Red Bull Rampage 2001 News

15 Views

Info

Launched in 2001 and held annually through 2004, Red Bull Rampage brought the creative, unrestricted ethos of freeride mountain biking to the contest arena while staying true to the sport's core ideals. Poised on a sandstone ridge in the brutal landscape near Virgin, Utah, riders were free to choose whatever line they dared between an established start gate and the finish line 1,500 vertical feet below. Exactly what happened between those two points has become legendary. Around the turn of the century, the mountain bike scene was flourishing, as long as you didn't mind following the rules. Downhill, slalom, and cross-country racing events were plentiful, but a handful of free-thinking riders were exploring new ground in big-mountain territory, sending themselves down first descents much like backcountry free-skiers were doing. On a handful of North American mountains, freeriding pioneers were taking big risks, filming jaw-dropping video parts, and pushing the limits of what could be done on a mountain bike.