in order to have a full control over the quality of their products. One of the rare, real German manufacturers is Kalle Nicolai, who founded his company “Nicolai” in 1995. Nicolai specialize in producing high-end frames. Since nearly 20 years it is still the same production procedure – all the frames are handmade. They are known for their oldschool design and unparalleled strength. This has won them still growing group of fans from all over the world.
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FRAME We were eager to taste and test German “handmade gem” and thanks to a friendly support from Nicolai we got a raw ION frame in size M, with Cane Creek DBXV shock and a headset from Reset Racing. 160mm travel, 26 inches wheels, all dialled to serve so called “Enduro”. We were stoked to be finally able to hold this frame in our own hands. A small engraving on one of the chainstays testifies proudly its birthplace - Germany. Though the design is fairly traditional, simple and consvervative, you can easily recognize quality by looking at how well and neat it is welded. CNC cut dropouts, ISCG and PM brake mount are another proof of engineering skills behind this work. Frame also features changeable cable guides, possibility to instalt Stealth dropper seatpost and also offer adjustment of bikes geometry by changing rear shock mount position. With all these little features it was a pleasure to start building it up.
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BUILT Even though the frame has a relatively heavy weight, we were able to keep our bike quite lean with only 13,6kg quite lean. Of course we could have bought wispy, light and modern components, but we decided to use only the bare necessities. We used light but very stable DT Swiss EX1501 wheels, grippy WTB Vigilante tires, KS Lev hydraulic seat post with WTB Devo saddle, Reverse S-trail stem, Reverse Base handlebars, DT Swiss XM150 fork, Shimano SLX crank with a Hope Retainer ring, drivetrain from Shimano XT, Shimano Deore brakes, grips, seat clamp and spacers from Reverse. There it was, a functioning bike, ready to be ridden hard for the first time. Shortly after we got our test products from Hope, so we swapped some components. The handlebar was shortened from 790mm to 750mm to stay agile on narrow and technical tracks. The Shimano Deore brakes, which despite being an entry level model perform similar to the higher XT were replaced by HOPE Tech 3 E4, which made a significant difference. Brake force and modulation were improved immensely. 10 speed cassette was extended by Hope T-Rex 40T ring. Nicolai became ready for everything, including racing.
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COMPONENTS CHECK Frame: alu, 160mm, ISCG 05, X12 through-axle, internal dropper post routing Fork: DT Swiss XMM, 150mm Shock: Cane Creek DBXV Air Drivetrain: Shimano XT with SLX crankset, 30-tooth Hope Retainer Ring Brakes: Hope Tech 3 E4, 180mm rotors Wheels: DT Swiss EX1501 Tires: WTB Vigilante 2.3� Dropper post: KS LEV, external routing Sizes: small, medium (tested), large and x-large, custom WarranTy: 5 year Weight: 13.8 kg Frame price: from ₏ 2199
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RIDING The first feeling on this bike was safety. Due to the long wheelbase and a relatively outstretched seat position, ION could cope easily with high speeds. You can perceive instantly the DH genes. Going down, on technical parts and jumps Nicolai feels at home. Even though the frame is constructed for a 160mm bike fork, we rode with a 150mm, combined with short stem and low profile bars. However, it didn’t really affect its downhill abilities. To have a comparison, we replaced it for a 180mm fork for a week. The front became much higher and the steering precision got worse due to the additional weight and slacker head angle. Only on really rocky downhill tracks I missed more sturdy, stiffer fork with more travel. 1x10 setup was a new experience for me. Even if I was really skeptical at the beginning, I got quite comfortable with it just few rides rides. It’s hard not to like the simplicity of such setup. Due to narrow/wide chainring and a Shadow Plus technology derailleur the chain was very stable and remained all the time in its place. I needed some days to familiarize with the missing front derailleur and a different gear ratio. The transmission was nearly perfect on descents, but I must admit, on some steeper uphills I was missing the “granny gear”. Although, the most difficult task was to adjust the CaneCreek optimally. It took multiple rides to find the “sweet spot” in its settings. Once done, the shock harmonized quite well with the ION’s tail, performing efficently both on downhills and uphills.
