The points start collecting from the very first beep of the season at round one. The pressure of their presence sits on riders’ shoulders all year. The ticking clock may stop after each run but the abacus never stops, it only pauses between races to coil the riders springs even tighter. Until eventually the chips are counted at the final round.

As filmmakers we've had the privilege to be present for some great moments in a few riders' careers. Whether it’s a high-risk move, a contest or a race, it’s always cool to see vision become reality.

I find it amazing how much downhill racing has progressed and flourished over the past 10 years - especially in the women's field. What used to be a male-driven sport, is now enjoyed by a variety of people across the board. Womens' riding has developed into a hardworking, inspirational group of girls who are constantly progressing at an alarming rate. I have been inspired by this progress. It has pushed me further than I ever thought possible, both through my riding and my art. Every day I am driven to accomplish more with every brush and pedal stroke. - Micayla Gatto

The UCI world cup circuit is a living, breathing community of riders dedicated to travelling the globe to race bikes. Nomadic in nature, this elite community exists only on the road in a never-ending pursuit of milliseconds. These athletes train the hardest, constantly drive technology forward and act as ambassadors for our sport as they travel the world to compete.

The riding community in Nepal is just emerging. In Nepal, walking is the primary form of transportation resulting in a seemingly endless amount of paths, trails and routes connecting people and places throughout the landscape. What’s new for the Nepalese is the concept of riding mountain bikes on these trails. A core group of riders committed to sharing the riding experience with all have kick-started the mountain bike community here. Their enthusiasm and perseverance reminds us of what its like to be part of a movement.

Green River, Utah is a modern day ghost town, its quiet streets and empty buildings swallowed up by the desert stretching out in all directions; nothing is “near” to here. It just so happens that this desert holds the mother lode for freeriding terrain. And while only a handful of riders have the vision, skill and nerves to ride in this foreboding landscape, what they accomplish here constantly reshapes the face of mountain biking as we know it.

One version of ‘living the dream’ is a lifestyle based around spending every day riding endless downhill. Like a die-hard surfers living close to the beach, passion-driven riders are building a community around the world famous Whistler Mountain Bike Park. This dream requires sacrifice. But no sacrifice is too big for the committed. In the greater mountain bike community we hold these people up as purists. They are the ones we think of when we feel trapped in our own routines. They are the ones that help keep our dreams alive.

In keeping with the theme of our new community-based film project, Strength in Numbers, we've just released the full Switzerland segment for everyone to enjoy and share. Travelling with your bike is an amazing way to create connections between different riding communities all over the world. This is what we hoped to capture when we followed freeride legend Wade Simmons on his annual summer trip to the Swiss Alps along with fellow freerider and friend Matt Hunter. Hopefully, watching this will leave you inspired and stoked to get out on your own bike adventure. In Wade’s own words: “It’s not all about the trail... it’s about where that trail is."

Earlier this year, Shimano gave us the opportunity to shoot with Thomas Vanderham for the launch of their new Saint Series. Thomas wanted to change things up a bit and create something that would highlight just how much freeride mountain biking has progressed since the launch of the first Saint in 2003. Here's Thomas' own words on his motivations behind the video...

The free online premiere of Strength in Numbers was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who joined us online! We had over 200,000 riders from all over the world watch the film in just 24 hours. This totally exceeded our expectations and really captured what Strength in Numbers is all about – uniting the global mountain bike community. A lot of people thought we were crazy to give away a movie that we spent almost 2 years making. But we believe that films are one of the most powerful ways to grow and unite our sport and we’re just getting started. Today we’re releasing the complete Aptos segment for free online for everyone to experience and share. Enjoy!

The online premiere reflects exactly the concept behind “STRENGTH IN NUMBERS”: a bike movie that is about how all sides of the mountain bike world are connected should be accessible to all mountain bikers!