Shovels down. It’s competition day. The dig teams are heading towards holiday mode, all the heavy work done. The riders, too, are horsing around in the car park. Maybe they’re distracting themselves from what’s ahead? The lines were set, coming together in a series of collaborations, but with unique features to each line.
If Chelsea Kimball senses a camera pointed in her direction, she invariably gets silly.
Vero Sandler said she was feeling good, but looked kinda tense.
Georgia Astle decided a new helmet was in order, and her dig team decided a ritual was needed.
As dawn broke across the valley, the riders stopped messing around and started watching the windsocks. They were hoping for a decent practice session, perhaps with time to try a few runs on the trick jumps at the bottom.
It wasn’t to be. In true Red Bull Rampage tradition, the morning winds whipped up and kept everyone waiting.
As the crowds gathered on the ridges to watch, the sun crept closer to the where the lines had been dug into the hill. For once, it wasn’t hot. As I waited in the hollow at the bottom of the runs, I wished for the sun to come. Not only would it warm me, but if the sun finally ate up the cold air, the winds would drop and practice could begin.
It took an age, with practice eventually starting long after the competition itself was due to get underway.
During the build phase, you get a water supply, and as much of it as you want. Come competition day, the hoses are removed. This meant the riders were worried that all those well packed landings with traction would have gone soft and loose, so the dig teams had stashed buckets of water and watering cans at key points before the hoses were removed. The diggers had one final task: to water the lines. Here’s CJ watering Chelsea’s ‘Spice Garden’ on the Blood Drop.
Closer and closer, and finally the windsocks calmed down and Casey Brown dropped in.
Rider after rider came down, clean lines and some great style. Georgia, off the big ‘Slut Drop’ (sanitised for TV as the Slot Drop)
Robin Goomes on the lander for the Slut Drop.
Vinny Armstrong with her classic whip.
Chelsea with flaming pink hair, like some kind of Viking goddess.
Vero coming off the Triple V drop, shared by Vero, Vinny and Vaea Verbeeck.
Vaea heading towards the show jumps.
The organisers talked with the riders, and the decision was made to end practice and head straight up for competition runs.
Robin lay down an absolute banger of a first run, back flipping twice on the way down. The crowd went wild. Casey followed, another clean run. Vinny had a step off part way down her run, losing some potential points. Georgia next, absolutely nailed it, super precise, and with the Sui she hoped to squeeze in on the final trick jump. Vero cased a couple of landings and looked a little stiff and nervous compared to her usual chilled self. Vaea sent it down her series of chutes, really impressive stuff. Six down in broadly clean runs. Only Chelsea to go, with Cami out with concussion following her huge crash on the ‘Blood Drop’ that Chelsea was about to ride.
Here, luck ran out. After some incredible riding on a unique and exposed line, a slight off-line landing took her out and sent her bike tumbling below. Fortunately she didn’t fall as far as her bike, and she got back on to finish her run, safely hitting that Blood Drop again, and even throwing a no hander as she approached the finish corral. She went up for a second run, the only rider to do so – though Robin was there ready to take another go if Chelsea laid down a score to beat hers. However, the same point in the course took her out again, and this time she decided to walk the rest of the way. The crowd went wild, and headed off to watch the podium and prizes.
The Spirit of Kelly McGazza Award went to Casey Brown.
Cami Nogueira got the toughness award.
Robin got best trick.
Vinny’s dig team got the diggers’ award. They certainly put in the work, with one of them having to have an IV rehydration treatment after getting sunstroke.
Vaea won the trail blazer award for innovation.
Casey was third…
Georgia was second – a big surprise result for her, as she only made the competition as an alternate.
And Robin was first. That back flipping first ever Women’s Rampage run was well deserving of the win. History made with style.
And so the day ended as it began, with silliness, as Robin drank champagne from a shoe.
Tomorrow is the final day of men’s practice, with the competition on Saturday.
Final Results:
Robin Goomes NZL 85.00
Georgia Astle CAN 79.00
Casey Brown CAN 77.33
Vaea Verbeeck CAN 72.66
Vero Sandler NZL 71.00
Vinny Armstrong NZL 65.00
Chelsea Kimball USA 62.37
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Thanks to ABUS for contributing to Hannah’s travel expenses.
