90-foot gap jumps, high-speed manuals, and often missing a tooth – if any or all of those make you think Nico Vink, you’re not alone. Nico is the man behind Loosefest and is integral to the go large and do it well riding that’s blossomed since the Fest Series kicked off. Hard-working and fun-loving, he’s put his happiness and riding bikes ahead of everything in his life. It’s left him broke on numerous occasions but it doesn’t seem he’d have it any other way, and has made for interesting stories.
It could also be behind his humility. Nico’s one of the most down to earth, genuine and open individuals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’d go so far to say that he’s shy. But on the bike that calm demeanour is only visible in his control of heavy situations, he’s no stranger to the back wheel or flying over jumps suitable in size for dirt bikes. But for Nico, it’s all quite casual, and he refers to the enormous Loosefest jumps as, “chill”. That humble attitude brought him a long way from his days scratching for World Cup results but he remains low-key, with a focus on doing what he enjoys. Thankfully for fans, that’s ride bikes.
During Crankworx Whistler, Nico was kind enough to share his story, from racing cross country as a young whipper-snapper, to being comfortable hitting the biggest jumps we’ve seen in MTB. He shared his thoughts racing and why he moved on from it, the future of freeride and where the Fest Series fits in. Nico’s also a Red Bull Rampage judge and shared some experiences gained from scoring the often controversial, event.
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