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Robin Goomes wins the first Red Bull Rampage women’s competition
Seven of the world’s top women’s riders dropped into the Red Bull Rampage course in Virgin, Utah for the first time and pushed the level of progression to new heights.
"Three, two, one, dropping." This countdown rings out at every Red Bull Rampage, signaling the athlete's runs and the progression that’s to come on the mountain. For the first time, seven of the best female freeriders heard that starting cue this year, dropping from the iconic start gate right into mountain biking's most prestigious competition.
Evolution is the cornerstone of Red Bull Rampage. Every year, the world's top freeriders gather at the hallowed ground of Virgin, Utah, to put down their biggest and most daring riding. For the 18th edition of the event, the women's competition continued this tradition while ushering in a new chapter of the sport.
Robin Goomes, Georgia Astle and Casey Brown podium at Red Bull Rampage 2024
© Paris Gore / Red Bull Content Pool
The women's course was a blank canvas for the riders and the first new course in Red Bull Rampage history since 2018. Staged looker's left of the men's course, which is the steepest and tallest of any of the Red Bull Rampage venues, the women's venue is similarly tall and imposing. With this fresh slate, the sky was the limit, and the riders used their tools and grit to craft jumps, drops, and chutes in the red desert dirt.
After a thrilling competition, Robin Goomes wrote her name into the history books, winning the first-ever Red Bull Rampage women's event with her trademark backflip and gnarly line. Joining her on the podium are Georgia Astle in second place and Casey Brown in third.
Backflip Barbie Takes the Win
Robin Goomes' name is a recurring find throughout freeride mountain bike history. Over her impressive seven years of riding professionally, Goomes holds the title as the first woman to land a backflip at a Speed and Style Crankworx event, the first female Crankworx slopestyle champion, and now the first female Red Bull Rampage champion.
Her strategy was to craft a line inspired by the early days of Red Bull Rampage, where the terrain was raw, gnarly, and full of drops. That vision manifested into her features, notably her raw top chute that consisted of rock shelfs, and marquee drop, measured at 41 feet diagonally. She incorporated two trick jumps, one near the upper section and one at the bottom. Throughout practice, she hit the jumps, sometimes throwing a backflip as a hint of what would come on game day. Jokingly, in practice, she referred to herself as "Backflip Barbie," a nod to her custom Barbie-themed mountain bike and her love of going upside down.
Robin Goomes wins first Red Bull Rampage women's competition
© Long Nguyen
The women's starting order was decided by a random draw, with Goomes drawing the first spot. After a nerve-racking wind hold that used up most of their morning practice time, the Kiwi descended from the start gate. She rode confidently, staying in command in her natural near-vertical chute. From there, she hit her first trick jump, sending it huge. The landing had little room for error; a crash would launch her down to the cliffs below. Goomes stomped it, moving down the venue towards her biggest drop. After landing it cleanly, she tackled one more drop, leaving her last trick jump for the finale. With a roaring crowd watching from the sidelines, Goomes pulled for one more backflip to close out her run, setting the tone for the women's event with a score of 85 points.
Robin Goomes wins the first Red Bull Rampage women’s competition
© Robin O'Neill / Red Bull Content Pool
Goomes' score held with each run, with the Kiwi holding the top spot going into the 2nd run. All eyes were on Chelsea Kimball, who had the potential to shake up the leaderboard. Goomes felt the pressure, ready to drop in for a 2nd run to defend her score from Kimball, but a small crash derailed Kimball from putting in a clean run, ultimately cementing Goomes' victory.
"It hasn't yet sunk in," Goomes says, reflecting on the win. "It's been a process, so I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it. I'm so stoked for my crew; they've gone so hard. If anything, I've done it for them, the sport, and all the other riders." In addition to taking the grand prize, winning the Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award for her upper mountain backflip was a surprise bonus for the Kiwi, and she was equally excited that all her competitors put on a show.
The alternate proves that she's here to stay
Georgia Astle wins 2nd place at Red Bull Rampage
© Christian Pondella
Canadian Georgia Astle claimed 2nd place for riding with precision and confidence throughout her run. Astle had aspirations of competing at Red Bull Rampage but originally landed a spot on the alternate list. In September, the Canadian got the call that she had made the final athlete roster and arrived in the desert ready to make her mark.
Astle is a gravity specialist. Before her freeride career, she raced World Cup Downhill, the Enduro World Series, and the Crankworx mountain bike festivals. Outside the race tape, Astle could be found riding scree lines and hitting massive drops in the woods of British Columbia. In 2021, she leaned further into freeride by digging for Casey Brown at Red Bull Formation, participating in Formation the following year.
Georgia Astle wins 2nd place at Red Bull Rampage
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
The Canadian built a line that checked all the Red Bull Rampage boxes: a technical chute, huge drops, and a trick jump. Riding with precision and confidence, she stomped her 41-foot drop, flowing through from one technical section after another, and finished her run with a textbook suicide no-hander. Her run earned her a score of 79 points.
"It's insane. When I got to the finish corral, I had such a swirl of emotions: relieved, stoked, and stoked for the girls to come," she says, wiping away tears. "I like focusing on the step-by-step process rather than the whole bigger picture, and that's how I operate. I had fun riding and putting it together."
Casey Brown's dream comes to fruition
Casey Brown wins 3rd place Red Bull Rampage 2024
© Bartek Wolinski
Rounding out the podium is the godmother of freeride, Casey Brown, with a score of 77.33. Brown's quest to Red Bull Rampage has been 16 years in the making. The Canadian first dreamt of riding the spines of Utah, Virgin, when she spectated her first Red Bull Rampage in 2008. From then on she blazed her own path, becoming one of the first women to make it as a freerider, inspiring many women to do the same with their riding careers.
The Canadian looked poised throughout practice and was the first athlete to put down a top-to-bottom run. At finals, she carried that momentum, riding aggressively and stylishly. Her standout feature was the "Laundry Chute," a highly exposed rock roll drop that Brown considered one of the gnarliest things she'd ever ridden. "I feel really great about the show we put on today and am so stoked to make it down in one piece," she explains.
Casey Brown wins 3rd place Red Bull Rampage 2024
© Robin O'Neill / Red Bull Content Pool
Brown also won the McGazza Spirit Award for her tenacity and contributions to the women's freeride movement. "[Kelly McGarry] was a dear friend of mine, we did lots of trips together. I'm so overwhelmed that everyone voted for me for this award," she says.
Beyond the top three riders, plenty of moments wowed the crowd. Vaea Verbeeck won the brand new Samsung Galaxy Trailblazer Award for her progressive and inventive line. Argentina's Cami Nogueria won the BFGoodrich Tires Toughness Award for attempting her burly 51-foot drop in practice. Despite being unable to compete in finals, Nogueria remains determined to return next year and make her mark at the event. Lastly, the DECKED Digger Award went to the team of New Zealander Vinny Armstrong.
Vinny Armstrong rides at the women’s final at Red Bull Rampage 2024
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
"I love my team, and everything they built was insane. [The run] looked aesthetically pleasing, and they brought the vibes. I couldn't have asked for a better crew," Armstrong says. She was especially thrilled to share the experience with her brother, who was part of her dig team. "He would do anything for me," she says.
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Final Results
Rider
Score
Robin Goomes
85.00
Georgia Astle
79.00
Casey Brown
77.33
Vaea Verbeeck
72.66
Vero Sandler
71.00
Vinny Armstrong
65.00
Chelsea Kimball
62.37
What's next
All throughout finals day, these seven riders demonstrated the skill, progression, and rising tide that is the women's freeride movement. The future is bright for these athletes, and the sky's the limit for what's next to come. Women’s mountain biking entered a new chapter with its story written by these pioneers, and this is only the beginning.
Watch the full replay of the women's Red Bull Rampage competition here and watch the highlight show on Sunday, October 27 on ESPN2 at 5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT. Tune in and watch the men’s broadcast on Saturday, October 12 at 12:00pm ET/9:00am PT on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on Red Bull TV in all other countries.
