On Friday the 13th of October, the 2023 Red Bull Rampage took place in the Utah desert. The finals provided us with jaw-dropping features, mind-blowing tricks and creative lines that it’s hard to believe any mere mortal could actually ride. Check out our picks of the highs and the lows of this year’s Rampage…
The good….
The only Brit in the final, Brendan Fairclough, showed us his exceptional talent with an incredible run that took him into 4th place. The tech on show here, and the size of his features, were nothing short of astonishing.
Spanish rider Bienvenido Aguado Alba put down an impressive front flip over a canyon gap – not once, but twice! – taking the best trick of the day award.
The weather played ball, with no wind delays on the finals days, which allowed for a smooth event.
The coverage by Red Bull hit the spot, with pretty much all of the riders’ lines available for our viewing pleasure.
It was awesome to see US rider Kyle Strait back at Rampage and putting down a sick line with style and ease, after having a crash last year that left him with severe injuries.
As the oldest rider (37) to line up in the finals, Cam Zink laid down an impressive run to take the win, proving that Red Bull Rampage isn’t just for the young guns!
The bad….
There were three big slams this year, with Gee Atherton taking a massive crash while practising his massive drop and sustaining, in his words, some “not too bad” injuries (fractures to his vertebrae and skull!). Szymon Godziek from Poland came down hard midway down his first run, and Austrian Clemens Kaudela got bucked on a landing, and looked to have a pretty nasty knock. Fortunately, all three are up and about, and on the mend.
We were gutted to see Brendan Fairclough not reach the podium after such a creative run, and all the hard work that his team of Olly Wilkins and Ben Deakin put into the course. The Brits did us proud, though!
Rampage was certainly epic, but it was sad to see that all the talented female freeriders didn’t get the chance to showcase their skills at the biggest freeride event out there. Let’s hope that this changes next year.
