MTB
Kurt Sorge on the Red Bull Rampage Winner's Curse
Six of seven winning riders were not present to defend the title at the next event. Is it a curse?
Kurt Sorge with 2012 Red Bull Rampage trophy
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Kurt Sorge delivered two strong, solid runs to win the Red Bull Rampage big-mountain event in 2012. Unfortunately, one month ago, the Nelson, B.C., rider broke his leg. Sorge was struck by what is apparently the Rampage winner's curse: no previous victor has been healthy enough to compete the next time the event was held in order to defend their title*.
While he won’t be competing this year, we asked Sorge a few questions about last year’s experience on the top of the podium, what life has been like since, and how he feels about judging this year’s event.
*(Except 2004 winner Kyle Strait, who made the final in 2008 after the event went on a four-year hiatus.)
Spin to win: Kurt Sorge at Red Bull Rampage 2012
© Ian Hylands/Red Bull Content Pool
Winning Rampage is like the Stanley Cup for freeriders. Prior to your win, how likely did you think it was that you would win it in your career?
Rampage is anyone’s competition. Coming into the event, you always expect people to be on top of their game and you're going to have to push yourself as hard as you can to win. I go into events with the goal to just ride the best I can and as well as I know I can.
Sometimes things happen where you make a dumb mistake or have a mechanical and you aren't able to pull it off. Last year it all came together. I knew I could pull off that run; I just had to commit to it and make it happen -- I did it and I won.
You were the first rider from the Kootenays to win. That region is known for being an integral piece of the early freeride puzzle. How was the reception upon returning home with the win?
It was quite the overwhelming feeling coming home the victor. The Koots have been huge in the development of the freeride scene and lots of great riders come from here, so in some way the win was for everyone back home.
How did the Rampage win change your life and your career?
Winning Rampage hasn't really changed my life. Of course it's a great accomplishment but I don't want it to change anything. Some great opportunities came from it and I'm stoked to have had a great season and represent my sponsors and make all my friends and family proud, but life is still the same for me.
What are the three most critical skills a rider should have in order to compete at Rampage?
Bike handling skills have to be number one, if you can't make it to the bottom then you have no chance. Vision: you have to be able to pick a line that’s going to work for you, one that is creative, progressive and works with your style of riding. You have to pick a line that can win. Flow and style: if you’re making your line look good that’s what it’s all about.
Can you tell us about your injury and what recovery looks like for you?
I was riding a set of jumps through the woods that I never had before and came off one of the jumps too far to one side -- apparently there was a tree coming out of the side of the landing and I hit my knee/leg. The end result was a broken tibial plateau and a plate with 7 screws holding it together.
As for recovery, it's six weeks with no weight on the leg and then it sounds like a few more months after that. So my season is done this year but I should be back to 100% and ready for next year.
You’re not the only one who hasn’t had the chance to defend your title the year after a Rampage win. Are Rampage winners cursed to never defend their title?
I was just filming for the Road to Rampage show with Jeremy Grant and Corey Horton from Freeride Entertainment and they were saying that the curse goes all the way back to the first one, when Wade [Simmons] won. Then Super T got hurt after he won. Cedric [Gracia] got hurt after his win too. I never knew there was a Rampage curse.
Will we see you at Rampage anyway?
Yeah, I’m actually judging it now.
Nice! Do you have any experience judging?
I judged the Chatel Mountain Style and then I’ve done a few smaller comps… Rider-judged stuff.
Do you feel pressure because you're friends with the riders you’re meant to judge?
Yes. I initially declined for that exact reason. We all travel to the same comps together. There’s usually a clear winner and clear second and third, though. This year it will be mainly a rider panel of judges so I think it should be good -- I just hope we can get it right. Picking the winner is easy. Rounding out the top five or 10 is hard.
Related
You’ve also been involved with this year’s Oakley Icon Sender. How is it looking?
I've been working with the Oakley team and it's looking to be the best one yet. It's up to the builders to nail it and make something the riders are going to feel comfortable on and be able to ride it to it's full potential.
Is it difficult to take the concepts for the Sender all the way to making it a useable feature?
Yeah, it’s pretty hard to work with the lay of the land. It can be difficult. But I think we’ve come up with a happy medium, and I think with the more rider input this year it will incorporate more rider-friendly features. It will be easier to trick but still be really large. It’s going to be interesting to see.
Do you have any predictions for who might win this year?
It is pretty hard to predict but there are some riders you gotta keep your eye out for, like Aggy, TMac, and Zink.
Some years, it's big balls that win. Some years, it's tech and flow. Some years, it's both. Do you have any predictions for what will win the event this year?
I feel like everyone is going to be sending it huge this year. Someone will land something massive and with a flowy run to follow; I think that is going to take it.
Watch the world's best riders at Red Bull Rampage during the live webcast of finals on October 13, 2013, starting at 1:00 p.m. MT on the Red Bull Rampage site.
