[Updated: Start Time 30 Minutes Earlier] Pinkbike Primer - Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Red Bull Rampage 2022
Rampage is back for another year of huge freeride sends in the Utah desert. The stacked lineup of riders are already scoping out and building their lines as we see a return to the legendary venue of the 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 Rampages. Let's take a look at who has won this prestigious event in the past, the previous rounds at this venue, what the weather conditions look like for the 2022 edition of Red Bull Rampage.
The Venue
This year's event sees the competition head back to the venue used in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013. With plenty of already established and classic lines on the mountain, riders won't have a fully clean slate to create their lines. Before we get to fully see the creativity of this year's riders let's take a look back at some of the sends from the past events at this venue.
2008
2010
2012
2013
What Happened at the 2021 Event
2021 saw the return of Rampage after a two-year break but despite this Brandon Semenuk secured a back-to-back win and his fourth title with a score of 89. Kurt Sorge just missed out on his fourth win with an 88.33. Both riders are back this year with Kurt looking to equal Brandon's record. We wouldn't count out a fifth elusive win for Semenuk, despite the fact that he'll be spending less hours on the hill than ever before.
 | I am looking at this venue the same way I approach every year, look at the mountain and see what speaks to me. Realistically I will probably use some of the old stuff that I have used in the past because we will have less man hours this year. |
This year, Semenuk is in the championship points hunt in the ARA rally series he also competes in. He is currently sitting second in points. Semenuk was on-site in Virgin, Utah for the event registration and course walk, but then quickly boarded a flight to Michigan where he will be practicing and competing in the last race of the season that will ultimately determine the points championship. Upon completion of the race on Saturday, Semenuk will fly back to Utah for a rest day at which point he will rejoin his dig crew to complete the build and begin practicing his lines next week ahead of the main event. Can Semenuk win the rally championship and Red Bull Rampage in the same week? Only time will tell..
Previous Winners
2001 Wade Simmons
2002 Tyler Klassen
2003 Cédric Gracia
2004 Kyle Strait
2008 Brandon Semenuk
2010 Cameron Zink
2012 Kurt Sorge
2013 Kyle Strait
2014 Andreu Lacondeguy
2015 Kurt Sorge
2016 Brandon Semenuk
2017 Kurt Sorge
2018 Brett Rheeder
2019 Brandon Semenuk
2021 Brandon Semenuk
Rider List
Pre-Qualified Athletes:
1. Brandon Semenuk (CAN)
2. Kurt Sorge (CAN)
3. Reed Boggs (USA)
4. Cam Zink (USA)
5. Tyler McCaul (USA)
6. Kyle Strait (USA)
7. Thomas Genon (BEL)
8. Ethan Nell (USA)
9. Jaxson Riddle (USA)
10. Szymon Godziek (POL)
Wildcard Invites:
Alex Volokhov (CAN)
Andreu Lacondeguy (SPA)
Brett Rheeder (CAN)
Carson Storch (USA)
DJ Brandt (USA)
Dylan Stark (USA)
Tom Van Steenbergen (CAN)
William Robert (FRA)
Alternates:
1. Vincent Tupin (FRA)
2. Bienvenido Aguado Alba (SPA)
3. Adolf Silva (SPA)
4. Johny Salido (MEX)
5. Ryan McNulty (USA)
“The Rookies”
William Roberts
| I am stressed but so motivated! It’s my first Rampage and it’s so crazy to be here. It is hard to find a line, but I will make it happen. I am not looking to do something crazy, but rather stylish and flowy as I want to do tricks where I can. |
Dylan Stark
| This is the Red Bull Rampage I remember watching when I first got into mountain biking - I remember thinking holy &@#% that is insane, and now I am here doing it. It still doesn't feel real. Pinch me, it is a trip, a full circle moment. Seeing the canyon gap back then and its history - and seeing it today and thinking, wow, I think I am going to jump that canyon gap in my run. It is so wild. It doesn’t seem like many people are going this way, and we’ve got to hit the canyon gap for McGarry. We are liking what we are finding, there is a lot of potential for original lines, and I am liking it a lot. The scariest part is the little skinny part up top - that freaks me out; I am scared of heights.... aah man it is scary. Even walking up there, I had sweaty palms the whole time. Another crazy thing is I wouldn’t be here without Brandon Semenuk gifting me a bike about 4 or 5 years ago. I pretty much gave up on my BMX career and I was working at a job building electric bikes and my coworker mountain biked and he was like “you should get your bike back together and let’s go ride. I started doing some little cliff drops on it and then one day I had never met or talked to Semenuk in my life, and he messages me “hey I have this old bike in the garage and I can’t see you riding that older clunker”. It really changed my life from like working an 8 to 5 job building electric bikes and then I was starting to fully pursue mountain bikes and then now here I am competing against my idol and hero, and I thank him a million times for everything he’s done. He’s completely changed my life. |
Weather Forecast
The forecast for this week is looking pretty good, with low winds and conditions on Friday looking perfect for a day of hopefully uninterrupted runs. There does look to be a threat of thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday which could impact how much riders can practice their lines ahead of finals.
