The Red Bull Rampage is a crucible unlike any other race or event in cycling. It borrows elements from surfing competitions and big mountain ski/snowboard competitions and molds them into the longest running, big mountain freeride mountain bike competition on the planet. It’s held in unforgiving terrain - the remnants of an ancient seabed raised up by immense geological forces and weathered into steep, jagged ridges that features ledges, cliffs, and canyons as they fall to the valley floor. Riders are allowed time to build and practice their line in a two-week window, and then compete in a best of two run format and are judged by a panel of former competitors on speed, style, fluidity, amplitude, difficulty of line, and overall impression.
It’s difficult to accurately gauge just how forbidding the terrain is without seeing it in person. Photos and videos rarely do a Rampage venue justice. Steep is just one component. The loose dirt is another. Then there’s the raw exposure to the erosion sculpted cliffs and gullies. Just climbing down is an arduous process; riding a bike down it? That’s the stuff of insanity and nightmares. But to a select few, like SR SUNTOUR’s Robin Goomes, Tommy Genon, Carson Storch, Tom Isted, and Luke Whitlock it’s the stuff dreams are made of.
This crucible tests riders and equipment alike in practice and during their top to bottom runs. The kind of abuse it dishes out to both humans and machines is next level. It’s literally something most test labs simply can’t match - after all, very few engineers can visualize the forces that suspension undergoes when back flipping a 20 meter canyon gap or casually spinning a 360 off a 10+ meter cliff, let alone replicate in a testing facility. It’s with no small amount of pride that not one of our athletes experienced an equipment failure. Hit after hit, in practice and in competition, despite crashes and tumbles SR SUNTOUR’s athletes and products proved resilient and capable of withstanding the formidable challenges that Rampage delivers.
What’s involved in riding a Rampage run? Skill, vision, and sheer courage to descend the gnarly terrain as well as the gut checks required on whether to drop in or not if the wind comes up - a rider mid air hit by a cross wind can easily get blown off line, a potentially deadly consequence in exposed terrain of the Rampage zone. Proper suspension setup is equally key: getting bucked off in unforgiving terrain is every bit as hazardous as being blown off line. The RUX suspension fork is proven in the Rampage as well as the different shocks used from the TRIAIR series and the VOROCOIL. These suspension platforms were not only tough enough to take the hits but also supple and damped enough for riders to tackle even the biggest rampage drops with the confidence that they’d be able to focus 100% on putting down the ride they’ve envisioned without having to worry about controlling a bucking bronco as well. While there were definitely some modifications made by our on site suspension technician for competitor’s individual compression and rebound desires, all suspension chassis that were used were stock.
So how’d it go down? In short? Pure unadulterated insanity.
Women’s Rampage
In the seventeen editions of the Red Bull Rampage prior to this year’s competition, there had never been a women’s version. 2022’s Red Bull Formation held the week prior to that year’s Rampage kicked that door wide open, and led directly to the first women’s only Rampage event to be held adjacent to and two days prior to the men’s event this year.
It is with great pleasure to announce that on October 10, 2024, SR SUNTOUR’s Robin Goomes made Freeride history with the first run by a woman in the Red Bull Rampage, stomping a top to bottom run, spiced up with a massive drop and punctuated with two back flips for a score of 85. No other competitor in the Women’s Rampage would crack the 80 point barrier, leaving that one run as the most beautifully insane and inspiring women’s freeride run so far.
How does history get made? It starts with Goomes having a plan: “Before I began at Rampage I knew I wanted to create a line that would best showcase my riding abilities and have good variety. I put together a list of key features I'd like to have in my run, then on scope day, my team and I searched for those features in the terrain we were given. We were lucky enough to find everything I wanted!“
Beyond having a plan, suspension set up was key - after all, Goomes had a massive 12.5 meter drop to contend with (“The biggest I’ve ever ridden!”), as well as a number of trick features and set up drops. These placed radical demands on her suspension: Goomes was riding a Yeti SB 165 Enduro bike, not a Downhill bike. This meant reducing her RUX fork to 180mm of travel to maintain her bike’s geometry and customizing the compression circuits of her TRIAIR2 shock - an easy task for SR SUNTOUR’s onsite tech.
"I love my suspension! It’s easy to setup and feels exactly how I need it to no matter what bike I ride... For my Rampage setup I opted to run slightly softer pressures than my usual jump settings. My reason for this was to have traction and control in the looser sections while still being able to take the big hits."
That history making run? It felt like this: “Rider #1, Robin Goomes…3…2…1.” Followed by, “Let’s go! Get it!” from Goomes. Then it’s quickly eye watering speed down an exposed, unforgiving ridgeline that is shockingly steep, with Goomes lily padding from drop to drop. Then a sketchy chute immediately into a backflip. Stomp the landing. A moment to recover, then directly off a monster drop. Catch berm. Elated swearing, then into the final set up jumps before pulling another beauty of a backflip. Then the finish corral one minute and eighteen seconds after initially dropping in. Madness ensues.
“This is surreal,” stated a modest Goomes following her historic run. “It's an experience incomparable to anything else, every part of the process was enjoyable and having a dialed team to share those times with…I feel like I’m in a movie…It’s pretty sick!”
With no other rider threatening her score, Goomes didn’t need to do a second run, instead reveling in her run. Reflecting afterwards, the Kiwi summed it all up with, “Preparation is everything. There are a lot of external factors which we can't control but being well prepared is the best one can do…And maybe a little luck too."
