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Foto / Video story

  • RUX WORLD TOUR PART 1

    Sporting success is achieved only when the team is strong.

    Words &  Photos Hoshi Yoshida  

Sporting success is achieved only when the team is strong. The team can only be strong when the Spirit is strong and this comes only through collective experiences. The kick-off took place in February under winter conditions at EVO Bike Park Digne-les-Bains. A group of World Cup downhillers and freeriders built the first downhill course in the park, a steep fast black slope, named Chainsaw. The next tour stop was in March and coupled with the introduction of the POLYGON Team in Queenstown. We continued to BC Canada, where the long winter hung around until May. French and Canadian riders provided a cultural mix and got on like a house on fire. With the European leg of the tour in Digne-les-Bains, the Canadians and Americans met up with their French counterparts for some serious fun and shredding which continued at the EVO Bike Park.

This could have been an „easy“ photo footplant if you wouldn’t care about the landing. But this would not be Doerfling. He wanted and he did a fully clean run, jumping off the wall and dropping into the steep chute down to the lake. No photo - cheating. Location: Spencers Bridge BC, CAN.
The RUX World Tour has hit North American ground, James Doerfling puts the official logo sticker on his camper. Location: Marble Canyon Provincial Park, BC.
We started a mellow session at the black hills, but with Carson Storch throwing this 360° drop we noticed where the level for fun begins for the pros. Location: Digne-les-Bains, France.
The North American freeride lifestyle is, throwing bikes on the truck and roam around until you find an interesting spot for your next challenge.
Some rotten tree trunks needed to be removed from the roll-in zone.
This was also part of the RUX World Tour, some fun shredding at EVO bike park. Of course the riders choice was nothing less than the double black diamond. Rider: Eliott Lapotre, Location: Digne-les-Bains, France.
We found this steep slope by chance at Savona. A first nation native told us this is banned land but he allowed us to get on top of the mountain to ride this slope. This was really cool. Rider: Mark Matthews.
The warm-up run of Sam Reynolds following Carson Storch filmed with GoPro reached 125 thousand viewers in only a few days. It shows how much big they go and how much fun they have on the double black diamond. 
Guinea pigging his own line, pretty fast and rough. Rider: Jeremy Stowards.
Almost sunset on the high speed course down to the bottom of „chainsaw“ DH.
Fabien Cousinier is the team manager of the Polygon UR team and still on fire dropping in to the black hills.
Mitch Chubey sending a suicide no hander over the jump line. 
Sam Reynolds joined us between the two Euro Crankworx. Location: Digne-les-Bains, France.
The first nation people let us camp on their property. Very kind and they are also true mountain bike enthusiasts. 
The inauguration of the „Chainsaw“ downhill course at the EVO bike park. SRSUNTOUR is proud partner and has been involved from the beginning. Our riders did the first ground braking and a couple of weeks later the Champéry / Val di Sole inspired steep and fast course was ready.
Typical for a world cup DH racer is the enormous speed. As a matter of fact the jumps become big. This is „Ben Coulangers“ signature style. Rider: Benoit Coulanges, Location: Lillooet BC, CAN.
You see the Thomson River in the background. It started to rain and the dusty moon sand turned to mud all of a sudden. It was high time for Benoit Coulanges to descend. Location: Spencers Bridge BC, CAN.