Veterans and Rookies Went Big, Riding Massive Features and Sending Huge Tricks at the World’s Toughest Freeride Mountain Biking Competition.
Once again, Red Bull Rampage has turned the turned the cliffs of Virgin, Utah into a modern-day coliseum. Only the bravest dare enter, knowing full well that a slight mistake can have massive consequences. After the dust settled, the day belonged to the legendary veteran Cam Zink, who stomped one of the biggest flip step-downs of his life with perfect execution to take home the win.
This year marked the 17th edition of Red Bull Rampage, the legendary big-mountain freeride event, and once again it did not disappoint. Seventeen of the world’s best riders brought their A-game to the Southwest Utah desert.
The event featured no shortage of mind-bending tricks and harrowing terrain. The coveted prize was ultimately claimed by Zink as he became the only rider to score in the 90s with a final score of 95 points, wowing the judges as the only athlete to drop fall line into the incredibly steep and consequential “Grandfather drop”, then sticking a 55-foot jump leading into a massive backflip on a 63-foot step down recreated from his iconic 2013 Rampage run.
“It takes a lot for a run to line up, and after I cased that jump [on run 1] my jitters and nervousness switched to competitiveness. I was ready to go again and tackle my second run, and I knew the wind wouldn’t ruin this for me,” Zink reflects. “I’m glad I reached for the stars and got the win. The original Sender was ten years ago, and my last win was thirteen years ago…and it was still the biggest step-down flip I’ve ever done, and here we are again. It’s still just as intimidating and scary. I’ve put in a lot of work, and I feel fortunate to still push it at the 37—as the oldest to compete here.”
Tom Van Steenbergen’s run was a comeback story two years in the making. He dropped straight from the start gate with a caveman drop and kept the momentum going by throwing a big 360 and a highly technical flat drop backflip on his biggest feature to take home the second-place trophy.
Sharing the same line as Van Steenbergen, Carson Storch trailed closely behind his good friend in third place with an impressive run featuring a backflip, and two of his signature 360 spins. The duo, happy with their first runs, skipped their second runs and did the first Red Bull Rampage party train down to the finish corral.
Beyond the top three riders, plenty of moments wowed the crowd. Spanish rider Bienvenido Aguado Alba won three different awards for his massive 70+ foot front flip over the canyon gap taking home the Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award, the T-Mobile People’s Choice Award, and the Kelly McGarry Spirit Award. Kyle Strait won the BFGoodrich Tires Toughness Award after returning to the event and conquering the same line that he injured his back on last year. Sweden’s Emil Johansson won the Michelin Style Award for his fluidity and flow on the course, as well as his unique trick combinations. And the Carvana Digger Award went to the team of local rider Reed Boggs.
“I’ve been thinking about the front flip for the whole year. The speed required is so scary, and that was the big challenge for pulling it off. And it worked—twice! Since 2019, when I made my rookie mistake, I’ve been working to get back here,” said Bienvenido Aguado Alba.
Final Results:
- Cam Zink USA 95.00
- Tom Van Steenbergen CAN 89.00
- Carson Storch USA 87.00
- Brendan Fairclough GBR 86.66
- Talus Turk USA 84.00
- Kyle Strait USA 83.58
- Emil Johansson SWE 82.83
- Bienvenido Aguado Alba ESP 79.44
- Thomas Genon BEL 77.41
- Reed Boggs USA 76.73
- DJ Brandt USA 73.51
- Alex Volokhov CAN 72.00
- Kurt Sorge CAN 69.66
- Jaxson Riddle USA 68.00
- Adolf Silva ESP 51.33
- Szymon Godziek POL 0.00
- Clemens Kaudela AUT 0.00
The event made history with the help of T-Mobile, as 5G-connected first-person view (FPV) drones captured runs of each competitor for the live show, providing viewers never-before-seen angles and more. The event replay is available on-demand on both ESPN+ and Red Bull TV. Then on October 22nd, viewers can also tune-in to a 90-minute highlight beginning at 2:00 PM PT/5:00 PM ET that will air on ESPN.