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CONCLUSION After countless tours, local trail riding, some bike parks and five Enduro races, we can say, that Nicolai ION 16 is not just perfect for AM and Enduro, it is also perfectly suitable for light freeride. High quality matched with elaborate production are absolutely worth that money. Not to forget the 5 year warranty and the manufacturer who stands passionately behind his products, keeping production local supporting at the same time his home country renown craftmanship tradition. The bike based on ION’s frame is very stable and predictible on downhills thanks to its 65° head angle and long wheelbase, while the short chainstays (426mm) keep it agile in fast ridden turns und jumps. The long top tube gives a good body position and optimal weight distribution on uphill sections. Lovers of traditional design and simplicity, who look for a bike with modern geometry and no compromise on a strength should definitely have a closer looks at Nicolai’s offer. WATCH THE Video from the BIKE BUILD HERE www.niclolai.net
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PICTURES: Red Bull Content Pool 34 | Let’s Ride! | Issue 2/2014
Slopestyle NICHOLI ROGATKIN IN INTERVIEW
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Hey Nicholi! Looks like you had a really successful season. Congratulations. Tell us a bit more about your accomplishments this year. What did you learn from it, which event was your favorite? Honestly, the biggest thing I learned this year was how truly insane mountain biking really is. The courses that I rode were seriously massive and so scary. On courses like that I got to really experience real mountain biking, got stoked on riding, and on everyone else’s riding. The experiences were way too sick. And Rampage blew my mind. Every second of my experience there was unbelievable to me, I didn’t expect it to be even close to as gnarly as it was. The whole year was unforgettable for me. Your name suddenly popped out on the list of best slopestyle riders. tell us a bit more about how you got into riding MTB? I rode BMX since I was 5, then got on a mountain bike in 2013. At first when I started to ride MTB I simply wanted to have fun riding a different bike, and have a bike to ride at Highland Mountain, which is in driving distance for me. Martin Soderstroem and Geoff Rogers helped get me hooked up with a P3, and I loved riding it. It took a bit of getting used to, but eventually I started to learn a lot of my BMX
tricks on it and decided to compete. My first big MTB contest was Colorado Freeride Festival. I knew a few of the dudes like Martin, Yannick Granieri and Sam Reynolds from riding Masters of Dirt with them every year since I was 13. All the other riders were super cool to me and I was really stoked on the all around vibe and the MTB community. I finished 6th that day. I then went to Spain for another FMB event - O’Marisquino. It was the funniest event and I managed to win it! Finally at the end of the year I got invited to compete in best trick at Crankworx Whistler. It was such an insane experience, and after it I couldn’t wait for 2014. Did anyone help you along the way? I live in an area where essentially nobody rides bikes. All of my school friends played soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse, nobody rode bikes seriously. I was extremely fortunate to discover bike riding, as it has given me the opportunity to have experiences that not many people my age have had. And I was fortunate to have an extremely supportive father, who was willing to take me to all kinds of competitions, flying with me to Europe and being a tremendous help in getting me to the professional level. You originally come from the BMX scene. How did your BMX-buddies
react to your switch over to MTB? My BMX friends are stoked to see me ride MTB. There is no envy between BMXers and MTBers. Experiencing both worlds as a rider has shown me that they seriously respect each other’s riding and tricks so much. The bike sizes may be different, the things we ride may be different, but in the end we are all riding our bikes and having fun every day that we do. What is the biggest difference between BMX and MTB scenes? The biggest difference between BMX and MTB has to be the limits that are set on riding. With bigger wheels and suspension, mountain bikers are given the opportunity to jump higher and further. MTB riders are able to take on more rugged jumps and courses, as well as a different style of riding. How and when did your partnership with Kali and Specialized start? Did they hunt you down? Kali has been my sponsor for over 6 years now. I met them at my first international contest in 2009, FISE Montpellier. They were stoked on me and I was stoked to represent the brand. Their helmets have saved my head and face countless times. Since then, they have been the best sponsor, supporting me in every step of my career. Specialized is the reason why I am riding MTB. Martin Soderstroem helped me get hooked up with an MTB from the Specialletsridemag.com | 37
ized team manager Geoff Rogers. Without them, I wouldn’t be riding MTB today. What do you do for your sponsors, of course apart from riding? Have you got some other responsibilities? Other than riding, I always keep my social media pages updated, posting pictures and videos. I do video projects, photo shoots, and make appearances for my sponsors. Those things may seem like duties, but every part of being an MTB pro is enjoyable. I also have to stay in line with my career, as any illegal action or inappropriate behavior would terminate my sponsorships. You are a very young rider with surely a bright future ahead of you. How do you see your career in coming years? Are you determined to ride as a Pro for as long as possible or do you rather see it as just an episode? I have put off my college plans for a while for my MTB career. I have become fully committed to professional bike riding. My rookie year was amazing, I can’t wait for what the next few years have in store for me. I plan to go big, send it, and have fun as always. You have an impressive bag of tricks. How long does it normally take you to learn a new trick? Different tricks take different time. Some tricks have taken me years to learn, some have taken only days. It depends on how long it takes for me to figure out the motion of the 38 | Let’s Ride! | Issue 2/2014
trick, and a safe way to get out of it if it goes wrong. Once I figure those things out, I can make the trick work. Learning new tricks is one of my favorite parts of riding bikes for sure. Although new tricks are bound to come with pain, they also come with great satisfaction. Which one is your favorite? My favorite trick has to be the late front flip. I’ve had my good times and my bad times with it for sure, but it will always was fun. And it freaks out the crowd and it scares me so that’s always thrilling. Do you have a training plan or routine? I don’t look at riding as training. There may be times that I’m learning new tricks, doing slope style runs, dialing in tricks, or doing other things to get ready for a contest, but I’m always just riding my bike. When I’m having a blast and riding until I can’t ride anymore, that’s when I have the best and most progressive sessions. Having bike riding as my career is something that I’m thankful for, so I enjoy it to the fullest. What is running through your head during a contest? Are you taking more risk than you normally would? Do you improvise or rather have everything planned beforehand? Contests are what a lot of us as bike riders live for. It’s a place for us to show the tricks we’ve been working on, and to ride the insane courses that the FMB World Tour builds for
us. For me, there’s obviously nerves running through my head, but to be honest I’m always stoked. It’s pretty awesome to get to ride the biggest competitions in the sport and to make thousands of fans go crazy. Essentially, in every contest I take more risks than usual, sending some tricks for the first time. I try to plan everything beforehand, but
sometimes things occur that make improvisations necessary. How did you get to ride THE Red Bull Rampage? All year, people asked me if I was going to ride Rampage, and I said that if I got the invite, I would give it a shot. Before the event, I was in the Top 10 of the World Ranking, which put me in. I got my official invite right
after Red Bull District Ride, which gave me only 4 days of riding my DH bike before flying out to Utah to start building my line. Have you been there on your own or did you have your building team, a mechanic, etc? Since I got my invite to Rampage so late, it was tough for me to organize a build crew. The SRAM mechanics
at Rampage helped me get my bike 100% dialed before I got up on the mountain. And after my bike when tumbling 100 ft down the mountain, the SRAM guys really saved me and got my bike working perfectly for my second run. For my build crew, my dad came along with me to help dig, and for the Rampage experience. One of my friends who letsridemag.com | 39
used to work and ride at Highland Mountain was able to drive up to Rampage from the University of Utah with his roommate. I also got a Utah local who knew the terrain really well to help me out. It turned out to be quite a boss digging crew, I was pretty stoked on what we created. How did you like it? Would you do it again? It was unreal. When I got there my
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jaw dropped in disbelief to how insane it was. Even climbing up to the top was treacherous; riding down has to be the scariest thing I’ve ever done. I knew I’d be comfortable in the air, like jumping the Canyon Gap, or front flipping the 50 footer. I was lucky to get pointers from all the big bike riders on riding the ridge lines, the near vertical rock drops, and essentially how to make it down alive.
