D.J. Brandt

I am 18 years old, from Grand Junction, CO. I started riding slopestyle about a year and a half ago at ranchstyle 2010. Back then I had no idea what slopestyle or freeride mountain biking was, I just rode my dirt jumper around town, making jumps wherever I could. Then I saw a flyer for the ranchstyle competition and a clinic riding with professionals like Casey Groves and Mike Metzger, and decided to enter. The first time I saw the jumps at The Ranch I was so scared I could hardly talk. These were the biggest jumps I had ever seen, and I was so scared I probably rode up to the starting drop ten times before I finally went off it. As soon as I sent that first drop I fell in love with slopestyle, and since then it's just been a progression from being scared of the first drop at The Ranch to not being scared to ride the Crankworx Colorado course this year.