Red Bull Rampage 2008 - The Evolution - Day Two

More digging and a bike check with Graham Agassiz.

Day two started out with us arriving on site around nine o'clock. The weather had changed and the sunny skies had been exchanged for clouds and wind. The cooler temperatures were much appreciated though. As we hiked up the course to work on the line we had started the previous day, it struck me that the contest was tomorrow and we had hardly even come close to finishing what we had started...
We hurried up and grabbed a couple watering cans to get the lip packed in. The line we have created, is in a zone along the top ridge where there wasn't many options for creativity, so we hope the judges will appreciate our hard work and determination to build a drop where there really should not be a drop. It is a super tight steep roll in that goes flat at the bottom for a few feet, before sharply turning right onto a 45 degree down slope for about 2 bike lengths into a small abrupt lip. It then falls away for about 20 feet with a slight right to left hip, into a very long, very steep landing with no room for error. There is a 50 foot cliff off to the right of the landing, so Brandon and I have to make sure that the landing is perfect before he hits it up before qualifying tomorrow morning (Saturday).


Around noon as usual, most of the riders had shown up, and a lot of them had finished their digging the previous day and were just putting the final touches on their lines before the afternoon practice session. There were some big crashes today, but everyone managed to get up under their own strength. Chris Van Dine the originator of the barrel roll flip, originally called the Diner Roll, was on a mission attempting to the barrel roll the big table top in Gee's line and trying to 3 the step up. He also took a couple diggers on the lower step down on Gee's ridge, look for Chris Van Dine on qualifying day. Cam Zink went down on a double drop him and Kyle Strait built, Kyle stomped it first hit, but Cam wasn't as lucky, his wheels sinking deep into the soft soil on the landing, jackknifing him and his bike into the boulder fields below. Cam was only shaken up, and will be back and ready to send it tomorrow. So far the step up is the only real place where any tricks have found their way onto the Rampage course. With riders such a Graham Agassiz tail whipping it and Brandon Semenuk tossing an Indian Air on the way up to the hard landing. I'm sure we'll see more tricks as tomorrow rolls around.


By then end of the day, my video camera's batteries were dead and the winds had picked up. So I felt it was time to head back to digging. I spent close to two hours in the high winds picking and raking the landing, looking for the perfectly smooth grade on the run out. The dry Utah weather wreaks havoc on your skin drying it out. My hands are just destroyed, covered in terrible caluses and blisters. I think tomorrow I am going to be wearing my gloves.


Near the end of the day, the winds were punishing the riders enough for them to call it quits, most found their way back down to the bottom, but the determined few, including Brandon picked up their shovels and headed back to their freeride works of art. He got back up just as I was finishing the run out below the landing. We worked hard for about 20 minutes, before calling it quits on a long 10 hour day in the desert digging and riding. Needless to say, my body hurts and I just cannot wait to get up at 6:30 am, to head back out and finish the very fews things we need to get his run all dialed in.

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Graham Agassiz bike check:


Ever done anything like rampage before ?
Event wise no, but I ride a lot of Big Mountain in Kamloops.

What aspect of rampage stokes you the most ?
Big mountain is coming back, and I'm super stoked to be a part of this event.

What are your thoughts on wood features on the course ?
The wood features are all right, but I'm more stoked on going out and building the line, and making what I want.


Are you running any prototype or 2009 parts? 2009 frame ?
Nope

Anything special on your bike for Rampage, custom one offs or setup wise ?
My fork and shock are custom built.

Done anything different for tires, or suspension setup ?
I keep my bike running the same all year, did not really change anything for here. Just some fresh tires, and a tune on the suspension.

Weight?
About 40 pounds.

Sponsors and shouts ?
Kona, Sombrio, Race Face, Marzocchi, Giro, Hayes, SunRingle, Maxxis, Oakley, Bicycle Cafe Kamloops, and of course my mom, dad, and friends!

http://www.redbullrampage.com

-Ross Measures

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