February 29, 2005 – Wade Simmons, the “Godfather of Freeride” and one of Big Mountain Freeride Competition’s Rock Stars Thomas Vanderham will be special guests at the Toyota Canada booth at the Toronto Bike Show March 5th and 6th.

Autograph sessions are at 2pm each day.

Simmons won the first Red Bull Rampage competition in Australia in 2001. Wade is best know for his spectacular segments in numerous Mountain Bike Videos and comes from a diversified background of biking that started at the BMX track as a teenager. He raced Cross Country MTB early in his career, switched to downhill and found a special place in MTB history books in the increasingly popular discipline of Freeride which is really a creative interpretation of terrain. Wade sees and rides lines and obstacles most would never think of, and does it with incredible style. With Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Wade started the concept of the Fro riders in 1997.

Vanderham, 20 years old, is one of the new Rock Stars of Freeride competition. Formerly a Downhill Racer who represented Canada as a junior in 1999, Thomas shows maturity and speed in his competition runs. He has never been out of the top ten finishers in a Big Mountain Freeride event since he started in 2001. In 2004 he was 2nd at the Monster Park slopestyle in Michigan, and narrowly missed 3rd place at this years Red Bull Rampage in Utah. Vanderham’s signature Suicide No Handers on huge gaps are picture perfect. (pictured bottom at Red Bull Rampage 2004)

Toronto International Bicycle Show

The largest Bicycle Consumer Show in Canada, the Toronto International Bicycle Show, is entering its 19th successful year. And the action keeps heating up, with a host of fabulous competitions and the most up-to-date displays of new product from the major manufacturers and dealers.

Special Events and Activities

“¢ The Metro BMX Jam returns to the new Ricoh Coliseum. With over 80 of the world’s best Freestyle BMX riders congregating in Toronto for the 5th consecutive year, new limits of what’s possible on a bike are pushed, making for an incredible show. Riding in jam format (heats of 4 riders) allows this competition to be one of the most progressive in the world. The Pro Finals and Pro Hard Trick Contests on Sunday afternoon are must-sees. The competition is located in the Ricoh Coliseum (enter at the show front entrance of the National Trade Centre). For more information visit www.metrobmxjam.com.

“¢ Toyota Truck Indoor Championship of BMX and MountainCross Racing, as some of the world’s best, including World Champion Brian Lopes, battle over the challenging dirt course. For more information visit www.motoparkracing.com/bicycleshow.htm