The experience was unforgettable, and I would absolutely do it again. At Rampage you were riding “the big bike” for the first time. How did it feel? How long did it take you to get used to bigger suspension and different geometry? Riding a big bike was seriously a whole different world for me. Coming from BMX and then riding hardtails all year, I felt like I was
on a motocross bike. The bigger suspension and different geometry were definitely strange to me, and I wasn’t used to it at all. However, the freeride techniques and skills were what I really lacked going into it. I went off the tips I got from the freeriders and my own instincts, and sent it. I experienced quite a few scares and crashes throughout, nonetheless it was always fun.
Would you give Downhill a go, or maybe some other MTB discipline? After watching a world cup downhill race in Leogang this year, I saw how fast the Downhill guys really go. it was insane. Racing is something I’ve always had loads of respect for. I messed around on the Speed and Style course in Les 2 Alpes this year, racing against my fellow slope riders and doing tricks on the course was super fun. I spent hours pinning it down that course between our slope style practices. I would love to do some MTB racing sometime, but I don’t think it would be serious, just for fun. Tell us a bit more about your bikes. Are they “stock” bikes or have you got some special tweaks or components to suit your preference? When I first started riding MTB, I had the most stock bike possible. Now, I am fortunate to have support from the sickest bike companies. On my Specialized bikes I have DT Swiss Wheels, Spank bars and stem, a Trixer (hydraulic gyro), RockShox Pike forks, Sram XO cranks and Avid Guide brakes. I am nothing short of completely stoked on my bikes right now. Slopestyle is clearly one of the most spectacular but also dangerous forms of MTB. Did you ever have a serious injury? How do you deal with such situations? Bike riding comes with the constant risk of danger and injury. Since starting to ride bikes at age 5 I have experienced the pain and the
injuries that come along with riding bikes. I’ve broken a couple bones, but my worst injury was when I ruptured my spleen. I had a lot of internal bleeding and nearly had to get the organ removed. The injury had me in the hospital for 10 days and off my bike for 8 months. Since then I’ve always worn a chest pad, to protect my internal organs from being severely injured once again. Dealing with injuries takes a great amount of mental and physical commitment. Recovering from injuries and getting back to 100% is in my opinion the most difficult thing about our sport. I guess some of your current competitors were not so long ago your idols. How does it feel to ride now against them? Do you feel more under pressure? So many of my current competitors are guys I look up to. Riding against them is seriously such an honor for me. Even watching them ride, getting to session practice with them, and partying together really shows me how lucky I am to be part of this sport. Being able to compete against riders that I look up to makes me even more stoked on riding bikes. They raise the competition level so high, and that makes me want to push myself and push my riding more. It doesn’t put me under more pressure though, because when I compete, I don’t really consider it as a competition against others, I compete against myself. Every contest, I try to put my absolute letsridemag.com | 41
best run out there no matter what. Are you doing any other sports? Do you hit a gym? How tall are you? What’s your weight? What are you up to when you are off the bike? When I’m not riding, I play hockey. I also snowboard in the Alps every year, I’ve had some of the sickest experiences of my life there. And in the summer, I go wake board and jet ski all the time. I’m 5’8” 170 lbs. Do you have a girlfriend? Is she riding bikes? I do have a girlfriend, but I haven’t been able to convince her to get on a bike yet haha. She is a college swimmer so she’s pretty focused on that during her season, but in the summer it would be sick to get her on a big bike and ride some DH! You have been in Moscow at some BMX contests. Are you planning to visit Russia also as MTB Slopestyle rider? When I went to Moscow for the Adrenaline Games it was awesome. I loved every moment in Russia, it was so memorable both times that I went. And talking to the BMX riders there seeing how much their riding is progressing was unbelievable. I really hope that there are some big slope style contests in Russia in the near future, I would be so stoked to go.
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Your parents originally come from Russia. Were you born in the USA? Do you speak russian? My parents both grew up in St. Petersburg and then moved to the US, and I was born in Boston. They taught me Russian as my first language, so I still speak it fluently and speak Russian with them all the time at home. When I went to Moscow for the Adrenaline Games it was pretty awesome to get to talk to the riders in Russian for the first time. It made me feel like part of the Russian scene, when I had felt like part of the American scene all my life, which was different, and cool for me. What advice or “wise words” would you have for our readers and your fans? Thanks a lot! Life is about good times and having fun. For me, riding bikes and flying in the air is what’s fun for me, so that’s what I’ve always done and that’s what I’m best at. So find whatever you have fun doing, and stick with that because enjoyment is the only way to progress yourself in anything. Follow Nicholi on his fanpage
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Breakout 27.5" USAGE: All Mountain / Enduro CONDITIONS: Dry to Wet / Hardpack to Loam
Big, All Mountain fun. The Breakout’s large and in charge casing rides far faster than its girth suggests. Fast rolling belts of center tread meet oversized side knob incisors for a harmonious pairing of speed and cornering. Want to end every ride with a smile undeniably plastered to your mug? Slap on a set of Breakouts, fun comes in size large.
wtb.com
It‘s all about the ride...
