Mike “The Bike” Rust was a seminal figure in the history of mountain biking. His innovative bike frames helped further the sport, and his imaginative approach and enthusiasm busted the limitations of what could be done on two wheels. This Mountain Bike Hall of Fame cyclist was simply one helluva rider. But as he grew older, the uncompromising individualist grew weary of the growing population in his hometown of Salida, Colorado, and he sold his share of the famed Colorado Cyclery bike shop and retreated to the wild and stark San Luis Valley. The Rider and the Wolf examines the life of a visionary cyclist, chronicles the eerie circumstances of his disappearance and probes the question: What happened to Mike Rust?
Accompanying Short Films:
Taxco Urban Downhill with Kelly McGarry – Directed by Kelly McGarry
Margaritas, mariachi and something you’ve never done in Mexico. Kelly McGarry rides an outrageous urban line down cobbled alleys and other seemingly impossible feats.
Beat Down – Directed by Anson Fogel
There’s a man named Anson Fogel, and when he comes up with an idea for a short film, everyone listens. Fogel put out a call to friends last fall that simply said: “Meet me in the desert — I have an idea.” Without hesitation, his crew assembled near Moab, Utah, and pulled off one of the most extraordinary stunts in Mountainfilm Adrenaline program history. You have to see this!
Dark Woods BMX – Directed by George Marshall & Will Evans
Somewhere deep in a dark forest of South Wales, BMX riders Drew Benzanson and Morgan Wade have built a their dream playground of ramps, rollers and walls — an ideal setting for physics-defying tricks that don’t even make sense.
Eddie Masters Gets Fat – Directed by John Colthorpe
Pro-rider Eddie Masters takes a little time out from his enduro schedule to extol the virtues of fat bikes, crush cheeseburgers and shred downhill on what is considered by many to be the minivan of the mountain bike world.
No Ordinary Passenger – Directed by Cabell Hopkins
As a winner of the World Sidecar Championship in 1953, Stan Dibben was a prototype of today’s extreme sport athlete: gutsy, talented and willing to put his body on the line for speed. In this short film, the 86-year-old Brit recounts the thrills and perils of his former profession, a no-margin-for-error postwar endeavor that has mostly faded into the history books.
Ashes to Agassiz – Directed by Eric Crosland & Leo Hoorn
This one’s a real barnburner! A man at the top of his professional prowess, his mountain bike a natural extension of him, one of the best riders the sport has ever seen. But like all great heroes, adversity comes knocking. For Graham “Aggy” Agassiz, a relatively benign descent — one he’s done a hundred times before — reached out with its wicked limb and shoved a fat slice of humble pie in his kisser. With his neck broken and a career in jeopardy, the road back to the top is now lined with dangers and demons. Now he stands at the crossroads of a most monumental order — quiet the indifference, dial in the focus. This is a story of his teetering on the edge between annihilation and exaltation. A mystical, esoteric, fire-wielding farmer guides Aggy through an odd evolution, one that flips between dream and reality. He force-feeds our ill-tempted hero a spiritual and physical expedition that descends straight into hell’s blaze. Will Aggy survive? Will he grab hold of the greatness that fights to draw him back into the mountains? Get ready for one helluva ride!
The Thousand Year Journey: Oregon to Patagonia – Directed by Kenny Laubbacher
Jedidiah Jenkins quit a job that he loved to ride his bicycle from Oregon to the southern tip of Patagonia. Friend and filmmaker Kenny Laubbacher joined him to pose the question: “Why?” Jenkins’ poignant answers are woven together with sun-soaked travel footage and shots of life on the move in this short film about shattering routines, staying open hearted and keeping the flames of inspiration not just burning, but raging. The Thousand Year Journey is a paean to travel, adventure and, as Jenkins puts it, “turning your 100 years on this planet into 1,000.”
