For the better part of 24 years, Tarek Rasouli has watched other people ride mountain bikes. He’s been to countless bike parks, organized some of the biggest events in the sport and helped launch the careers of some of mountain biking’s most recognizable athletes. But he hasn’t been riding the trails himself.

But when Rasouli returned to Whistler Bike Park in July 2026, he was there to ride.

On the screens to behind the scenes

If you’ve followed mountain biking since the early 2000s, you remember Rasouli. The German was one of the original freeride pioneers and helped bring North Shore style riding scene to Europe. A former German BMX national champion, Rasouli became one of Red Bull’s first global mountain bike athletes in the late 1990s.

In 2000, he joined Rocky Mountain’s legendary freeride team alongside Wade Simmons, Richie Schley and Brett Tippie. He appeared in iconic mountain bike films, including Kranked IV and helped introduce an entirely new style of riding to audiences around the world.

He was also riding Whistler Bike Park before most people knew what a bike park was.

In 2002, Rasouli was coaching at a mountain bike camp in Whistler alongside Simmons, Schley and Thomas Vanderham. Shortly afterward, while filming for Kranked 5 at Sun Peaks, B.C., he crashed and fractured his spine.

The injury left him paralyzed and using a wheelchair.

His career as an athlete came to an end. But he didn’t leave the industry. He went on to found Rasoulution, a sports marketing and communications agency. He helped develop events including Red Bull District Ride and the Nissan Qashqai Challenge, co-founded the Freeride Mountain Bike Association in 2010.

But despite spending much of his life surrounded by the sport, there was one thing he couldn’t do. Ride the trails.

Sterling Lorence photo.
Back in the gondola

Rasouli never stopped cycling after his accident. Within a few years, he was riding a handbike around Munich. But he was sticking to paved roads and slight hills.

In 2024 that began to change when he got his first Bowhead RX. The Canadian-made, adaptive electric mountain bike opened up the trails once again. The three-wheeled, full-suspension bike allowed him to ride gravel roads and grind up steep climbs. During Crankworx Whistler in July 2026, Bosch eBike Systems and Bowhead Bikes provided Rasouli with a second-generation Bowhead RX.

And suddenly, riding Whistler Bike Park was a possibility again.

“I was pretty blown away to be sitting in the gondola heading up the mountain again after 24 years. At the trailhead I was nervous and stoked, and I could feel this was going to be a really special day for me,” says Rasouli.

Joining him was Gustavo “Guga” Ortiz from Bowhead, a former downhill racer who helped Rasouli choose the right trails and get comfortable on the bike.

Sterling Lorence photo.
Getting back in the air

Of course, Rasouli wasn’t content to simply roll down the mountain. This is a guy who helped define freeride, after all. After getting comfortable on the bike, Rasouli and Ortiz stopped at the Joyride Skill Area for a little jump session. And that’s when things really started coming back.

“After a little jump session in the Joyride Skill Area, I was getting more and more of a feel for the bike and the extra power of the new Bosch Performance Line CX. Then on the Crank It Up trail I hit a series of jumps with some airtime. I hadn’t felt that kind of joy on a bike in more than 24 years, but there it was again.”

The bike that made it possible

The Bowhead RX isn’t your average bike. It’s an eMTB that uses hand cranks, with electric assist to provide the extra torque needed  for climbing and acceleration. The one Racouli was riding uses a Bosch Performance Line CX motor. It has up to 120 Nm of torque, 750 watts of power and 600 per cent assistance. There are two 750 Wh PowerTube batteries on board.

The new ride also features 115 mm of travel, with two 24-inch wheels in the front and a 27.5-inch wheel in the rear.

Sterling Lorence photo.
Some things are worth waiting 24 years for

No matter how you slice it, seeing Rasouli ride Whistler is inspirational. He was there when it was all just beginning. And through his events and athlete management he’s watched the sport evolve into what it is today.

Now technology has finally caught up enough to let him experience that evolution. But Rasouli is riding again. And he’s even throwing Bowhead x-ups.