RIDING IN
ISRAEL
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“MOUNTAINBIKING PARADISE“ IS SURELY NOT THE FIRST THING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COUNTRY, BUT ITS Incredible landscapes, ANCIENT PATHS, deserts and mountains MAKE IT An INTRIGUING HOLIDAY DESTINATION. We arrived here seeking for adventure, TO MEET new people and EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN. Welcome to Israel!
TEXT: ALEXEJ FEDOROV | PHOTOS: DMITRIY VAKULKA DIRTPIX.EU
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A
mazing view upon the sea, covered by sunset highlights and green backyards of seashore lined houses was opened up to our eyes – we immediately decided that we want to stay here and settle down on the skyscraper roof. “Ben Gurion” airport has met us with strange writing on a signboards – it was impossible to read one. Thanks to friendly citizens, who spoke English and Russian, we managed to find a way to the rail station, figure out the train schedule and finally set off to our friend Alex. In the city we got our Volkswagen bus from the “Champion Motors” company. Eli Cordially greeted us in the office and treated us with a super strong coffee, which finally woke us up after a long flight. Later this evening we met Tal from “Sababike” who became our guide for the first week. In the morning we already were riding in the “Canada” park, which is located not more than an hour drive from the capital city. This place suits the trail riding and trainings in the best possible way. We enjoyed seamless trails with technical sections, so the end of the first shooting day was awesome. Unfortunately being not quite well after the illness I was riding half intense , but even in spite of this fact i had few close calls and falls. Knee protectors defended me from serious injuries and I got off only with light scratches. As we were told by the locals, we might have brought European weather with us, because the next day the sun disappeared, it became cold and started raining. We moved to the kibbutz “Yagur” near the Haifa. We were met by Yaal who was also a biker and he told us about an excellent trail on the mountain right in front of the house. But it was raining, so riding and 50 | Let’s Ride! | Issue 2/2014
shooting didn’t seem such a pleasure. Fortunately we were invited to visit the “Source” manufacture. Manager Yair who looked like Steve Jobs guided us through the inner part of the production process. Manual labor is appreciated here and we saw how the sandals and hydro packs are being produced. Factory’s canteen became an apogee of our excursion and we got a perfect dinner over there. Later at night, while riding along the mountains, we admired Haifa with its night lights till the rain turned us back. As soon as it has stopped raining we moved to an old seaport – Akko – up to the north of the country. Akko, encircled with vallum, showed us something Israel was associated with.
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ON THE WAY TO THE UNKNOWN 52 | Let’s Ride! | Issue 2/2014
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Old narrow streets, sign-boards in Arabic, market with goodies, fresh seafood and fruits… We started our trip around Akko at the dock, where the first wave covered our feet and left us in sloppy shoes till the end of the day. Actually we faced this problem the whole trip long. The weather is warm here through the year and there are a lot of air-conditioners, but no heaters so far. Walking down the pier, we’ve reached the city center. We were weaving through the stony lanes of old city, attracting citizens’ glances, especially kids.
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Dima Repkin – one of the best enduriasts in Israel kindly agreed to show us his favorite tracks. A moment later we were on our way to the track of “Scorpions”. Hooray! It would have been the first time in the desert for each member of our team, so we visualized sand dunes under the scalding sun. On our way from Tel Aviv it hailed! “At least it’s warm in the desert” we thought… However our assumptions were wrong. We arrived to stony barren without any greenery, but with cold and strong wind.
No sun, no sand. Dima was trying to persuade us that what we see right now is not a typical winter and usually it is much warmer here. He told us that during the summer you may ride early in the morning due to intolerable heat in the afternoon. But we couldn’t believe him. Trail was stony, but not that technical. Flat tracts were changed by the uphills, but mostly downhills along the stony plateau and narrow paths. We were riding down to Arad, among the desert hills we saw a lot of straggling modern Bedouin stands – cabins, self-
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CRUISING THROUGH THE DESERT 56 | Let’s Ride! | Issue 2/2014
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made of iron plates, encircled with earthen walls to protect it from the wind. In front of each cabin there is a car and cable TV aerial. We’ve reached the beginning of the track by pickup, wiggling trough the pathless area. We were going up and down along the red barren and it seemed to us we are on another planet. An absence of greenery, red stones and strong wind forced a melancholy, so we didn’t want to leave a car. We put on the warmer clothes and got down to canyon, where the track was weaving among the hills. Upon the hill we enjoyed an impressive view on the valley…. Yeah, it was worth it! We followed Dima along the narrow track above the steep cliff. It was bit scary and suddenly happened something you actually don’t expect in such moment. Dima caught the stony wall with his handlebar, front
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OUR DIVINE FILM CREW
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wheel moved towards the steep drop... and I accidently did the same “trick”. My heart almost stopped, but we’ve just passed through the dangerous track and stopped after - we had to calm down. At the same time rain started to fall again, we continued our journey, but due to luck of time and bad weather conditions we couldn’t get down to the valley. We came back to the car and headed down the old bastille «Wadi Zohar». Along the serpentine we were heading down the Dead Sea. We saw milestones with the height point. We turned off-road, put the helmets on and continued our trip by bikes. We had no orienting points and it seemed to us we are riding to nowhere. However Dima knew the way perfectly since this is his favorite trail and we reached a rocky trail quite soon. Weaving among the hills for some time we’ve reached the peak. Red sun was shining through the grey clouds above the Dead Sea, transforming everything into the mysterious, alien landscape. We are ready to downhill. To be honest it was one the best descents of this trip. At the beginning of the track we could hardly recognize a path, but later it became straight and brought us down to the old bastille, which was a customs house long time ago. The car was waiting for us right here and brought us back up to the hill. The second downhill turned out to be a great pleasure and were eager to give it a third try, but we had to go home.
