With third place at the Crankworx Rotorua 2020 the season could hardly have got off to a better start for Erik Fedko. However, even the sloestyle star was not spared the effects of the coronavirus. The lockdown in New Zealand was followed by lockdown restrictions in Germany. In the meantime, further events have been postponed until autumn or cancelled. Patience is therefore required. MTB pro Fedko is passing his time with training sessions at his home spot and with lots of photo shoots and video shoots. BIKE looks back with him on an unusual first half of the season.
First highlight of the season before the coronavirus pandemic
The bike season would normally be in full swing right now, but Erik Fedko still has to wait until he is allowed to take part in the next competitions. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, the Slopestlye star's next contests, the Audi Nines and the Dirt Masters, are not scheduled until the beginning of September. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old can look back on a first highlight of the season. Shortly before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Europe, the first stop of the Crankworx World Tour took place in New Zealand at the beginning of March. At the multi-day bike festival, the world's best riders showed off their skills in various disciplines - including Fedko's speciality discipline of slopestyle. This year, after the two events in Rotorua (NZL) and Innsbruck (AUT), the new Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Champion will be crowned. In Rotorua, Fedko not only caused a stir with a trick that no-one had ever performed in competition before him, but also proved that he belongs to the world's slopestyle elite by finishing third behind superstars Emil Johansson (SWE) and Nicolai Rogatkin (USA).
"I did a 360 barspin to tailwhip on a stepdown (consisting of three 360-degree turns: first a 360-degree turn on the bike with a 360-degree turn of the handlebars, followed by a 360-degree turn of the bike underneath the body). I really wanted to do this trick. During training, I took it very slowly and initially only did 360 barspins (360-degree rotation on the bike with 360-degree rotation of the handlebars) on the stepdown so that I could get a feel for what it's like to add a tailwhip (360-degree rotation of the bike underneath the body). On the last day of training, I felt confident enough to do the trick and did it straight away. Of course, I was even happier that the trick worked in my run at the end."
"Expectations are always high for me."
However, this outstanding performance by the youngster did not really come as a surprise. Fedko had already made his breakthrough on the slopestyle scene in 2018. With his clean style and technically demanding tricks, he made it onto the podium at two Crankworx World Tour events. He was one of the experts' favourites for 2020. With nerves of steel, Erik was able to deliver his performance and fulfil his own expectations.
"Expectations are always high for me. My goal is to give it my all to finish on the podium at the end of the day. I was super happy that I had already secured third place with my first run. That's why I decided not to take any more risks on my second run. I was just too stoked to be on the podium again."
Curfew and cancelled return flights
While the pandemic was raging in Germany and Europe, Fedko and his bike colleague Johansson celebrated their triumphs in adventurous Queenstown on the South Island. "We had a super awesome time there - lots of laps in the Skyline Bike Park and absolute dream sessions on the famous Gorge Road trails!"
However, normality soon came to an abrupt end, even in idyllic New Zealand. "Shortly before we were due to return home, our flights were cancelled by the airline. At the same time, the coronavirus also began to spread in New Zealand. As a result, the government there closed public places and imposed a curfew on the entire country. After countless rebookings and flight cancellations, we luckily managed to get a flight to Germany after all." At the end of March, strict curfews were also imposed in Germany. Fedko remained confident; the restrictions didn't affect him quite as badly.
"Unfortunately, meeting friends or shredding bike parks fell flat because everything was closed. Fortunately, I have my own jump at home and was therefore able to continue training. I also rode my road bike a lot to pass the time and I have one or two pieces of fitness equipment in the garage to keep me fit."
Fortunately, there's a homespot close to home
Above all, his home spot, which had only been completed the previous year, paid off during this time. Instead of driving 300 kilometres to a suitable training location, Fedko now found a perfect area to practise new tricks just a few minutes away from home.
"I can practise all my tricks that I'm not so sure about yet, or new tricks, under optimal conditions. The size of the jump is comparable to the kickers on the Crankworx World Tour, but the landing is covered in tonnes of bark mulch so that you fall softly in the event of a crash. This minimises the risk of injury, which is absolutely essential when you're working on new tricks. Since I've had the spot, I feel much more confident when I'm doing banger moves because I get to practise more. Before, I had to drive 300 kilometres to practise my tricks, now it takes less than five minutes."
"I generally only do tricks that I think are cool."
However, Fedko decides at short notice which tricks he will perform at the competitions. "Most of the time, I really do spend the evening thinking about what tricks I can do on certain obstacles."
However, it will be a while before he can perform the next "banger moves" in competition. But Fedko is not writing off the season just yet. The youngster is coming to terms with the current situation and making the best of it.
"I'm preparing for everything. The Audi Nines are still planned for the beginning of September and I hope that the contest will be possible. On the other hand, I'm enjoying having a really relaxed summer and trying to spend as much time as possible on my bike. But I'm pretty bummed about how the season is going. The Dirtmasters Festival and Crankworx Innsbruck unfortunately had to be postponed until the autumn. It's a huge shame that the Red Bull Joyride and the Red Bull District Ride have been cancelled. The District Ride is my absolute favourite event. Fingers crossed that it can take place next year."
In 2020, the Crankworx World Tour will be reduced to two events. The second competition as part of the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championships 2020 has been postponed to 3 October due to the coronavirus pandemic and will take place in Innsbruck. The most prestigious third Crankworx event, the Red Bull Joyride in Whistler (CAN), unfortunately had to be cancelled completely due to the coronavirus. This has not dampened Fedko's motivation.
"I never specifically prepare for contests, I always do my own thing. I don't set any tricks in my head that I want to show at an event like the Red Bull Joyride in Whistler, for example, but generally only do the tricks that I think are cool. My goal is to be able to do all my tricks so confidently that I can do them on every jump."
So Fedko prepares for his goal of standing on the podium in Innsbruck with fun sessions. He also passes the time with photo shoots and video shoots.
