10 (mostly Canadian) facts about Red Bull Rampage
History of a pioneering freeride event that's been dominated by Canadians
Photo by:
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Rampage is back for a 16th year of freeride competition outside Virgin Utah. Here are 10 facts from the history of an event that shifted the course of freeride mountain biking.
1) Wade Simmons was the first-ever Red Bull Rampage winner, back in 2001.
2) Brandon Semenuk is the only four-time winner of Red Bull Rampage in 15 editions of the freeride festival.
3) Kurt Sorge was the first three-time Rampage winner. Brandon Semenuk joined him in that elite rank in 2019.
4) There 10 Canadian Rampage winners. That’s more than any other country. It’s also more than all other countries combined. Brandon Semenuk, Kurt Sorge, Wade Simmons, Brett Rheeder and Tyler Klassen all have wins to their name.
5) Canada has 22 Rampage podiums from 12 different riders. In addition to the five Canadian winners, Andrew Shandro, Darren Berrecloth, Robbie Bourdon, Steve Romaniuk, Thomas Vanderham, Graham Agassiz and Tom van Steenbergen have all stood on a Rampage podium.
6) Riders have four days to carve their line into the cliffs outside Virgin, Utah. They are each allowed a crew of two diggers to help build the line. Since the timeframe is so demanding and the cliffs so brutal to work on, riders often team up and work together to share lines, in part or the whole line, to make sure everything gets built on time.
7) Red Bull Rampage moves around to different venues. 2022 will be the fifth time Red Bull Rampage returns to the same venue. This ridgeline last held a competition in 2013. Before that, the contest took place at the venue in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
8) Kyle Straight is the youngest-ever winner. He won his first Red Bull Rampage in 2003 at just 17 years old. He dropped into his first Rampage two years earlier at the first event in 2001. While most of the other riders of that year are retired, he’s lining up once again in 2022, and lining up a massive canyon gap.
9) Five Canadians are preparing lines to compete in the 2022 Red Bull Rampage.
10) Riders that finish in the top 10 at Red Bull Rampage automatically qualify for invitations to the next year’s event. The remaining wild card spots are selected by a committee of former Rampage athletes, judges and industry experts.
Watch the 2022 Red Bull Rampage live, for free in Canada on Red Bull TV, starting Oct. 21.
