WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY // Berin Klawiter
Road cyclists race up Empire pass in Park City for the final stage of Tour of Utah, meanwhile, freerider Danny Fendler, 21 years old is aiming for a different finish line. A short dirt landing sits a few hundred feet in front of him as a motorcade of race officials and state troopers drive up the road bellow. Danny waiting for a signal to drop from his spotters below.
Tour of Utah might not get as much worldwide attention or include as many baguettes as Tour De France, but it is quickly growing, establishing itself among the ranks as one of the top professional cycling events in North America. Fendler was surprised to learn that no one before him has jumped the race, even though the event is in the same state as Red Bull Rampage.
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I landed it and it was like by far the most adrenaline I have had in my whole life. It was crazy. I have never had so much excitement on a bike before to the point where I couldn’t ride. I rode out and just let the bike go and just rolled. I was so happy. After that, I snapped back to reality and rode down a trail because I didn’t want to risk getting in trouble. |
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You gotta just weigh your odds. The fact is that so many road bikers were stoked. An ambulance that was driving by honked and was stoked. In the end, we made way more people happy than we could have upset so it was a win-win for everyone. In the end, I really just wanna inspire people and get people stoked on biking. I wanna do things that people think is rad and even if they don’t wanna do that it gets them stoked and out riding their bikes. |
You can find Danny on Instagram @dannyfendler
