Beyond Gravity is roaring into its first year with a start-studded list of riders. The upstart event, a new downhill race option beyond World Cup and Red Bull Hardline series, seems to be attracting the biggest names in the sport with a different approach to race organising.

Finn Iles joins Beyond Gravity rider list

Now that list includes Finn Iles. The Whistler-local is the first Canadian added to official roster for Beyond Gravity’s February 2027 debut. Iles joins some of the biggest names in the sport, including Asa Vermette, Amaury Pierron, Aletha Ostgaard, Ronan Dunne, Tahnee Seagrave, Aaron Gwin, Troy Brosnan and perpetual world champion Vali Höll. Beyond Gravity would be one of Iles’s very rare appearances outside of World Cup racing. The Canadian is scheduled to ride his first Red Bull Hardline when that series makes its Canadian debut on Cypress Mountain this fall. It’s exciting to see Iles branching out, or being allowed by his team to branch out like this.

Beyond Gravity still has one more roster release planned, so we could see some more CanCon headed down under in 2027. The new series is based out of Maydena Bike Park and making use of at least some of the Red Bull Hardline Maydena course from past years. That would make Jackson Goldstone and Gracey Hemstreet, both winners of Hardline Maydena, natural additions to the Canadian contingent.

Gracey Hemstreet. Photo: Andy Vathis
What is Beyond Gravity

If you’re not familiar, Beyond Gravity is presenting itself as a rider-focused alternative to the two existing premiere downhill series. The upstart event is offering more substantially more significant cash prizing for riders, and a new athlete reward structure, to try attract big talent to the event. Which, it seems, is working.

Here’s the idea as presented by Maydena Bike Park:

“Beyond Gravity is driven by a desire to blaze a new path, building an event that places athletes front and centre – aligning athlete performance with the financial performance of the event. In the past, events have relied on multi-national companies for their viability, which comes with significant compromises and controls. Beyond Gravity is fiercely independent, and free from external influence – we will work with our athlete group to build something special together.”

The inaugural Beyond Gravity is scheduled for February 26-27, 2027.

2027 Beyond Gravity rider roster (so far)

Aletha Ostgaard
Amaury Pierron
Finn Iles
Juanfer Velez
Lou Ferguson
Luca Shaw
 Nathan Pontvianne
Ollie Davis
Ronan Dunne
Tahnee Seagrave
Theo Erlangsen
Aaron Gwin
Antoine Pierron
Asa Vermette
Jess Blewitt
Lachie Stevens McNab
Luke Meier-Smith
Tilly Boadle
Troy Brosnan
Vali Höll