Jamie Goldman

Home town hero Brandon Semenuk made history today after he trumped the biggest names in Freestyle Mountain Biking, winning the Joyride event.

Sixteen of the best riders in the business duked it out for a chunk of the $45,000 in prize money and historical bragging rights. Each competitor had three runs to impress the judges and test their mettle on the new course. 

Fifteen-year-old Anthony Messere from Surrey BC, who was merely an alternate for this event 2 days ago, rode well beyond his years and placed on the podium in 3rd while defending champion, Cam Zink stepped into second place, but neither could stand up to Semenuk’s ultra smooth riding style and difficulty of tricks that catapulted him into top spot.

Andreu Lacondeguy

Semenuk described his emotions through his trade marked grin, “it was such a tight event, but what I love about mountain biking is there really aren’t any rivals, people try to make it seem like that but really we’re all up at the top talking about the course and pushing each other. We’re definitely competing but at the end we’re all going to give each other high fives and stay friends. It’s just so cool to be a part of this community and to come out on top today at such a great event is just amazing!”

Brandon Semenuk

The Course:

Darren Berrecloth, Brandon Semenuk, Mike Montgomery, Thomas Vanderham, and Cam Zink joined forces with world-class course builder Paddy Kaye to create a series of features that would allow for maximum expression and flow from start to finish. 

While incorporating as much of the natural terrain as possible, the athletes conceived their ultimate playground, lined with gargantuan man-made features to showcase their skill and imagination.

Professional mountain bike athlete Darren Berrecloth, a long-time competitor, championed the process:

“The opportunity for us riders to provide our ideas in the production of the Joyride event was phenomenal. With this kind of input it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser and a rider favorite.”

Brandon Semenuk

Red Bull Joyride Results:

1st place: Brandon Semenuk (Whistler, BC)
2nd place: Cam Zink (Reno, NV)
3rd place: Anthony Messere (Surrey, BC)
4th place: Greg Watts (Santa Cruz, CA)
5th place: Geoff Gulevich (North Vancouver, BC)

Redbull Joyride Competition Footage: