Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard of Paul Langlands and Gorge Road. Well, Red Bull has just released the lowdown on what happens when the two names come together.
Paul Langlands takes out Best Rider at the first ever Red Bull Roast It in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Once the dust and carnage had settled from the 16-man superfinal, the riders’ votes were tallied and Paul Langlands emerged as the 2012 Red Bull Roast It Best Rider. George Bolter and Brandon Dosch were tied for the Best Line and Jed Mildon took out the Best Trick with an amazing double backflip.
On Saturday February 18th the crowds crammed into Gorge Road Jump Park. They weren’t disappointed, witnessing an unbelievable display of BMX riding from a truly international field. Riders included Anthony Napolitan (US), Brandon Dosch (US), Kye Forte (UK), Mike “Hucker” Clark (US) and TJ Eillis (US). Combined with local talent from New Zealand and Australia, they thrilled the 1000 strong crowd that lined the grandstand and perimeter of the Queenstown park. At the end of day it was BMX legend and all round nice guy Paul Langlands who deservedly earned the Best Rider title, a gold BMX frame trophy and a cheque for $3000. Paul charged the course relentlessly all day with a huge bag of tricks he constantly pulled from and nailed.
“It’s such a good event, it’s a casual jam setup so you’re riding with your mates and at the same time, having fun, but you’re all pushing it too. I have never ridden in any event like this before; I really didn’t expect the win. There are some huge names here so when people started telling me they voted for me, I was so surprised. I’m really stoked I won the first Roast It.” Paul Langlands
The Best Line was all tied up between US rider Brandon Dosch and New Zealand’s George Bolter. Brandon stomped an almost unbelievable double whip across a transfer line that nobody else even attempted and George Bolter bought the house down with his inverted 360 transfer out of the curved shark fin—another insane line. The Best Trick trophy and $1000 cheque was undeniably Jed Mildon’s after he nailed a double backflip into a tight transition that had the crowd on its feet and screaming in excitement.
The riding level of the international field helped push the local riders, who rose to the challenge. New lines and tricks emerged from the relaxed jam format that had riders voting on their peers throughout the day’s competition. “Red Bull Roast It was awesome. The atmosphere was chilled and the riding levels were really high which made it feel just like a trail session.” George Bolter
The Gorge Road Jump Park has been painstakingly and lovingly built over the years on previously unused council land. It is maintained by the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club and is a popular spot for the local BMX crew. The park has a new addition in the form of a giant wooden planked obstacle fashioned from a huge, bent tree trunk. The obstacle took centre stage and was quickly nicknamed “The Dragon’s Back” by the riders. This feature allowed the riders to trick on and off, opened new transfer lines and added a lot of fun to the event.
The riders of Red Bull Roast It turned on an unbelievable display of BMX riding at the highest level, one that the locals and spectators are sure to talk about for a long time to come.
See you at the next Red Bull Roast It.
