CATCHING UP WITH AGGY
We took some time to chat with Aggy about his experience last year at Rampage; his crash, qualifying first, and the hard decision to pull out due to injury, as well as, looking forward to this week; choosing lines, sleepless nights, and redemption. One of our favourites to watch, we can't wait to see what he has in store for this year.
Do you have a pre-Rampage training routine?It's funny because I see lots of people "training" for Rampage during the few weeks prior. They're either riding trails or dirt jumping, trying to learn tricks and get used to the feel of their DH bikes. For me, I've been riding my DH bike all season long. I know how it works, how it feels, how it jumps. Honestly I spend very little time on the bike before Rampage. Instead I like to clear my head and take the time to mentally prepare myself for what's to come, and the best way for me to do that is to go fishing or hunting.
Pulling out of finals last year must have been an incredibly hard decision to make given that you placed first in qualies with a flawless run, are you looking for redemption this year?It was one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make, but in the end I still know it was the smart one. I'm for sure looking for redemption, but most of all I just want to make this year's event as fun as possible and just let everything fall into place as it always has.
Do you think you would have made a different decision last year about pulling out due to injury had you not previously experienced a life changing injury (as documented in Ashes to Agassiz)? Do you think you place more focus on the longevity of your career now?Yes and no, I'm still hungry as ever but I've learned a lot over the years and have become a lot wiser. There's a lot of strategy involved with this event, and you really need to make smart choices out there.
How is your MCL feeling these days?100%.
What you do on a bike, especially at an event like Rampage, is incomprehensible to most of the world, after crashing in qualifying last year on your drop, how did you get your head around hitting it again in you second attempt - and nailing it? It was a mind f*ck to say the least! Deep down I knew I could do it, but having that immense pressure on my shoulders didn't make it easy. With only one chance left to get into finals I flicked the switch and dropped in. I'll never forget that feeling coming into the finish line though, never felt so alive!
How is your process for selecting and building your line different with returning to a site that you know, as opposed to last year with it being a brand new location? It was pretty easy for me, I knew I'd be going the same route but just adding a couple things. It will be really tough for those guys who weren't here last year, there's not a lot of options anymore. After seeing what everyone did last year, obviously everyone's going to want to go where the banger features already are - it's tough, respect for other rider's hard work is quickly tossed out the window by many.
Last year you teamed up with Andreu to build a line together, it earned your first place in qualifying and Andreu first place in finals - do you plan to team up with him again this year? Same, same.
Who's on your build team this year and what skills/experience do they bring to the table?Taylor, Miles, and Luke.
Taylor has been coming to Rampage with me since 2010, and his experience and knowledge with the desert terrain over the years is crucial when building out here. Matty is just a really good dude to have around and to keep the good vibes flowin', which is key in such a high stress environment. Luke is a young strong dude who really goes the extra mile, such a beast! He's dug for many riders over the years, and I can fully trust him with whatever build he puts together for me. As a package these boys kill it so hard, and I am very thankful to have them out here and in my corner.
The mental aspect of Rampage can overshadow the physical part, last year had a lot of extra stress with the weather, how do you prepare for that? The toughest thing about this event is getting mentally prepared. When you're throwing your life on the line for nickels and dimes your mind tends to wander. I like to keep to myself a little bit leading up to the event - go fishing, hunting, really just try not to think about it too much. Then the sleepless nights start happening, not because I'm afraid, but because I'm envisioning my run in my head over and over.
You have had a busy season between premiering your movie to the world and organizing and participating in Fest Series, among other things, what happens when rampage is over? Do you get a break or are you on to another project?By this time of the year I'm starting to become so burnt out, and Rampage fully drains you physically and mentally! Afterwards I'm doing nothing but hunting and chilling!
MENTIONS: @konaworld / @redbullbike
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I understand there is a very limited amount of real-estate, but it is extremely unreasonable to expect everyone to just willy nilly open up their lines and hard work to all-comers.
Ever heard the term "Why buy the cow if you are getting the milk for free?" I think that applies here. These guys committed to building something, and then actually made it happen.
Its always tough to see disagreements between riding mates and long time friends, but thus is the nature of this competition.
Is it always going to be perfectly fair? No. But if you want it bad enough, you will find a way, with your own creativity and an epic run down an impossible line. And that is the great equalizer. There are riders still finding terrain to ride, its just not easy. Vink anyone?
I honestly think it is surprising just How Much collaboration goes on between riders in an event with so much personal investment at stake. Like publicity, Their Lives, a week of backbreaking labor in the desert, etc. etc.
And to be clear as well, Aggy is sharing his line... With Andreau. And vice versa.
Zink and Strait?
These guys are smart and found a way to make it work, so f'ing don't expect them to just give up the cow, especially in a competition.
bruh this is a niche mountain bike event, not the superbowl.
it is what it is, aggys being protective of his line. people are allowed to have their opinions.
dont inflate this to something it isnt.
Exactly. It is what it is until they change the format.
