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Yeti Cycles launched their big travel bike, the SB165, a few months back and now have added big mountain freerider, Reed Boggs, to their athlete roster. Boggs, who just turned 23, competed in his second Red Bull Rampage event last year after an impressive win at the 2019 Marzocchi Proving Grounds qualifier.
Boggs comes from a motocross and BMX background but now is focused on hitting big lines and developing creative edits that have a strong following in the freeride community. With a passion for sculpting new features and hitting mind-bending lines, Boggs spends half the year in Hurricane, Utah perfecting his craft. His knack for new-era freeride style and technique will bring a nice counterbalance to the race-centric company.
“Reed is a strong rider and will bring a dynamic riding style to the Yeti program. Personable and down to earth, we were impressed with his focus on progression and how much fun he has on the bike. His love for riding has inspired some incredible content. We’re looking forward to working with Reed to develop new products and support his creativity on the bike,” said Kristi Jackson, Yeti’s director of marketing.
The first event for Boggs aboard Yeti will be McGazza Fest in New Zealand, supporting the memory of freeride legend Kelly McGarry #mcgazzaforever. With his sights set on competing at his 3rd Red Bull Rampage event in 2020, he will also compete at Innsbruck and Whistler Crankworx, as well as the Oregon Blacksage FEST event. In between events, Reed has various media projects in the works and will be coaching at Woodward camps and Highland Mountain Bike Park.
“I’m thrilled to be signing with Yeti Cycles. I had the chance to visit Yeti HQ last week to see what happens behind the scenes and was overwhelmed by everything. Once I rode the SB165, I knew it would be a great bike for me - just enough suspension for big drops and nimble enough to flick around corners and throw whips. I’m looking forward to getting Yeti into their first Red Bull Rampage. Thanks for the opportunity.” said Boggs shortly after his visit to Yeti earlier this month.
"I really like the design of the bikes, I love the personality of the brand, and I love the fact that they just want to get more people outside and enjoying the sport," says Kyle.
"I have been in a weird transition over the past few years trying to find out what is most valuable to me as an athlete and I ended up taking a step away from the racing scene to focus more on having awesome personal interactions at mountain bike festivals, teaching some skills clinics, and working harder on community development here in Boise," he continues. "To me, this just seemed to be more rewarding than any result I've ever achieved and it made me happy to see people learning, smiling, and getting outdoors."
We're supremely confident that Kyle is one of us, our people. At Niner, we're all about making riding on dirt better, period. That includes being a welcoming, open-minded group of people.
"The folks at Niner truly care about the bike community, they want to make the most badass bikes possible, they want to be out at the festival and demo scene shaking hands and drinking beers, they want to show up to races and be competitive, and most importantly they want to have fun," said Kyle. "Pretty much everything aligned directly with my vision of what I want to do as an athlete and I am so happy to be working with them for the next three years!"
We could not agree more. It's important for us to have fun and also be inclusive to anyone in the riding community. We're not afraid to take chances.
"I gained a ton of respect and interest in the Niner program a few years ago when they decided to support Kirt Voreis," continues Kyle. "Kirt is one of the most creative, unique, and fun to watch riders in the world and has always been one of my favorite guys to try and emulate."
He continues, "When Niner decided to support him and let him be completely himself, I thought that was really cool and rare for a brand to understand that his value lies in being himself and not necessarily getting certain results. Kirt has made the bikes look so fun to ride and the fact that they hold up to everything he throws at them is pretty amazing haha! I think the two of us will have a lot of fun over the next few years and I can't wait to shred with him!"
Super T was Yeti's last freerider eh?
Erik Fedko has signed on with Troy Lee Designs for 2020.
“We have taken our time to find the right rider for the next generation of slopestyle and could not be happier than with the addition of Erik to the TLD family. 2018 Red Bull Joyride competition was when Troy and I got to watch him in person and we were hooked, the sickest style ever. Erik’s combination of his young age, incredible style on the bike, and aggressive yet smooth tricks made it a no-brainer for us to start having conversations. Getting to know him over the 2019 season definitely sealed the relationship as he is a cool kid, off the bike as well!
Watching him ride the bike park at Whistler on his DH bike was super fun, to see him try new things, he seems down for anything on a bike and we love that about him. I think the key was asking our current riders like Semenuk, Zink and Van Steenbergen who they think the next big thing in slopestyle is and they all verified that Erik is the rider who is perfect for TLD. Can’t wait for some fun years ahead and seeing Erik ride because it is magical to watch him in action. Welcome to the family buddy,” states Craig “Stikman” Glaspell – Global Category Director-Bicycle of TLD.
People don't worship at the altar of Cannondale or Foes anymore.
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