Hans Rey, multiple Trials National and World Champion, is one of the pioneers of Trials and Extreme Mountain Biking. Through his spectacular mountain bike trials shows and adventures, Hans has made himself a name far beyond the mountain bike scene. His skills and image are constantly opening the doors to media coverage all over the world; "No Way" Rey has been demonstrating his talents in over 40 countries.

They call him the Franz Beckenbauer or Wayne Gretzky of Mountain Biking, besides his numerous titles and achivements, he has been made a member of just about any mentionable official or unofficial biking organization:

* Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
* Laguna RADS (infamous underground bike club)
* SWATCH PRO TEAM
* Shimano Skunk Development Team
* ADIDAS Adventure Team
* Minjin (australian underground bike club)
* Rockshox Explorers
* Team GT veteran

Hans earned recognition with his jump over a car on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, with his volcano dance in Hawaii, his under water bungee jump, or his Machu Picchu Adventure. Besides his own successful video series he was also chosen as stunt coordinator and stuntman in Willy Bogners motion pictures "Fire, Ice, and Dynamite" and "White Magic"; as well as in the TV Show "Pacific Blue", where he occasionally has a guest appearance as himself. He's also been featured and hosted numerous TV shows and programs. At the 1996 Olympic Games Hans was part of an Extreme Sports Act and performed in front of 3.5 billion viewers in the Olympic Closing Ceremonies.

And now he talks with us.

There is a possibility that a few of the young riders on Alwaysmad may not even know who you are. How about a brief intro for these rare few.
My name is Hans Rey, 38 years old, born and raised in Germany, Swiss passport, living in California since 1987. Started trials riding in 1978, competeted for about 20 years. Won many Championships incl. BIU, UCI, Norba. Raced some Downhill and Slalom in the early 80ties (Bronze Medal 1993 Worlds Slalom). Many call me one of the pioneers of Freeriding and Extreme Biking. Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1999, many TV appearances worldwide, over 150 magazine covers, .... Adventure trips all over the world to remote places.

What drives you to explore the world with your bike. Is your desire to expose the world to Mountain Biking or expose your Mountain bike to the world?
Well it works both ways, I have been to about 60 countries. Nowadays I do a lot of promotional work for my sponsors and pursue my "Hans Rey Adventure Team" trips. I usually go to remote place and combine my extreme biking skills with different cultures and always in search of something historical or mysterious. Even though bike riding is my job, its also my hobby.

What can people expect from your DVD "No Way"?
Diana Graber made a documentary film about my career, it is basically a biography about my life. It's about 50 minutes long it has many interviews, and footage from my early videos and all kinds of stuff. It can be ordered on my web-site: www.hansrey.com

You have many long time sponsors including Fox Shox, Maxxis, Syntace, Adidas Eyewear, Mavic and 19 years with GT. What steps do you take to ensure that your sponsors get the bang for their buck?
Well, its a number of things, but I basically do my job, that means generate media exposure. My goals and role in the mountain biking world have changed over the years. I try to keep it interesting and real. I often pioneer new areas or aspects of the sport, it seems like I have a good nose in that regard. I also have a reputation of understanding the business and being professional, which is not too common in our industry.

Tell us about Alta Rezia and why you are so passionate about this region.
Alta Rezia is region that includes some 40 villages in Easter Switzerland and Northern Italy in the heart of the Alps. The biking and scenery are unreal. Livigno is one of the towns, they are hosting the Mountain Bike World Championships this year, they are building a Bike Park and they have 12 mountain bike specific hotels. There is a lot of good stuff going on and its really breathtaking beautiful.

Are there any current Trials or Freeriders that have peaked your interest?
Oh, there are many riders I look up to and I admire. One can literally learn something from everybody. That's why the sport is progressing so fast and in so many directions. The french have some incredible riders, the level of riding is so high. Then we have fellows like Lenosky and Leach, who both have their own niche and promote the sport in many ways. On the freeride front, there are so many good riders now. Kyle and Bearclaw push the sport to new levels. I've been riding a bunch with Richie, Wade, Thomas, Cowan, Lopes and some of the other boys. It's all great and fun.

What is the one thing that has become really tiring to hear from fellow riders?
A lot of pros complaint about the fact that it is not easy to make a living with the sport. It's true, its not easy and there is a lot of talent/competition out there. But many riders don't understand and don't want to deal with the business side of things, and that is often the reason why they don't make what they think they should make.