Men’s Rampage
Thomas Genon of Belgium was first up for SR SUNTOUR in the men’s event, dropping fourth out of eighteen riders. This was his eleventh Rampage appearance. Asked, “Why Rampage?” he responded: “We are all here doing our own thing and we all look at this hill different!” before adding, “I wanted to change my line from 2019 and felt like this one would pack in everything I like on a bike right now.” Unfortunately, Genon washed out in the loose conditions partway down, while his bike tumbled spectacularly off a cliff, making his run a wash. With no score, he’d need to do a second run to get a shot at a win. Next up were two Rampage rookies: Tom Isted and Luke Whitlock. Tom Isted collaborated with another rider to pioneer an absolutely heart stoppingly exposed 23 meter canyon gap as the signature feature of his line. The British freeride phenom was just enough offline for the run into this gap feature that he had to dismount and hike up to be able to send that gap safely, effectively making run one a practice run. As he put it: "I needed to reset, to make sure I had that perfect speed."
Whitlock, on the other hand, rode clean top to bottom, but was riding some of his features for the first time on his run, focusing on making it down safely with the intention of ‘turning up the volume’ on run two. Not having ridden all his features was admittedly “nerve wracking”; but overall the American rookie was “so hyped that it all came together” for his inaugural Red Bull Rampage run. Both would head up for a second run. SR SUNTOUR’s second most veteran Rampage competitor, American freerider Carson Storch, had a beauty of a run in his tenth Rampage, capped off with a massive 360 from a 10 meter drop, landing slightly off angle but riding it out nonetheless. “I have no idea how I hung on… I just kept my eyes focused on where I wanted to go,” mused the Propain rider immediately following his run.
And what a run! It was a solid effort, spiced up with a couple rowdy backflips and a meaty step down drop, in addition to his spectacular 360. It was solid enough to land him within spitting distance of the podium, but he’d need a second run to make that leap. Thomas Genon was first up for run two and absolutely owned the line he and his build team put together. It was a next level run, punctuated by an opposite 360 spin off a 10 meter flat drop followed immediately by a back flipped, one footed can-can over a healthy gap jump. That’s not including his opening 360, the gnarly chute leading into his opposite 360, or the front flip that flavored the rest of his run. All in terrain that is difficult to climb down and absolutely ludicrous to even think of riding a bike down. His favorite feature was the one that caught him out on run one (“I love the back to back chute to spin drop!”), but he absolutely smashed it on run two. But while his run was spectacular, it simply wasn’t enough for the podium.
Isted and Whitlock were the next in the gate, but by then the wind had come up, making a second run potentially life-threatening. Given the razor-thin margins for error, both wisely opted not to go again. With the wind continuing to gust unpredictably, a second run was simply not in the cards for Carson, either.
All in all, it was a successful Rampage for SR SUNTOUR’s athletes: a win in the historic first women’s Rampage, and a solid showing by both the veterans and the rookies. They’re already hungry for another session in Southern Utah.
Interview with Robin Goomes
Why/how did you choose this line?
Before I began at Rampage I knew I wanted to create a line that would best showcase my riding abilities and have good variety. I put together a list of key features I'd like to have in my run, then on scope day my team and I searched for those features in the terrain we were given. We were lucky enough to find everything I wanted!
What is your signature feature on your line?
My signature feature was probably the "slut drop" the 41ft drop in the middle of my line. It was looked at as a too ambitious build at the beginning and was the biggest drop I've ridden. It took me and Georgia's team a lot of time but it worked so good.
What does it take to put together a winning run?
Preparation is everything. There are a lot of external factors which we can't control but being well prepared is the best we can do, and maybe a little luck too.
What do you like about your suspension?
Its easy to setup and feels exactly how I need it to no matter what bike I ride.
How difficult is it to set up your suspension for Rampage?
Rampage is a combination of techy riding and big hits so for my setup I opted to run slightly softer pressures than my usual jump settings. My reason for this was to have traction and control in the looser sections while still being able to take the big hits.
Rampage Suspension
So what’s the proper suspension set up for as extreme an event as the Redbull Rampage?
Every athlete opted for a RUX suspension fork. It’s a proven dual crown design that features highly tunable internals that were customized to fit each rider’s needs. Take Tommy G’s set up, for example. In the words of Kevin Allemand, our on site suspension technician: “He requested a stiff suspension set up for the Rampage bike, but not like a piece of wood—haha! Rather, he wants really big progressivity, but with really soft sensitivity for the first 10% of travel in order to be able to really feel the ground. For the Rux I installed 5 volume spacers, but the rest is full stock with the new rc+ cartridge. Continuing on that theme, Allemand tuned a TriAir R series shock for Tommy G’s GT Fury “ with a little bit stiffer shim stack and full volume spacer used in the positive and negative chambers.” As Tom Isted and Carson Storch were using the VOROCOIL shock, Allemand, was quite busy! For Isted, for example, he made the following customizations: “For the VORO shock I made a really stiff shim stack for compression. Initially, he thought a 550lbs spring would work. But after his first test in Utah he requested a 650lbs spring for a stiffer bike, but ‘now it’s like a pogo stick for rebound… can you can fix that?’ So just like the compression shim stack, I put in a stiffer rebound shim also.” Luke Whitlock and Robin Goomes were both running a TRIAIR2 series shock. Goomes’ was the more challenging customization due to the New Zealander’s lighter weight as compared with the men.
“For her bike the TRIAIR2 works perfectly. But I had to make some adjustments for the jumps: initially she felt it’s easier on the lip with the middle position because she didn’t want too much air pressure making it too stiff on the landings. But that wasn’t perfect, so I rebuilt the shock with more compression using a stiffer shim stack for low and high speed. Butter!”
11/7/2024 9:33am
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