Maine resident and world-class BMX rider Zak Earley will be competing on a big, fast course in the Red Bull Dreamline Saturday in Asheville, North Carolina.
Earley, who is from Eliot, will be one of 32 bicycle motocross riders from seven countries competing on a towering course that features jumps two stories high.
Conceived by professional athlete Anthony Napolitan, Red Bull Dreamline is a way to showcase the best of dirt riding, by the riders, for the riders, according to a news release.
The contest has invited 28 riders, who will be joined by four alternates selected during the practice sessions. The 32 riders will compete in two heats of 16 in the qualifiers. When the athletes are not competing in a heat, they will be judging their fellow riders. The top six from each heat will move on to Saturday’s final and will be judged by a randomly drawn group of non-qualifying riders.
“Red Bull Dreamline is an event that BMX riders can show up to, ride, have a great time, progress, and feel completely comfortable without the pressures of a normal contest setting. We’re excited to head east where dirt BMX was born,” Napolitan said in a news release. “The contest shines a light on what BMXers enjoy most about riding — the freedom of pushing the limits with their friends, on a course that has no rules or constraints.”
The course features 10 jumps, the largest will be a 22-foot jump over a 36-foot gap.