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Was Rampage 2004 as Good as It Gets?
Huge gaps and even bigger crashes, Rampage #4 redefined freeride — then sent it into hibernation.
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Gee Atherton: Second place, 2004 Red Bull Rampage
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull
On Oct. 17, 2015, the 10th edition of Red Bull Rampage will grace the red soil of Virgin, Utah's steep, scary terrain once again.
Way back in 2004, this same mountainous landscape was the scene of a super-sized Rampage — in its fourth year, Rampage's gaps got bigger, the riding got faster and the consequences higher.
Rampage was definitely the most influential and defining event in the history of freeride mountain biking.
The fourth running of Rampage was more massive, in every category — crashes, air time, tricks and carnage — than ever before.
See the Rampage 2004 highlight video below:
2 min
Best of Red Bull Rampage 2004
See the highlights from year four at the world's premier freeride mountain bike contest.
Rampage sophomore Cameron Zink came to the desert with the intention of doing something no Rampage competitor had ever attempted — a 360 off a vertical drop. Although he crashed on all his cliff-drop spin attempts that year, Zink would make history with the move at later Rampage.
"Red Bull Rampage was definitely the most influential and defining event in the history of freeride mountain biking," said two-time third-place finisher (2002, 2010) Darren Berrecloth.
Teenager Kyle Strait won the event with a blistering run puncuated with a fully stretched out suicide no-hander off a giant step down dubbed the "Mansize Gap."
Keeping every other rider honest to form and function, future UCI World Cup downhill superstar Gee Atherton landed on the podium with a stellar second-place finish, proving good riding transcends disciplines.
Canadian Steve Romaniuk threw down a huge one-footed table on a humongous gap and shredded like the tried-and-true freerider that he is to nab third place.
Rampage's returning 2003 champion Cedric Gracia suffered a ruptured spleen in the final practice, oddly while wearing a Captain America costume in celebration of Halloween. Veteran Utah freerider Lance Canfield took one of Rampage's nastiest spills, breaking his femur on his second run — although his first run was good enough to score fifth place.
Amid the chaos, Rampage No. 4 was coincidentally contested on Halloween weekend. The whole spooky aura looming over the event must have carried wild vibes because shortly after the 2004 event, Rampage was put into hibernation until 2008.
What will Rampage 2015 bring to the table? To find out, watch Rampage finals LIVE on Red Bull TV on Oct. 17.
Can’t wait to get your gut-wrenching, nail-biting freeride fix? Head over to the official Red Bull Rampage event page to see highlights of the first nine competitions, as well as more exclusive videos, photos and stories:
• The Most Viral Moments in Red Bull Rampage History
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