UK dirt jumpers showed they can take on the world's best at last month's Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona slopestyle contest in Leogang, Austria.
Sam Pilgrim, who has just signed with NS Bikes, took the win for the second time, with his countryman Sam Reynolds in second place and France's Yannick Granieri third. Canadian Graham Agassiz came fourth and the USA's Jamie Goldman fifth.
Pilgrim took first place with a run consisting of a backflip table, 360 into the satellite dish and flip off, tailwhip, flip tabletop off the monster drop, and backflip X-up one-foot. “The course was really gnarly this year," he said. "It’s not easy riding on snow, also because your fingers tend to freeze. But Chopper [fellow Brit Grant Fielder] built an awesome course and I'm really stoked to take first place again. I’m starting to become a White Style veteran!”
Reynolds (DMR) was the first rider to take on the Monster – a massive step-up step-down jump with a humongous drop – and he did it in style, pulling a backflip. His second-place run consisted of a backflip no hands, tailwhip, flip off the Monster drop and a Superman seatgrab. Granieri (Commencal) pulled a tailwhip off the Monster, plus plenty of backflips to earn third place.
Kona's Agassiz wasn't intending to ride in the finals after a heavy crash during practice but changed his mind and, despite a battered ankle and no gloves to ward off the cold, delivered an impressive second final run. It included a including barrel roll at the Monster and a backflip no-foot cancan over the sender. Goldman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) came in fifth thanks to a backflip off the Monster.
Sweden's Martin Soderstrom (Specialized) was looking strong, pulling a 360 off the Monster in his first run, but he crashed hard on his second run and ended up in ninth place. France's Antoine Bizet (Kona) was also put out of the running by a crash after qualifying in second place – he broke his collarbone attempting a backflip no hander off the Monster drop.
You can watch the action below:
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