Rocky Mountain 2013 Freeride Team Press Release

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

Rocky Mountain Bicycles is very happy to have re-signed the iconic Freeride
Team of Wade Simmons, Thomas Vanderham, Geoff Gulevich, & Brett Tippie.

Thomas Vanderham started 2012 with strong showing in Anthill
Films’ "Strength in Numbers," and capped it off by becoming the only rider to
place in the top ten of every Red Bull Rampage ever held. 2013 promises to
be another jam packed year for Vanderham as he travels the world filming,
coaching, and attending events.

Thomas says "I grew up wanting their bikes and idolizing their riders, so to think
that I have now been in the Rocky family for more than 10 years is really an
honor. I couldn’t be more excited to continue working with them on a variety of
exciting new projects."

Wade Simmons, the undisputed Godfather of Freeride and Mountain Bike
Hall of Fame inductee, has been with Rocky for over 18 years; yet, despite
his “elder statesman” status he still pushes his limits on his bike. With plans to
attend several Enduro races, as well as select festivals like Riva del Garda and
Crankworx Whistler, Wade is also invaluable to Rocky Mountain’s R&D process.

“I love bringing my experience to the design process as well. The R&D feedback
loop is so short, it’s rewarding to see all these up-and-coming projects take

shape. The great thing about being involved with a company so long is that
sense of pride that can only be garnered from years of building and growing, and
I’m looking forward to many more great years ahead.”

“It’s an amazing feeling to work with such a tight knit crew and see our input
come to life,” says Geoff Gulevich who, despite struggling with injuries, still
placed well at slopestyle and big mountain contests throughout last year. Now
that he’s healthy, he’ll be focusing on more select events in 2013. “I love contests
and I can’t wait to hit Crankworx, Clawworx, Rampage, etc., but this year my
focus will be video parts & just getting back to shredding some raw, aggressive,
big mountain stuff.”

Francis Argouin, Rocky Mountain’s Marketing Director, echoes Gully’s thoughts,
saying that “while contests are awesome, and we’re one of the few companies
producing a dedicated Slopestyle bike [the Slayer SS -Ed.], we know that the
soul of mountain biking is about riding with your friends, exploring, pushing
yourself, and not necessarily worrying about what some judges think.

As one of the original Froriders and Rocky’s resident “Director of Good Times,”
Brett Tippie makes sure we don’t forget our roots. One of the hardest working
guys in the industry, Brett will be bringing his infectious laugh and burly riding to
countless events this year, from announcing at Crankworx, BCBR, Frostbike, et
cetera, to coaching for Camp of Champions, to doing tours at Retallack this fall,
to riding for the lenses of the industry’s best photo & video guys.

“Rocky has become a major part of my life; the bikes are works of art and I’m
proud to be part of the team,” says Tippie. “We are all into having a great time,
sharing the passion, and getting some wicked riding in… Whew! Looking busy
but it’s gonna be awesome! Lets ride!”

“The tight-knit family we have here at Rocky is important to us both personally &
professionally,” says Argouin. “It ensures that we support amazing riders, who
are fantastic ambassadors both for our company and for the sport.”

[gar29]

I always got a kick on the old Fro Riders back in the day. It is amazing to see that some of these guys are still out there tearing it up!

[wildwestjake]

love a good rocky mountain, love a good DH/DJ rider, dam, good combo!

[Author]

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