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Photo: Instagram – Red Bull Bike
Brett Rheeder competing at Red Bull Rampage on Friday.
Vernon’s Brett Rheeder took first place Friday at one of the biggest mountain bike competitions in the world.
Red Bull Rampage is an invitation-only freeride mountain bike competition that’s been held in the Utah desert since 2001. Over the years, it’s become the go-to event for the world’s best downhill racers.
The high-risk competition involves high-speed drops over giant rock cliffs and jumps, incorporating flips, spins and other tricks. Runners are scored based on their choice of line, technical ability, complexity and amplitude of their tricks.
British Columbia was well represented at the event this year, with five of the 18 guest runners hailing from the province.
Most years runners have two chances to achieve their best run, but this year strong winds picked up at the venue after the first few runs were completed. Due to the risk, neither rider chose to take a chance on a second run, and Vernon’s Brett Rheeder was crowned the winner based on his first run score – 90.66.
It was Rheeder’s second victory at the Rampage, becoming the fourth person to achieve multiple victories at the event. He was forced to sit out last year’s event due to injury, and he appeared overwhelmed with emotion after his winning run.
“It was almost perfect,” he said. “I’m at a loss for words because it was a big race and it’s been a long time since I’ve been here. And it worked.
Rheeder was born in Ontario, but has lived in Vernon since 2016.
Tom Van Steenbergen, also from Vernon, also competed in Rampage this year, a year after suffering catastrophic injuries in a crash at last year’s event.
After landing a frontflip after a massive crash in his first race of 2021 – a move that would secure him the fastest lap award – Van Steenbergen landed awkwardly on his very next jump, going over his handlebars. He broke a vertebrate, a rib, a femur and both hip sockets in the accident.
After a year-long recovery, Van Steenbergen took the daunting course on Friday and successfully completed his only run.
“The most important part is coming here and keeping my word about what I came here for…not doing any big stuff this year, but just happy to do it here and get to the bottom of it,” he said. -he declares. after this first run.
“I had something bigger planned, but decided to pull the plug because I wasn’t feeling well, and I just had to do it.”
Van Steenbergen hosts an annual slopestyle mountain bike competition at Big White. But while attending the local station in August, he did not compete, as he was still recovering from his injuries.
For his triumphant return, Van Steenbergen received the McGazza Spirit Award, for “embodiing the spirit of the late Kelly McGarry of loving everyone, always being positive and never giving up”. The winner of the prize is elected by the other runners.
Four-time Rampage champion Brandon Semenuk of the Whistlers took third place this year, having won the past two years.
Kurt Sorge of Nelson placed seventh after winning a silver medal last year. Nelson’s Alex Volokhov, who was on his first Rampage, was unable to compete Friday after suffering an injury in practice.
Riders and their team arrive at the site several days in advance and spend many grueling hours in the desert building their own custom lines on the rock face. During his post-win interview, Rheeder gave most of the credit for his victory to his construction team.
“It was a huge construction, eight days of intense construction with shovels, pickaxes and rakes. It was a mission,” he said. “They bend over backwards for me. It’s incredible.”
Rheeder’s team received the “Digger Award” for their hard work.
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Photo: Instagram – Red Bull Bike
Brett Rheeder celebrates his win at Red Bull Rampage on Friday.
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