Mountain Bikes Amok: 2018 Red Bull Rampage

Tom Van Steenbergen scored best trick for this backflip off of the largest drop on the mountain. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

The temperature is 45 degrees in the early morning shade, but that will soon change when the sun crests over the mountaintop plateau. A palpable energy runs through the air as hordes of attendants carry chairs and cooler backpacks along a winding dirt road at the base of a jagged mountain in southern Utah.

Looking up, people move all about countless ridges. Some scrape at the hillside with shovels, others survey windspeed. Cameramen focus their equipment on nondescript rock faces. Finally, a fan walking into the event cannot contain his excitement and lets out affected gravelly roar, “Rampage!”

Whoops and whistles reply to the call from the various hillsides, defining the reason a few thousand people have descended on this seemingly random desert hillside: 2018 Red Bull Rampage.

Look closely and you can see third place finisher, Ethan Nell, during his second run along the red sandstone of southern Utah. Photo: Bayo Olukotun

Rampage is not just another Red Bull event. Some might argue (including the viewership numbers) that it is THE Red Bull event. Not simply because it is the one of the longest running, but because of what it entails: a judged freeride mountain bike competition that spawned an entirely new generation and style of riding when it was first held in 2001. Rampage is not just the best event of its kind, it remains as the only event of its kind and the ultimate test and confirmation of riders’ skills. Twenty-one riders to be exact. Twenty-one of the planet’s most creative, daring, skilled, talented and fearless riders face down this mountainside every year arriving by invite only.

Tyler McCaul boosted his score with this backflip at the end of his second run, netting sixth overall and an automatic invite to next year’s event. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Unlike so many sporting events, Red Bull Rampage has managed to become the premier event for the participants, hardcore fans and casual viewers alike. In many disciplines, often the most popular or viewer friendly spectacles are not what the true fans or athletes aspire to. In motocross racing, something like the Monster Energy Cup may get loads of press simply because of the one million dollar payday, but no hardcore fan sees it as the pinnacle of the sport. Mount Everest gets all of the press simply because of its elevation, but there are many more difficult ascents that active climbers dream of conquering. Rampage has managed to position itself at the top of every category; a confluence of challenge, skill and spectacle that leaves all involved gasping for air after each astounding run. This year’s event was no exception.

Syzmon Godziek was the first rider down during Friday’s competition. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Godsiek’s first run did not last long when he over jumped a step-up. No matter, the Polish rider quickly dusted himself off to finish out his run. He eventually scored eighth overall for the day. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

A new hill, only a stones throw from the previous venue, provided completely new terrain and challenges. Steeper descents and new canyons pushed riders and their dig teams (each rider assembles their own building/digging crew to help plot a personalized route during the week prior to the event) to new levels.

Brett Rheeder came away with the victory in his sixth visit to Rampage. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Many of the usual suspects for podium contention fell short of their goals while attempting enormous canyon gaps and new cliff drops. Riders like Brandon Semenuk and Carson Storch had disappointing runs, essentially crashing out for the day. Meanwhile, Brett Rheeder, took home the victory after years of struggling to become a contender.

Adolf Silva was one of the only riders to attempt (and successfully land) this enormous mid-mountain drop. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Red Bull Rampage is truly a happening unlike any other, pitting not simply the best freeride mountain bikers in the world against each other, but some of the only freeride mountain bikers in the world who could even attempt descending this Utah landscape.

Jordie Lunn was one of the seasoned veterans who’s run did not go as planned. Shortly after this drop, Lunn backed stopped his descent and called it a day. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Next year, the event returns to the same venue, allowing riders further attempts at this new, jagged landscape. Following the riders will certainly be more fervent, dedicated fans, sifting their way through the desert by bike and truck, to once again scream the battle cry of, “Rampage!”

Brendan Fairclough’s drop off of this rock was one of the more unique lines of 2018 Red Bull Rampage. Photo: Bayo Olukotun.

Want to watch the event in it’s entirety? Stream the entire broadcast right here: 2018 Red Bull Rampage.

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