MTB
If you've never heard or seen the spectacle that is Red Bull Rampage you're in for a treat. Learn what the event is all about and what makes it so special.
Summary
- 1How does Rampage work?
- 2What makes Rampage so groundbreaking?
- 3Do I need to be a fan of bikes to enjoy Red Bull Rampage?
- 4What's the difference between Red Bull Rampage and a slopestyle mountain …
- 5Where's it held?
- 6Why do the riders need a dig team?
- 7So can they build anything, anywhere?
- 8How do the riders get judged in finals?
- 9Can the weather play a part?
- 10Can I watch Red Bull Rampage finals if I can't be in Utah for the event …
- 11What are Red Bull Rampage's biggest moments?
- 12Who's riding at the 2023 edition of Red Bull Rampage?
- 13What happened at the last Rampage edition in 2022?
For a very select few of the world’s best mountain bikers, the clock has been inexorably ticking ever downward to their date with destiny when they get to drop in at Red Bull Rampage. The leading event on the calendar, it's the competition that every pro mountain biker wants to ride and the one where every mountain bike fan will stop everything they are doing to watch.
Read on below to find out all about what Red Bull Rampage is, how it works and the essential information you need to know about the 2023 edition of this special event, which takes place on October 13.
01
How does Rampage work?
To put it quite simply, Red Bull Rampage challenges mountain bike athletes to make it down the steep rocky mountainside in one piece by riding a line of their choice. While it isn't a race, there is a start and finish line. Red Bull Rampage contenders and the two helpful shovel-wielders who'll help them get a number of days to link the two via building a creative and spectacular line as possible.
Once the event starts on finals day, athletes have two runs apiece in which to nail their lines. Rampage has very much developed from its early editions, and runs now see athletes add complex bike tricks such as backflips when they go down their line. The athletes are judged by a panel of their peers on how creatively they came down the mountain, receive a score and then have simply to hope that they have done enough. In short, it’s the most spectacular event in global action sports.
02
What makes Rampage so groundbreaking?
Red Bull Rampage was born in 2001 at the forefront of the pioneering freeride movement of mountain biking that emerged in the late 1990s. Freeride mountain biking wasn’t interested in how fast you could go or who you could beat in a race to the line. It was about riding trails and pushing boundaries, to ride, jump, drop and gap further than ever before on terrain that was, at first glance, probably unsuitable. Ground-breaking film series such as New World Disorder helped fuel the imagination of riders.
What Rampage set out do and really achieve was to bring this form of riding out of the woods and high mountains and onto people’s televisions. It proved what was possible and inspired a whole generation of riders to think bigger, jump further and push the limits of their riding. This year will be the 17th edition overall.
03
Do I need to be a fan of bikes to enjoy Red Bull Rampage?
Hell no. This is a competition that goes beyond sporting borders. Red Bull Rampage is the ultimate action-sports competition. Rampage can be high adrenaline stuff for anyone watching. You're watching some of the best bike riders in the world riding down gnarly and often risky terrain while they throw some of the biggest tricks ever seen.
Everyone loves to see tricks, and whether it's done in motocross, on skis, skateboards or even football, there is a thrill in seeing athletes doing things that we mere mortals wouldn't ever consider doing. You can't fail to be excited and be on the edge of your seat when you see these athletes perform. The closest sporting contest equivalent to Rampage is snowsport's Freeride World Tour.
04
What's the difference between Red Bull Rampage and a slopestyle mountain biking event?
You may have come across mountain bike riding where athletes perform tricks on a purpose-built course full of man-made features, like wooden jumps and big drops. This is commonly called slopestyle mountain biking. Slopestyle looks very similar to freeride mountain biking to the uninitiated, but they are actually very different.
Slopestyle is less about the gnarly terrain that freeride takes place on. The man-made features, like wooden jumps and big drops, are big and difficult, but the terrain is smooth and easy to ride. The riders also use much smaller mountain bikes: less suspension, some even use hardtails (with no rear suspension). The bikes are as light as possible, so they're easy to spin and kick around in the air, and they have slick hard-pumped tyres to roll fast and avoid punctures.
At Rampage, you will see similar tricks that are seen at slopestyle events, but everything is done on some of the world’s most technical terrain. The event has been held on rocky, unforgiving desert where the mountainsides are full of cliffs, huge exposure and near-vertical chutes.
The ground can be loose with very little grip. Instead of racing on the same course, the riders pick and dig their own lines down the mountain and, even if they occasionally join together, the lines are all unique. The riders use sturdy downhill bikes with a lot of suspension and big tyres with a lot of grip.
It's true to say that Rampage organisers have in the past built a set number of 'pre-fabricated' obstacles (such as the huge canyon jump), but the event has returned to its freeride roots where everything is about carving/gouging out more natural lines.
05
Where's it held?
If you're going to hold an extreme event, you may as well hold it in an extreme place, right? As a result, all of this two-wheeled lunacy takes place on the ochre cliffs of Virgin, Utah.
The area features some breathtaking cliffs, huge exposure and near-vertical chute lines, which are often used to link up aspects of lines.
The organisers always try to keep Red Bull Rampage fresh, which means there have been different mountainsides used in Virgin, Utah. For 2022, there was a slight take on that with the event returning to the area where the 2008-2013 competitions were held. Four events, in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013, were held at that zone. The 2022 competition zone will be the location for the 2023 action.
