CONTEST: Red Bull District Ride

On August 5, 21 of the world’s best freeriders and 45,000 fans came together in Nuremberg, Germany, for the second Red Bull District Ride of 2006—essentially a slopestyle contest down the city’s historic streets. This year, the course was divided into six “districts,” each with a unique theme: skate ramps, drops, dirt jumps, vert ramps, wall rides, etc.

Qualifying runs took place during the first two days of the event, with only nine of the original 21 riders advancing to the finals on Sunday: Kyle Strait, Adam Hauck, Lance McDermott, Paul Basagoitia, Darren Berrecloth, Gee Atherton, Timo Pritzel, Amir Kabbani and Cameron McCaul. They would battle for a 20,000 Euro prize purse, as well as the overall Red Bull District Ride title, which came with custom Ford pickup truck.

Just as the final runs were about to begin on Sunday, the clouds let loose and dumped rain. After speaking with the riders, the judges decided to omit the upper section of large drops from the final runs due to the muddy landings and slick conditions. Highlights of the finals included Kyle Strait’s double tailwhip, Berrecloth’s impressive combinations of tricks through the dirt jumps and McCaul’s barrel rolls, which eventually landed him in first place. Basagoitia finished second and Berrecloth came in third.

“It was a great contest. I couldn’t have ridden any better. I nailed everything that I planned for the final run,” McCaul said after the awards ceremony. “After Catania it was another absolutely fantastic weekend. Tonight it will be a great party for sure!”

Cameron McCaul was not the only rider celebrating though. By winning the District Ride in Catania, Italy, earlier this year and finishing second in Nuremberg, Paul Basagoitia became the overall District Ride champion, winning a Ford truck. When asked about the contest, Basagoitia said: “I can hardly believe it. I am absolutely stoked! The truck is killing it! I didn’t dare to even think about winning the car before the contest.”