LAO 2026 was another one for the books. Amazing weather, solid crowds and insane riding as always.
LAO is a legendary cable event and the season kick off of the cable comp calendar. Follow has a long history of supporting the event for good reason. This is the top cable event of the year and the one people want to win, take bragging rights into the season and stake their claim.
The Most Unique Setup In Cable
The setup at LAO is always unique, with David and the crew at Unit Parktech putting together some of the most insane feature hacks you will ever see. Wave breakers make sure you don’t pull off a rail early while adding another level of danger that makes the whole course even more intimidating.
Follow, as a sponsor, takes over a section of the course and this year we had Section 5 consisting of the Unit Nico I to Anna Nikstad signature feature on the left and the Unit Street Series Ledge + Skate Bank Funbox combo.
Follow At LAO 2026
On the water the competition was fierce. Follow had strong representation in both the women’s and men’s categories.
Gavin Stuckey came out swinging and breezed through the early rounds with that classic Gav style, looking fired up. Zac Falzon, in his first time at the event, looked strong in the opening heats and easily earned his place in the next round, just missing out on finals.
On the women’s side, reigning champ Rivers Hedrick also cruised through, with both her and Claudia looking really solid this year and both out to prove a point.
Finals Delivered
Finals were epic. The battle between first and second in both the men’s and women’s divisions was wild.
Our girl Rivers Hedrick put down a solid first run but Claudia fought back hard and also put down a heater. Rivs had to pull it out of the bag and stepped up her final run with a toe back 9 that secured the top spot in the women’s division.
Gavin was up next, head to head in the finals with his brother Trent for first and second. Both killed their opening runs and the same situation as the women’s unfolded.
With Gav up first he needed to raise the bar and crushed his opening pool section, but then came unstuck on his kicker hit. Still enough for a well deserved second place and although Trent came out on top this time, the brotherly rivalry is strong and we know Gav will be fired up for next year.
Congrats to both Gavin and Rivers on their podium spots and dominant performances all the way through the event. Also a huge thanks and congrats to all the Follow team who competed and attended LAO 2026.
Thanks To The Crew Behind LAO
And not to forget, the biggest thank you goes to Benni, Flo, David, Karsten, Hannes and all the Langenfeld crew for putting the whole show together.
Pics by Chris Lehnert
