Binnen vier weken is het zover. Dan wordt de Red Bull District Ride in Catania gehouden. Tijd dus voor een bericht van de organisatie, want wie rijden er allemaal en wat kan het publiek verwachten. Inmiddels is ook de nieuwe website van de District Rides online. Lees hieronder het persbericht.

Countdown is on: The world’s best riders are already confirmed for Catania, Sicily
New event website 2006: http://www.redbulldistrictride.com/  is online

Only 4 weeks to go for the biggest freeride spectacle – Red Bull District Ride 2006- which will start in Catania, Italy on July 15th & 16th. The best riders of the world are already confirmed for the Red Bull District Ride in Sicily. They gonna throw down hard in the old town of Catania. They’ll show all their sickest tricks in order to get also the chance to go to the District Ride in Nuremberg on August  4th & 5th where one guy can win the huge overall prize – the pimped up Ford Pick Up truck.

You can find the major details on the new website for both events which is online since a few days: http://www.redbulldistrictride.com/ . The website shows all you need to know about the Red Bull District Ride: great action with a video clip and photos, details on both courses, the rider portraits of the best freeriders in the world and other information about the two cities.

The Riders
Besides the big guns of Freeride that everyone knows which will come to the Red Bull District Ride, some unknown talents get the chance to compete with the stars of the sport. The first wildcard went to the youngster Adam Hauck at the SeaOtter Dirt Jump in California. Christopher Hatton won the CUT slopestyle series in Germany and got the 2nd wildcard of the year. Andreu Lacondequy gained himself also a wildcard at the BRAUN 26TRIX in Leogang, he scored a 2nd place at the biggest dirt jump event of Europe. The 17yr old rider from Spain is, besides Adam Hauck (also 17yrs.), the youngest rider on the athlete list. The last wildcard is going to be decided at the Best Tricks Contest of the Red Bull Trailfox in Laax, Switzerland on June 24th.

Most riders already confirmed their attendance for Catania, the list of riders sounds amazing:\

• Aaron Chase (USA)          
• Geoff Gulevich (CAN)
• Paul Basagoitia (USA)      
• Grant Fielder (UK)
• Kyle Strait (USA)          
• Nathan Rennie (AUS)
• Cameron McCaul (USA)       
• Darren Berrecloth (CAN)
• Carlo Dieckmann (GER)      
• Adam Hauck (USA)
• Timo Pritzel (GER)         
• Gee Atherton (UK)
• Thomas Vanderham (CAN)     
• Christopher Hatton (FRA)
• Cedric Gracia (FRA)        
• Andreu Lacondequy (ESP)
• Gareth Dyer (CAN)          
• John Cowan (USA)
• Joscha Forstreuter GER)    
• Jamie Goldman (USA)
• Guido Tschugg (GER)        
• Darren Pokoj (AUS)
• Trond Hansen (NOR)         
• Alberto Accetulli (ITA)
• Lance McDermott (UK)       
• Eric Porter (USA)
• Cameron Zink (USA)
• Kyle Ebbett (USA)
• Greg Watts (USA)
• Mischa Breitenstein (SUI)
• Niels Windfeldt (NOR)

Besides the riders also the judges are confirmed: We’ve got the head judge Paul Rak from Whistler, last year’s judges Ben Gordon and Benny Paulsen (both from Germany) and Vincent Vegas from France.

We are proud to announce the co sponsors of the Red Bull District Ride in Catania which will be Dainese, Ford and BRAUN. Dainese will do a best trick session; BRAUN will provide their truck with the giant screen. Ford will provide the shuttles for riders and journalists. At each event the riders can win total prize money of 20,000 Euros. And then of course the grand prize of both events – the pimped up Ford Pick Up truck.

For the Red Bull District Ride in Nuremberg the co sponsors will be Oakley, Marzocchi, BRAUN and of course Ford. Watch out: Oakley’s Sick-O Award will happen again in Nuremberg. The media partner at both events will be Freecaster.

After each event you can see video clips from the urban freeride action that goes down in Catania and Nuremberg, just go on http://www.freecaster.com/ . Freecaster, the source for freesports and music beyond TV. 

Check out: http://www.redbulldistrictride.com/ One thing is for sure: both events will be the two biggest spectacles in the world of mountainbike freeride in 2006. So don’t miss the action!