The Rampage was held for the first time in 2001 in the west of Zion National Park and was repeated annually until 2004. Back then, the majority of riders rode what the terrain had to offer. Hardly any help was given. The 2004 edition was followed by a four-year break. Then, in 2008, the Red Bull Rampage was brought back from its slumber. Since then, the event has taken place in its current form, with the majority of the lines built by the riders and their helpers and containing jumps that make our blood run cold.

The steepest Rampage

For the 2018 edition, the organizers are serving up a new playground - the steepest ever. The competition area in Virgin/Utah has a good 200 meters of elevation gain from the start gate to the finish. A considerable part of the difference in altitude is covered on the fly. The highest drops are around 50 feet (15 meters), so the jumps and even more so the landings have to be perfect. The participants shovel these themselves together with two helpers each.

21 participants - a handful of favorites

Most of the invited freeriders are well-known names, as the following list reveals. Of the 21 riders, however, we only see a handful as having a chance of winning. These are Cam Zink, Ethan Nell, Andreu Lacondeguy, Kurt Sorge and Brandon Semenuk. Apart from Nell, the rookie of last year's event, Zink and Lacondeguy have already won the Rampage once, Semenuk twice and Sorge even three times.

There may be more talented riders among the illustrious circle of participants, but this crazy competition is not just about who has the most tricks up their sleeve. Practically all previous winners have enormous experience, which usually proves to be an advantage in this unforgiving terrain.

The two runs are judged according to the guidelines of the FMBA (Freeride Mountain Bike Association). The criteria include three main criteria.
Riding style: Is the athlete riding smoothly or hesitantly, fast or slow?
Jumps: In addition to the tricks, the distance of the jumps and how cleanly the riders land also count here.
Choice of line: How difficult is the chosen line? For example, a difficult line counts for little if it is ridden poorly.

The participants

- Adolf Silva / ESP
- Andreu Lacondeguy / ESP
- Bas van Steenbergen / CAN
- Brandon Semenuk / CAN
- Brendan Fairclough / GBR
- Brett Rheeder / CAN
- Cameron Zink / USA
- Carson Storch / USA
- DJ Brandt / USA
- Ethan Nell / USA
- Graham Agassiz / CAN
- Jordie Lunn / CAN
- Kurt Sorge / CAN
- Kyle Strait / USA
- Reed Boggs / USA
- Rémy Métailler / FRA
- Szymon Godziek / POL
- Thomas Genon / BEL
- Tom van Steenbergen / CAN
- Tyler McCaul / USA
- Vincent Tupin / FRA

The livestream starts on Friday, October 26 at 19:00 CET.

www.redbull.com/red-bull-rampage