"Another World" is the name of the almost two-minute video clip with which 29-year-old Russian rider Ivan Makushev caused a stir in the mountain bike world last week. He is the first rider to perform a Stanley flip bar twist on 26-inch tires. Only Australian BMX superstar Ryan Williams has ever managed this trick on a bike, but on 20-inch tires. Willy was also one of the first and most prominent well-wishers to post their appreciation under Makushev's video on Instagram. This was a particular pleasure for the Russian, as Willy is one of his great idols, as he explains in an online interview with Ride. The trick was originally developed by scooter rider Jayden Stanley. Makushev tried it for the first time in June 2023 and landed it for the first time eight months ago. 

The Russia in which Makushev lives and practices his sport as a professional is also a different world. The political isolation affects many areas of life, including the bike scene. The 29-year-old from Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth largest city in the Ural Mountains, is no stranger to the bike world. Makushev was originally at home on BMX. As a flatlander, he rode for the Berlin brand Autumn Bikes and was also a guest at contests in Germany in 2014. Even back then, he followed Crankworx Joyride with great admiration and dreamed of trying his own tricks on a mountain bike one day, as he says.

One of a kind slopestyler in Yekaterinburg

In 2020, the time had come. Makushev and his friends built a small skate park in Ekaterinburg and switched to a slopestyle bike. However, the MTB scene in Russia has shrunk rather than grown over the past ten years, says Makushev: "This may also have something to do with the fact that there are a large number of skate parks, but very few dirt parks and therefore hardly any slopestyle competitions. I'm the only one in my city who rides regularly." Makushev also has hardly any international contacts with other mountain bikers. His contacts are mainly limited to the BMX scene - not least due to his sporting past.

However, his dream would be to ride at Crankworx or an FMBA event one day to meet his big heroes Pavel Alekhin, Brandon Semenuk, the Godziek brothers or Brett Rheeder. "I have plans to do that and I hope I can make it one day," says Makushev. As a professional athlete, he currently lives off a sponsorship deal with the Russian energy drink manufacturer Invoke. Similar to Red Bull or Monster in the West, Invoke offers professionals like Makushev in Russia an environment in which they can practice their sport professionally.

Difficult situation

The current political situation has made it more difficult for professionals like Makushev to obtain the necessary hardware. He now rides a frame from the Russian manufacturer Tony Step Bikes: "We developed the frame called Sokol together two years ago and it is now sold in limited numbers." The cranks come from the Russian manufacturer Neutrino Components, the carbon rims from Dautov Bros. and the cockpit is from the Canadian manufacturer Chromag. "It has now become difficult to get spare parts from abroad. We have to make detours via other countries," he says, giving an insight into everyday life as a Russian pro rider. Incidentally, during the Stanley Flip Bar twist in Makushev's video, you can hear that two spokes broke during the landing.

Traveling abroad is also no longer as easy for Makushev as it used to be, he explains: "Back then, I could fly directly to Berlin. Today, I have to take a detour via Turkey or Dubai to get there. That means much higher costs." The fact that he managed to get a viral video via the social media platform Instagram, which is officially blocked by the authorities in Russia, is remarkable. "I use VPN software for this," he explains. In this way, the official block can be circumvented. Difficult times call for creative solutions.

Ivan Makushev hopes to gain a foothold in the freeride MTB scene in the long term: "I would love to try out real freeriding. We have the necessary natural conditions here. But I don't have the bike to try it..."

Link: Ivan Makushev's Instagram profile