Check out fourcross World Cup champ Anneke Beerten’s promo vid on Freecaster. You’ll get a nice recap of her 2009 season, and can check out how she does what she does in slow-mo too!
We interviewed Anneke in July, and you can check that out here.
Click to head over to Freecaster and watch the vid
Katarina Tothova is a Czech rider whose skills range from tearing down a DH track at high speed, riding bmx and getting some well-styled airtime on freeride tracks. Check out this video of her riding from last year, and read on for the
Hi Katarina! Firstly, why do they call you Mad Kate?
Because after I had been riding bikes for one year, somebody stole my dh bike. I didn’t have money for a new one and my friend gave me hardtail for a small amount. It was a 10 year old frame and without stickers. I gave it a new coat of paint and a new title, from ‘Black Horse’ to ‘Mad Kate’. It was five years ago :D
Mad Kate's hardtail
Can you tell us about where you live, and what the riding is like there?
I’m from Czech Republic. I live in a spa town and we have some small hill, but it is boring. Only the bmx track is good for training. It is five minutes from my home. Generally CZ has only hills, not big mountains. Some bikeparks, but often we have problem with conservationists.
How long have you been riding for, and how did you get started?
I got started 6 years ago on the bmx track. I had a very bad freestyle bike. And than my team found me through the internet and loaned me a dh bike. My start in downhill was very hard and punk :D
You do a bit of DH, 4x and freeride. What’s your favorite kind of riding?
I think that it’s downhill and freeride. You can ride where you want and jump how you want. It is a lifestyle. Fourcross is dirty work.
Tell us about the video. Where was it filmed, what was it for, and was it fun to do?
It was filmed on our dh track, where I won the national championship two times. Next location was a slopestyle track, it is only 20 km from my home. Fun was when I fell off the drop :D
Haha! You are trying a drop, and you fall off the platform twice and keep going back and trying again! That’s a lot of courage. What goes through your head when you are trying a big jump for the first time?
It was only for the cameraman :D. Mostly I must jump in three attempts, because otherwise it is not probable that I jump. And when it is very big I must switch off my head.
Do you crash much? What was your best crash?
I didn’t have a big crash. Some concussion of the brain, some blood on my shin by pedals, one broken teeth, one broken blade-bone and last time, my injured shoulder.
Flat pedals vs. ankles. OW.
So you are injured at the moment, how did that happen? Have you found other activities to do while you can’t ride?
I was at the World Cup in Andorra. I was riding fourcross in a good position, but then Lene poke me and I fell directly my shoulder. I thought that it will be good after 14 days riding again, but at every event my shoulder was painful and on the last time the shoulder dropped out. I ride a bike always, but carefully. It is not horrible, it will be good for next season.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
Yes. To my sponsors, my sister, my most handy mechanic, my annoying photographer and my best little pony Tereza :D.
Cheers Katarina, hope your recovery goes well and look forward to seeing you shredding it next year!
Photos courtesy of Katarina Tothova.
It’s starting to warm up down in the Southern Hemisphere, the snow has packed up and headed north, and Mt Hutt shuttle days are kicking off. Once again, Andy is doing women’s riding a big favour but letting us all ride for FREE on the shuttles all summer! So if you’re in NZ keep an eye out here for the dates. And if you’re not in NZ this summer, we are now connected to the outside world by these awesome new things called ‘planes’, so you don’t even have to row across the Pacific any more. Yusss.
Here’s a new video from 406 Productions showing what went down at the Slope Sistair women’s slopstyle competition in Colorado a couple of weeks ago:
We also caught up with Stphanie Nychka, freerider and organiser of this event, to get the lowdown on how the weekend panned out:
Riders: 10 top female riders under one roof, sharing one shower, one fridge, and one mirror. Every girl was from a different background which was really neat – park, dirt jump, trail, slopestyle, DH/4X. That was probably one of the coolest parts of the event this year.
Photo: Stephanie Nychka
Transportation: We were shuttled by Matt Bolig (owner of Grassroots) in the shop’s new convertible 15 passenger van pulling a bike rack. Its fashioned with neon zip ties and will soon be spray bomb painted with matching colors!
Accessories: Lots of pink and each rider was gifted with a pink or purple hankerchief (its the only thing Darcy & I could find at Hobby Lobby that was ‘ranch’-like)
Temperature: HOT
Tammy Donaghue stylin' it up. Photo: Stephanie Nychka
Sponsors: Hoping for even more ‘girlie’ sponsors next year, Paul MItchell was our largest sponsor and compensated all the riders for their registration fees, and provided each clinic participant and competitor with 2 take home hair care kits. Other sponsors included: Grassroots Cycles, Dakine, Vitamin Water, Burly Girls, Sombrio, Empyrean Distributors, Freeride Foundation, and Hayes Next year, Cover Girl and Victoria’s Secret!
Food: Lots of yogurt, fruit, 3.2% beer, and juice. And one trip into town for Dolce Vita family sized pasta bowls.
