THE FIRST BUT NOT THE LAST

There’s been a lot of buzz about Red Bull Rampage over the last week, and unless you’re keyed into the verryyyy niche sport of freeride mountain biking, you’re probably wondering: what the heck is it and why is this such a big deal? After a weekend of reflecting (and recovering from the desert sun), I’m excited to dive in and shed a little more light on the magnitude of the event from my perspective. 

TL;DR it was one of the most profoundly emotional experiences of my professional life. 

(Robin O’Neil // Red Bull Content Pool)

So, what is it? 

The Red Bull Rampage is an invitation-only freeride mountain bike competition held in various locations near Zion National Park in Virgin, Utah. It’s been taking place since 2001, but up until this year (2024) women were not invited to compete. This year, eight women (along with four alternates) were hand-selected to compete in the first ever women’s field. They, along with their chosen team of three trail builders aka “diggers,” had eight days to imagine, dig, perfect and practice their lines in the 95 degree desert heat.

Why does it matter?

After 23 years of competition, women have finally been invited to compete in their own field of play. This didn’t just happen; a group of women, with Katie Holden leading the charge, have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to pave the way for this opportunity for years. The first real step towards a women’s field at Rampage started with Red Bull Formation: a private freeride progression event held in old Rampage venues designed to give the women the tools to prepare for the opportunity to compete at Rampage. Formation ran its course over three years, but like any competitors, the women wanted (and deserved) the opportunity to compete in the real thing. In this first year, Red Bull matched the prize purse between the men’s and women’s comps — coming in with a total of $200,000 for each field. This is HUGE for the first year of a competition and kudos to Red Bull for knowing what these women are worth and leveling the prize field. 

Beyond the prize purse, the amplification of women’s freeride through mainstream media channels (i.e. NY Times & ESPN Sports Center) opens doors to women in life-changing ways - including the ability to negotiate higher salaries and better sponsorship deals. 

(Robin O’Neil // Red Bull Content Pool)

What’s the trickle down effect?

Girls and young women need role models! Like in anything the saying “you can’t be what you can’t see” is profoundly relevant. We now have women to look up to and competitions to strive for. In reality the vast majority of us won’t be striving for the next Red Bull Rampage, but we will be more confident pushing our limits and knowing what is possible. I know I sent the biggest baby air after watching some of these women send last week!

Beyond athlete role models, the number of talented women in the media who had the opportunity to shoot (photo and video) and tell stories on one of the biggest stages in mountain biking is meaningful. Most of the photos from the women’s event were taken by women. Many of the video edits? Also by women. Most of the journalistic coverage? You got it — penned by women. Again, more opportunities for women!

(Cassie Abel)

From the Wild Rye perspective, we couldn’t not be there. We exist to empower women, plain and simple. In this first year, I am so proud to have been there supporting these women shattering that glass ceiling, but it was also important to do it our way. The Wild Rye way is relatable, cheeky and fun — while still showing all the respect in the world for these incredibly talented athletes and the gravity of what they have achieved. 

ICYMI - here's the full content series we created with Katie Burrell TV around the event! 

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A post shared by Katie Burrell (@katieburrelltv)

 

The results?

At this point, you can find the results on just about any bike media outlet, but a few highlights from our time in the desert:

• Robin Goomes took home 1st place with not one, but two backflips during her run. As Cam McCaul noted during the broadcast, “there sure weren’t any men throwing backflips in year one of the men’s event.”

• Casey Brown - this generations mamma bear of Freeride (my term, not hers) - laced her highly technical line with power, technique and silky smoothness. This woman is our hero. She has been the driving force of getting women into Rampage for over a decade, and this year, she proudly stood on the podium in third place - after giving every single athlete a huge congratulatory hug as they entered the finish corral. She also took home the McGazza spirit award. There is truly no more deserving of a person.

• Georgia Astle came off the alternative list with less than a month to prepare and landed herself seemingly effortlessly in second place. 
• Chelsea Kimball crashed towards the bottom of her line, but immediately went on to absolutely stomp the biggest feature on her course. Talk about perseverance. I can’t imagine picking myself back up after almost falling off a cliff to send it more than 50 feet over another cliff.
• Cami Nogueira - She didn’t end up competing in the event due to an epic crash during practice day, but damn, was she determined to show up. She walked away with the toughness award which was well deserved.
• Hannah Bergemann - while she didn’t end up having the opportunity to compete due to an injury leading up to the event, she was hiking around the venue all week with a cast on her foot. Hiking the venue is an extreme sport in itself, but add a cast to the mix - EXTREME.
• Blake Hansen and Claire Buchar were invited to be the first women in the judges box. In this first year, they shadowed the pre-existing judges, with the intention that they’ll officially be in the judge line-up in 2024. 

(Christian Pondella // Red Bull Content Pool)

All in all, spending the week on course at Red Bull Rampage was one of the most emotionally powerful experiences of my professional life. The week began with overwhelming nerves and palpable tension on and off the course, but as the days of practice went by, a sense of confidence settled over the riders. By competition day, watching all seven athletes flawlessly piece together their lines from top to bottom was nothing short of inspiring. This event is an absolute must-see in the future!

- Cassie, Founder & CEO of Wild Rye