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We decided to have a rest on Sunday. We left our photographers in Tel Aviv to film the city and it’s citizens. Our destination was a Ben Shemen park, which is covered by a web of trails. After couple of up and downhills we stopped to have a rest in the orchard. Sun was shining, making the air warmer and warmer. We lodged on the glade and our guide Tal fired up a gas cooker and coffee machine. Lovely coffee aroma filled the orchard. We were telling different stories to each other, not only about bikes. Suddenly I realized how amazing our sport is, how it is full of positives. Despite us coming from different countries, we always had topics to discuss. We are very welcome as guests and with pleasure welcome others, show each other our favorite trails and share all the fun while riding them. Finished with coffee we got back to the car.
Tal guided us via a stony wide opened path. An incredible view on the city opened to us and the track was fast, but smooth. It was already dark on our way back home and this beautiful day ended up with a pint of cold local beer. “We’ll miss our train!” – Kale told us. There was Amir Rockman from Gordon Active waiting for us in Jerusalem. We hurried to the railway station, which is guarded as the airport by people with guns and metal detectors. In Israel it’s quite normal to see armed soldiers, nevertheless it was quite disturbing at the beginning but we finally got used to tham, seated nearby in the public transport. Some of them were interested in who we are and what we are doing, we showed them photos and videos. All in all, while travelling
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WE DIDN’T EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED - SNOW IN ISRAEL
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around Israel we met really kind and helpful people. Probably it is one of the distinctive characteristics of Israel. Getting closer to Jerusalem it has started snowing, which was totally unexpected and dumbfounded the locals. Amir met us at the station and guided us to a luxury hotel “Dan Boutique”. The absolutely magnificent rooms with an incredible view on the old city were waiting for us. We quickly finished up with a check-in, grab our bikes and headed down to the city, seeking for places for shooting. It has been quite a long time since I saw so much snow. We came back late, being tired and hungry. We took a shower and went out for dinner. We chose a restaurant called “Colony”, designed in a colonial style as the
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name suggest. Food was awesome and we came back to the hotel being ready for next day journey around Jerusalem and visiting of Wailing Wall. We were riding in catacombs, which are now rebuilt for souvenirs’ shops. Interesting that no one except the kids payed attention to us. Seemed it’s ordinary for that place being full of bikers. Smooth and wet pavement didn’t provide us with a proper grip, which made riding a bit tricky, however we ended up without shameful falls. We were amazed how so many different religions, mixed in this city, can keep that harmony. Later this day we met musicians, playing in old chapel. We really liked each other and they taught us playing an eastern instrument.
When it turned to dark, we moved to another city, called Mitzpe Ramon and stayed in the “Bike hotel”. The rooms, being stylized for a flat made us feel at home. We were charmed by the empty city night and it felt like being inside a movie, which takes part somewhere in Mexico… probably “No country for an old men”? After we had a proper breakfast, we went to a bike shop, guided by Roman – an expert in local trails. Not long time before Mike Hopkins had visited this place and Roman would like to show us that trail, where Mike was riding during his trip. From the bottom of the trail it didn’t seem that scary so we got up the hill and planned the line of our ride down. «I am a free rider» I told myself – I rode the
same trail as Mike Hopkins! However after couple of tries, which ended up with a fail I gave up. Probably it wasn’t my day. I was mostly stupidly stopping and loosing balance. I was in a blue mood, especially because Kale improved each try on his hard tail. On our way back, we found out a sandy wall, which could be used for jumps what cheered me up a bit. We did a photo session there. Later this evening we’ve visited kubbitz “Samar”, where we stayed for one night and had a perfect dinner – baked potato, chicken, salads and of course beer, just enough to recharge.
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STREETS OF JERUSALEM
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Early in the morning, Yaron – a passionate free rider guided us to park-reserve Timna. A view on this park made us feel like being in Mordor from “The Lord of the rings”. Sun was rising and we went up to the nicely built trails. With respect to the park park we decided to ride along the trail, keeping away from the off-road. Sometimes we rode via small bridges, made of stones and contrainclines. We took a break, eating huge dates. And yep, MTB is the best sport ever! Despite the fact there were no overly technical sections and altitude differences, this trail left us with the best memories from the whole trip to Israel. Afterwards we went to “secret” trail – a stony path. Right in the beginning the track was full of turns, laid above the steep ridge and it became more and more complicated moving down due to stony stairs, danger turns and quicksand. I lost my concentration during one of the downhills and almost fell down the the cliff! I decided to call it a day!
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ART INSTALLATION, MONUMENT, OR PART OF FORMER ARMY FACILITY?
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We packed our bikes and moved to the Dead Sea with an intent of visiting a bike festival. Desert Challenge festival (http://www.desertchallenge.co.il/en/) gathered riders not only from Israel, but from Palestine as well. Organizers successfully showed how sport can unite people and strengthen the friendship. During the first day of the festival a kids contest was held and we took a part in it supporting the kids. We were the only team representing Europe. Later this evening there was a concert where bands from both countries played all together. Next day we took part in a 48 kilometer marathon through the desert. At the beginning the trail was
weaving through the sandy hills, with light ups and downs, then we arrived to an endless plateau and in front of us the sun was rising. It felt like being in a fantastic movie. We made a circle and changed a trail on our way back. Then I saw something that looked like a slalom track with a wallride and decided to play on it, since it was not actually a competition. I forgot, that right before the start I increased my tires pressure from 1.8 up to 2.5 bars. Getting up the smooth sandy wall, I’ve lost the grip and slipped down ending up with twisted handlebar and grazed knees – I didn’t have any protection on. Despite all that stuff the race turned out awesome. letsridemag.com | 77
THE JOYS OF EXPLORATION
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The last night we spent in Tel Aviv, enjoying this modern, beautiful city. Later that evening together with our friends we went out for a very tasty dinner to a Russian restaurant called “Baba-Yaga�.