Monday - Mostly sunny and pleasant // 25°C // 1% precipitation // wind 9km/h
Tuesday - Pleasant with plenty of sun // 27°C // 1% precipitation // wind 11km/h
Wednesday - Partial sunshine with a thundershower in spots in the afternoon // 27°C // 40% precipitation // wind 9km/h
Thursday - Mostly sunny with a thundershower in spots in the afternoon// 28°C // 40% precipitation // wind 4km/h
Friday - Finals - Rather cloudy and very warm // 30°C // 0% precipitation // wind 7km/h
Weather forecast as of Friday, October 14. Live updates from AccuWeather.
How to Watch
Pinkbike will be providing you with coverage from our team in Utah this week. Tune in to Pinkbike to catch photo epics, results, news and tech. You can catch the full event live stream on October 21 on Red Bull TV
Schedule:
- Red Bull TV Livestream, October 21 - 12:30 pm EDT // 9:30 am PDT // 17:30 pm BST // 18:30 pm CEST
IMPORTANT: RED BULL RAMPAGE NOW LIVE AT 10:30AM MDT ON FRIDAY, OCT. 21ST
Due to projected wind in the afternoon, the new start time of Red Bull Rampage is 10:30 AM MDT. The 2022 Red Bull Rampage will be streamed live exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S., and on Red Bull TV in all other countries. In addition, the complete event will be available on-demand on both ESPN+ and Red Bull TV following the competition. Then on October 30th, viewers can also tune-in to a condensed 2.5-hour replay beginning at 5pm PT/8pm ET that will air on ESPN.
Due to projected wind in the afternoon, the new start time of Red Bull Rampage is 10:30 AM MDT. The 2022 Red Bull Rampage will be streamed live exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S., and on Red Bull TV in all other countries. In addition, the complete event will be available on-demand on both ESPN+ and Red Bull TV following the competition. Then on October 30th, viewers can also tune-in to a condensed 2.5-hour replay beginning at 5pm PT/8pm ET that will air on ESPN.
Note: These times are subject to change. Please check with your local provider.
Author Info:
Member since Mar 16, 2017
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And here is the video where Dylan gave a bmx frame to Semenuk to thank him:
youtu.be/cnBVLEwMMrc
I get the VPN thing for World Champs because no one is signing up for some expensive TV package just to watch one race. But in this case ESPN+ is $10 for the month. Why spend the same money on a VPN to essentially steal the broadcast instead of watching the on ESPN who actually paid to show it. The only way mountain bikers will get paid more is with more exposure, and the only way they get more exposure is to get in front of a wider audience on networks like ESPN. ESPN isn't going to keep airing these events if people arent watching.
RB support DH because its cheap marketing v other ways of accessing the same demographics. Imagine what it would cost to put a TV advert on v the cost of broadcasting DH where they get to choose how much logo time they give their own brand
(by not being invited)
Yes! He always puts everything on the line, it would be so well deserved if he finally wins. Godziek would be a possibility, too
*Disappointed noises*