It would be really interesting to see a blanket rule applied, that says if you dig a line, it is open game. Even playing field. No rider/builder ethics or room for interpretation. Would certainly change everyone's strategy's as far as line choice, and time commitment. Realistic? Maybe. What would be the incentive to investing your time and energy to building a line? I guess the fact that you could then abandon a part of your own line if you saw something in someone else's, so rider creativity still applies. Maybe a point deduction for doing no digging at all? Like one point added to your baseline score for every day spent digging on a meaningful line (not just some random BS). This would add incentive to contribute, remove barriers in collaboration, and just open up more possibilities and line variations. I would hate to see this result in just a few big lines being built, but I don't think that would happen. Maybe also a cap on how many rider can be building on a single line, to ensure variation is still one of the primary elements. Not everyone is willing or has the desire to ride everyones line just due to how burly it is, even if they Had the option. And everyone wants to put their own personal stamp on what they choose to ride and how they ride it. Are you getting all this Redbull!?! LOL
That way the show goes on for every one and you keep some line choice/build exclusivity
What's next, Gwin claims that his line on windham belongs to him? Sure not.
Aggy needs to adopt the same attitude, quit whining and focus on laying down a banger run that trumps anyone else who rides "his" line.
Vink looks to ride something creative though..this may create a hype IMO
Just shut up and let the event go on. If someone gets hit over the head with a shovel that's awesome, good tv.
"All this Rampage drama about lines is comical. Your surprised people who built the high scoring lines by themself wont let you in on them? In the most dangerous contest where 3rd place doesnt even pay for your hotel for the week? No shit."
1. New location, to start a clean slate.
2. Limit the build crew to just one or two plus the athlete. Not enough crew to build a complete line on your own.
3. Limit time on the hill (this may already exist, don't know). Can't show up any earlier than Monday prior. Can't prospect months/weeks ahead of time, other than using Google Earth, etc.
4. No powered equipment. So no excavators to move a lot of dirt or power saws to cut out rock bands. Hand tools only.
5. An athlete can "own" a feature the first year they build it, but it's fair game to all comers in future years, and the ownership only applies if it doesn't stand in a critical location that many others want to pass through. An athlete can NOT own a whole line, preventing anyone from buddy f*cking the rest of the field by laying claim to a dead-center, high point earning line. Everyone should have a right to the max points the terrain will offer.
6. Organizers put up detailed maps of what who wants to build where early in the week (like by Monday night) so that athletes can communicate/negotiate better with each other. No secrets=fewer b!tch fights up on the mountain.
I can understand it if someone completely poaches a line that a team have put the hours in on and they haven't lifted a finger to help but it looks like they all just want to build good features and I'd rather see them working together to create killer lines and then share them.
What chance does a newbie have if the grumpy old men of the sport are getting all territorial over 'their' lines?....Reynolds for example is on form and could upset some established names....but he might not get the chance because cockends like Aggy and Lacondegeuy are pushing the first timers out onto crappy lines....i hope Vink nails that mental looking line he was building and rubs Aggy's face in it when he's done....it's like pre-school out there at the moment...."my bit of mountain!, get off, get away, I had it last year!"....sound like a bunch of girls squabbling.
The organisers definitely need to either change venue each year or tell the riders to dig an equal amount, help each other out and share lines...the best rider will still win....just without locking out any threatening new talent in the process and looking bitchy because of it.
I shouldn't have watched those videos earlier today, it has kinda spoiled it for me now knowing how shirty the top riders are getting....if I was a newbie I'd just ride the best line regardless and flick the finger to 'Beardy' if he kicks off about it.
With all the bitchcakes about line ownership going on this year I was just curious how one comes to lay claim to a line in the first place. Many people are saying that the line Aggy and Andreu have is one of the highest scoring which makes it difficult for everyone else to match those scores. But how did they 'claim' than line in the first place? Do guys run up the hill and start laying down like they are blocking a parking space? Do they start pointing from the base of the hill making claims before they even get up there? How does one gain ownership of the line in the first place because I'm sure at any site there's going to be a few prime sports everyone wants to use.
Aggy and Andreu, and everyone else possibly put hundreds of man hours into their lines, and the terrain is still burly. If anything that should tell you that there's a big gap in work AND vision between the raw mountain and the completed line, so it's not "just what's naturally there." And there still are new lines. Vink is building one, and it looks like Doerfling is building a new section too, so there's plenty of room for something original, and high scoring.
Really, we should all keep in mind that Aggy said he turned people away from the hip. That's one feature and it's toward the bottom of the mountain, so it's a complete red herring to say that Aggy is bogarting the best line.
If this whole Line Protection issue was to "actually" become a bigger problem the only way to combat it is to lessen the amount of riders that are invited.
Completely understand guys getting upset by line poachers, but rather than have a hissy fit, these grown men could work something out... and at least the organisers should play a part in that discussion too.
On the other hand it is all adding to the hype
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