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From rookie to champion: Hayden Zablotny wins the 19th Red Bull Rampage
Red Bull Rampage was a thrilling showdown between veterans and newcomers.
Shoo-ins don’t exist at Red Bull Rampage. Veterans may have the experience and expertise, but a newcomer can easily shake things up. One athlete may have an expansive bag of tricks, but another may unlock the most daunting feature of the day. Winners are crowned when the last rider rolls through the finish corral, and this year’s was no exception at the Men’s 2025 Red Bull Rampage.
After two intense rounds of competition, rookie Hayden Zablotny emerged victorious, becoming the first newcomer to win since Brandon Semenuk’s win in 2008. After making a mistake on his first, Zablonty linked together the most daunting run of the day, while stomping seven tricks. Rounding out the podium are Thomas Genon in second place and Tom Van Steenbergen in third.
Winners Hayden Zablotny, Thomas Genon, and Tom Van Steenbergen
© Bartek Wolinski
Zablotny's victory didn’t come without a fight. Challenges are inherent to Red Bull Rampage, and Mother Nature was especially fickle. Rain and wind hammered the venue during practice, producing some of the toughest conditions in Red Bull Rampage history. Skies ultimately cleared closer to finals day, and the athletes persevered, descending the venue with precision and technical tricks.
Rising like a natural amphitheater, the 2025 venue is a familiar one. It hosted the 2016/17/21 events, and blends big mountain terrain with features for huge tricks. This course is a favorite among athletes and fans alike and has been ground zero for countless history-making moments. These cliffs, chutes, and jumps have redefined freeride mountain biking with each visit, and during finals, the 17 riders added their mark to the mountain.
Hayden Zablotny wins the 19th Red Bull Rampage
© Long Nguyen / Red Bull Content Pool
I just wanted to build something that would showcase my building and riding style—and something I’d be stoked on riding as well.
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Red Bull Rampage Men's winners
- 1st place: Hayden Zablotny
- 2nd place: Thomas Genon
- 3rd place: Tom Van Steenbergen
Hayden Zablotny rises from rookie to champion
Five years ago, 22-year-old Zablotny made the pivot from downhill racing to freeride after competing at Tom Van Steenbergen’s slopestyle event. Once he learned his first backflip, he was hooked. Red Bull Rampage became a natural goal for him as he loves both riding and digging.
It isn’t easy being a rookie, especially at a venue that’s hosted three Red Bull Rampage competitions. Most of the features are claimed by the veteran riders, and there isn’t much real estate for new ideas. Determined to find his own unique way down the mountain, Zablotny built an entirely new top section. His entrance was one of the most difficult features on the mountain: a committing double drop that required 100% precision.
Watch Hayden Zablotny’s winning run:
Zablotny's first run started well, rode his terrifying upper section with ease, linking together what was looking like a solid performance. His momentum came to a halt with a small error on his transfer step-up. The crash meant it would all come down to his second run. “I was trying to stay as calm as possible and keep my nerves under control,” explains Zablotny.
Dropping in, Zablotny repeated the run, flowing through the committing top section—regarded as one of the toughest features on course. The step up that originally thwarted him was no issue the second go around. Descending the mountain, he unveiled the tricks: flatspin, nac nac, one foot tabletop, backflip, 360, suicide no-hander, and a flatspin. The judges rewarded him with a 96.00, launching him into the top spot. He’d have agonizingly wait for the rest of the second runs to know if it would hold. The score was unshakeable, earning Zablotny his first Red Bull Rampage victory.
Thirteen years in the making for Thomas Genon
Genon first competed in Red Bull Rampage in 2012. Over the last thirteen years he’s masterfully blended the technicality of slopestyle with freeride terrain. Diligently he’s risen through the ranks, finishing in the top 10 eight times.
This year marks his 12th Red Bull Rampage, and the Belgian hoped to finally break onto the podium. In run one, Genon 360 off his top drop, landing the trick on narrow runway. Miss the landing, and he risks tumbling off his line. Carrying too much speed, Genon flew by the next feature, taking a hit in his score. He waved the first run off and reset for number two.
Thomas Genon sending a backflip
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
Thomas Genon flowing into a table during practice at Red Bull Rampage
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Back at the top of the mountain, Genon descended once again. He stomped the consequential 360 and shut down his speed in time to link the rest of the run. Finding his rhythm, he brought the tricks: two 360s, a 270, a backflip, suicide no-hander with a table, and a flatspin. Once he reached the finish corral Genon’s hands were shaking from the adrenaline. “I realized that the first spin drop was going to be the point decider,” Thomas Genon explains. “I had one more [trick] in mind and I didn’t pull the trigger because I didn’t want to throw it all away.” The strategy worked in his favor. Genon earned a 94.35 bumping him up to second place.
It felt like a dream coming to fruition to land on the podium. “It’s cliché, but I’ve been working at this for so long, and started to think I probably wouldn’t get a podium at [Rampage],” he reflects. “I advise everyone to keep pushing.”
Tom Van Steenbergen conquers his demons
Tom Van Steenbergen places in third place at Red Bull Rampage
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
Steenbergen has painful history with this venue. At the 2021 Red Bull Rampage, he overcooked the landing on a backflip and broke his left and right hip sockets into multiple pieces, a piece off the top of his femur, and a piece of his lower vertebrae. Defying doctors’ expectations that he may not be able to ride again, Tom returned to the desert to compete the next year.
Returning to this course, Steenbergen was ready to rewrite the narrative. In classic TVS style, he ditched the start gate, opting to drop in with a caveman. The Canadian powered through his run, adding a caveman, backflip, 360, and a backflip. It was shaping up to be a podium worthy run until he crashed attempting a cork 720. “I knew in my first run the exact mistake I made and the adjustment that needed to happen,” Tom Van Steenbergen explains. The 31-year-old fixed the mistake in his second run, earning a 94.00. “I was so relieved, and I have a lot of bad history at this venue, so I’m beyond stoked to get a podium.”
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Beyond the Red Bull Rampage podium
Utah local Jaxson Riddle took home the Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award for his Heelclick Backflip, inspired by his motocross roots. “No one’s ever brought a [heelclick backflip] to Red Bull Rampage, and attempted it on a step down, so I thought ‘why not do both’, and it worked out,” Riddle says.
Jaxson Riddle wins Best Trick Award for his heelclick backflip
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
The DECKED Digger Award went to the team of Hayden Zablotny, who tackled a relatively new line to this storied site. They were rewarded for taking on a fresh build that required toughness, creativity and a positive outlook.
Adolf Silva from Spain won the BFGoodrich Tires Toughness Award after his resiliency in practice to piece his run together. The athlete-voted McGazza Spirit Award was given to Aiden Parish, who suffered an injury during practice, but maintained high spirits throughout the dig and ride days. He planned to go big for the competition, stomping an amazing 92-foot jump during practice.
Collectively, veterans and newcomers ushered in the next chapter of freeride mountain biking. Next year, a new roster of athlete will return to these hallowed grounds to carry this tradition onwards.
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Watch the Red Bull Rampage Men's livestream replay
Red Bull Rampage: Men's livestream
Watch the 18 male mountain bike athletes showcase skill and creativity in this invitation-only freeride event.
