Banger tricks filled Leogang's evening air on Saturday. Riders showed combos, which are hard to describe, close to impossible to ride but simply amazing to watch. Two of the tricks were never even seen before! Young guns Nicholi Rogatkin (1st) and Matt Jones (3rd) made it clear at 26TRIX that they mean business this year. Top dawg Thomas Genon usual precision and consistency landed him in second. Just missing the podium, Antoine Bizet bagged the prize money for the GoPro Best Trick.
26TRIX was a real thriller this year. Just like most events located in the mountains, the weather conditions were far from predictable. On Saturday, training had to be cut short due to strong wind. Despite not having much time to practice, in the finals the twelve qualified riders went far beyond any expectations. When the wind died down, they pulled everything out of their trick bag, including some hidden gems. When the neighboring UCI Four-cross World Championships came to a close and the large crowd could not ignore what they were witnessing. Drawn in by the airtime and spectacular tricks, the atmosphere was electric when the action kicked off!
Absolutely amazing tricks were being thrown down all along the Bikepark Leogang dirt jump course. 18-year-old American, Nicholi Rogatkin took the crowds breath away and left the judges with no choice but to award him his first ever FMB World Tour Gold event victory. His move over from BMX to mountain bike paid off big time. He started his winning run with the signature Cashroll, a move only a handful of riders have in their repertoire. A one handed superman seatgrab, followed by his famous lazy front flip made it clear this was a podium run. A double tailwhip, a barspin at the hip and a frontflip tuck nohand at the last jump sealed the deal and earned him the top spot on the podium. Following close behind was Thomas Genon. In 2014, the Belgian has already three FMB victories to his name and his experience showed in his flawless performance. A frontflip nohand, 360 seatgrab indian air and a 360 downside whip were the highlights of his run. Matt Jones, the British wonderkid, won over the spectators with a 360 tuck nohand to barspin as well as a huge backflip superman seatgrab. His run placed him third.No one could have guessed just how impressive the finals would be at 26TRIX – but the fast and flowy course seemed to be the ideal playground for the dirt jump elite. Antoine Bizet and Sam Reynolds appeared to be feel right at home. The British gent honored the crowd with his bikeflip and the French superstar nailed the first ever double backflip tuck no hand Antoine Bizet bagged the 1,000 Euro prize money for the GoPro Best Trick contest.
Here are the results of the 26TRIX 2014 finals:
- Rogatkin, Nicholi, USA, 18, Specialized
- Genon, Thomas, BEL, 20, Canyon
- Jones, Matt, GBR, 19, Saracan Bikes
- Bizet, Antoine, FRA, 21, Kona
- Reynolds, Sam, GBR, 23, Polygon UR
- Godziek, Szymon, POL, 22, Dartmoor
- Thelander, Anton, SWE, 19, Canyon
- Soderstrom, Martin, SWE, 24, Specialized
- Messere, Anthony, CAN, 18, Morpheus Bikes
- Granieri, Yannick, FRA, 27 ,YT Industries
- Gani, Mehdi, FRA, 25
- Henke, Peter, GER, 21, Canyon