November 25, 2002 – Canada's Premium Bicycle Manufacturer, Rocky Mountain Bicycles once again leads the Freeride world in re-signing three of the sports best; Wade Simmons, Richie Schley and Thomas Vanderham signed for 2003 through 2005.

Wade Simmons, winner of the inaugural Red Bull Rampage in 2001 will stay with Rocky Mountain for another three year term, extending his relationship with the company to 11 years. One of the originals of Freeride, Simmons has graced Rocky Bikes since 1995. He prides himself as much on his love of riding any bike, anywhere, as do others acclaim him for his effortless jumps of 45 foot road gaps and 30 foot cliff drops.

In addition to a commonly shared background with many of his peers in Downhill and BMX, many of his fans are not aware that this versatile rider lined up for many years to compete in Cross Country racing and is very much an advocate of Epic riding. For 2003, Rocky Mountain offers a Wade Simmons Signature special RM7 model in its line up of bikes.

Thomas Vanderham is the hot new young rider everyone is talking about. At 18 years old Thomas is one of the few riders to make jaws drop on even his team mates and mentors at increasingly frequent occasions. Vanderham has come a long way from trying to avoid the bike his parents gave him to ride at 10 years old saying,” I have no interest in biking, why would I want a bike?” Ever pushing the limits of the more experienced riders, the magnitude of testing imposed on the Rocky Mountain® bikes by this rider, has been, and will be invaluable in the constant endeavour to make them indestructible. Vanderham also doubles as a Downhiller. He raced for Canada as a junior in 2002 at the World Championships in Kaprun, Austria. In 2003, he will race select US Norba National races.

Richie Schley has been a staple of the Mountain Bike media for the past six years. Also a successful Big Mountain Free Skier, Schley is probably the most published Freerider in the World. As an experienced veteran of the Mountain Bike discipline, his 7th place finish at this years “Over the Top” 2002 Utah Red Bull Rampage in October, establishes him in the ranks of the most current talent pool. Schley also continues to share his riding skill with many neophyte Freeriders at his Whistler Mountain Richie Schley Freeride Camps each summer.

“We are thrilled that Wade, Thomas and Richie have chosen to ride our bikes,” declared Denis Jutras, General Manager of Rocky Mountain Bicycles, “Most importantly they will provide continued insight to what will keep our bikes the best in the business- that is World Class bikes developed by World Class athletes.”