Something changed last week.
Emil Johansson was a hair away from disaster. And then Adolf Silva went for it…
In case the above embed code from Adolf Silva and Road2Recovery’s Instagram post doesn’t work, the post contains some not hugely surprising news; Silva has no sensation from the chest down.
In the past I have not been one of the hand-wringers as regards Red Bull Rampage. My arguments were kind of along the lines that these riders would be doing daft, dangerous stuff even without Rampage.
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But during the men’s event last weekend something changed. I think, like a lot of televised infamy, it was partly due to the instantly-iconic actual camera angle/footage of the horror crash and the instant, total silence that descended on the desert.
And let’s not forget the whole sketchy, panicky, desperation of Silva’s run immediately before the crash. He’d clearly already made up his mind to attempt the double backflip before he set-off from the start platform. This was Rampage; you gotta do something ‘special’ to claim the top spot.
And then, here’s the thing that did it for me, the announcers finally piped up with some hushed words, the event was put ‘on hold’ and they threw to some commercials. Commercials for Red Bull events, shows and stunts. All of which shared the common promotional vibe of risk and/or likelihood of something going wrong.
This doesn’t feel the same as Evel Knievel. The Knievel was the principal risk-taker. He was also the principal benefactor. Rampage didn’t feel like that this year. This year felt like Ancient Rome and the Colosseum. With Emperor Taurine sat on high calling for the next competitor to head into the gladiatorial pit.
Let’s be honest, it doesn’t even feel like Rampage and it hasn’t for a number of years now. As soon as the sandbags arrived, it was no longer true to the spirit of Rampage. It became an event that wasn’t even primarily aimed at mountain bikers anymore. It was now just another viral clip that can also be built into a sizzle reel for Red Bull.
It’s over for me with Red Bull Rampage. I certainly haven’t felt like running the usual post-event result stories and highlight vids on singletrackworld.com this week.
Surely, it’s now over for Rampage. Certainly in its current twisted form at least.
All of us here at Singletrack Magazine hope Adolf Silva’s condition improves. Good luck Adolf.
Road2Recovery Adolf Silva Fundraiser
“Adolf faces an intense and expensive road: daily therapy, adaptive equipment, home adjustments, and ongoing medical support. All funds raised will go toward Adolf’s ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, and transport to Barcelona, as well as adaptive home and vehicle modifications and specialized mobility equipment essential for his long-term independence and quality of life. Your help makes a direct difference in his recovery and stability — giving him every chance to rebuild his life.“
Hmmm, I read back through this thread last night and had a think.
The most striking thing to me is how many people seem keener to talk more about insurance and “financialising” serious injuries… That all sort of misses the point (IMO).
RB events aren’t really a core part of any given sport, they’re a bolt-on, extreme spectacle typically. Intended to be entertaining, and yes obviously a promotional tool. We have other bodies that organise all the other forms of competition within MTB, it’s worth recognising that RedBull events are mostly for the benefit of RedBull, and they get precisely what they want out of them while the unwashed masses get some entertainment.
Going back to the original article, the entertainment value is what gets damaged by events like Adolf Silva’s injury, not just the accident but the glossing over of it afterwards.
I suppose it comes down to the concept of “Risk as entertainment” and that’s inherent in most forms of entertainment, the stakes can be as low as just embarrassing yourself with Karaoke, or as high as dying in a cage fight and all points in between.
RB events have to strike a balance, zero risk and the entertainment value is gone, too much risk and you’re just watching young people throwing away their health to amuse some (cruel?) strangers.
Despite the “elf ‘n’ safety gawn maaad!” posts, nobody actually seems to be calling for Rampage to be “banned” but I do think people are right to question whether or not it’s still an entertaining spectacle in its current form, and if that is worth the physical well being of young people like Adolf Silva.
I like seeing people clear challenging moves and difficult lines, but I don’t want to see someone double flipping their mobility away to sell fizzy piss. And I certainly don’t like seeing the Austrian piss purveyors apparently editing their coverage to skirt the reality of what happens if things do go wrong.
In amongst all the stoke was there anyone there in Utah to remind participants that some risks just aren’t worth taking, especially when all you’re really doing is promoting a can of fizzy piss to impressionable children?
It’s not about money, no sum that RedBull or anyone else could conjure up will undo Adolf Silva’s injuries, the risks were never worth the rewards (IMO) I suppose that’s the nub of it. If enough people think it’s an acceptable price for the spectacle of Rampage then I suppose it doesn’t need to change…
@cookeaa nails it right there imo.
It was great to see that Adolf is at least coherent and has regained upper-body mobility, although I was quite disappointed/shocked to see how quickly he has decided to televise his recovery. Maybe he needs the money… or is it a deep-seated need to entertain or get recognition and respect? It’s surely too early to decide he will “inspire" others; even if his personal drive is inspirational, his ongoing physical needs (toileting, washing, etc) are going to take some getting used to.
I hope the young fella is getting the real support that he needs to adjust to his situation (physical and mental) rather than masking it with bravado. I tried masking my life-changing situation with bravado and bollocks… it helped me for a while but I only became truly happy again after time to adjust and some excellent counselling.