Launched in 2001 and held annually through 2004, Red Bull Rampage brought the creative, unrestricted ethos of freeride mountain biking to the contest arena while staying true to the sport's core ideals. Poised on a sandstone ridge in the brutal landscape near Virgin, Utah, riders were free to choose whatever line they dared between an established start gate and the finish line 1,500 vertical feet below. Exactly what happened between those two points has become legendary.
Around the turn of the century, the mountain bike scene was flourishing, as long as you didn't mind following the rules. Downhill, slalom, and cross-country racing events were plentiful, but a handful of free-thinking riders were exploring new ground in big-mountain territory, sending themselves down first descents much like backcountry free-skiers were doing. On a handful of North American mountains, freeriding pioneers were taking big risks, filming jaw-dropping video parts, and pushing the limits of what could be done on a mountain bike.
As is often the case with a groundbreaking and challenging individual sport, the movement caught fire, fueled by the one-upmanship displayed by the craziest riders in freeride video sections. Early stars emerged from various remote scenes, building reputations on treacherous cliff drops and unthinkable lines down the mountain. However, it was only on their own mountains that they reigned. There were no contests, no jams, no way to determine just who was in fact the biggest badass in the emerging field of freeride mountain biking. Not until Red Bull Rampage.
At the premiere event in 2001, riders and event producers were exploring uncharted territory. Freeriding was exploding, and Red Bull Rampage finally provided a venue where all of the movement's most progressive riders could gather as a group and truly push the limits of the sport. Red Bull Rampage offered an unforgiving piece of terrain with opportunities for technical single track, gaps, and huge cliff drops to challenge the varied skills of the world's best riders. Competitors were given a four-minute time limit to get to the finish however they deemed necessary, and were judged on style, amplitude, fluidity, and difficulty of line. Early freeriding pioneer Wade Simmons traveled from Canada to triumph over the rest of the field and take the very first Red Bull Rampage title.
Riders arrived at the venue again in 2002, and suddenly the scary lines they had forged the previous year transformed from tentative and sketchy into a solid base from which to progress. The airs were higher and more stylish and the riders began to take bigger risks. The virtually unknown Darren Berrecloth put himself on the map in a big way by busting a surprise superman seatgrab, writing the next chapter at Red Bull Rampage where tricks became mandatory. Canadian Tyler Klassen attacked cliff drops most of the other riders avoided, including a 35-footer that no one else would touch until 2004. "When it came down to setting myself aside from the field I was up against," he said, "that was the way to do it. Everyone else thought I was stupid." Stupid? Maybe. Champion? Definitely.
Their appearances at Rampage in 2002 virtually launched the careers of Klassen and Berrecloth, who finished 3rd. "All of a sudden, after that I was a professional freeride mountain biker," he says. Red Bull Rampage was no longer an experiment; it was the benchmark.
Frenchman Cedric Gracia emerged from the '03 event with the title, and immediately felt its influence. "I couldn't believe how much impact [winning Red Bull Rampage] had," he says. "Even if I were world champion in mountain biking for ten years, I wouldn't have had that much coverage. I was everywhere."
At this point, riders were confident enough on the perilous course to seek out more creative lines and focus on a complete run from top to bottom. Red Bull Rampage competitors had gone from white-knuckle virgin descents to white-hot performances that pushed the limits of freeriding.
Josh Bender set the tone for the event in '04, kicking off qualifiers by sending himself down an insane 65-foot step-down gap, resulting in a spectacular crash. While most humans would write him off as crazy, the rest of the competitors took it as inspiration; where one rider goes, others are sure to follow. American Kyle Strait nailed the same gap – no-handed – to earn the last Red Bull Rampage title to be given for four years.
The absence of Red Bull Rampage since 2004 has left a hole in the sport. The riders have stepped up their game immensely and polished their tricks on the perfectly groomed slopestyle courses that have popped up across the map. So where do these athletes go to once again prove themselves?
The time has come to put the “mountain” back in “mountain biking”. A new venue. A proven crew of course builders. The best riders in the world. And four years of progression under their belt.
Red Bull Rampage: The Evolution is coming this fall.
www.redbullrampage.com 
