Events
Soderstrom having a contest, still has broken leg.
Martin Soderstrom has subscribed for podiums the past years on the FMB World Tour.
On September 28th he takes a new step in his career and for the first time he invites some of the world's best Mountain Bike Big Air riders to his home town Uppsala to his first signature event 'Martin Soderstrom Invitational'. For those who won't be on-site, you can watch the spectacle at www.svtplay.se/video/1476001/28-9-15-00.
Martin Soderstrom's road to the top started in 2007 with an edit posted on Youtube, spreading across the world. The following year he already competed internationally with top results in a series of slopestyle events in Europe. Since 2009 the young Swede is one of the world's best riders. Last year, he missed the FMB World Tour title just barely at the last jump of the season's final. "The 'Martin Söderström Invitational' will be the highlight of the year in my home town Uppsala. The crowds will get an awesome show and will experience something they've never seen before", says Martin.
The invited riders, amongst them his Swedish buddy and 2013 shooting star Anton Thelander, will compete on a course which starts on the courtyard of Uppsala Castle and finishes below in the Botanic Garden. One of its eye-catching features is a big gap jump over a two lane road, forcing the riders to clear almost 15 meters of air. "The jumps are spectacular, built to stretch boundaries and give room for new tricks", Martin smiles furtively.
Hosting from the side-line
But it will not be Martin Soderstrom himself landing big new tricks. His crash at Red Bull Joyride during the Crankworx Festival in August sent him to the emergency room with a broken leg and an expected ten weeks on crutches. Instead he will dive deeper into the role of a host for his own signature event, supported by his fans via social media under the hashtags #GetWellMartin or #MSinvitational. "I'm so psyched about the event, and grateful for all the support. Now, I'm looking forward to bring my sport to Uppsala, even if I can't ride myself. Despite the crash, I'm satisfied with my season and committed to come back in 2014 to go for the overall win of the FMB World Tour", concludes Martin.
Competition format
The competition starts with a jam session where the riders are free to drop in and ride the track as often as they want. The 45 minute session decides the rider ranking. The best eight riders will qualify for the final, where they will compete head-to-head in two runs against each other: the best rider compared to the last, second best against second-last, etc. The best rider moves to the next round and finally the winner remains.
Invited riders:
- Pavel Alekhin Vishneviy (RUS)
- Andreu Lacondeguy (ESP)
- Sam Pilgrim (GBR)
- Yannick Granieri (FRA)
- Szymon Godziek (POL)
- Linus Sjöholm (SWE)
- Anton Thelander (SWE)
- Elof Lindh (SWE)
- Matt Jones (GBR)
- Max Fredriksson (SWE)
- Sindre Harbak (NOR)
- Antoine Bizet (FRA)
- Alexander Alenko (SWE)
- Xavier Pasamonte Romero (ESP)
Live webcast
The competition is a Big Air Freestyle Mountain Bike Event and will be held in central Uppsala on Saturday, September 28th. It will be broadcast live on SVT Play on http://www.svtplay.se/video/1476001/28-9-15-00 starting at 3 pm local time (CET).