Saalfelden Leogang, Austria, February 14th 2013 – The FMB World Tour’s season kick-off for 2014 started with the ultimate wintertime spectacle at the legendary White Style in Saalfelden Leogang. Without a doubt, French rider Antoine Bizet took the win in this unique competition on snow. It was his huge double backflip that convinced the jury to put him on the top of the podium. A surprising second place went to 18-year-old rookie Nicholi Rogatkin from the US, followed by Sweden’s Anton Thelander.
2014 could be his year – Antoine Bizet’s season has just had the perfect start! The Frenchy, already known for his massive double backflips, gave everyone what they wanted to see and performed his signature trick once more for the estimated 3,000 spectators by Leogang’s Schanteilift. The judges had no other choice than to give him a 91 out of a 100 point score, the highest one of the evening. Bizet opened his run on the four jump snow line with an opposite flatspin x-up, followed by a champion-like executed frontflip no hander, a flip no hand and sealed the deal with his huge double backflip, a trick that no other rider dared to attempt. 2014’s first event winner told us this: “I am part of the circuit for quite a while now, but finally I got my first international competition victory dialed! It was a crazy event with an insane level of tricks. I really had to work hard for my first title!”
Those who follow the mountain bike scene had a sharp eye on him however, few people would have bet on Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) scoring a solid second place here at White Style. Coming from a BMX background, Nicholi flew in from overseas to throw down the gauntlet and make a name for himself in the 26-inch world. Needless to say, mission accomplished! His run was packed full of goodness, rolling in with a flip tailwhip, then a double tail whip, a tail whip off the step down and finished with a breathtaking cashroll! If Nicholi could have ironed out the minor tweaks in his run then the judges would have had a tough decision on their hands. Standing proud on the podium with a smile on his face, we can surely expect to see more from this young talent in the upcoming season.
Anton Thelander from Sweden, also known as “Mister Cleanlander” was the third rider to cover the podium. Living up to his name, his run was nothing short of flawless. He mastered technical tricks like a flip barspin, 360 tail whip, a truckdriver and then finished with a crowd pleasing flip tail whip.
Here is the top ten ranking of the 2014 White Style:
1. 
Bizet Antoine, Kona, 91.00
2. 
Rogatkin Nicholi, Specialized, 90.00
3. 
Thelander Anton, Canyon, 89.00
4. 
Pasamonte Xavier, Scott, 81.00
5. Gani Mehdi, 79.00
6. 
Henke Peter, Canyon, 74.33
7. Scholze Nico, Dartmoor, 73.33
8. Lemoine Tomas, Santa Cruz, 72.00
9. 
Vencl Jakub, Rose, 70.67
10. 
Testa Torquato, Beddo Bikes, 35.00
White Style 2014 was a complete success: “Apart from almost perfect riding conditions and a great on-site atmosphere, tonight I witnessed one of the best White Styles ever, since its premiere eight years ago. It was great to meet new faces here in Saalfelden Leogang, such as Nicholi Rogatkin, who has demonstrated tonight that he can ride amongst the mountain bike elite. But of course Antoine Bizet’s performance absolutely deserved to win White Style 2014”, commented event host Kornel Grundner from Bikepark Leogang.
All the White Style 2014 news can be found on the official Facebook fanpage: facebook.com/white.style.leogang