Timo Pritzel

The first time the majority of the U.S. bike scene took notice of Timo Pritzel was when he backflipped the biggest dirt jumps seen on TV so far. Helltrack, part of the New World Disorder series put the German rider on the radar. Since then he’s been a steady face at all the major dirt jump events here in the States, including the Sea Otter Classic that he can count as one of his numerous victories.

Timo’s riding style is best described as that of a perfectionist and if you would have seen him getting taken out by tree branches at John Cowan’s Jump Jam one year when he seemingly popped off the lip twice as high as anyone else, you know that he’s at home in the air without having to throw crazy tricks. What you probably don’t know about him is that his trips over the big lake started way back in the day. And regarding Timo as a person, let’s just say that he’s not the “typical” German if you’re into generalizing things. In the end he is just a guy that loves riding his bike.

germany according to timo

best thing: You can drive for an hour and be in different countries.
worst thing: Sometimes the German mentality is a bit unfriendly.
people: Once you know the right people it’s cool .
weather: Sucks.
food: The food is better and healthier than in the States.
dirt jumps: We have some good trails but it was a bit more trendy two years ago and more people ride street now. We’re like a few guys that build and dig and with the German weather it is sometimes really difficult. You have to basically build new trails after every winter. But we have a good scene. In Berlin we have some good trails like the 55 trails with two of my friends being the main builders that just love digging. And you have to love it.
soccer: In school I always hated it and I was like, “Man, come on guys. There are more sports than soccer.” And most of the time I played volleyball with the girls. [laughs]
german bike magazines: They’re pretty cheesy but there’s one mag called Mountainbike Rider that is pretty cool. But, they’re starting to get better.

Name: Timo Pritzel
DOB: 4/29/1977
Birthplace: Berlin
Current residence: Berlin
Height: 178 cm (5’11”)
Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs.)
Shoe: EU 44 (10)

Sponsors: Scott, Oakley, Suzuki, Eastpak, Iriedaily, SRAM, RockShox, Truvativ, Avid, TSG, Schwalbe, Sun Ringle

Web: timopritzel.com