Reigning Champion Nicholi Rogatkin Hopes To Achieve Another World First At Red Bull District Ride 2022 In Nuremberg
US Pro mountain biker, Nicholi Rogatkin is the reigning Red Bull District Ride champion, and after a 5 year hiatus Red Bull District Ride is returning to Nuremburg, Germany this September – where he will compete again, with hopes of another victory in sight.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Rogatkin currently ranks #2 in the world. He started riding BMX at the tender age of five and became a professional by age 13. He won the ASA triples in BMX Dirt worlds in 2013, but the following year he became more focused on mountain biking and rode the FMB world tour as a rookie. In 2016, he secured a world first on a new trick he named ‘The Twister’. In 2017, Rogatkin added another rotation to his own twister (1080) and landed 1440 whilst competing at the Red Bull District Ride in Nuremberg, Germany which confirmed his victory on the final big air jump, a world first at the time. Since then he’s gone on to win Crankworx’s Triple crown of Mountain Bike slopestyle and continues to entertain wherever he competes.
Mountain biker Nicholi Rogatkin says: “I’m hyped to come back to District Ride to try and defend my title from 2017! Last time in Nuremberg I needed the 1440 to win. I have some new tricks ready for this year, let’s see what’s possible!!”
The fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, urban mountain biking contest, Red Bull District Ride is returning to Nuremberg after five years. From September 2nd – 3rd, the picturesque old town of the Franconian metropolis will be transformed into a mountain bike slopestyle paradise, and the world’s best athletes, including the top riders in the Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) world rankings – Emil Johansson and Erik Fedko as well as Rogatkin – will add a new, exciting chapter to the city’s almost thousand-year history.
Pro mountain bikers will converge on the city from around the world in an attempt to pull off the most complex tricks over the two-day event to be crowned the 2022 District Ride champion.
Across the architecture-rich city, five biking ‘districts’ will be created, each one pushing the competitors to their limits:
District 1 – The Castle District begins with something new. With their backs to the city, the riders start by dropping into a quarter-pipe feature. From there, they’re greeted with the legendary 6-metre-high Castle Drop off the Kaiserburgmauer, the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg. This drop lands the riders straight into a curved berm, which builds their speed perfectly for a step-up hip jump.
District 2 – Box District is made up of two box jumps – the first leads riders into the narrow streets of Untere Schmiedgasse, whilst the second awaits them at the Albrecht-Dürer monument.
District 3 – Quarter District is again made up of two obstacles – arriving at Seebalder Platz in the shadow of Nuremberg’s eponymous Sebaldus Church, the riders are faced with a couple of quarter pipes that lead them into a hip jump, before heading out onto the Rathausplatz where another step-up jump awaits.
District 4 – Dirt District – In the penultimate section of the track, the riders drop over a spine into three consecutive dirt jumps that get progressively bigger. The final jump measures 4.5m in height, before another quarter pipe leads the athletes to Nuremberg’s town hall, where the big finale of the ride awaits… following a ride in a lift to the top of the building!
District 5 – Big Air District – We have really saved the best until last here. The lift takes the riders to the top floor of the town hall and to an opening that overlooks Nuremberg’s Haupmarkt Square. From a height of 15m, the athletes roll down a massive ramp towards a 4-metre-high kicker that catapults them into the air. This is where you will see some of the biggest, most exciting and complex tricks.
Red Bull District Ride has been running for more than 17 years and has distinguished itself from other Diamond FMB slopestyle events. It is a unique event and the distinctive districts give riders from all over the world a chance to showcase their ability with different style of riding including street mountain biking and showing off mountain bike freestyle skills. It involves five distinct “districts” which demands riders to be very well-rounded. This isn’t just a slopestyle course, this is an overall mountain bike contest with elements of skate park riding, jumps, drops, and technical features. As the years have gone on, the course has grown and evolved with the progression of slopestyle mountain biking. Riders and fans can look forward to seeing many new obstacles while enjoying the classic features.
Ahead of the event in the picturesque old town of Nuremburg, a Franconian metropolis, it will be transformed into a mountain bike slopestyle paradise. The world’s best athletes will add an extraordinary new chapter to the city’s almost thousand-year history.