The Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona has a new winner: British rider Sam Reynolds placed himself in the centre of the podium. After a spectacular final run in winter conditions the young Monster Energy rider takes home the victory from the sixth White Style. Swedish Martin Söderström can celebrate his second place and Antoine Bizet from France took third place. The later was without a doubt the surprise talent of the contest and swept the jury off their feet with his first final run.

During the finals that took place under floodlights as usual, about 2.500 spectators followed the action with baited breath. Rightafter the live act “The NIHILS”, the atmosphere was perfect and the crowd ready for some serious mountain biking action. The riders were not about to let them down and made sure to deliver a great show.
The winner Sam Reynolds topped off his near perfect first run with a true Monster Energy White Style masterpiece: he started out with a three table at the step down out of the igloo at the start, then a backflip nohand, followed by a tailwhip at the next step down, then he flipped onto the massive “Monster Ship” and flipped off the 7 meter drop. Then the unexpected went down: Sam nailed a perfect double backflip which was the first double backflip showed landed ever at the White Style contest! Sam was absolutely stoked, winning the first comp of 2012: “Unbelievable, I just dropped in and took my ride and then I thought, ok let’s kick the double back! When I landed I already knew it was enough for some of the first places. But to leave Leogang as winner is quite a little winter dream for me”, commented the newly crowned king of the Monster Energy White Style on his triumph.

Even if it wasn’t enough for a spot on top of the podium, French rider Antoine Bizet also definitely deserves a mention, especially because of his bad luck last year when he broke his collar bone; with a daring crazy first run, including flatspins, flip nohands, flip drops and more he was leading the competition for a long time. But then he was also displaced to third place by the Swedish giant Martin Söderström with the most technical run of the day. Martin was throwing down one banger trick after the other with a 360-tailwhip out of the igloo, followed by a flip-whip, then a nollie to bar spin, flip up the Monster Ship, 360 off the big drop and finished with a perfectly executed double tailwhip.

In the afternoon, the invited riders had already shown what the finals would have in store on the course built by Kona rider Grant“Chopper” Fielder by the Schanteilift in Leogang. In perfect snow conditions, Chopper definitely didn’t scrimp on airtime: Over two tons of snow – his building material of choice – left enough room for an extra massive step down the overall 18 riders used for some gigantic tricks. For example, during qualifying, winner of the last two years Sam Pilgrim from Great Britain made it abundantly clear that he is on top of his game and was ready to complete his White Style hat-trick. Unfortunately he crashed at the first obstacle in his second final run, and was out of the fight the podium places.

These are the results from the Monster Energy White Style 2012 presented by Kona after the final runs:

The Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona takes place for the sixth time on January 27th 2012 in Leogang. So far, it has not been part of country lore that British are exceptionally comfortable in Austria. But in the case of the Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona, this thesis has proven to be accurate over the last few years.

FMB World Tour rider Sam Pilgrim has already reserved January 27th in his time table to visit Leogang again, continue his series of victories and try the hat trick: Three wins in a row, adding the third to his first places in 2010 and 2011. The Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona has been able to gain the reputation of a truly unique winter event over the past few years. There is no comparable competition on snow, worldwide. It is no wonder then that the entire freestyle elite comes to Leogang year after year.

Beside the double winner from the last two years, Sam Pilgrim, there is another UK national traveling to the Salzburger Land in the deepest winter: together with the course builders from HU Cooperation, freestyle veteran Grant „Chopper“ Fielder has been designing the massive jumps for years, building them only from snow and wood. Thanks to the winterly conditions, Chopper’s very daring course layouts go beyond the ordinary dimensions of a mountain bike freestyle event, and are – not only for the British – a very welcome taste of what is to come; to shorten the long and eventless winter, and to blow off some steam before the actual season beginning.

The Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona participants are known to show in Leogang what kind of new tricks and moves they have been practicing over the winter months. The event is a sort of indicator and teaser for the new FMB World Tour season starting at the end of March. A lot of fun, the latest moves and tricks from the freeride circus, and of course the spectacular scenery always make it an extraordinary experience for the spectators as well the riders.

The Bikepark Leogang is already excited to see this year’s ideas of the course designer and is looking forward to a high-class rider’s line-up. If you want to find out what the special relationship of the British pros with the White Style is all about, (Lance McDermott and Sam Reynolds were already on the podium in Leogang as well) and if Sam Pilgrim can manage the hat trick, January 27th 2012 at the Schanteilift in Leogang is the time and place to be.

The Monster Energy White Style presented by Kona was a great start to the biking year 2011 for everyone involved. Riders came from 12 different nations to compete in beautiful snow-covered Leogang.

This year, the European riders clearly dominated the contest with Sam Pilgrim (UK) taking first, Sam Reynolds (UK) and Yannick Granieri (FRA) taking second and third. The two riders who had travelled from overseas made it to the finals but barely missed the podium: Canadian Graham Agassiz came in fourth and Jamie Goldman (USA) fifth.

More than 2.500 visitors flocked to Leogang’s Schantei lift to get a first-hand impression of the Monster Energy White Style course, designed by Grant “Chopper” Fielder. This year, the Kona Clump rider once again outdid himself: the step-up step-down with humongous drop was so massive the riders referred to it as the “Monster” and the impressive course so daunting that it inspired awe in the toughest pro.
Enjoy this cool highlight video of the event!