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Two weeks ended very quickly in this amazing and hospitable country. Israel with it’s incredible landscape and countless trails is a heaven either for bikers or for those who likes adventures and active sports. We came closer to each other and became friends while travelling. Israel is the country which once visisted leaves you eager to come visit it again! Bivol: Once I stayed all alone in the desert, someone stayed back, someone moved further… I got down to hollow. No wind was in there. And I heard a new sound – the sound of absolute silence. There is no wind, no people, no insects… nothing. You are able to hear only yourself. For me it became one the most memorable feelings of the year. Kale: I was surprised how modern the Tel Aviv is with it’s buildings, which I pictured being much older in my mind. I was pleased with citizens’ hospitality, but I’ve expected this. Bike hotels and trails in Timna are must see places. However the most bright memory was taking part in marathon “Desert Challenge”. Thanks to organizers. Two weeks, full of emotions, ended up very quickly, however the only thing I am confident of – I’ll definitely come to Israel in order to have a deep dive in it’s culture and have a perfect rest.
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Equipment: Alexej Fedorov - Lapierre Zesty Kalle Steege - Dartmor Hornet Alex Bivol - Canon 7d Dmitry Vakulka - Nikon 800 Partners: TSG, EVOC, WTB, Platzangst, Seeberger, tune, Ministry Of Tourism Israel, Besuch Israel, Miles Racing, Planet Pics, VW Commercial Vehicles, Champion Motors Friends: Dima Repkin, Yaal Kol, Tal Rozow from Sababike, Bike Planet, Bikedeal www.bikedeal.co.il, Amir Rockman from Gordon Active, Ekaterina Kozhevatova from Eventum Premo, Eli Elimelech from Champion Motors CHECK OUT TRIP MOVIE TRAILER !
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TRAILTROPHY TEXT: ALEXEJ FEDOROV | PHOTOS: DMITRIY VAKULKA dirtpix.eu
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#2
BREITENBRUNN GERMANY
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F
OREST, HILLS, STONES, ROOTS – ALL THIS AND OVERALL 60KM OF PERFECT TRAILS ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN GERMANY’S FIRST TRAIL BIKER PARK IN BREITENBRUNN. THE PARK, LOCATED IN THE EAST OF GERMANY, WAS ALSO A PERFECT LOCATION TO HOST THE TRAILTROPHY ENDURO RACE THIS YEAR. BUILT BY RABENBERG TRAIL CENTER, IT ATTRACTS MORE AND MORE GERMAN BIKERS AS WELL AS THEIR NEIGHBORS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND POLAND.
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We started our opening, link stage in the groups of ten and as a warm-up rode a flowing singletrack with wallrides and kickers. Shortly after, we arrived at the start of the first timed stage. In the first, pretty flat half we had to stand hard on the pedals in order to keep the momentum. Shortly after we could speed up in entering a section bristled with stones, roots and lots of corners. It was a pretty good, not too demanding start of the 2 days racing.
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Warmed up we were ready for the coming 6 hours of biking at our limits – 24 kilometers including over an altitude of 1000 meters were waiting to be conquered by the riders. Stages were getting more difficult and some riders had to fight with technical defects, while others had their first harsh contact with the local forest floor. Our challenge was the Cane Creek shock in Nicolai’s frame which was losing air pressure during the race. I tried to pump it up again, but after some failed attempts realized that the the main chamber was loose and caused that unstoppable air leak. Not the easiest technical problem to tackle while being in a race mode with a very limited set of tools.
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This defect started to cause real problems when we entered the last stage of the day called “Stone Garden�. In this part it was important to speed up at the start and keep this momentum during the whole rocky and bumpy trail, which was rally hard to pedal. The pressure in my shock was quickly gone, lowering my bottom bracket what caused the cranks to hit the stones slowing me down significantly. How frustrating! Returning from the trail, I found a fitting wrench to repair my damper and was hoping to gain some lost seconds on the next day.
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The next morning started 25 kilometers with a grade over 800m. Around noon rain appeard, so the rooty parts got fairly sketchy forcing us to stay focus and occasionally entertained by all the “close calls” and “lucky saves”. Despite the rain and exhausting trail, I could find my flow and luckily my shock did its work again.
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After 12 stages we waited for the results. Jakub finished 12th in the ProClass and 52nd in the overall. I was ranked on 18th and 82nd spot. Having in mind the last day with the technical defects and some falls, we were honestly satisfied with our results. However, “only” 10 seconds faster and we would ended up way higher on the list. That made us hungry for the next year’s round. Finishing a great weekend we headed north to visit our friends from “Gravity Factory” and then we continued our road trip to Czech Republic. Special thanks to Thomas Schlecking, Rabenberg Trail Center and Sven Rübe. www.trailtrophy.eu
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follow us at facebook www.facebook.com/bike.anothercountry
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CZECH THIS OUT
RYCHLEBSKE STEZKY TRAILCENTER TEXT: ALEXEJ FEDOROV | PHOTOS: DMITRIY VAKULKA dirtpix.eu
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Old
but well-preserved cozy houses, small village shops, tractors on the streets, historical churches, it seems like the time had stopped in Cerna Voda. After a long drive through Germany and the Czech Republic we arrived in this small village, perfect for biking and relaxing. Among this timeless idyll we found the fantastic trail park RychlebksĂŠ Stezky.
