In these days of FMX madness it’s easy to forget that once upon a time there was a sports called Trials Riding. The sport itself seems to have been slightly lost in a wave of blaring music and roaring 250s, but its delicacy and skill make for an amazing watch.
Julien Dupont, is one of the people bringing new avenues to the sport. A French trials rider, he has has applied the Parkour art of traversing any obstacle to two wheels.
If you’re unsure as to how that manifests itself then here’s the man himself to demonstrate. He may pop up at an unlikely location near you soon.
Another in an occasional series where we rub your face in it by showing you where the Gods of sport won’t let you play.
This time we’re having a look at the Red Bull Compound. It’s a private facility at Wyvern Ranch in southern California devoted to motocross and it appears only to be accessible if they decide to invite you.
This seems extremely selfish as it must be one of the world’s premier playgrounds. It was originally built by young FMXer Lance Coury and family to improve his skills. Red Bull took an interest and helped evolve it into the site it is today.
Envious?
And what a site it is – over 650 acres there is a supercross track, motocross track, FMX park with multiple ramps, arenacross track, a technology centre where riders can watch themselves in action and fine tune their techniques and a maze of trails to ride. It also had a foam pit, the world’s largest at 3 stories tall and 100 ft in length. Sadly the foam pit burnt down recently.
Rest In Peace
This compound is where many of the Red Bull riders have worked on their most spectacular stunts in private. And they’ve begun to host FMX camps to take up-and-coming riders to the next level.
Unless you’re willing to bust your way in, it looks like the only way to have a trouble-free play on there is to catch their eye in a semi-professional manner. For everyone else the site’s orignal creators appear to be building something spectacular in Costa Rica www.wyverncostarica.com
