Although he crashed three times, Hercules, a.k.a. Kyle Ritchie, still threw down some lightning bolts along the way to successfully defend his title as the fastest freerider in Squamish at the Rockstar Invitational Freeride Sunday (June 20).
Many spectators who witnessed his run said he was absolutely flying at super-fast speeds down the gnarly, rock-ridden course. Ritchie, known as Hercules for his size, speed and strength, rode the crazy trail in a time of 3:21.
Three was the lucky number for Ryan Walton, as he surprised a few riders with a time of 3:33 to finish in third place.
"It was awesome, tonnes of killer fun," said 16-year-old Ritchie. "I crashed right off the start, flipped over my bars off a little drop, then crashed again when my chain skipped while I was pedalling on the road. And then I crashed at the finish line. I hit the jump way too fast."
Now in its fourth year, the event has seen a growth in popularity amongst spectators. More than 300 downhill fans crowded the course to watch 41 riders race down the technical track.
"This one was the smoothest yet," said RockStar head honcho Al Ross. "For the first time all starters finished the course and nobody went to the hospital - for a Rockstar event, that's a success."
Although the race didn't claim any serious casualties, it did cause several spills. Spectators witnessed some out-of-control riders sliding down the steep rockslabs on their chest protectors - Superman style.
With such a strong contingent of local riders, everyone made it safely to the bottom, but none faster than the young Ritchie.
"With the talent that he has, if he keeps on going at the rate he's been going, the sky's the limit, " said Ross. "He's got what it takes to take it to the next level for sure. He knows when it's time to throw down and when it's time to be loose."
The 300-plus crowd was also treated to a rare sighting of the greatest rock star of all time. Who said Elvis is dead? Sticking to the race's namesake, Chief columnist Bryan Raiser rode in some classic Elvis attire, sporting a full-face helmet over some shiny white satin duds to clock a time of 4:29, good enough for 26th place. Had it not been for the oversized, purple shades (a la Christian Slater in True Romance) flopping around his face, he may have fared a little better.
Two female riders entered the competition, with Lisa Dickson hammering down in an impressive time of 4:25, while Jen Bass was only 16 seconds behind. Twelve-year-old Kyle Quesnel rocked the house as well, finishing 36th overall.
