While others prepared for Halloween, mountain biking fans spent October counting down to the 2018 Red Bull Rampage. Some of the best riders in the sport gathered outside Virgin, Utah, on Friday for the 13th edition of the world’s most spectacular freeride event.
This year, 21 riders were invited to compete at a new site with a somewhat unconventional setup: They had four days to build and shape their own lines in the red dirt near Zion National Park, on a mountain face known for its sheer dropoffs, technical rock features, and hairpin turns. To most of us, the course looks impossible to walk up, let alone bike down. Crowds who braved the hot sun and dust were rewarded with huge jumps, jaw-dropping flips, and incredible drops. Brett Rheeder, this year’s winner, began his run with an opposite 360 before a challenging double drop into a huge backflip, which sent fans wild as they clung to the side of the mesa. The Canadian sealed his victory with a regular 360, a backflip, and a one foot can-can, scoring a 89.66 altogether.
“Today I scared myself,” said Rheeder, competing in his sixth Rampage. “I’ve never flat drop flipped something that big in my life.”