The line-up for the season opener in Saint Paul shows that ice cross downhill is a family affair. No fewer than five sets of brothers are set to compete as the Red Bull Crashed Ice season begins – and sometimes they'll be shoulder to shoulder.
As Red Bull Crashed Ice returns to Saint Paul, Minnesota, for the fourth time this week, defending Ice Cross Downhill World Champion Marco Dallago, of Austria, is pondering a puzzling question: Why are there so many brothers on the roster?
"Let's see, we have the Croxall brothers, the Moriarity twins, three Witty brothers, the Bergesons [pictured, above], and my brother Luca and me – and maybe there are more I don't know about!" he says. "Maybe the passion for doing this stuff is in the family genes."
Those genes are enviable ones. Not only did Marco (pictured, below) take the 2014 overall title, but Luca is a force in his own right, finishing just off the world championship podium in fourth last year. Both are back again for all four stops of the 2015 World Championship. The Croxalls from Canada are also a formidable family. Older brother Kyle has won six Red Bull Crashed Ice events and the 2012 World Championship, while his younger brother, Scott, has made it to 13 event finals so far, with five second-place finishes, as well as second-place overall last season.
And then there are the other Canadian brothers, Dean and Dylan Moriarity. On January 18, in the inaugural contest of the Riders Cup (a new ice cross downhill competition "by riders for riders," designed to make the sport even more accessible worldwide), the "speed twins" from Quebec stormed onto the course in Afton Alps, Minnesota, outpacing three former world champions and about 100 other athletes to earn podium spots in second (Dean) and third (Dylan).
Two homegrown fixtures at the event in Saint Paul are the Bergeson brothers, Andrew and Danny, who electrify their fellow Minnesotans every time they roar down the track in their typically American, all-or-nothing style. And there are other Minnesota siblings who happily don't even stand a chance of coming up against each other, no matter how the heats play out: Sever Lundquist is contending in the men's competition, while his sister Sadie will be taking on the women's field.
As if pairs of siblings aren't enough, the Witty family has been contributing a full trio of contenders for three years now: brothers Ryan, Dan and Tyler will all be competing as the fastest sport on skates comes to the astounding new track at the Cathedral of Saint Paul this week.
"This is always a big weekend on the calendar for our parents," says Tyler, while Dan adds, "Every year you find that more and more people have heard of the event or know someone who's doing it. It just keeps growing, so this is really going to be fun."
For many siblings, part of that fun is the opportunity to join forces with their brothers (and friends) in the team competition, where they can share their success.
But still, there's always the chance that individual competition will eventually pit one brother against another. Marco Dallago, for one, says he has no problem with that.
"I would definitely be happy if Luca won the championship, definitely," he says sincerely. With a hint of a smile, though, the Austrian adds, "But of course, I will do my best to avoid that and be the winner myself!"
For more details on the event, including how to watch Saturday's race live, visit redbullcrashedice.com/saint-paul. You can also follow all of the action via our Live Results. From Thursday, get all the shootout times and heats in real time at redbullcrashedice.com/results.
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