Loosefest 2016: Going big in Belgium

Bike Hub are in the peaceful Belgium town of Malmédy to witness Loosefest 2016 hosted by Nico Vink. Nico, a former World Cup downhill racer, has made a name for himself building and riding some of the biggest jumps in freeride mountain bike.

We’ve got a few exclusive photos by Eric Palmer from the first warm up sessions. Also watch the POV and highlights videos from Day 1.

LooseFest 2016 Malmedy Eric Palmer 12.jpg

LooseFest 2016 Malmedy Eric Palmer 11.jpg

The picturesque town celebrated Belgian National Day yesterday.

The FEST Series is all about going big with your friends.

The FEST Series is a group of invitational events with each hosted by a prominent ride. The aim is to create perfect playgrounds for exceptional freeriders in a relaxed environment where they can push each other to take freeriding to new heights.

The wind and heat in Malmédy only drops at around 7PM which means the tree covered sections of Ferme Liberty Bike Park see lots of action during the day before the riders move over to the main Loosefest line.

The FEST Series usually brings out the biggest names in freeride and Loosefest is no different. The likes of Andreu Lacondeguy, Sam Reynolds, Kurt Sorge and, of course, Nico Vink will all be in action this week.

Just two days into Loosefest and most of the riders are already looking comfortable on the jumps. Although it’s impossible for them to block out the fear each time they drop in, the euphoria at the bottom of a clean run gets them back up to the top for more.

It’s tricky to convey the enormity of the Loosefest jumps. This sequence shot of Sam Reynolds gets close.

Ethan Nell is a youngster worth keeping an eye on. The Utah based freerider showed some serious commitment and charged hard all day.

The course finishes with the scariest drop off (in the background) with a fast run into a big step up which should be a good spot for some big tricks later in the event.