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Are these the wildest features yet at Red Bull Rampage?
As finals approach, the 18 competitors continue to shape their lines and features, hinting at what’s to come.
Every trick, feat, and tire slash at Red Bull Rampage is the culmination of countless hours spent digging on the dusty spines of Virgin, Utah. Before riders can descend into their lines, they must envision and sculpt something from the red dirt. Rampage stands alone as an event entirely because the competitors dream up their arena. For freeride mountain biking, there is no better stage than the undulating mesas and spines of Utah, however, building a line here is no easy task.
Builders dig at Red Bull Rampage 2023 in Virgin, Utah
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
The accomplishments made during the dig days rival a slopestyle skier crafting their very own one-of-a-kind jumps or a football team constructing a stadium in preparation for the Super Bowl. And once the building is complete, the daunting part comes next: riding the gnarliest line imaginable with your biggest tricks.
Each rider starts with the same foundation: ten days, 75 sandbags, various hand tools, and two diggers to assist with the build. There are no excavators or heavy machinery, meaning that the success of a line correlates to how much energy and effort a team puts into it. “It’s 50% a digging contest,” explains rider Alex Volokhov, who, like many Rampage competitors, developed his skillset by digging for other Rampage riders. Often, the biggest learning curve for new riders is the digging. It demands time management, experience, and grit, which can be a lot to wrap your head around when balancing exposure, drops, and doing tricks on considerably the gnarliest terrain you’ve ever encountered.
Atmosphere before Red Bull Rampage 2023 in Virgin, Utah
© Paris Gore / Red Bull Content Pool
Despite all the grueling work digging entails, it contributes to the progression that happens every year, redefining what’s possible on two wheels. If the riders dream it, they can likely bring it to life at Rampage with a bit of elbow grease and shovel slapping. 2023 is shaping up to be an example of that. The riders are back at the iconic 2008-2013, 2022 venue, which showcased unforgettable feats like Kelly McGarry’s canyon backflip, Brandon Semenuk’s caveman drop that plunged from the start gate, and Cam Zink’s massive 360 from the Oakley Sender drop. Even with all that history woven into the dirt, the 18 competitors continue to find and craft new features or reinterpret beloved classics.
Szymon Godziek builds line at Red Bull Rampage 2023 in Virgin, Utah
© Peter Jamison / Red Bull Content Pool
Szymon Godziek’s battleship gap stands out, snaking along a knife-edge path at the venue's top. In competitions past, riders have ridden around this giant rock formation, which features a large notch. Godziek, however, will take the direct route by airing over the notch entirely, navigating an uncomfortably tight takeoff and landing zone. The move has never been seen in competition and has barely room for error. Furthermore, the feature required some dedicated attention and work to become rideable. It used up two days of digging, emphasizing the constant balancing act riders have to weigh with the features they build.
Brendan Fairclough practices at Red Bull Rampage 2023 in Virgin, Utah
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Brendan Fairclough and canyon gaps go hand in hand at Rampage; this year, he’s built another show-stopper, a 60-foot sender. The canyon enticed the Brit, as past and current riders didn’t heavily utilize it. One of the most challenging aspects of building the feature is ensuring that Fairclough will have enough speed. With canyon gaps, you won't know the true speed until you're in the air. Fairclough and his team have been meticulously chipping away at the run-in to avoid that situation altogether, yet the entrance is still a highly technical chute.
Instead of starting from scratch, Cam Zink and Kyle Strait are reimagining a noteworthy part of Red Bull Rampage history. They’re bringing back the former Oakley Sender, which featured moves like Zink’s backflip and Strait’s suicide no-hander that redefined freeride mountain biking. This year, they’ll air it without the wooden takeoffs, making it a 63-foot drop tip to tip. Initially, the plan was to hit it together last year, but Strait crashed during a practice session and broke his back. Zink and Strait are still as determined as ever and have made promising improvements to their line. Ultimately, by returning this feature, the duo hopes to showcase the progression in the last decade, making such a feature even fathomable. Plus, with these two legends dropping in, big tricks are likely up their sleeves.
Gee Atherton builds line at Red Bull Rampage 2023 in Virgin, Utah
© Peter Jamison / Red Bull Content Pool
One of the most dramatic features of the venue is a 60-foot plum drop built by Red Bull Rampage veteran Gee Atherton. It’s been ten years since his last Rampage competition, and Atherton craved a highly technical line. Given that the venue has many previous lines, Atheron scoured the mountain for a way to leave his own unique mark. The drop immediately caught his eye, and spectators and athletes regarded it as enormous and terrifying. Unfortunately, Atherton crashed during his first run of the feature and will not be competing due to his injuries.
Won’t be in Utah to catch all the action on Friday, October 13th? ESPN+ returns to exclusively stream the event in the U.S. and the competition will be available live on Red Bull TV in all other countries. Following the live show, the complete event will be available on-demand on both ESPN+ and Red Bull TV. On October 22, viewers can also tune-in from 5-6:30pm ET to a 90-minute highlight show on ESPN.
