Invite for Bas van Steenbergen & Graham Agassiz Given Green Light Post Injury - Rampage 2018

 You say #randyforrampage on vital and they have no fkng clue what you are talking about. I better start producing memes

 @WAKIdesigns: Just tell them Randy is NoahColorado's mate.

 @Boardlife69: ahah this is getting funny indeed

 Randy is currently in rest mode after a crash resulting in a pretty solid concussion and post-symptoms. Can confirm he has been riding e-bikes and making a mean batch of bacon to bring to his friends mid ride in the down time.

 @cycling-trivialities: Yeah... destroyed his helmet...

 If Randy rode last year he would’ve won. Sad he’s not on the wild card list again this year. Noah Colorado and the boys are ready to dig. REDBULL #letrandyin

 Who the heck is Randy?

 @simooo: when you see him, you know. You just know

 @simooo: Randy is a fu#king Legend

 @simooo: Randy is pretty well known amongst casette enthusiasts, his new VHS comes with a mixed tape. Legit AF.

 @simooo:

Sunnyvale Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor, aka Smokey, Bobandy, Cheeseburger Walrus.

 reece Wallace should have made it that kids insane, what a bummer ????

 Me too brotha

 @reecewallace: You'll get it next year man! Keep pushing, we're rooting for ya!

 @reecewallace: start hanging out with Randy.

 @reecewallace: next year you will have it bud!! keep sending!!

 Me too bro, we’re about to see him pull a fakie half cab into a drop with that whacky cassette he has on his big bike

 Hell yeah, silent underdog along with Boggs. They all hang out in the desert with Nell, wouldn’t be surprised if they took the top 3 spots ????????

 @theronsta: I’ve never met him but Boggs is from my hometown of Cleveland lol. He used to ride at Rays all the time. So I always root for the guy. No kidding and eventually the torch will be passed on to the young guys eventually ya know

 records?

 @Sethimus: no bro laser discs

 @yukonman: I'm sorry but he's doing tricks off of stuff that Bas and Remy are doing whips off of. It makes no sense to me how those two are getting and invite but not Reece.
Hell Kurt Sorge, the rampage king, shattered his tibial plateau riding the Bearclaw invitational, which is relatively small compared to this stuff.

 @yukonman: aggy broke his scapula doing a whip. Broke the f*ck out of himself at Rampage.

Just don’t think Reece has the same level of following as these guys. Which blows.

 @scottlink: I wasn't given an invite or alternate spot. Trust me, I wish I was in the mix. Funny to see one of my old lines as part of the new venue though! Haha. Thanks for all the support my dudes—I'll be down there cheering on all the boys.

 @reecewallace: As a spectator/fanboy, I'm very happy with the list but seeing your progression since the 2015 Rampage, it was be very sick to see you ride again in the comp. especially on a more "natural" and rugged line. Fingers crossed for next year!

 @reecewallace: in that case, that sucks man... Stoked you'll be out there though!

 I don't get that either

 Top ten finishers from the previous year are automatically invited back. Everyone else who didn’t finish in top ten the previous year but DOES make the invitation list is labeled as a “wild card”.

So... Andrew was 11th last year, so he didn’t make the cut to be automatically invited back.

 @tbmaddux:
Thanks, that makes sense

 If you were the real Randy, you would be a free ride expert.

 wrong randy.

 I wonder if Doerfling might have upset redbull 2 summers ago when they invited him but he skipped it to fight wildfires at home. Since then they have not invited him again.

 @onemind123: i think your right. If that's the reason. Just confirms RedBull are Douches. Man was fighting to save his community.

 @onemind123: that's gotta be one of the most hardcore statements of all time too. He decided that instead of hucking himself off massive cliffs in the desert he would stay at home and run into a burning forest.

 @onemind123: I might be wrong, but I don't think he was fighting fires when Rampage was on, I think he declined because he didn't have time to train over the summer because he was fighting fires.

 We need to see Doerfling and his Indian air

 wonder if it has anything to do with knolly not making a DH bike anymore for him to ride? also maybe its just me but i haven't seen many videos from him in awhile.

 After getting robbed last year I doubt he will ever come back

 Being able to ride and complete a line at a Rampage event is its own prize. There has to be some other reason.

 In an interview with l'Equipe (french newspaper) he said on October 5th that he was actually invited, but refused to participate.
The reason for this are continued problems with one of his ankles. He said he was not satisfied with his result last year, and when he participates at rampage, he wants to win. Because of his injury, he was not able to ride as much as he would have wished, and he does not see a chance to compete as his best because of it.

