In a Wheelchair at the World's Most Famous Bike Park

Tarek Rasouli fliegt wieder durch den Bikepark in Whistler.

Photo: Sterling Lorence

Imagine being a freeride pioneer who witnessed the opening of the first bike parks, only to have to wait nearly a quarter-century due to a severe injury before finally being able to ride bike park trails again. In the summer of 2026, Tarek Rasouli was finally able to fulfill this long-held dream of returning to a bike park at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

Tarek Rasouli is one of the pioneers of freeride mountain biking and was already riding at Whistler Bike Park in the early 2000s. Just before a serious mountain biking accident at nearby Sun Peaks and the resulting paraplegia turned his life upside down in 2002, Tarek was working as a coach at a mountain biking camp in Whistler Bike Park, alongside his Frorider teammates Wade Simmons, Richie Schley, and Thomas Vanderham.

Just a few years after his accident, he was already regularly out on the roads around Munich on a handbike. Tarek also remained loyal to mountain biking: He continued to shape the sport behind the scenes and has visited countless bike parks over the past 24 years—for self-organized slopestyle events as well as various Crankworx and World Cup stops. However, he was always in the role of a spectator or organizer. For a long time, riding actual bike park trails himself seemed unthinkable to him.

His comeback was made possible through a partnership with Bosch eBike Systems and Bowhead Bikes: During his visit in August 2026 to Crankworx Whistler, Tarek was presented with the second-generation Bowhead RX on-site and hit the trails with it immediately afterward.

Thanks to the latest generation of the Bosch Performance Line CX—with 120 Newton-meters of torque, 750 watts of motor power, and a 600 percent assist factor—the new Bowhead RX bike delivers enough power for plenty of bike park laps. The two PowerTube 750 batteries ensure sufficient range for longer adventures. The adaptive mountain bike is equipped with the new MoFlo suspension system, offering 115 millimeters of travel (up from 75 millimeters), 24-inch wheels up front, and a 27.5-inch wheel in the rear.

Tarek was joined in Whistler by Gustavo “Guga” Ortiz from Bowhead. The former downhill rider showed him the right trails for his first few runs.

“I was pretty blown away to be riding the gondola back up after 24 years. At the trailhead, I was excited, thrilled, and could tell it was going to be a very special day for me,” Tarek says. “After a short jump session in the Joyride Skill Area, I started to get a better feel for the bike and the extra power of the new Bosch drive. On the Crank-It-Up Trail, there were a few jumps in a row with some serious airtime. I hadn’t experienced that kind of joy on a bike in over 24 years, but there it was again.”

Bowhead RX Specifications

Suspension system: Bowhead MoFlo™
Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
Performance Specs: 120 Nm of torque, 750 W of motor power, and a 600% assist factor
System: Bosch Smart System
Battery: Two Bosch PowerTube 750
Brakes: Magura Gustav Pro, 2 x front, 1 x rear
Gear system: Shimano Deore XT Di2
Suspension: Cane Creek AIR IL, 2 x front, 1 x rear
Saddle: Vicair Active 02 9 cm
Wheels: Reserve Carbon, Front: 2 × 24-inch Danny Mac, Rear: 27.5-inch 30 / DH
Tires: Front: 2 x Cast Stunt Double, Rear: 1 x Cast Antagonist DualWall Carcass
Grips: Cast Bamba
Weight: approx. 45 kg
Extras: Roll bar, length-adjustable hand crank

bosch-ebike.com/tarek-rasouli-ebike-bikepark-whistler