Have you been experimenting with street, street trials, or park?
I've been always experimenting with sorts and styles of riding. Occasionally I go to skate parks, I've always done street trials, I never got into grinding rails and walls..... I have a bike for every style of riding in my garage, some of them I ride more than others.

What has been more fulfilling, adventure riding or competing?
Its both been good at the time, right now I prefer the adventure/freeriding aspect. Sometimes I get to feel like Indiana Jones and explore remote and dangerous places. I really like to have a good storyline/reason for my trips, that's why I do a lot of research on the net and read books about my upcoming destinations.

Do you still do demos?
Yeah, I still do demos, I have cut back on the amount, since I have other priorities in my schedule. The shows still seem to be very successful whenever I do them. Recently I did a show in Italy at the Skiing World Championships - we had a big crowd, TV crews and I jumped off a train as highlight of the show.

What hub do you use?
I usually ride Mavic wheels and hubs, except on my trials mountain bike I run a Chris King hub

Are your signature frames available in North America?
At this point the signature frame is not available in the USA, I think if people e-mail GT, they might start stocking it soon or hopefully they will sell it on their web site.

Why have you stayed with GT for so long?
There was no reason to ever change, even though GT has gone through many changes. I always liked the product and the people who work there. I feel like I'm married to GT......

What are your views on the internet?
I think the internet is great, especially for niche sports such as trials, one can find much useful info and parts....

What was the one adventure that really stands out above the rest?
Each one of them has some outstanding memories. Bolivia, Egypt and Kenya are on top of my list.

From watching one of your adventures we noticed that you continually pushed the teams and your own limits. What keeps you from just throwing the bike off the cliff and walking home?
An adventure doesn't start until a journey goes wrong. That's just part of it, the places I pick are not supposed to be easy. There needs to be a challenge. I like overcoming challenges - kind of like the nature of trials riding.....

Have you ever given up on a line and accepted that nature beat you?
Many times I had to give up on line for many different reasons. Sometimes nature just beats you, sometimes you pick a line that is too hard, sometimes your mind is not there, sometimes its not worth the risk, etc.... Trials teaches one not to give up easily, in contrary it teaches to learn from ones mistakes. That's why it takes so much experience, concentration and analysing.

We noticed that you also like to put on demos for the locals in the regions you visit, especially for the young kids. What is it like for you when you see a kid who's not living in the best conditions smile from ear to ear.
That's the amazing thing about bikes, people can relate to it whereever you go, especially when you do tricks and entertain them. I love to put smiles on peoples faces. It often breaks the ice when I start riding, especially trials tricks, and it opens doors to the most amazing places and people.

What part of the world did you like the best and where is the one place that you haven't yet riddent that you wish you could?
Its a tough question to pin point one, in my top 5 list would be the Andes, the Alps, Costa Rica, California and Italy.

You basically started Trials riding way back, what do you think of Ryan Leech's new no-correction hop style of riding now, did you imagine that trials would progress to were it is now?
Trials has come a long way. If you look at some of the moves the french and spanish riders can do, it just blows your mind. but it has always been progressing, things you would do one year, were impossible the year before. Bikes have changed a lot as well. My new new bike has quite a modern geometry compared to the Zaskar frames I used to ride. My riding improved 15 - 20 % just because of the bike. Ryan Leech has done much good for our sport, not to forget his nice personality. His style of riding is beautiful to watch, its kind of like the early philosophy of trials. Back in the days, sections were called "Non Stop", and that's how the rules worked as well. When a riders front wheel came to a standstill he got 5 points. All the hopping techniques changed the sport. Isn't it funny how everything in life goes in cycles/circles and always goes back to the basics and the origin.

A lot of people don't take calculated risks when riding and sometimes severely injure themselves. What do you do in order to minimize injuries? Have you had any injuries in the past that have hampered your riding now?
I have been relatively lucky when it comes to major injuries (knock on wood), but I did have my share of crashes, bruises, cuts, and broken bones. I have no permanent injuries that slow me down, I guess I have been smart enough to heal properly. It is also import to know your own limits, and to have a plan B, in case something should go wrong. Sometimes you just have to listen to your instincts. Many young riders don't really learn the basics anymore, they just train and imitate the tricks and moves they see in the movies. It's not hard to jump off a 12 ft. wall to the ground, but its hard to land it clean.
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