One of the greatest senders in the history of humanity is being inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Josh Bender is credited for being one of the founders of freeride mountain biking and his name will forever be associated with going gigantic.
In the late 1990’s Bender was hucking enormous drops and sending it significantly larger than anyone else. He gained loads of media attention in the process due to his jaw-dropping and downright reckless riding. His approach to the sport gained momentum and eventually paved the way for the development of a more gracious brand of freeride mountain biking. Bender’s legend is so strong that he was a judge at the first Red Bull Rampage which occurred in 2001.
It only seems appropriate to take a moment to appreciate Josh Bender’s segment in New World Disorder 1 which was released in 2000. Bear in mind this man was sending it huge on bikes that would be condemned as “jenky” and downright unsafe by modern standards. It doesn’t take a mountain biker to appreciate these acts of daredevilry.