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Our accommodation was a room in a bikers house in the center of the village provided by people who run the Trailcenter. Across the street we found a biker’s café called “Trail House”, where during our stay, a meeting of distributors for new WTB products took place in Cerna Voda. Whereas the “Trail House” rents out Pivot bikes with new WTB tires and saddles, we had the singular chance to test those new products on the local tracks. We got Pivot Mach 5.7 carbon bikes with Vigilante and Bronson tires, as well as Mach 429 with new Trail Boss’ and Nine Lines rubbers from WTB.
All the tracks within the park can be ridden in a circle and combined according to the diffeeent difficulty levels. We started our run with “Dr.Wiessnera”, a track crossing a small creek, with north shore elements, lots of corners and technical sections. We continued with the black track “Wales and Verlyba”. It was dominated by natural, stony and rooty ground, partially pretty technically, demanding all our skills. I personally like such track where not the speed but the flow and technique matters.
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After this great challenge, the Superflow track – a quite fitting name – was waiting for us. First we had to climb up on the top of the hills. At this moment, no one expected that the smile on our face would stay until we entered our accommodation. The track started with wide corners with berms,followed by tabletops, kickers and multiple choice lines. Then it narrowed down and led on a twisty path between the trees. Soon after we were surprised again by another section of new jumps and smaller drops – a really fun surprise which continued pretty much all the way down to the park station. We stayed in Cerna Voda for another three days and rode all the tracks few times. Every morning we were woken up by a fantastic coffee served in the “Trail House” which kept us going day in and day out. Our Pivot bikes proved to be really good trailriding machines., especially the Mach 5.7 – 145mm on the back and 150mm on the front in combination with a steep head. That combined with light weight made it feel like a real trail rocket. Regarding the Mach 429 with 100mm travel and 29inch wheels, it is more convenient for a relaxed riding on long tours and cross country, than fast tracks with jumps like the “Superflow”. What we really liked was the grip of the new Trail Boss and Vigilante tires. Bronson and Nine Line are very good for uphills and on smooth and dry tracks. Problems occurred only on rooty and stony parts of the track. Even though they were tubeless we got some flats.
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At the end of those four fantastic days, we have to admit that RychlebskĂŠ stezky is one of the best trail parks that we have ridden. It really deserves special attention and we is definitely worth a short, weekend trip. Trailcenter info and accommodation: www.rychlebskestezky.cz Coffee, cake, bike shop & rental: www.trailhouse.cz
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Wade Simmons
BEST BIKE BACKPACKS www.evocsports.com Photography: Margus Riga
Brett Tippie
THE NORTH SHORE
POLISH ENDURO HOTTEST WILDEST STEEPEST ENDURO RACING WE’VE DONE SO FAR WORDS: ALEXEJ FEDOROV PHOTOS: DMITRIY VAKULKA DIRTPIX.EU
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#2 Mieroszow by
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When
speaking of biking and traveling, Poland isn’t the country most people immediately have in mind. The bike scene and culture are not as much developed there as in Western Europe. But still, Poland more recently was made known in the international scene thanks to brands like Darmtoor, NS Bikes and Antidote. The guys from MTB portal EMTB.pl decided to organize the Enduro race in this intriguing country and invited us to join their race in the south west of Poland.
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The Enduro race took place in a small town of Mieroszow located in the Lower Silesia. It was the second event of the EMTB.pl series consisting of 3 races. Each year the event gathers more participants, not only from Poland but also from the Czech Republic, which speaks for the positiv MTB development in this country. After arriving we found a cozy hotel on the edge of the forest near the city. Everywhere you could meet other bikers, many had earlier checked and ridden parts of the race stages. After a brief conversation with some of them it quickly became clear to us that the race would not be easy.
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«The tracks are very heavy, you can go straight home» - they told us. «I’m sure they exaggerate», Jakub tried to calm me down. So we tried not to worry too much in advance, we got our start numbers, spoke to the organizers, met some colleagues from the Polish magazine «Magazyn Rowerowy» and eventually went to the start located on Mieroszow’s market square. Prologue began with a short trail on the nearby hill, and let through a short pumptrack section, a few fast corners, a steep uphill and a descent leading through the old town towards the finish line. It was short but fairly strenuous part - a good start of the race. After that we were greeted by a long entry, partly with almost no visible way, which went through the forest to the first stage.
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Link between first and second stage took us out of the town. In a hot morning sun we climbed and hiked through the meadows towards a nearby, small mountain range. Second stage began with a steep trail which led through a forest, unfortunately not always well marked. All went well until I came out of the woods. Having the finish line in my sight I went straight to a deep pothole which launched me of the bike. Tumbling down I ended in a nearby creek. I hit my head pretty hard and was shortly disoriented. Of course, I lost valuable time and was quite disappointed and even shocked by the unexpected surprise on the track. This incident put me off my pace and the next stages were even more difficult. As we later found out, the organizers claimed they wanted to organize the hardest race in the series - and we have to admit,they clearly managed that. Back on the track, ahead of us were steep and long uphills, as well as adequate technical descents. One of them was a very slippery, steep and rocky trail on which the majority of the participants fell, so as we did. On to the next stage, we had to climb by feet. Coming down there were many roots and thanks to the overflowing creek there was a lot of mud, too. Quite refreshing, considering the temperatures which were reaching 30° Celsius. On the other hand, in between the stages we enjoyed wonderful views of the Polish countryside: forests, villages and fields. Having survived most of the tough and insanely steep stages we were hoping for the final one to be the easy one. It was not the case. Apparently it was the hardest of them all! My strength and concentration was significantly faded, so in some places I decided to get off my bike in order to not take any unnecessary risks.
