Red Bull Stomping Ground - Riders
Anthony Napolitan See More Images >
Anthony Napolitan responded to a disappointing 2005 Dew Tour by winning the Dew Cup Dirt championship in 2006 and taking home bronze at the X Games that same year. In 2007, the BMX Dirt prodigy won another bronze at X Games Big Air and made history in 2009 by landing the event’s first-ever double frontflip. Should Anthony continue to gain momentum by winning Red Bull Stomping Ground, the avowed fan of Volkswagen cars knows exactly how he’ll spend the prize money. “I’d love to make my 20th Edition GTI faster than it already is,” the 24-year-old says.
Corey Bohan See More Images >
Making his way onto award podiums and gossip blogs with equal frequency, Corey Bohan has become one of the most recognizable BMXers on earth. A silver medal in BMX Dirt at the 2003 X Games announced Corey as a legit contender, but the Aussie was just getting started. From 2004 to 2006, Corey owned his sport, becoming the first athlete to ever three-peat gold in Dirt at the X Games. A bona fide star within the BMX community, Corey became a household name thanks to an appearance on The Hills and subsequent paparazzi attention. Flourishing in the limelight, Corey went on to finish third at Red Bull Elevation 2008 and take it all at Red Bull Empire of Dirt that same year.
Ryan Nyquist
Since winning the ABA King of Dirt competition in 1997, Ryan Nyquist has transcended the world of BMX to become a mainstream superstar. Named the 2004 ESPY Best Action Sport Athlete, Ryan has won more than 15 X Games and Gravity Games Medals, in addition to innumerable first place finishes in every conceivable BMX competition and category. Asked to name his favorite memory from 15 years of competitive riding, Ryan Nyquist doesn’t hesitate. “(Red Bull) Elevation all three years,” he says. “It’s still, to this day, the best contest I have ever been to.”
Chris Doyle
Explaining the benefits of riding on dirt, Chris Doyle says, “Dirt flows better than wood and hurts less than concrete.” If anyone should know, it’s Chris, who has spent the last 17 years developing his characteristic smooth landings through trial and error on every surface imaginable. No stranger to Red Bull competitions, Chris recalls making “massive jumps down the side of a mountain” during the inaugural Red Bull Elevation competition. Since turning pro in 1998, Chris has pocketed numerous X Games and Gravity Games medals, in addition to cementing his old-school dirt cred by winning Brawling at the Belmar on two occasions.
TJ Ellis
TJ Ellis has put the BMX world on notice. Three weeks after winning the 2009 Big Air BMX Triples at the ASA Action World Sports Tour in Chicago, TJ beat out the biggest names in BMX to finish first at the inaugural Warriors of Wood competition. TJ carried his momentum into the Dew Tour’s Salt Lake City stop, where over the course of several flawless runs he smoothly transitioned from backflips and frontflips to numerous 360 variations. Look for the 24-year-old California native to keep the pressure on his opponents as he returns to the Windy City to claim another title.
Dave Dillewaard
Known for his abilities in big air as well as street and park, Dave Dillewaard has won contests in France and Germany as well as the States. Dave worked on filling out his repetoire with dirt skills until injuries sidelined him, but the veteran of Red Bull Elevation bounced back with a strong showing at last year’s Big in Bavaria. One of the growing number of Aussie riders, Dave currently resides in the BMX mecca of Greenville, North Carolina.
Ryan Guettler
In 2005, Ryan Guettler pulled a rare trick indeed when he finished first overall in both Park and Dirt on the Dew Tour. That same year, the Aussie medaled in Dirt at the X Games and Gravity Games. Having since received BMX Rider of the Year and BMX Dirt Jumper of the Year distinctions, Ryan has established himself as one of the most prominent athletes in his sport. But the 26-year-old—who advises his Twitter followers, “If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen”—takes absolutely nothing for granted and plans to ignite another hot streak at Red Bull Stomping Ground.
Dennis Enarson
Dennis Enarson doesn’t waste time. At 16, he entered his first pro contest when the Dew Tour visited Baltimore. After taking third in Dirt, Dennis followed his debut by finishing first in the same category when the Dew Tour stopped in Portland. With a plethora of sponsors already in tow and bags of talent, Chicago presents Dennis with an incredible opportunity. Less than one month after turning 19, Dennis will take to the Red Bull Stomping Ground course looking to solidify his place as one of BMX’s future kings.
Mike “Hucker” Clark
Old-school BMX king Stu Thomsen jumped three Porsches in 1983. Twenty-five years later, Mike “Hucker” Clark paid homage to Stompin’ Stu’s feat by launching himself over a trio of full-size pick-up trucks. Mike will ride into Chicago looking to create some history of his own, having recently honed his chops at events like Masters of Dirt Vienna and Red Bull Elevation in Mexico, where the Hucker finished in the top 10.
Rob Darden
Early on in his BMX career, Rob Darden gained a reputation as a skilled technician, thanks to his ability to flawlessly execute classic tricks. But it didn’t take the California native long to also make a name for himself as one of the sport’s biggest innovators. During the 2008 X Games, Rob took home a bronze medal after demonstrating his ability to envision new combinations. Technique and creativity aside, it’s the spirit of BMX that keeps Rob going. Asked to name the best part about riding dirt, he says, “Just the feeling of flowing through the jumps.”
