Tyler McCaul Earns a Trip to McGazza Fest 2020

Tyler Mccaul Earn Trip to McGazza Fest

 

 

Tyler McCaul Earns a Trip to McGazza Fest 2020

A win at Red Bull Rampage in Utah leads to Queenstown, NZ

 

Queenstown, New Zealand, 25 November 2019: First presented in 2016, the Kelly McGarry Spirit Award was created to celebrate the Red Bull Rampage athlete who truly embodied Kelly’s larger-than-life personality, positivity, and perseverance. This truly community-based honour is voted on each year by the riders and diggers. In addition to a uniquely designed trophy featuring an iconic image of Kelly, the award also includes a trip for the winner to attend the annual McGazza Fest in Queenstown, New Zealand. 

 

Past winners have included Conor McFarlane (2016), Pierre-Edouard Ferry (2017), and Brendan Fairclough (2018). This year the Kelly McGarry Spirit Award was presented to Tyler McCaul, who was honoured by the win.  “It means a lot to me - especially to know that this award was voted on by the riders. We're a very tight-knit community, and we all try to have each other's backs out there during the event. Tensions can be high during the dig days. Still, I remember Kelly always being so chill with everyone during the event, and that's something I haven't forgotten.”

 

Tyler is looking forward to returning to McGazza Fest. “McGazza Fest 2018 was amazing – and I wouldn't expect anything less considering the number of people Kelly inspired throughout his career. The turnout was huge, and the vibe of the event can't be explained unless you were there. It was just about having a good time and riding for fun, exactly the way Kelly would've liked it. I think he'd be blown away if he could see how many people come out to honour him during the event.”

 

Kelly’s popularity and edits in the freeride scene helped put Queenstown on the map as a riding destination. Kelly was also hands-on and instrumental in building and maintaining iconic riding spots like Wynward and Gorge Road. Perhaps most importantly, Kelly never missed an opportunity to tour around visitors and introduce them to all his favourite spots - McGazza Fest is a true celebration of this aspect of Kelly’s personality. 

 

His absence continues to be felt both on his home trails and at events like Red Bull Rampage, where his awe-inspiring riding and mature wisdom left their mark. "I met Kelly when I was super young, and we became friends instantly," recalls Tyler. "To be fair, I'm pretty sure Kelly became friends with everyone he met. We were both always at similar points in our careers. We started doing slopestyle comps at around the same time and traveled to a lot of the same places together during that time. We would have conversations pretty often towards the end of our slopestyle careers about how our hearts weren't fully into it anymore and how it became time to step away from it. It made it easier knowing that a fellow competitor and friend of mine was in the same place mentally as far as competing, and it made the decision to walk away from slopestyle easier. We both still loved Rampage, though, and were still fired up on that, although we often talked about how much it scared us. I always admired how he could weigh the risks and fears that were on his mind, but still not back down from the challenge.” 

 

Kelly was known for freely sharing his insights and experiences with other riders, which only added to his popularity. It's no wonder that so many people join together to celebrate his memory each year. “Party laps in the park and trains on Dream Track,” are just a couple of the things Tyler is looking forward at McGazza Fest 2020. "The trails at Skyline are some of the best in the world, and in terms of jump lines, Dream Track is unbeatable, in my opinion. I'm also [looking forward to] catching up with those that were very close to Kelly and reminiscing on old times.” 

 

The long list of professional athletes who have previously attended McGazza Fest includes Ryan Howard, Carson Storch, Reece Wallace, Bas Van Steenbergen, Antonie Bizet, Ray George, Conor Macfarlane, Remy Morton, Reece Wallace, Reed Boggs, and many more.

 

McGazza Fest 2020 - Celebrating the legacy of Kelly McGarry - will take place in Queenstown, New Zealand, the unofficial winter training ground for northern hemisphere riders, from January 24th to 26th. The event includes a ‘Mega Train from Queenstown Skyline Bike Park to Atlas Bar, a Dream Track Jam, a Memorial Ride, and the Gorge Road Jam.  If you're following from home, keep an eye on Instagram and Facebook for updates during the event, and recap videos and photos following it!

The foundation continues to focus on their mission of supporting mountain biking and riders in New Zealand and have several projects in the pipeline for 2020. For more on The Kelly McGarry Foundation or McGazza Fest, please visit the Kelly McGarry Foundation Website.

 

About The Kelly McGarry Foundation

 

The Kelly McGarry Foundation is an officially registered charity  (CC54980) and was created by his close friends and family to honour his legacy and support the New Zealand Mountain Biking community.


Kelly had an infectious, down-to-earth, and generous personality. He was always keen to have a chat and never shied away from lending a helping hand, whether it be volunteer trail building, informal coaching, or just some boisterous encouragement.

The foundation aims to emulate that generous spirit through financial support and grants to various mountain biking projects throughout New Zealand.

 

Please check out the Projects page and Mission page to see how our donations are being put to work.