Brandon Semenuk at Red Bull Rampage in Virgin, Utah, USA on 26 October, 2018.
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
MTB
Can Brandon Semenuk find redemption at Red Bull Rampage 2019?
Red Bull Rampage didn't go the way the Canadian star wanted in 2018 but he's back again this year aiming to master the event's venue that made its debut last year and go for a third victory.
By Rajiv Desai
2 min readPublished on
Brandon Semenuk rarely struggles at anything he puts his mind to when he gets on his mountain bike. He's one of the most natural freeriders out there and he makes riding down the mountains at Rampage look so easy and effortless.
Semenuk has always quietly gone about his business at Rampage and performed. As a 17-year-old he won Rampage on his first attempt in 2008, and won again in 2016.
2 minBrandon Semenuk's winning runSpeed. Style. Technicality. Brandon Semenuk's run is exactly what every rider strives for on Utah’s red rocks.
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Last year at the new Rampage venue nothing seemed different for Semenuk. Outwardly, he's never been so happy. He rarely takes part in contests and is instead pushing his riding progression through the creativity filming affords him.
During practice last year he was on fire, doing tricks that other riders would have second thoughts about doing before like a flat drop flip to lily-pad to drop.
Brandon Semenuk performs during a practice session at Red Bull Rampage in Virgin, Utah on October 25th, 2018
Semenuk gets down to practising his line at Rampage last year© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
However come the finals at the new venue in Virgin, Utah, Semenuk appeared out of sorts. He fell on both runs attempting a cork 720 on a hip he built. This wasn't the Semenuk we know. If we’ve learned anything about Semenuk through his career, it's that he’s a perfectionist.
The events of 2018 won't sit well with him. Semenuk has shown in the eight Rampage editions that he's at competed at that he's at his most dangerous when he’s got unfinished business. In 2019, don't be to surprised to see him return to the line he worked on and nail a perfect run.
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Red Bull Rampage

Red Bull Rampage has evolved over 18 years to become freeride mountain biking’s most coveted title.

United States

Brandon Semenuk

One of the best freeride mountain bikers ever, Brandon Semenuk is the most successful rider ever at both Red Bull Joyride and Red Bull Rampage.

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