RIDGELINE V: RESISTANCE - GEE ATHERTON

Gee Atherton is a double World Champion mountain biker and creator of the spectacular Ridgeline Series. Gee’s daring rides have challenged every limiting belief of what is possible on a bike, but not without great cost. In 2021, Ridgeline III: The Knife Edge resulted in a horrific crash, which put him out of action for almost two years.

Undeterred, Gee was determined to return to creating the 'Big Mountain' films he loves, travelling to the Dolomites in Italy for Ridgeline IV. In this latest episode, Gee and his crew re-define the series with a focus on behind-the-scenes and the physical and mental cost of capturing action edits such as these. Ridgeline V: Resistance was filmed in the stunning surroundings of Engelberg-Titlis, Switzerland. Gee chose the title because "The mountain fought us every step of the way, testing our resolve and wearing us down with challenge after challenge. Hot then cold, wet, scared, hungry, exhausted and physically drained, we’d suddenly be faced with an enormous obstacle. We are a tight-knit crew, and I feel like the mountains have shaped, changed, and strengthened us… we’ve dug deeper than we’d have believed we could.

Even at the very pinnacle of competition there’s a place inside of you can rarely access. We all went there." Gee said, “From the start, the Ridgeline Series has been about taking mountain biking to the limit… exploring what’s possible on a bike and creating the most stunning footage in the most amazing places around the world. I love that feeling of being on the very limit of how far we can go. I’m super proud of what we have achieved with the Series so far, but I wanted to move beyond the adrenaline and glamour of a four-minute edit. I wanted to show the reality behind those action highlights, the hard grind, the setbacks, and the absolute trust in my bike, my crew, and my equipment that are essential in the making of these films.

I want to keep on pushing boundaries and this film gives an unvarnished insight into what that takes. Every single step felt like we’d picked a fight with forces way bigger than ourselves." Gee filmed the Ridgeline Series on board the Atherton Bikes A.170, which was designed by Gee, his World Champion siblings Dan and Rachel and built by a small team of expert engineers in Machynlleth, Mid-Wales.