Thomas Genon Wins the 2014 Rocket Air

2014 Rocket Air Podium - photo by andremaurer.ch

After a great weekend of unreal tricks and huge air jumps the Swatch Rocket Air for 2014 has wrapped up. On Saturday international world-class riders fought for points towards the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour (FMB) and over 10,000 CHF in prize money. This year’s winner is Thomas Genon of Belgium. Numerous side events completed Switzerland’s biggest slopestyle contest.

Swatch Rocket Air 2014 Final - Top Three Runs

2014 Rocket Air Team Battle

The energy of the riders and enthusiasm of the spectators made for an incredible atmosphere inside the Thun arena. Some 9,000 spectators cheered on the riders pushing the international contestants to their limit. They showcased some unbelievable tricks on the new and carefully designed course, which included big air jump, a boner log jump and a big whale tail. Thomas Genon from Belgium threw down a flawless run taking home the victory. The 21-year-old impressed the judges with a technically demanding line of tricks such as a 360 barspin on the drop, followed by a huge 360 tabletop on the big air and an opposite 360 on the step-up. After that he showed a super high frontflip no-hand, a 270 tailwhip on the hip jump and a superman Indian on the quarter. Genon scored himself some precious points towards the FMB world cup circuit and some juicy prize money in the process.

Thomas Genon lets fly - photo by spitznagel.ch

Last year’s winner Sam Pilgrim took home second impressing the crowd with his incredible signature Superflip. Tomas Zejda of the Czech Republic landed third on the podium with a double tailwhip.

Sam Pilgrim - photo by andremaurer.ch

The expectations of last year’s winner Sam Pilgrim were very high. He is a new part of the Swatch ProTeam and wanted to deliver a brilliant performance at the event of his new sponsor. He missed 2 points to be on top of the podium. Nevertheless he finished the contest with a smile on his face: “Every year again it’s just a pleasure to take part at the Swatch Rocket Air. The atmosphere is terrific and pushing the riders to their limits.”

Needless to say, this year’s Swatch Rocket Air was a huge success. The organizer and sponsors couldn’t be more pleased with how the event turned out. Every year, thanks to the support of sponsors, the action packed exhibition of world-class talent is bringing in more riders and spectators. The organizers are grateful to those who came out in support and to those who took advantage of the opportunity to be apart of the event festivities. There is no doubt that the Like-a-Bike race, Pumptrack and the Mini Freestyle course put a smile on the faces of young and old.

Jérome Hunziker, organizer and member of the Flying Metal Crew, drew a positive conclusion after the last rider finished his run. “With the luck of some good weather and the help of more than 200 volunteers, the event was made possible. The level is rising year after year and it’s just great to see the enthusiasm of the riders and the spectators. From an organizer perspective, there is no bigger thank you than that.”

Swatch Rocket Air 2014 Final Results

0 comments

The Latest