FREERIDE GIRL LINA HANSSON FROM ÅRE BIKE PARK
"I show them how incredibly fun the sport is and what it gives me and others. I love to ride with my friends, be out in the nature, get better at biking and have a smile on my face at the end of the day! The sport need not be extreme, it’s up to you and which trail you choose. Just grab a bike and have fun with it! Everyone can ride and get into the sport. Just give it a try, you won’t regret it, I promise!"
It's half a world away, but if you ever has a chance to go for a bike trip in the Scandinavia, do not miss Åre Bike Park, Sweden.
Ranked 4th Best Bike Park in the World by worldbikepark.com (based on their criteria of number of trails in the park, total attitude drop, value for money and reputation), this bike park fared better than the more commonly-mentioned ones like Mammoth Mountain USA, Northstar California Resort USA or Mont Sainte Anne Canada. With over 30 trails of varying levels and approximately 3000 ft of vertical distance and beautiful Scandinavian scenery, Åre Bike Park is hard to ignore.
Equally hard to ignore are the homies that add more life to the park.
Meet Freeride Girl Lina Hansson, one of the riders from Ohrey Riders who rides Åre Bike Park when bike season opens. Ohrey Riders is a Freeride team that is also ambassador of Åre Bike Park. We got hold of Lina and get her to tell us more about herself – the young and pretty Freeride Girl.
Name: Lina Hansson
Nickname: Linis or my Instagram account name, @icallitlove.
Age: 19 years old
Home: Åre, Sweden
Preferred Riding Discipline: Downhill Mountain Biking
Years of Riding: Two years
Sponsor: Scott Sports
Team: Ohrey Riders
Current Bike: Scott Gambler 10
Why do you like Freeriding?
I have always been competing in skiing but I ended my career in year 2011. I asked a professional friend if she could teach me about downhill mountain biking that summer and that was how. I got into the sport and I loved everything about it! I like it because extreme sports gives me a kick, it’s kind of like skiing (I can apply much of my ski experiences and skills onto biking). But biking is more amusing and I love to be in the nature with my friends.
What are your preferred trails? Why do you like them?
I like the trail ( jump track) Shimano here in Åre Bike Park, Sweden because it makes me feel free and I love to get my whip to be even better. I also like more technical ones because that’s what I need to work on and get better at. I still have much to learn about downhill mountain biking.
Describe a typical day at the trail.
I usually meet my friends in Åre Bike Park. We will ride all day together and that's really fun to me, We are both serious and silly in our riding and that’s the awesome part about riding in a team. We usually end the day with a photo/film session or move on to the gym or a nice dinner together. If the weather is great, we will dine outdoors. The sun never sets in the summer here in Sweden, That’s incredible really!
Do you ride competitively? Tell us more.
I haven’t done any real competitions yet because I am pretty new in the sport. In the future I probably will but for now I am a freerider. Right now, I enjoy filming and taking photos of my riding and get them published in magazines, social medias and TV channels.
How would you attract more folks to pick up cycling as a sport? and how would you attract them to downhill riding?
I show them how incredibly fun the sport is and what it gives me and others. I love to ride with my friends, be out in the nature, get better at biking and have a smile on my face at the end of the day! The sport need not be extreme, it’s up to you and which trail you choose. Just grab a bike and have fun with it! Everyone can ride and get into the sport. Just give it a try, you won’t regret it, I promise!
Any words you would like to shoutout to riders in Asia?
I would love to come and ride in Asia someday! I hope I inspired you to maybe get on a bike and try downhill mountain biking. Remember that anyone can ride, just pick a trail that matches your experience level and have fun!
Your favourite quote?
”Never stop dreaming because if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough!”
Follow Lina at:
Instagram: icallitlove
facebook.com/ohreyriders
(Only 2 years of riding? Who would have guessed)
(Looking beyond the berm!)
(Snow riding! To all Fat Bike fans, you just have to try snow riding!)
(Would you be smiling if your were there?)
For more information on Åre Bike Park Sweden, visit http://arebikepark.com
Photo credit: Lina Hansson