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IT WAS ROUGH, LOOSE, DRY AND DEADLY STEEP. MANY WERE LITERALLY CATAPULTED FROM THEIR COMFORT ZONES!
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Once the whole track was finally completed, we eventually rolled down back to the city. Luckily there was no rush with the end ceremony so we managed to get a shower, change and grab some food before heading back to the town where an open-air stage with a live band was gathering all racers and local spectators. Jakub came in 16th and I was 51st, not bad, but after getting back on my feet again I immediately regretted not having given everything in the race. However, in terms of track length and difficulty, combined with hot weather it was surely the harderst race of the year. This event took us out of our comfort zones more than once, what was sometimes really frightning and dangerous, but at the end of the day gave us a great feeling of accomplishment and surely pushed our skills a bit further. Organizers are still on a learning path, but did a great job and therefore we recommend this event to those who want to try something wild and different. We’re hoping to come back in 2015 to improve our rankings. www.emtb.pl
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tland wnhill TEXT: Marcel Ebert PHOTOGRAPHER: Ruben GĂœnter
Season Ending
W
ith much anticipation we went to our last race of the current season in Schoeneck. The weather was finally friendly and we were hoping for fairly dry conditions. Much to our surprise there was extensive construction in progress. We could see the building site of a huge bike park. We are really excited to see the results. However, the joy of a possible new bike park was followed by a huge disillusionment when we saw the DH track. Extremely deep mud and a rather tentative scale track clouded the mood. Nothing was the way it used to be in 2013. An enduro bike would have been a better choice for the long pedaling sections at the top. The training went quite well despite some falls
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and we were able to come to terms with the conditions to some extent. Unluckily in the first run Marcel got a puncture in the front wheel. In wet conditions part of the second section was almost not rideable. Patrick and Konstantin both finished with solid times and positioned themselves high in the ranks. During the second run I lost my chain as well as the chance for a good result, so I let the brakes off and tried to gain some momentum for the last section of the track. At the finish line I was surprised to see that for the time being I managed to get the fastest run. There were not many riders left so I hoped to keep good position.
Patrick managed an incredibly fast 1:39 and was only 0.2 seconds behind the winning time. Konstantin got a clean run and finished on 26th spot. Despite the technical defects I got 10th. Thus we had a great season’s ending with best results this year. Now that the season ended so well we are already fully in the preparations for 2015. Many thanks to the team and all those who supported us in 2014. www.gravityfactory.de
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On January 30th 2015, mountain bike pro’s will head back into the Alps for the first FMB World Tour event of the season. The silver event held on snow is the first time fans can see what the riders have been working on during the off-season. With a course made completely from snow, White Style is no walk in the park. You can expect to see some big names this winter in Leogang. PhotograPhers: Daryl Brown, Bartek Wolinski, Christoph Laue
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Standing at the bottom of the course, looking up at the chain of huge snow kickers, it’s hard to believe that when the floodlights come on, the athletes will start flipping, spinning and whipping their way down. Over the last 9 years White Style has been a salvation for mountain bike fans looking to escape the winter months and enjoy some rad slopestyle action.
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The riders’ field is still not confirmed, but you can expect a heavy line up of athletes eager to throw down their best tricks. This is a pre-season opportunity for athletes to not only get the first FMB ranking points in the bag, but also warm up for the upcoming season. Getting focused and tuning into competition mode also requires practice. In the past, White Style has surprised us more than once. We have seen big tricks go down like Pavel Alekhin’s (RUS) backflip double tailwhip in 2013 and rookie riders like Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) breakthrough into the pro scene.
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This year was Antoine Bizet’s for the taking. The Frenchman put together an impressive run, finishing off with a double backflip to seal the victory. His win at White Style was his first ever victory at an international contest. Rising talent, Nicholi Rogatkin celebrated his second place and Swede, Anton Thelander secured third. Mountain bike slopestyle is progressing each year and it all begins right here in Leogang at White Style. What bangers will we see hit the snow and which athlete will climb to the top? We will find out on January 30th 2015 at the Schanteilift in Leogang.
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Because White Style is about celebrating being back on a bike - visitors will be able to enter a fun Fat Bike race, held for the first time in 2015. Participants will put the extra wide tires to the test on a snowy dual slalom track next to the White Style course. It is the perfect way to make the most of the exceptional winter atmosphere in the Alps while enjoying a holiday retreat to Saalfelden Leogang.
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Further information can be found here: http://bike.saalfelden-leogang.com/en All the White Style 2015 news can be found on the official Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/White.Style.Leogang
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WE WISH YOU AND HAPPY, N TRAILS I
YOUR LET’S R Alexej, Phil, Målin, J
ALL THE BEST NEVERENDING IN 2015!
RIDE TEAM: Jakub & Dmitriy
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or copied without a written permission of the publisher.
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY EDITORS Alexej Fedorov Phil Sauder M책lin Buntrock Alexej Ivanov Maria Ugrozova LAYOUT Jakub Reichhart PHOTOGRAPHER Dmitriy Vakulka ADVERTISING Phil Sauder
marketing@letsridemag.com
SPECIAL THANKS
Hannes Klausner, Peter Schmid from Solid Bikes, Robin Warne from Hope, Daniel Geiger, Andrey Shevtsov, Johannes Gauder, Evgeny Stazenko, Ruben G체nter, Konstantin Mai from Gravity Factory
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