Goal for the season: Wibmer wants to join the downhill elite

With the support of sports marketing agency rasoulution, which also manages other world-class athletes such as Fabio Wibmer and Danny MacAskill, the 16-year-old wants to cause a sensation in 2019, particularly in the iXS European Downhill Cup and in the junior category of the UCI Downhill World Cup.

The motto "practice early" also applies to Gabriel Wibmer. Like his cousin, who is seven years older, he grew up in Kals am Großglockner, and was already going fast at the tender age of five. He initially started his career on two wheels on a motocross bike and also took part in a few races. However, a lack of training opportunities led him to initially swap speed for skill and he dedicated himself to motorbike trials. As his trial skills developed, so did his social media channels. With his short edits, Gabriel lives out his creativity on and off the bike and today reaches almost 50,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 90,000 followers on Instagram. But Gabriel has also made a name for himself on the trails and race tracks of Europe in recent years.

Alongside trials, he rediscovered his love of high speeds. "When I was about 12, trials became a little too slow for me. I wanted more adrenaline and when we were on the way to the Pillersee leisure park with my parents, the iXS European Downhill Cup happened to be taking place in Leogang. I didn't know what downhill was back then. We took a short break there as it was right on the way. When I saw the riders racing over rocks and roots, I knew immediately that I wanted to do it too. The adrenaline rush and the weightlessness of jumping is something I can't imagine life without," Gabriel explains enthusiastically.

Just three and a half years ago, the young Austrian started to get serious about downhill. Although his favourite track is in Leogang, he also seems to feel right at home on various other tracks in Austria. In 2016, he was crowned the unofficial world champion in the U15 category at the iXS International Rookies Championships in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Last year, Gabriel was able to confirm his great development once again when he took the title in the U17 category at the Austrian Championships in Innsbruck, consistently posting faster times than the top riders in the U19 category. But Gabriel has also attracted attention outside his home country: a 3rd place in Spicak, Czech Republic, at the U17 iXS European Downhill Cup was certainly impressive.

The next step will follow in 2019. "I'm looking forward to a lot of events this year, but taking part in the Junior World Cup in Leogang for the first time will definitely be something very special for me." Gabriel will be a little closer to his idols, such as Loic Bruni, this year. In addition to his first appearances in the UCI Junior World Cup, his focus is primarily on the iXS European Downhill Cup (U19). "Gabriel is an extremely talented rider who also mixes up the older performance classes. He recognised early on how important content creation is for partners and fans in addition to sporting performance. We want to support him in his development so that he can concentrate fully on school and the sport and are very pleased to be working with him over the next few years. It is certainly important that he can gain as much experience as possible in the races this year. We are working together with his parents and sponsors to achieve this. It's important that he doesn't forget to have fun despite his ambition," says rasoulution owner Tarek Rasouli.

Gabriel Wibmer: Facebook: www.facebook.com/Gabriel-Wibmer