Take one energy drinks company, add a hill, two very exciteable MCs, a handful of local Bristolian heros, a handful of pro riders, a crowd three rows deep, custom Charge bikes up for grabs and what do you get...? One electric night at the Red Bull Hill Chasers event.
Condor's designer, Ben Spurrier, found his way into the event when a rider dropped out through sickness. At 10am he got an email from Red Bull asking him to ride.
In round 1 he dispatched super fixed gear rider, SuperTed, who had a mechanical and stripped his sprocket.
Round 2 was a serious fight to the line against Mongoose pro rider. Chris Akrigg (Cobble Wobble hill climb and Red Bull London Minidrome winner).
When Ben re-entered the rider enclosure he looked in bits and was told he was up against National Hill Climb Champ, Dan Fleeman. So convinced that he was going out, Ben didn't even remove his team training top. Looking at the riders in the start gates Fleeman was in the big ring and Ben in the small. We all knew Ben was going out in the quarter final.
The hydraulic gate went down and tubs hit the tarmac and Ben was in front and he was in front all the way to the line.
Round 3 - Dan Fleeman - dispatched.
Ben was quite ruined when he got to the rider enclosure and had one minute to get ready to fight out the semi final. That's as far as Ben got losing out to hill climber, Paul Derrick.
His 5th time up the climb was in the minor final to see if he could earn himself a custom Charge bike in a race through the chicanes for a 3rd place.
By luck or by accident, Spurrier's name had been noted on the rider list as Superior. It gave the two MCs all sorts to play with through the night. Think he's dining out on that name for a little bit.
Red Bull Hill Chasers 2011 - results:
1st. Chris Metcalfe
2nd. Paul Derrick
3rd. Ben Superior
We like this video from The Foot Down and we like the images from RomanSkyva's Flickr and portrait pic of Ben with his prize by pro photog Grant Robinson (below).
