The Red Bull Ride + Style event is approaching and just now I got the official press-release from the crew. Check it out below!
Fixed Gear Meets Urban Contemporary Art on April 30
San Francisco, CA (April 7, 2011) — On April 30, San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza will serve as the setting for a collision of fixed gear biking and urban contemporary art, creating a visually exciting and awe-inspiring event called Red Bull Ride + Style. The event will feature riders facing off in both track and freestyle competitions, with the obstacles designed and decorated by local San Francisco artists. Red Bull Ride + Style will bring together more than 50 riders from both coasts, with riders from fixed gear meccas San Francisco, Portland and New York competing, as well as riders from Japan.
The track portion of the event will include a custom art installation by California-based artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector. By day, the duo collects debris of discarded bike parts from the dumpsters of nonprofit bike groups, and by night, they then work to reconfigure these pieces, making them into works of art. For the event, they will be creating a one-of-a-kind starting line arch. “We like the idea of presenting the raw material in its natural and organic context,” said Spector. The track competition will begin with qualifying runs, and the riders with the best 16 times will advance. From there, the competition will be bracketed out so the top 16 will compete head-to-head until there is one winner left.
The obstacles for the freestyle portion of the event will be built by well known ramp builder Jeremy Witek, and the custom features will don artwork by urban contemporary artists Aaron De La Cruz, Erik Otto, N8 Van Dyke and Arlo Eisenberg. The four artists will work as a collective, and by merging together their unique styles they will bring the freestyle portion of the event to life through a clever juxtaposition of objects. They will play with the elements of space, dimension and movement, creating an inspiring course for both the riders and spectators. When asked what his first reaction was to the project, Otto said, “I was initially inspired by the thought of creating large-scale work that could interact with the elements of the event- three-dimensional surfaces, movement of riders and an outdoor setting.” The freestyle competition will group the competitors into five different heats, six riders in each. The riders will have a 15 minute jam session to showcase their style and tricks and the judges will pick the best riders from each heat to advance to the final round. The final round will include approximately 10 riders that will compete for the top spot.
“Very few events are able to attract both sides of the fixed gear community,” said participating Red Bull athlete, Austin Horse. “Red Bull Ride + Style aims to do so through the medium of arts and culture.”
Participating riders will be treated to on-site tech support from iMinusD and tunes provided by recent Red Bull Thre3Style San Francisco winner DJ Goldenchyld. The event which is open to the public will be free to attend and will begin at 12:00pm on Saturday, April 30, 2011 and will end at 4:00pm; for guests that choose to ride to Justin Herman Plaza, a bike valet will be provided by the San Francisco Bike Coalition. Beginning April 15 through May 1, Oakley will have a special Red Bull Ride + Style display in their store located at 842 Marketplace in San Francisco. “Oakley is proud to be involved in this event to help push the progression of what’s possible on two wheels,” said Oakley Sports Marketing Manager, Steve Blick. The in-store display will include artworks from the event’s participating artists, as well as a special custom fixed gear bike which will later be auctioned off to benefit The Pablove Foundation to fight childhood cancer. Additional event partners include Juxtapoz and D-Structure SF.
For more information, please visit www.redbullusa.com/rideNstyle , find us on Facebook and on Twitter @redbullSFO / #rideNstyle