Darcy Turenne hitting the wallride. Photo: Stephanie Nychka
Riding: The Ranch’s trail system with multiple freeridey/jump trails, a dual slalom, and the slopestyle course. We also had the oppotunity to shuttle the infamous Ribbon Trail, Free Lunch, and one of my favorites: Pucker Up (built by James Flatten of Grassroots)
Katie Hayes boosting one of the big kickers. Photo: Stephanie Nychka
Casualities: Nadia Steinbrecher – Red Rock facial after a technical steep section on the Ribbon Trail resulting in one minor concussion, some scratches, and a really deep hole in her lip.
Boys: There were a couple of boys. We used them to drive us around, fix our bikes, and take pictures.
Darcy, Tammy and Katie with some product from the sponsors. Photo: Stephanie Nychka
Results:
Jump Jam: 1. Tammy Donahugh, 2. Darcy Turenne, 3. Kathryn Hayes
SlopeStyle: 1. Tammy Donahugh, 2. Kathryn Hayes, 3. Darcy Turenne
NEXT YEAR: I want to ramp up attendance for the event and bring on more sponsors with money for podium spots. 2 very exciting venue opportunities next year, either in Grand Junction once again piggybacking Ranch Style, or back over to the Northwest to follow suit for SlopeSistair (new location every year).
You can check out the Slope Sistair website here.
Riders: 10 top female riders under one roof, sharing one shower, one fridge, and one mirror. Every girl was from a different background which was really neat- park, dirt jump, trail, slopestyle, DH/4X. That was probably one of the coolest parts of the event this year.
Accessories: Lots of pink and each rider was gifted with a pink or purple hankerchief (its the only thing Darcy & I could find at Hobby Lobby that was ‘ranch’-like)
Temperature: HOT
Sponsors: Hoping for even more ‘girlie’ sponsors next year, Paul MItchell was our largest sponsor and compensated all the riders for their registration fees, and provided each clinic participant and competitor with 2 take home hair care kits. Other sponsors included: Grassroots Cycles, Dakine, Vitamin Water, Burly Girls, Sombrio, Empyrean Distributors, Freeride Foundation, and Hayes Next year, Cover Girl and Victoria’s Secret!
Food: Lots of yogurt, fruit, 3.2% beer, and juice. And one trip into town for Dolce Vita family sized pasta bowls.
Riding: The Ranch’s trail system with multiple freeridey/jump trails, a dual slalom, and the slopestyle course. We also had the oppotunity to shuttle the infamous Ribbon Trail, Free Lunch, and one of my favorites: Pucker Up (built by James Flatten of Grassroots)
Transportation: We were shuttled by Matt Bolig (owner of Grassroots) in the shop’s new convertible 15 passenger van pulling a bike rack. Its fashioned with neon zip ties and will soon be spray bomb painted with matching colors!
Casualities: Nadia Steinbrecher Red Rock facial after a technical steep section on the Ribbon Trail resulting in one minor concussion, some scratches, and a really deep hole in her lip.
Boys: There were a couple of boys. We used them to drive us around, fix our bikes, and take pictures.
NEXT YEAR: I want to ramp up attendance for the event and bring on more sponsors with money for podium spots. 2 very exciting venue opportunities next year, either in Grand Junction once again piggybacking Ranch Style, or back over to the Northwest to follow suit for SlopeSistair (new location every year).
Here’s some shots from the weekend’s racing in Schladming, Austria. It was the last World Cup for 2009, and if you missed the results, 4x is here and DH here. Swiss rider Noëmi Derron took these photos for Martha Hucker dot com, cheers Noëmi!
Tracy Moseley was fastest on the super technical Schladming track on race day. It's her second World Cup win for 2009.
Anneke Beerten won the 4x, and the series. And she is NOT running over this flag!
Floriane Pugin does well on this track and was riding brilliantly all weekend. Fastest qualifier and second on race day, nice.
Celine Gros finished fourth, on the podium once again. In this shot she's taking time to check out the lines on practice day, and clearly she chose some good ones.
Norway's Anita Ager-Wick finished tenth in her only World Cup for 2009.
German rider Nicole Beege enterred her first World Cup race ever here in Schladming. She qualified for the finals and even got sit in the hotseat for a bit.
Harriet Rücknagel on track in some nice Fly gear.
Emmeline Ragot is third overall in the 2009 World Cup, after a crash in this race cost her enough points for Tracy to pass her in the overall standings. The mud on her brand new World Champion jersey says it all really.
Tracy Moseley has had a rocky year, and was stoked to take the win and a second place overall for 2009.
Sabrina Jonnier is the 2009 World Cup champion. But since she's been wearing that leader's jersey for a long time now, and she'd already won on points at the last round, today's third place must have been a little disappointing. Hopefully she celebrated later...
Rachel Atherton Darcy Turenne Tracy Moseley Stephanie Nychka Jill Kintner Mio Suemasa Melissa Buhl
