Cameron Zink

Last updated

Cameron Zink
Personal information
Born (1986-03-08) 8 March 1986 (age 37)
Aptos, California, U.S.
Team information
Current team Devinci
DisciplineFreestyle Mountain Bikes
RoleFreestyle
Rider typeSlopestyle, Freeride
Medal record
Competition
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg Red Bull Rampage 2023 Freeride
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg Red Bull Joyride 2010 Slopestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svgRed Bull Rampage 2010 Freeride
Gold medal icon (G initial).svgRed Bull Joyride 2006 Slopestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svgRed Bull Joyride 2011 Slopestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svgRed Bull Joyride 2007 Slopestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svgRed Bull Joyride 2005 Slopestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svgRed Bull Rampage 2017 Freeride
Silver medal icon (S initial).svgRed Bull Rampage 2014 Freeride
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg X Games Real MTB 2021MTB
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svgRed Bull Rampage 2013 Freeride

Cameron "Cam" Zink (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional freeride mountain bike rider and X Games athlete.

Contents

Personal life

Zink is from Carson City, Nevada. He started mountain biking at age 9 and when he was 16 won the junior national championship in dual slalom. He was signed by the Santa Cruz Syndicate team when he was 17. [1] Until he was 20, he continued to race while also competing in Slopestyle. [2]

Career

In 2009 Zink founded Sensus, a company that manufactures bike grips. [1] [2]

In 2010 he won Red Bull Rampage and was awarded best trick for an almost 40-foot 360 drop, and also won the FMB World Tour season title. [3] [4] In 2013 he won best trick for a 78-foot backflip, [5] after having been forbidden by a doctor to ride. [1] In 2013 he finished 4th Overall in Munich X-Games Slopestyle event. In 2014 he placed 2nd in Red Bull Rampage and won best trick with the biggest 360 in history of the event. [6]

On August 21, 2014, Mammoth Mountain at World of X-Games, he set the world record for the farthest backflip on a bicycle with a 100-foot, 3 inch flip. [7] [8] In 2006 and 2010 he won Crankworx Slopestyle (now Joyride) in Whistler, British Columbia. [1] [2] [9]

In April 2021, X-Games would bring back mountain biking this time to a REAL series format. Zink's video submission would be enough to win his first X-Games medal. [10]

In 2023, he won Red Bull Rampage for a second time.

Related Research Articles

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Darren Berrecloth, nicknamed "The Claw", is a Canadian professional freeride mountain bike rider. Born in Parksville, British Columbia, Berrecloth is famous not only for his success in competitions, but also as one of the pioneers to the sport of freeride. He appeared in the freeride scene with a third-place finish at the 2002 Red Bull Rampage, and has been considered one of the leading riders in the world ever since.

Anthony Messere is a professional freeride mountain bike rider from Surrey, British Columbia. He made his debut at Crankworx Red Bull Joyride in Whistler, British Columbia in 2011 at fifteen years old. Becoming the youngest athlete ever on a Crankworx podium, placing 3rd. He was considered a prodigy and was the first of a new generation of Slopestyle. In 2014 he won Crankworx Les Deux Alpes Slopestyle, which was his first major Slopestyle victory. Also taking another 3rd at Crankworx Whistler later in 2014. Placing 3rd overall in the FMBA world tour.

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Kelly McGarry was a professional New Zealand freeride mountain biker and X-Games Athlete. He was known for his best trick award in the 2013 Red Bull Rampage when he backflipped a 72-foot canyon gap. The video of the flip went viral on YouTube, getting over 200 million views. McGarry was one of the most prolific and recognised participants in the sport of freeride mountain biking. His participation in Crankworx events made him a recognisable figure in the sport, and in 2015, McGarry held the record for most consecutive appearances at the event.

Sam Pilgrim is a professional freeride mountain biker. Known for his missing tooth and his unique style of tricks, he has gained international fame with his YouTube channel exposure under his name Sam Pilgrim in which he makes videos documenting his extreme stunts on various courses around the world. He was an FMB World Tour overall winner in 2013, becoming the first European athlete to win the competition since its establishment in 2010.

Ethen Godrey Roberts, is a professional Freeride Mountain Bike and FMX rider known for his participation with the extreme sports show Nitro Circus. He's the first to land a triple backflip on a mountain bike and has since become a pioneer of big mountain bike tricks, like a tsunami double backflip (2013) and triple backflip (2014). He's a pioneer athlete in the Snow Bike Winter X Games event, eventually winning a bronze medal in the 2019 Snow-Bike Best Trick event. He's also the nephew of the legendary action sports pioneer Gregg Godfrey who is the co-founder of Nitro Circus.

Kyle Strait is an American freeride slopestyle mountain biker from Alpine, California. He began racing in 2000 on the Monterey peninsula at the age of 12. He participated in the first edition of Rampage in 2001 at the age of 14, won the contest in 2004 and again in 2013. As of 2023 Strait is the only rider to have participated in every edition of Red Bull Rampage. In 2022, he was unable to complete a run after breaking 3 vertebra in a practice session. Less than a year later, Strait was able to compete in Red Bull Hardline, and competed in Rampage again in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Collins, Ian (February 2014). "So Close to Hell". Dirt (Interview).
  2. 1 2 3 Parkin, Joe (21 August 2014). "Where Are They Now? Cam Zink: The freeride legend talks about responsibility and 100-foot flips". Bike.
  3. Maine, Tyler (3 October 2010). "Red Bull Rampage - Cam Zink wins it!". pinkbike.
  4. Billy (4 October 2010). "Cam Zink Wins Red Bull Rampage". Dirt.
  5. "78ft backflip on mountain bike by Cam Zink at Red Bull Rampage". The Guardian (Video). Red Bull. 15 October 2013.
  6. Berard, Mike (29 September 2014). "Cam Zink's 2nd Place Run at Red Bull Rampage 2014". Red Bull.
  7. Strege, David (21 August 2014). "Cam Zink lands world-record mountain bike backflip". GrindTV.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  8. "Cam Zink sets world record mountain bike backflip". X Games (Video). ESPN . Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. Mazzante, Lou (18 August 2010). "Zink Lands Safely on Crankworx Podium". Bicycling.
  10. "Monster Energy's Cam Zink Takes X Games Bronze in 'Real Mountain Bike' Video Competition".