, we should ban this for their own safety!

This was debated in motor racing in the 60s wasn’t it? The competitors felt they were being forced to rake too many risks.

Then again, the point of motor racing is to be fast; there appears to be nothing else in this Rampage stuff part from risk.

Then again, the point of motor racing is to be fast; there appears to be nothing else in this Rampage stuff part from risk.

Did you watch it?
Skill, imagination, style. combinations, tricks etc. Being the fastest is about calculating the risk same as freeride.

Yeah, we should ban this for their own safety!

Unlike actual racing, the Rampage is about going big. Yes theres the tricks aspect but its ramping up, look at how the competitors are going bigger and bigger every year. Its only going to end one way.

I still like the street racing courses though.

hora – Member
Its only going to end one way.

it’s only going to end one way if you’re supercilious enough to think the riders are cow-witted idiots just throwing themselves off cliffs in the vain pursuit of cash rather than skilled athletes that have practised their tricks over and over and over and enjoy pushing themselves that little bit further each time because it’s a large part of what makes them tick

they’re savvy enough to know what their limits are without you telling them what’s dangerous like their boring Dad that gets a bit scared going down a hill on a road bike

JoB, slow down and read the signs for a minute.

Can you see the trend/direction its going? Going back to racing drivers- if you told a guy he could be a second quicker but the car would be dangerous/less safe. Guess how many racing drivers would take that car?

Sometimes you have to put controls in place for the benefits of the competitors who are so (professionally) focused.

For your visual enjoyment- are you happy for them to take the bigger risks to entertain you?

Back to your road bike and please, do enjoy it.

This is why vegans live longer

Bollox! You live longer because us carnivores put all the natural predators in pies. If it wasn’t for us, you’d have been killed in a cow stampede before now! Or mauled by a bad tempered sheep.

And do we get any thanks? Do we? Eh……?

Ungrateful bastards!

what trend/direction is it going then?
the same way it’s been going since the year dot, certain human beings will always push themselves to go bigger/further/faster/higher, it’s what we (or they to be more truthful) do, but as has been mentioned above enough Rampage competitors have walked away when feel it’s dangerous for them when others have been happy to carry on

if riders want to do this kind of thing i will watch, in slack-jawed awe, are *you* going to stop watching because you think it’s too dangerous and someone’s going to get hurt?

Unlike actual racing, the Rampage is about going big. Yes theres the tricks aspect but its ramping up, look at how the competitors are going bigger and bigger every year. Its only going to end one way.

Its only the same as skateboarding, BMXing or pretty much anything else really. The stuff people were doing only a few years ago looks tame by comparison now. Are the skateparks littered with mangled quadriplegics and corpses? No.

People push the boundaries. Its what human beings do in every sphere of life. Not just riding down big hills. As a species we’re stupid competitive, willy-waving buggers, who like doing silly things for a laugh. Even better if we’re getting payed for being daft

I rode BMX in the mid 90’s when it was effectively dead. There were a few local competitions around the world which attracted the best riders but the prize money was effectively zero, maybe a few quid and a t-shirt, even for internationally known riders and the best in the world. That didn’t stop the riders going for every gap, every jump and every trick they could think of.
Street riding was a huge part of it and some stuff was incredibly dangerous for no reward bar a few seconds on a video. Riders made their own parts as there wasn’t reallt the big companies around with the R&D cash to improve things. I remember a group of us started making our own stainless steel pegs as the ones we could buy were rubbish.
I used to ride with Jamie Bestwick when he was still an electrician (IIRC) and he used to drive from Derby to Wakefield 2 or 3 times a week to ride the vert ramp at the Wakefield skatepark, one of only a handful in the country (was barely any skateparks anyway!). He said he couldn’t take too many risks as he couldn’t afford to miss work the next day.

People did it cos it was fun, exciting, a big rush and very rewarding. Never for the money. These riders don’t practice for a few weeks and earn mega bucks, they’ve been riding for years non-stop, taking risks when there wasn’t a monetary reward at all. The money is a great help now as it means they can spend more time doing what they love rather than needing a normal job and they won’t lose out too much if they are injured for a while. Yes there are occasions when people are seriously injured or have died but if we all stopped doing things because of a small risk of something serious happening we’d never get out of bed.

if riders want to do this kind of thing i will watch, in slack-jawed awe, are *you* going to stop watching because you think it’s too dangerous and someone’s going to get hurt?

Go for it. Its not for me.

I watched it live.

I was gobsmacked.

Blown away.

I literally could not comprehend the bravery and commitment of someone trying to pull a move like that. To try and front flip a 74ft gap (was it 74ft? I’m not sure if the commentators mentioned it) the sheer BALLS of it.

Its something I would never be able to even think about replicating. It was a moment of pure human endeavour.

Yes it was risky, but there is no courage without fear.

Seems a shame to dismiss such incredible ambition as foolish because he might have hurt himself.

Watch Where the Trail Ends for a bit of an insight into the mindset of these nutters. They’re incredibly driven to push themselves ever further in what is, lest we forget, their day job. And they’re more than aware of the risks they’re taking. They’re not stupid, by any stretch of the imagination. Far from it.

Also watch The Crash Reel for an insight into what a lot of the competitors think about boundary pushing in similar sports, and into how it can pan out.

Better to live one day as a wolf doing massive front flips off a mesa than a lifetime as a sheep who can’t even pull a sodding wheelie.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

Imma just leave this here.

http://www.animal.co.uk/2014/10/martyn-ashton-year-one/