2016 was a crazy year in the world of international MTB. We lost two amazing souls that will be missed in Stevie Smith and Kelly McGarry. Their memory etched in many of our hearts forever. Between new bikes that are amazing, the riding done on them upped the ante further than ever before. Racing of course went ballistic. When we started out back on our journey through 2016 Aaron Gwin was set to climb aboard a bike which had never even raced a UCI World Cup before and Danny Hart had still never won one. We were wondering if anyone would be able to beat Rachel Atherton and what, if any, changes were going to be made and go down at Red Bull Rampage. We had no idea what Danny MacAskill was going to do next or if Brandon Semenuk was still the favourite to take Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler. And in the wider world of our Sound of Speed series, who knew it would ever be possible to use a whip to topple a tree, rip downhill tracks on a drop-barred CX bike or manual without your feet actually being on the bike? It’s been a year of big breakthoughs and revelations. Sit yourself down, hit play and get set for a wild ride through the best moments of 2016.
Steve Smith relaxes during Red Bull Ring of Fire on Miyakejima-Island, Japan on October 25, 2015. // Hiroyuki Nakagawa/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20151215-00064 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //