Red Bull Rampage mecca for freeride mountain biking
- Since 2001, freeride mountain biking's marquee event has had home in Virgin, Utah
- Red Bull Rampage allows riders to combine skill, speed, risk and extreme elements
- Technology improvements give riders more speed, height
In 2001, the world's top mountain bikers gathered in Virgin, Utah, to break ground on what would become a ground-breaking event.
More than a decade later, Red Bull Rampage remains a contest to combine all aspects of an evolving sport: freedom of expression, competitiveness, risk taking and technology.
Competitive mountain biking was limited then to three core disciplines β downhill racing, dirt jumping, and slopestyle. Yet each lagged behind what the most extreme riders in the sport were doing β namely descending rugged mountainscapes on ill-defined trails or none at all β akin to backcountry skiers scoring fresh tracks on a powder day.
The new focus on choosing one's line, negotiating cliffs, ridgelines and the mountain's natural undulations β all while incorporating progressive freestyle maneuvers β became the basis of the freeride mountain bike movement, also known as FMB.
"Freeride mountain biking has no rules or timelines; it's just you in the wilderness, having fun, doing whatever you want," said pro rider Darren Berrecloth.
That ethos is a common theme in mountain biking as well as sports such as skiing, snowboarding and surfing.
In the case of Rampage, part of the Red Bull Signature Series, the contest is mountain biking's Super Bowl.
"Rampage brought together all these riders from different disciplines at once," said Tyler Maine, editor of Pinkbike.com, a leading mountain bike publication. "Over the years, winners have included World Cup Downhill guys like CeΜdric Gracia or slopestyle riders like Brandon Semenuk."
Cam Zink, who won the competition in 2010 after suffering a crash in the early rounds, credited his sheer desire to win for overcoming his fear of injury.
"It's different. The contrast between being able to walk away to ride another day or just play on is a big difference from other sports," Zink said. "You can't just wait it out like an NFL player for next week's game."
The competition also reflects the sport's technology progression.
"Riders couldn't have done a lot of the stuff now (in 2001) because the technology has improved so much since then," added Maine. "Ten years ago a bike weighed 50 pounds to withstand a run down the mountain or make a 25-foot drop. Now they weigh in the mid-30s and feature carbon, air suspension and tubeless tires."
Such advancements have enabled riders to go faster and jump farther. Those advancements also have given riders some pause, as they map game day strategy, and in some cases, survival strategy.
"I broke my back for the second time this year and was only on my bike for a week before the competition," Berrecloth said. "When you're riding for a year and haven't got hurt and taken a lot of hard crashes your confidence is at a high level, but my confidence was low because the last time I'd really rode hard I got hurt."
Sullivan writes for BNQT.com