Red Bull Crashed Ice - Bikes vs Ice skates - Wichman vs Caulori

Remember last year? Rose Vaujany rider Joost Wichman threw himself down a Red Bull Crashed Ice track on a bike with 3 other bikers. This year things where a little different..

This year the track was not in the open air, but inside ski hall SnowWorld in Landgraaf, The Netherlands. The track was not wide enough for four crazy bikers, so a new format was needed!

Joost Wichman and Claudio Caulori (team manager Gstaad - Scott Downhill Team and track tester for Red Bull Crashed Ice) came up with a new, unique challenge.

On the first indoor Crashed Ice track ever, Wichman and Caulori raced against each other. But this time they didn't use the same equipment! Caulori went down the track on his Ice skates and Wichman took his Rose fourcross bike.

Who would be faster? The biker or the skater? Wichman and his bike were faster on the straights and obstacles, but Caulori was a lot faster in the turns. Caulori needed a chicane to catch up, but gained just enough advantage to hold Wichman off on the final straight.

During the break, Biketrial artist Rick Koekoek (www.rickkoekoek.nl) got the crowd going wild, by dropping of the roof and landing with his back wheel on a small pole. Amazing bike control!

Later that day, during the spectacular finals of Red Bull Crashed Ice, more than 5,000 raving spectators watched a dual race between GT's own BMX rider Martijn Jaspers and Rose Vaujany's Joost Wichman. Wichman won that race, partly because his competitor went too fast and crashed in the first turn.

Red Bull Crashed Ice showed once again that it is a sport full of adrenaline and excitement. And that it shares common ground with gravity mountain biking. It is likely that the cooperation will continue!

Credit - BKN-Productions