It’s a different world out there, far away from the low gnar doorstep riding we’ve grown accustomed to. Though, not so different – competitors at the Freeride Fiesta might be more used to peeing in a cup than having their nose and throat swabbed, but swabs and Covid tests were part of the order of service at Johnny Salido’s inaugural freeride event in Mexico.
All images: Valentin Popineau
The official press release reads:
21-year-old Johny Salido fulfilled his year-long dream of creating the biggest freeride track in Mexico by building the Freeride Fiesta course. It took him over five months to build the track and finally organize and host the event with the help of friends and sponsors. This year’s course included seven features: a step-down, road gap, a hip, another step-down (Speedy Gonzales), a ramp jump, drop, and a step-up.
Numerous top international athletes were part of the event, such as Bienvenido Aguado, Nicholi Rogatkin, Carson Storch, Ethan Nell and many more. Female freerider Chelsea Kimball showed impressive skills on the bike and was able to compete with the best at Freeride Fiesta and caused a stir in the mountain bike scene. The best trick went to Nicholi Rogatkin who did a remarkable Cash Roll on his big bike.
A Mariachi group – typical Mexican music formation from the state of Jalisco – was also part of the Freeride Fiesta and ensured a cheerful atmosphere and lots of fun. The Mariachi trusted the riders and showed their fearlessness by playing music between the jump and landing while the athletes were jumping over them. Watch the Mariachi here:
You can enjoy the highlights reel here, and look forward to a report from Chelsea in a future issue of Singletrack Magazine.
