MTB
What It’s Actually Like to Ride Red Bull Rampage
Four riders share their first-hand experience competing in freeride mountain biking's most legendary event, from the builds to the butterflies.
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Watching the livestream or highlight clips is riveting, but what is it actually like to ride in the Super Bowl of freeriding? Here, four veteran riders—including both of last year’s winners—describe the crazy consequential chaos of Rampage in their own words.
BRANDON SEMENUK
Semenuk has participated in a whopping 12 Red Bull Rampage events.
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Years Riding Rampage: 12
Best Finish: 1st (five times)
“For other events you show up to a course that has everything already built and you ride what you’re given. But Rampage is more of an open canvas to be expressive, where you build your own line. Creating content projects and exploring new ways of riding is a big part of mountain biking for me, so I like how Rampage lets me create my own vision.
Waiting at the top, it’s nerve-racking. It’s exposed up there; you feel the elements. It’s not necessarily that you’re scared, but you definitely know what’s coming up. Once you drop in, you want to have tunnel vision to focus on the task at hand.
Last year, I didn’t complete my first run and had to sit around for hours to do my second. That is not super pleasant, but that’s how contests can be. I’ve been there a million times. All you can do is stay focused.
The feeling of rolling into the finish area is always just relief. I suppose there’s some joy, but it’s like you’re joyful that you’re relieved. Also, I have friends who helped build the course, so it’s a relief that I did their work justice and no one’s going home sad.
When I finish, I’m not thinking about my score or place. I’m not riding the same track as everyone else, so it’s hard to compare myself to them. I go in there with a plan, and if my plan is a success, then I’m like, well, I did what I could.
I wouldn’t say I love the event day, but I do enjoy the full Rampage experience. I love the build. When do you ever get the opportunity to have 60 of your closest friends there on the mountain with you and build whatever you want. It’s just crazy cool.”
CASEY BROWN
Brown has long advocated for a women's edition of Red Bull Rampage.
© Bartek Wolinski/Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Years Riding Rampage: 1
Best Finish: 3rd
“After years of advocating for a women’s Rampage, to ride the first one was a dream come true. I was so stoked to get up to the start ramp. The heli’s going, you’ve got all these butterflies, but they’re all good butterflies. I was excited to have fun and showcase my riding—and hopefully make it to the bottom. I think fear is super healthy; it gives me the right amount of focus.
The first part of my line was fun and flashy, although there were some hairy rocks in there that could have ended it right there. So I focused on keeping my bike controlled. Then I took some deep breaths and got ready to drop into the Laundry Chute, the crux moment of my line. Once I landed that, I was so stoked. The first time I rode that chute was an out-of-body experience. I don’t know if I was even there.
There were parts between the gnarly bits where I could visualize the whole run and think about what to do next—and make sure I wasn’t getting too excited or taking it too easy. It was crazy how fast I reached the bottom. There was no relief at all. It was like, oh, I’m here!
My goal was to build something good and gnar, but also to showcase fun, flowy riding, and make sure the first year was a success. There was pressure being among the first women to compete that I felt for months leading into Rampage.
We’re going to a different site this year. It will be exponentially more advanced because that site has stuff built on it already from the guys. Everyone is going to step it up from last year and throw down much harder. I gotta start doing some push-ups.”
CARSON STORCH
Storch has competed in ten Red Bull Rampage events.
© Bartek Wolinski/Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Years Riding Rampage: 10
Best Finish: 3rd (twice)
“Rampage is like the Super Bowl of our sport— it has the most eyeballs and the most pressure. It’s terrifying but in a good way. Honestly, it takes me months to mentally prepare for it. Being up at the start gate, it’s definitely not the best feeling, and it never gets any easier. I just try to manage those feelings and make them constructive. It’s scary until the moment you drop in—and then the sound of the helicopter above your head goes away and you’re just in it.
Everything comes at you pretty quick after that. I just try and take it one feature at a time. If you get ahead of yourself, that’s where mistakes happen. During practice week, I learn every piece of my line like the back of my hand. So when I drop in for my contest run, I know exactly what I’m doing. I did a big spin trick last year. I told myself I had nothing to worry about. But I was excited and overshot every feature going into that. I was riding really fast. So as soon as I spun and popped the 360 off this huge drop—in my head, I was like, oh shit, here we go, this might suck. But I held on.
Rolling into the finish corral is the best feeling in the world. At that point, no matter what just happened, I’m not worried about the score. You see your family and friends and everybody’s cheering and it’s a crazy moment after so much buildup."
ROBIN GOOMES
Goomes' knickname says it all: "Backflip Barbie."
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Years Riding Rampage: 1
Best Finish: 1st
“The morning of Rampage, it felt like all the hard work had been done before we dropped in. We still had the runs to do, but after spending 10 days out there digging, we were at one with it. All of the girls were sitting at the top looking down at the venue and people were coming in, and all of a sudden it changed from the workplace we’d been digging at for 10 days to what you see on TV when you watch Rampage. I definitely got real scared. But at that point, you just have to overcome it. I was just thinking this is where I want to be.
Rampage is unique. At most events I go to, someone’s done the hard work of building and testing a course. All I have to do is show up and focus on my riding. Whereas at Rampage the venue is a blank canvas. You have to pick where you want your line to go. You have to build and test your line. It’s all on you. But I had a really sick dig crew. They definitely took a lot of the pressure off me.
I practiced the bigger hits. I made sure I was comfortable with them and had the speeds all dialed. But I hadn’t done top to bottom until the morning of the finals. I didn’t really know how the speeds would link. There’s a lot of braking points, where you’re going really fast and have to slow down to get the speed for the next thing. You’re relying so much on trust. It is blind faith—that all the experience you’ve accumulated over the years will allow you to react as best you can in the moment.
To just complete a line at Rampage is the most unreal feeling ever. I don’t know if I can put how it felt to reach the bottom into words. I basically landed the last flip on my line and was just screaming the whole way into the finish line. It was so much excitement, so much relief. Just happiness. Stoked to be alive.”
Semenuk will be competing in his 13th Red Bull Rampage this year.
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Storch has finished on the podium twice—in 2016 and 2023.
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Casey Brown spent years advocating for a women’s Rampage.
© Bartek Wolinski
Goomes executed two perfect backflips to win last year's event.
© Robin O’Neill/Red Bull Content Pool
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