Watch Szymon Godziek complete a top to bottom run on his line on the 2022 course during practice below:
06
Why do the riders need a dig team?
Like mentioned earlier, the riders all compete on lines that they have scoped and built themselves. This is hard, time-consuming work. Therefore each rider is allowed to bring two diggers to be part of their dig team. Together they shift and shape the dirt and rock to create some of the gnarliest lines in mountain biking.
Rider and dig team get four days to start building their lines and just dig. There is then a day off to rest for everyone. After the day off, riders are allowed to practice their chosen line over a four day period, where they are also allowed to continue to work and dig on it.
On some features, riders and their dig teams collaborate to save time and create even bigger things.
07
So can they build anything, anywhere?
Yes, they can build anything they want as long as it's within the marked out area. They can only use hand tools like shovels and picks – no heavy machinery is allowed – and they can’t build using any outside material. Riders are allocated 75 sandbags and have to use the natural terrain to create their runs. No wooden features are allowed anymore.
Get insight on what it's like on the dig builds below with some of the athletes and their dig teams, and see what lines they were cooking up at the 2022 edition of Red Bull Rampage.
08
How do the riders get judged in finals?
As we've said, there is a start and finish line for finals day. In between those, the riders are free to do whatever they like, but they have three minutes once leaving the start structure to complete their run, so speed can be a factor. During finals, each rider has two runs, and the best score from those determines the ranking. Basically, the riders are judged on a score from 1 to 100 based on four main criteria:
- Line choice degree of difficulty: The more points scored, the steeper, gnarlier, and more difficult the line choice.
- Tricks and style: Tricks, added style and nailing the landings are things that will score high and give lots of points.
- Fluidity and control: The smoother, faster and more aggressive, the higher the final points will be.
- Amplitude: Air time – how big does the athlete go, and how much do they make of the airtime?
09
Can the weather play a part?
In short, yes. The event is, of course, held in a desert which tend to be places famed for their extremes of weather. As you can no doubt tell from the somewhat arid looking imagery, precipitation isn't the issue, it's instead wind.
Being on a mountainside, there is a huge total vertical drop from the start arch to the finish line. As such, there is zero tree line or foliage capable of breaking any wind. In the past, this has forced riders into an interesting quandary: risk it all on run one in case conditions turn or get a banker in and see how the points shape up before risking it all in your second.
The consequences are too high at Red Bull Rampage for strategy and run management not to be factors, and in turn, they add an extremely interesting dimension to the event.
10
Can I watch Red Bull Rampage finals if I can't be in Utah for the event itself?
Yes, finals are routinely shown live on Red Bull TV every time the event is on. For 2022, ESPN/ESPN+ joined as a broadcast partner, with Red Bull Rampage being streamed live exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and on Red Bull TV in all other countries outside the US.
You can watch the full replay Red Bull Rampage 2022 on Red Bull TV here.
In the run up to to Rampage finals once athletes are on the ground at the venue site they'll be build-up video content put out across Red Bull TV, Redbull.com and Red Bull Bike social channels on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Keep abreast across all these platforms for the latest from Red Bull Rampage.
11
What are Red Bull Rampage's biggest moments?
In reality, there are far too many of these to list. Virtually every run contains something epic worthy of a mention under that heading. Nevertheless, here is a selection of some of the biggest and baddest moments in Rampage history.
12
Who's riding at the 2023 edition of Red Bull Rampage?
The event features a group of invited riders who get to work and ride on the mountain. For the 2023 edition, organisers have restricted that number to 18. Of those, four are pre-qualified riders due to their finishing positions at the top of the leaderboard at the 2022 edition. The remaining 14 wildcards have been decided by a committee of former Rampage competitors, pro athletes, judges, and industry experts.
There is also a list of alternate riders if any pre-qualified or wildcards have to pull out. The final 18 for the 2023 is currently:
Pre-qualified
- Szymon Godziek (POL)
- Reed Boggs (USA)
- Thomas Genon (BEL)
- Carson Storch (USA)
Wildcards
- Adolf Silva (SPA)
- Alex Volokhov (CAN)
- Bienvenido Aguado Alba (SPA)
- Brandan Fairclough (GBR)
- Cam Zink (USA)
- Clemens Kaudela (AUT)
- DJ Brandt (USA)
- Emil Johansson (SWE)
- Jaxson Riddle (USA)
- Kurt Sorge (CAN)
- Kyle Strait (USA)
- Talus Turk (USA)
- Tom Van Steenbergen (CAN)
- Gee Atherton (UK)
There are also four alternate riders who're on standby should any of the 18 invited riders not be able to take part or start in the run-up to the event. They are: Johny Salido (MEX), Hayden Zablotny (CAN), Ryan McNulty (USA) and Dylan Stark (USA).
13
What happened at the last Rampage edition in 2022?
The 16th edition of Red Bull Rampage didn't disappoint. The 16 athletes who took part on finals day thrilled and entertained with riding that showed creativity, skill and no small amount of courage on the steep and rugged mountain terrain.
High winds restricted the athletes to one run only. Brett Rheeder took the victory with a score of 90.66. Szymon Godziek finished as the runner-up with a score of 86.33 and taking home third place and the last podium spot was Brandon Semenuk.
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