On the road to Nuremberg

Red Bull District Ride reaches half-time. Catania showed one thing: Paul Basagoitia is always good for a few daredevil jumps.

How do you sum up the Red Bull District Ride in just a few words? It's where mountain bikers give towns the chance to show that they too can throw up some serious obstacles. The first town to prove it was Nuremburg last year (winner: Aaron Chase ahead of Paul Basagoitia and Kyle Strait), and because it was so much fun, Catania in Sicily also got the chance to play host this year alongside (or ahead of) southern Germany's picturesque city on July 15 and 16.

At the foot of Mount Etna, 35 mountain bikers looked for ways to divide EUR 20,000 in prize money as unequally as possible, among them the top 15 from the 2005 Red Bull District Ride, who qualified automatically, and four local talents. It was neither seconds nor metres that counted, but instead tricks, style, amplitude (the height of the jumps) and execution.

Winning makes one happier

After qualifying, four judges and a head judge placed Cameron McCaul from the US in first place, though in the final it was another rider who impressed most: Paul Basagoitia, only ninth after the first run, was the most stylish on the technically challenging, one kilometre course through six districts: he was the only rider to perform a tailwhip from a big drop in the Stairway District. McCaul came fourth, while last year's winner of the Red Bull District Ride, Aaron Chase, was able to do no better than twelfth.

Winning in Catania has not only made Paul Basagoitia much happier and slightly better off, but has also added considerable weight to his shoulders: whether he likes it or not, he lines up for the Red Bull District Ride in Nuremberg on August 4 and 5 as favourite. However, the other 24 riders from the top 25 in Catonia (they all qualified for Germany with their performances in Sicily) will be looking to knock him off the top. Another EUR 20,000 awaits the winner in Nuremberg, while around 40,000 fans will be expecting a great show and the "Overall Red Bull District Ride 2006" title is up for grabs - which also entails an especially nice surprise, by the way.