Mt Bachelor, Redline Rally. Photo: Max Rhulen

While Bend is easily one of Oregon’s mountain bike meccas, not many of the trails or terrain are overly technical. In addition to a massive cross-country trail network, Bend does have a few options for more gravity-focused riders, including Mt. Bachelor Bike Park, less than 30 minutes away. And the pinnacle trail at Mt. Bachelor is Redline, an advanced jump trail stretching two miles down the mountain.

Each year, Mt. Bachelor hosts Redline Rally, the largest freeride mountain bike event for the mountain and likely all of Oregon. What started as an event focused more on professional athletes has shifted toward local, up-and-coming riders, better known as “groms.” And, in some cases, these groms are using the rally as a springboard to their own professional careers on two wheels.

Hunter Michelsen getting big air off Redline’s Moon Booter. Photo: Travis Reill

12-year-old Hunter Michelsen takes the “Best Grom” award, competing at his 4th Redline Rally

The most recent gravity-focused trails in Bend are at the Wanoga Sno Park and were built by pro riders such as Carson Storch, Cam McCaul, and Dusty Wygle. And before Mt. Bachelor Bike Park opens for the season, you can find 12-year-old Hunter Michelsen at Wanoga pedaling his Commencal DH bike to the top.

Michelsen has mountain biking skills that far surpass his age, including a bag of tricks most middle-schoolers aren’t attempting. “No foot can, no hander, tire grab, and dangler,” Michelsen told us, referring to the different tricks he landed during the competition. When asked what a “dangler” was, he explained that it was when he took one hand and one foot off the same side of the bike.

Kids being kids. Photos: Max Rhulen

While the Redline Rally participants “compete” down the entire Redline track, the event emphasizes the last jump, aptly dubbed the “Moon Booter.” After a few laps, the rally turns to a jump jam on the massive tabletop, launching riders over 10 feet into the air.

Along with taking his hands and feet off the bike, Michelsen also threw some very sideways whips and boosted the jump nearly as high and far as the adult participants — including Storch. This earned Michelsen the “Best Grom” award for the day, which he has won before.

In fact, this is his fourth year participating in the Redline Rally, which he started when he was just eight years old. Thanks to the event, Michelsen has connected with pro riders like Carson Storch and Arlie Connolly, often appearing in their social media posts. For any 12-year-old, that is huge. For someone like Michelsen, who wants to be a professional mountain biker, it could be instrumental for his future.

Mt Bachelor, Redline Rally. Photo: Max Rhulen

“It’s kind of a big event,” Michelsen said. “Companies can notice you.”

And they have. Just days before Redline Rally, Michelsen became an ambassador for BikesOnline and Polygon. He has also been doing a bit of traveling, promoting different bike parks and freeride areas in the West, something he hopes to do a lot more of.

But his ultimate goal? Michelsen wants to ride in the Red Bull Rampage, which seems far off at just 12 years old. However, considering the amount of skill Michelsen has at a young age, an event like Rampage isn’t out of the question.

Storch following Connolly up for another lap. Photo: Travis Reill

Arlie Connolly went from Redline Rally grom to Redline Rally pro

“Oh, yeah, I was full peak grom,” Arlie Connolly told Singletracks, referring to his first year at the Redline Rally. “I was 15.”

Connolly, now 20, grew up in Bend and now splits his time between his hometown and southern Utah. As a younger mountain biker, he initially focused on downhill racing and found support through a local bike shop. Connolly raced professionally as a junior before deciding to focus more on freeride.

This transition came roughly a year after his first Redline Rally and has paid off for Connolly. Just this year, he signed a deal with Marin Bikes, one of the many sponsors backing him. He also gets support from Smith Optics, Vee Tires, Rock Shox, and a handful of other brands.

Connolly told us that events like Redline Rally helped prop him up and gave him a platform to eventually turn pro. In past years, Connolly was just one of the groms looking forward to riding the event with the pros he looked up to, like Storch. For the 2026 Redline Rally, Storch and Connolly essentially headlined the event, sending lap after lap with the younger riders. For Connolly, that reality felt “unreal.”

Connolly (left) and Storch (right) spent a good amount of the event upside down. Photo: Travis Reill

“I just don’t know,” he explained. “I don’t feel like I’m all that. I’m still in awe every time I get to hang out and ride with Carson. I haven’t really been able to think about it. I’m just like another kid on a bike in my mind.”

Connolly is “another kid” who we might also see in Red Bull Rampage in the coming years. 2026 was his first year applying to the event, and while he didn’t get in this year, he is hopeful for the future.

For this year’s Rampage, Connolly is lending a hand on the dig team for Johny Salido. “I’m 20. It was my first time putting my name in the hat. So many people have been trying to get in there for so long — now it’s their time.”

We look forward to keeping an eye out for future Rampages in which veteran Arlie Connolly and rookie Hunter Michelsen battle for the top spot.

Maya Zakreski, 23, with one of the best no-handers of the day. Photo: Travis Reill

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