Ailo Gaup taking a breather. Playboard.no

Getting on the FMX Radar: Ailo Gaup

UPDATE - FMX Finals

Ailo Gaup finished in 3rd place today in the FMX Finals. I think that is pretty damn impressive, especially considering he barely took a second run. Somewhere around his third hit he did a straight air over a gap. That was it, just a straight air, not even a whip. He continued his run and when it came time to hit that jump again, he did the same thing once more. We will never know what exactly happened, maybe there was something wrong with the take off, maybe he was coming into it wrong, or maybe he was just over it. Either way, his first run was ridiculous to secure him the 3rd place spot.

I did feel like he got gipped on one thing though. They only groomed out one side of the quarterpipe, and it wasn't the side that he uses. And I haven't seen any opposite quarterpipe hits here this weekend.

But regardless, Ailo showed himself well throughout the competition, and held on to his 3rd place finish in both prelims and finals. Oh yeah, plus he hit the quarterpipe anyway, ungroomed, and proceeded to link it to a backflip over the backside of the other quarter (the same exact trick on the same exact feature that had ended the day for his friend Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg not more than 20 minutes before.)

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Gaup in Qualifiers - 2006 Panasonic Open, Dew Tour Stop #1

This is good. I feel that by writing this blog about famed Norwegian motocross rider Ailo Gaup, I am giving back to the country in return for something they gave me. About four months ago, I watched the USA National Soccer team completely destroy Norway in a 5-0 victory. Yes I watch soccer, so call me a dork but I did hear Rune Glifberg, Pierre Luc-Gagnon, and talking about soccer - I'm sorry, "futbol" - while waiting to drop in at skate vert practice. But anyway, this way I can tell you some honest & flattering truths about a fine Norwegian motorcycle rider, and try to give back all the joy they gave me (I've also befriended a nice Norwegian girl since that game, so I figure I'm well on my way back into Norway's good graces).

I've never seen Ailo Gaup ride in person today, and I must say, I was impressed. I am not going to lie and say that he was the best rider in the FMX Qualifiers today, but he was one of them. And I can honestly say that the only people who impressed me more were Travis Pastrana and Ronnie Renner - so I'd say he's in pretty good company. Guap, Pastrana and Renner used that course like Morgan Wade used the BMX Park yesterday - they found things that were different. Renner had a damn good quarterpipe hit, plus one of the most inverted whips I've ever seen on the giant step-down. Pastrana did some sort of wall plant with his feet on the lower section of the wallride, and Ailo threw down an opposite wallride early in his time (not to mention a few hip transfers using the quarterpipes, a back flip can-can, and tons of other treats for the crowd, judges, and himself.

Stay tuned for more Gaup, as he qualified and will be riding tomorrow.

Are you happy yet Norway?

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The import: Ailo Gaup

Like David Hasselfhoff, Norwegian FMX star Ailo Gaup is big in Europe. He introduced FMX to the Euro-masses almost single-handedly, wowing his countrymen and making history during the 2003 Namibian IFMFX tour the when he became the first European to pull a successful backflip on a bike, and the first to pull off the trick in Africa. Yet despite these achievements and his status at home, unlike Gaup’s bronzed lifeguard-cum-popstar colleague, Gaup has yet to land a role on a major American TV show, and is still short of a massive public presence in the United States.

Riding out of his hometown village of Masi, where he painted houses, sold fish and toys to buy his first bike at the age of ten, Gaup has a lot to bring America, starting with innovative tricks, like his patented Underflip. Despite his popularity in Europe, he’s still the shy, new kid on US courses and largely absent from the capital-S FMX Scene.

Gaup’s reputation in Europe and achievements to date would indicate that he’s about to go big on US turf. Soon after his achievement in Namibia, Gaup made his first major American appearance in 2005 with an X Games 11 win for Best Trick, and a spot on the 2005 Dew Tour, where he placed 6th overall. In Europe, Gaup consistently grabs the top slot in almost every competition he enters, and is known as the best rider ever to emerge from that continent. This year, he’s on the Dew Tour again, and has been named on one to watch.

In light of his track record and emerging presence stateside, there are a few other clues as to why Gaup still teeters on the precipice of stardom over here—and much of it may rest on cultural and language barriers, that may cause some lag-time in getting on the American public radar. Gaup’s website, for example, is almost entirely in Norwegian, with typical sections about the athlete profile, news, and a forum for his fans, but few insights for purely English speakers. For Gaup fans that might not be schooled in his native tongue, there are some photos and a short video on the site that help illuminate the man and his mystery.

One video clip, aptly titled, ‘Geek of the Week,’ opens with a medium-range shot of Gaup’s behind. The rider is in full FMX threads, tromping around the foresty edge of a road—probably near home--with a chainsaw, and we watch as he scrambles around the brush and triumphantly cuts down a baby tree. We catch a glimpse of his bike in the foreground, as the camera pans to follow him, and he turns for a moment, to give a short, wry smile.

This tiny window onto Gaup’s world could be somewhat illustrative of how he could carry such a huge following in Europe and yet barely be on the US radar. While running down California beaches in slow-mo might’ve been the Hasselhoffian formula, in the US FMX arena, Gaup merely needs to do what he does best, and work up a little media buzz. Norwegians are known for their strong, silent personalities (until it’s time to lose the tie and get down). But as Gaup continues to emerge as a major talent on the US tour, it won’t be long before the superstar in such a balls-out sport might shed his enigmatic skin and land huge in the public eye.

-Anna Dimond