Natural Selection Dream Ticket this Friday
Twenty-five top freeride mountain bikers will hit the Wynyard Jump Park this Friday as they compete for a spot in the Natural Selection comp.
Natural Selection's Dream Ticket is open to the public and free to attend at the Fernhill park, from midday to 2pm.
Fourteen men and 11 women will compete in a jam format for the four remaining spots in the Natural Selection Bike, on Saturday, 15 February, at Queenstown's Mt Dewar. They will be given multiple runs to put down their best tricks as they work to impress the judges.
There are several locals competing for the Dream Ticket against riders from around the world, including Matt Begg (Queenstown), David Nani Perez (Queenstown), Emma Olofsson (Queenstown-based), and Antone Morgan (Wānaka).
Begg says he can’t wait to compete in front of a home crowd.
“Dream Ticket is going to be unreal,” he says. "Mountain biking has such a great community in Queenstown so I’m really stoked that this is being held here. It’s going to be an amazing competition and it’s going to inspire even more people to give it a go.
“I’m excited to get this opportunity and I’ll be doing my best to get one of those Natural Selection Bike qualification spots, that’d be the cherry on top.”
NST Bike Director Todd Barber is encouraging the community to come down and check out the action.
"The competition is free to attend and we’ve got a few Queenstown and Wānaka locals competing so we’re encouraging the community to come along and show their support. It’s a great way to get everyone excited ahead of the main event, which is Natural Selection Bike on 15 February.”
Barber says the top two men and top two women riders from the event will earn a spot to compete at Natural Selection Bike.
“It’s a great opportunity for local talent to gain an invite to the main event. There are so many local rippers from around this area so I know Dream Ticket is going to be an amazing display of athletes pushing the boundaries to gain the final invites to compete at Natural Selection Bike.”
Natural Selection Bike on 15 February will feature 26 of the world’s top mountain bike athletes, competing on the all-new venue on Mt Dewar in Queenstown. The competition is made up of a men’s and women’s division and will combine the three most dynamic disciplines in mountain biking: Big Mountain Freeride, Slopestyle, and Downhill in one line.
Tickets for Natural Selection Bike are selling fast with less than two weeks until the event, find them here. Then watch the competition on Red Bull TV and YouTube starting 6 March.
The New Zealand Government is supporting Natural Selection Bike Aotearoa through its Major Event Fund and will showcase New Zealand as a world-class mountain bike destination through the global broadcast.
Dream Ticket Athletes:
Women
Charlie Lester-Rosson (Rotorua)
Antone Morgan (Wānaka)
Emma Olofsson (Queenstown-based)
Chelsea Kimball
Lucy Van Eesteren
Kaia Jensen
Angie Marino
Blake Hansen
Kirsten Van Horne
Janelle Soukup
Natasha Bradley
Men
Andy Lehmann
Dennis Luffman
Jim Monro
David Nani Perez (Queenstown)
Saul Saunders
Freidrich Schmidt
Billy Spurway
Finley Kirschenmann
Louis Reboul
Matt Begg (Queenstown)
Soren Farenholtz
Leo Erhardt
Marc Diekmann
Ryan Rodriguez