Gary Young
Gary Young says he collects cheesy magnets from every place he visits. In that case, the dude could plaster the side of the John Hancock building with his souvenirs. From Singapore to Canada and Berlin to L.A., Gary has competed all over the globe. Along the way, he’s picked up plenty of hardware (like the bronze medal for BMX Freestyle at last year’s X Games), and learned new ways to get his kicks. Gary recently picked up diving, so if he’s not throwing 360s and table tops, you can find him snorkeling along the nearest reef.
James Foster
After pulling his first-ever 360 windshield wiper to win Best Trick at JoMoPro 2008, James Foster decided to up the ante. So he agreed to jump over a house in Germany. Unfortunately, the jump never aired live on television as originally planned. During practice runs, James shattered his ankle and broke both fibula and tibula. As the 25-year-old explains, “Eating shit on a 30-plus-foot set isn’t really that much fun.” Now fully healed, James is ready to recapture the smooth flow that he demonstrated when pulling his first triple-whip at Red Bull Elevation 2005 and winning a Dew Tour stop in Salt Lake City.
Adam Baker
While discussing his appreciation for the unique course at Red Bull Elevation, Adam Baker once remarked that while he wished other competitions used the same layout, “Christmas only comes once a year.” Adam, who describes dirt riding as “the surfing version of bike riding,” should feel right at home on the intricately designed Red Bull Stomping Ground course. With plenty of twists, turns and hips laid out in front of him, the lanky and oft-times mustachioed trickster will show just what he’s capable of once he hits his flow.
Cam White
Everyone headed into Red Bull Elevation 2008 wondering what to expect from the competition’s first visit to Mexico. Two days later, everyone left wondering what on earth Cam White would come up with next. After his dialed-in performance took top honors south of the border, Cam kept his incredible form going in the States, where he won the overall Dew Cup in Dirt. Welcoming the new year in his native Australia, Cam kicked off 2009 by taking first in yet another major competition. At Red Bull Stomping Ground, we’ll get to see one of BMX’s best at the top of his game.
Kye Forte
Perhaps best known as the mastermind behind the insane course at Red Bull Empire of Dirt in his native England, Kye Forte now plans to translate his skills to audiences stateside. A mainstay in competitions across Europe, the 29-year-old looks forward to his first Chicago visit as an opportunity to temporarily escape the UK’s infamous climate. “The weather in Europe means you are unable to ride trails for nine months of the year,” Kye explains.
Brandon Dosch
Brandon Dosch names the 2009 Dew Cup stop in Orlando as his favorite BMX memory, and for good reason. It was in the Sunshine State that Brandon bested the star-studded field to take his first-ever Dew Cup win—a performance that helped the Michigan resident finish a strong second in the final overall Dirt standings. Earlier that year, Brandon traveled to Munich, Germany, where he fended off BMX luminaries from around the world to win the Big in Bavaria competition. A win at Red Bull Stomping Ground could catapult the 21-year-old to out-and-out superstardom.
Alejandro Caro
Alejandro Caro just can’t get enough of dirt. When he’s not busy piling up consecutive victories at Europe’s annual Nokia FISE tournament or earning King of Dirt titles, the 32-year-old Colombian works the earth on his farm. The owner of an agricultural distribution company, Alejandro looks forward to breaking new ground in the world of business when he ends his run as one of BMX’s global ambassadors.
Luke Parslow
Anyone interested in an enticing sleeper pick for Red Bull Stomping Ground need look no further than Luke Parslow. Having relocated to the U.S. from Australia six years ago, Luke routinely heads back to the Pacific Islands for the annual X-Air event, where he consistently impresses. Luke got things going stateside in 2007, when he won Dirt at the final Dew Tour stop in Orlando. Then in 2008 came another Dew Tour win in Portland. Having already won the 2010 Extreme Thing competition, Luke looks poised for a breakout performance in Chicago.
Cory Nastazio
When extreme went mainstream, the media couldn’t get enough of Cory Nastazio’s tattoos, scruff and outsized personality. Amid all the hype, everybody forgot about the heart Nasty showed as a baby-faced kid taking the sport’s best to the limit at X Games 6. In 2004, Cory displayed even more determination while recovering from a near-fatal car crash, and when a 2007 accident left BMXer Stephen Murray paralyzed, Cory spearheaded a series of benefits. Nasty has progressed from bad-boy lightning rod to pillar of the BMX community, and the man still has plenty of tricks left up those inked sleeves.
Heath Pinter
Like many of his peers, Heath Pinter mentions riding with friends as one of the best parts of the BMX lifestyle. But unlike anyone else, Heath says he would use the prize money from winning Red Bull Stomping Ground to “buy an old broken-down Ford car.” An avid fan of vintage autos, Heath owns ’31 and ’41 model coupes (which he rebuilt himself), in addition to several other classics.
Brian Foster
Brian Foster aka "The Blue Falcon" is one of the most respected riders in BMX, with a long career that has spanned nearly two decades and every type of terrain. Known for his skills in both dirt and park (and back in the day, some racing too), BF boosts his signature style and fast lines whenever he rides. With an X Games gold medal in dirt and podium at the prestigious Red Bull Elevation event in his pocket, Foster is always a threat to throwdown on the trails.
