chrismac
Full Member

So the show was won by a guy doing spinny flippy things on a man made track wearing the event sponsor helmet. I really struggle to see how any of it has anything to do with progressing the sport of mountain biking.

Well, that is a shame.

This isn’t like paying pissed tramps to fight, these competitors seem from their interviews like educated and rational folk who are able to make their own judgements on risk and participation. Not seeing where the exploitation is.

This always reminds me of rampage a few years ago.
The final runs and the leader at the top was constantly asking if he’d won stressing to do another high risk run.
When he found he had won he was so relieved to just roll down (which in itself is super human to us mortal bimblers).

Really you don’t ? You don’t think 40′ drops that are now flipped, or 40′ gaps that are now front flipped as progressing the sport of MTBing ?

in a word  no I don’t. How does it relate to anything 99.99% of riders ever see or do? I’m genuinely interested in how it pushes the sport forward. So some one flips a40’ drop, so what? How does that benefit the sport? Rampage is an entertainment show. Highly skilled and brave riders go down the course to entertain the viewer and make the sponsors money.

My feelings towards Red Bull were definitely diminished after the Paul Basagoitia incident.

What’s bonkers is that redbull promote the bass documentary on their website!
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/paul-basagoitia-any-one-of-us-facts

I think the US attitude to healthcare is so different from ours that they maybe just don’t see the problem

If you haven’t watched it I can’t recommend it enough
Its on iplayer I posted the link earlier

So some one flips a40’ drop, so what? How does that benefit the sport?

That’s like saying a 100m runner does a 9.60, how does that benefit the sport. It gives the next level for everyone to make it to. It gives the progression needed to be the best

Look at how fast the DH racers are now, this pushes the next generation to get faster and better. It’s the same with slopestyle/freeride, think about how much Wibmer or Danny have increased the sport by their riding. Rampage is the same.

I was a bit disappointed with the course. Some fantastic riding but it was all on manicured, man made jumps and landings. I don’t mind watching that but to me that isn’t rampage. Plenty of other events for that sort of thing. Of course they need to do some landscaping to make it possible and entertaining but personally I prefer the notion of riders trying to make something from the terrain.

Edit: just found this article from a few years ago: https://www.redbull.com/sg-en/rampage-evolution-rider-perspective

Seems a lot riders would’ve liked to see it go more natural but they have gone completely the other way

Regarding the naturalness or otherwise:
All those different lines from the top steep part. I can see that they are different, and I know I wouldn’t do any of them in a million years, but I have no idea what is harder.
What I can see is whether someone rode it smoothly, or a bit out of control.

Regarding ‘progressing the sport’ are people talking about mountain biking in general, or big mountain free ride?

Semenuk was a worthy winner, although TVS may have been on to beat him.

What’s even more nuts is Semenuk wasn’t even using a downhill bike!

The severity of injuries when it goes wrong does make you wonder though, especially given the complete lack of financial support from Red Bull demonstrated by the amazing Bazagoita doc.

Downhill frame but enduro fork to allow bar spins

idk, that chute Kyle S and Cam Z both rode didn’t seem too manicured. Fairly sure I heard Kyle say he had no control at that point.

And if it were all about the flips then Kelly McGarry ought to have won in 2013.

“ Some fantastic riding but it was all on manicured, man made jumps and landings.”

It wasn’t though, was it?

It’s a gnarly piece of land, with perilous exposure and massive cliffs and ridges that they ride down. The jumps and the landings are relatively manicured because they’re so gigantic that otherwise it would be impossible to ride them with any degree of repeatability let alone safety. But in between the bigger features there’s plenty of natural big mountain riding. Not one competitor went top to bottom like they were on a slopestyle course, they all have to contend with the lunacy of Rampage.

Watch clips of older Rampage events and you’ll see that the riding was far less gnarly. And certainly nothing back in the day comes close to that insane chute which was first ridden a few years ago.

think about how much Wibmer or Danny have increased the sport by their riding

have they really? sure they are super talented and thousands watch their videos but Joe have they increased the sport? I just don’t see the link

If rampage was about freeride they should copy the format the freeride ski and snowboard tour use. No practice, no building just plan your line from being stood at the bottom. Best ride from the 2 runs wins. That’s the real skill of free ride

“ If rampage was about freeride they should copy the format the freeride ski and snowboard tour use.”

Yes and they should put big piles of snow to land on when you crash…

But if freeride snow sports were about real freeride then they wouldn’t do it on snow because it’s too smooth and soft…

have they really? sure they are super talented and thousands watch their videos but Joe have they increased the sport?

What then is increasing the sport? I watched it. I’m not even in to tricks, and most of the BPW blacks are beyond me. But it’s made me more stoked to go ride my bike then if it didn’t exist.

If it’s only progressing the sport if it has direct links to talentless amateurs then mtb would basically still be fireroad xc racing.

Who knew the gatekeepers of the true spirit of freeriding were lurking on STW?

Well I can’t wait for the next Rampage run by STW – let’s start with a whole new insane mountain, no prep just have to leave from the top and jump off whatever you get to. Real mountain free riding…the only downside being that most of the competitors will wind up dead…

Didn’t Redbull get sued by someone because it doesn’t actually give you wings? I wonder how that played out.

He is amazingly talented but I don’t find him that interesting to watch as it feels like there is zero passion. Comes across like a mountain biking Mark Zuckerberg 😉

That’s probably grossly unfair and I haven’t seen that side of him…

I think he is phyced but just doesn’t want to come across like an arrogant prick. I also think he is super focused.

Really good interview with him on the unclicked podcast. Seems sound.

Who knew the gatekeepers of the true spirit of freeriding were lurking on STW?

What tyres….

What gravel bike for the manicured cliff drops of Utah?

Well I can’t wait for the next Rampage run by STW – let’s start with a whole new insane mountain, no prep just have to leave from the top and jump off whatever you get to. Real mountain free riding…the only downside being that most of the competitors will wind up dead…

Going back to this: https://www.redbull.com/sg-en/rampage-evolution-rider-perspective it does seem that quite a few riders were asking for something like that. Going to new areas, less building on the trails. I suspect they weren’t planning to end up dead

That video of the french guys scoping and riding sections of insane (BC?) cliffs was natural and equally petrifying imho.

Interesting stuff, and quite a range of views but like you say a general majority wanting it more natural. I’m guessing it would be much less of a viewer event though as presumably terrain would need to be much less extreme if you weren’t allowed to build on it.
You’d have to be completely bonkers to try back flips off a gap when you’ve no idea what you’re going to land on!

Even the “natural” bits aren’t just ridden down, loose scree and rocks are moved. There is a trail still worked into the hill. I dont think you could run that event without building. A drop sort of need an edge to drop off, landings can’t be full of knee deep dust and rocks. It just wouldn’t work. How often you all just ride through the woods dodging trees? Even supposed natural trails are sculpted to a point.
Personally I think there is a good balance between natural looking and jump features. It just happens that natural features are fast so cleared quickly leaving jumping further in the run. I like the jumping mixed in with the natural. The balance between the two is riders choice. Although largely affected by trying to win a competition I imagine!

I watched the replay yesterday as-live. I had avoided spoilers.
Turned off after TVS crash.
Literally couldn’t watch any more. The risk was not entertaining or fun, I was too scared to keep watching.