 @soulless: he wasn't fuggin robbed. whack line with 1 awesome trick. ethan's flatspin on the ridge was in a more consequential area. thats what rampage is. people be like rampage isn't a slopestyle but they mad that bizet didn't score higher with one truck on the slopestyle jump.

Gimme a break

 Limited space / line options as it is.

 Agree man. All the names you list are proper big line riders and should be what it's about. I guess it's been straying from its roots for awhile, but this seems like an extra large step away from freeride towards commercialisation.

 Serious question, how many people in the world would participate in this event if you didn't need an invitation?

 same. i thought reece earned a spot back.

Macfarlane, doerfling. I'm not surprised. James backed out last year (for all the best reasons and we haven't seen much in the way of edits) and all connor has done is crashed his brains out for 3 years in a row. Both are a few of my favorite riders too.

 @SnowshoeRider4Life: Conor did crash (2 years in a row, pretty sure he's only been to 2016 and 17), but he didn't "just crash" he built one of the biggest lines in Rampage history, rode it successfully, and crashed on the biggest drop on course on the 2nd to last practice day, then came back for finals to get the nod for the Mcgazza Spirit Award. Last year he crashed trying to hit the same line, so I guess that's what made the organisers balk. But it's a new zone, so fresh lines. The guy is a big line rider - just like Aggy, he's gonna build a line to get on the podium, that comes with significant crash risks. There's a bunch of riders that are in there, who get invited back often, that have zero chance of getting on a podium and are happy to survive. I'd rather see people who want to push the boundaries of big line riding, not the boundary of Instagram followers.

Also, I want a New Zealander in there!

#McGazzaForever

 @kit-nz: he was there in 2015 too. pretty sure he got snubbed that year too.

 @SnowshoeRider4Life: ha, you're right! Totally don't remember his run... Maybe that's why he's not there!

 I agree, nothing against Bas, super nice dude (who is way better than me at riding) - but surely Wallace should be there as well at least!

 It’s crazy how Red Bull does things! Invites Reed Boggs back he didn’t complete a run and Conor Macfarlane has been trying to get into Rampage too but they leave him off the list this year.....

 and Randy of course

 Get up there and show us how it's done.

 @makripper: Once I hotwire this ankle monitor I'm there!

 Even 32.

 if they make the wheels big enough you won't need to risk any drops at Rampage, you can just roll everything.

 The Claw?

 #NorbsGotMarried

 @southoftheborder: Norbs wasn't there last year either, plus even if he wanted to participate, Evil no longer makes a dh bike.

 @charmingbob: it still doesn't top the fact #HeGotMarried.

 better make it top 50...

 I was asking myself the same question. Checking his social media channels I couldn't find the reason.

 I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a judge this year, but yeah... it definitely feels like the end of an era.

 I think he’s got more important things to worry about than breaking his back in a freeride competition. Imagine Zink’s about there too. Not worth the risk when you’ve got a family to support and had a successful career already.

 I get it the claw is kinda a big part of rampage history but his runs these last few years havent even been close to the level of his competition.

 @nismo325: Kinda? He's a freakin' legend as far as Rampage goes. Started in 2002 and the only person who's had greater longevity so far has been Kyle Strait, although Cam Zink will pass the Claw in another year if he keeps going. The Claw has podiumed twice, which puts him in company with only 8 other people (Strait and Zink of course, as well as Sorge, Semenuk, Lacondeguy, Bizet, and... Gee Atherton and Cedric Gracia?!).

I'll be sad if he's not there at least to support Carson Storch again, after they built their sick line together the last couple years.

 I know he's been traveling some with the North of Nightfall showings.

 @WasatchEnduro: straight called it--zink blew out his shoulder off a drop--rode it out and everything. End of an era--SHOUT PAUL BASAGOITIA, during 2015 Rampage attempting what would have been the LARGEST natural step down drop ever landed on film/competition. 20ft out and about 45ft+ down. (Scott Gambler, air shocks front/rear, 26" bitch) Paul Bas' feet blew out upon landing and got rodeo tossed off his bike right into an 8ft dirt shelf drop to flat, barrel rolling through the air sideways. Was easily on a 1st place run--not a single sponsor on his jersey when he started the day. Got paralyzed from the knee down. Guys a legend--survived and is currently THRIVING like no else ripping e-bikes and livin the good life. Hero #iride4Paul

 I'll say it again. Legend.

Here's the official retirement announcement video and look back on The Claw's career:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jGBD_S8oHs