Graham Agassiz profile: From Kona

Every once in a while, a rider blows us away. Not by the mind-over-matter rawness of balls-out bravado, nor the speed and power of physical prowess. No, they blow us away with style.

Style is somehow untraceable. Its headwaters are mysterious and unknown. One thing is for certain though, when it comes to style, either you have it, or you don't. Those who have it spades, well, they are the steezy ones. The stars. The ones we love to watch. Graham "Aggy" Agassiz has boatloads of style.

Sure, a lot of it must have to do with his roots. Having been born and raised in Kamloops, BC, one of Canada's most prolific cycling centers, Aggy spent the better part of his childhood racing BMX. He was a keener, and it wasn't long before he started experimenting with mountain bikes.

His first sponsor was the Bicycle Cafe, an iconic Kamloops shop that saw potential in the then 14-year-old shredder. "We got him a Kona Chute frame in 2005," says shop owner Cheryl Beattie. "Then we got him on Kona's Grassroots Program a couple years later. We just thought he was going to be good. He was really focused on being a pro, it felt like he was going to be champ." "I shredded Rose Hill every day after school on that bikes," explains Agassiz about his first mountain bike. "I learned how to flip and 360, I sent the Rose Hill road gap. That bike was solid."

Some 20 Kona bikes later, Aggy represents the prodigal Grassroots rider, from grom straight through to fully sponsored pro. "Kona seemed like the right type of fit for him, he loved riding their bikes" explains Beattie. "I always told him, 'better to pay for something you like than ride something for free that you don't like.'"

This past fall we set out to test Aggy's mettle deep in the wilds of coastal British Columbia. In the big mountains a few hours north of Whistler, Aggy and the Kona film crew would take that style, add a dose of bravado in the form of nasty first descents, and bring it to life in The Graham Agassiz Profile.

The Graham Agassiz Profile from Kona Bikes on Vimeo.