Kelly McGarry (17 April 1982 – 1 February 2016) was a professional New Zealand freeride

mountain biker Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

and

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Athlete. He was known for his best trick award in the 2013

Red Bull Rampage The Red Bull Rampage is an invitation-only freeride mountain bike competition held near Zion National Park in Virgin, Utah, United States, just to the north of Gooseberry Mesa. From 2001 till 2004, it was held off the Kolob Terrace Road, on the ...

when he backflipped a 72-foot canyon gap. The video of the flip went viral on YouTube, getting over 200 million views. McGarry was one of the most prolific and recognised participants in the sport of freeride mountain biking. His participation in

Crankworx Crankworx is a four-stop tour of mountain biking competitions and races, the premier event of which is held each summer at Whistler-Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia at Whistler Mountain Bike Park. The Crankworx core competitive events are ...

events made him a recognisable figure in the sport, and in 2015, McGarry held the record for most consecutive appearances at the event.

Early life and career

McGarry was born in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

, a small settlement near

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. McGarry started off BMX biking and later in his career in 2006 racing in four-cross. He later moved on to freeride mountain biking. McGarry had a reputation for sending some of the biggest features and attempting some of the most daring stunts in mountain biking. His most famous and most watched feat was his massive 72-foot backflip over a canyon gap during Red Bull Rampage in 2013. With over 220 million views to date on YouTube, the trick earned McGarry the silver medal at that year’s Rampage, as well as Peoples Choice award gaining the admiration of mountain bikers and extreme sport athletes around the world. McGarry was also known to participate in daring events that pushed the sport of freeride in events like Red Bull Sky Gate. He took a heavy crash in Sky Gate that took him out for a couple of months. Many that knew McGarry knew him to be "one of the nicest and funniest guys to ever meet."

Death

He was biking on the Fernhill Loop Track in

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when he suffered a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

at 4:14 pm on 1 February 2016. Two paramedics from Queenstown were taken by air to the remote part of the track, approximately 45 minutes walk from the top of the Skyline Gondola, after reports of a mountain biker suffering a "medical event". St. John Central Lakes territory manager Kelvin Perriman said that "it is understood McGarry died at the scene".

References

External links

* Rollo, P.
Hanging with slope-style ace
, ''Nelson Mail'', 11 February 2015; retrieved 2 February 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:McGarry, Kelly 1982 births 2016 deaths Freeride mountain bikers New Zealand mountain bikers People from Wakefield, New Zealand Cycling road incident deaths Sport deaths in New Zealand