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Red Bull Rampage 2008 - The Evolution - Day Two
Posted: Oct 3, 2008
More digging and a bike check with Graham Agassiz.
Day two started out with us arriving on site around nine o'clock. The weather had changed and the sunny skies had been exchanged for clouds and wind. The cooler temperatures were much appreciated though. As we hiked up the course to work on the line we had started the previous day, it struck me that the contest was tomorrow and we had hardly even come close to finishing what we had started...
Day two started out with us arriving on site around nine o'clock. The weather had changed and the sunny skies had been exchanged for clouds and wind. The cooler temperatures were much appreciated though. As we hiked up the course to work on the line we had started the previous day, it struck me that the contest was tomorrow and we had hardly even come close to finishing what we had started...
Hiking up for work
Prepping the drop
We hurried up and grabbed a couple watering cans to get the lip packed in. The line we have created, is in a zone along the top ridge where there wasn't many options for creativity, so we hope the judges will appreciate our hard work and determination to build a drop where there really should not be a drop. It is a super tight steep roll in that goes flat at the bottom for a few feet, before sharply turning right onto a 45 degree down slope for about 2 bike lengths into a small abrupt lip. It then falls away for about 20 feet with a slight right to left hip, into a very long, very steep landing with no room for error. There is a 50 foot cliff off to the right of the landing, so Brandon and I have to make sure that the landing is perfect before he hits it up before qualifying tomorrow morning (Saturday).
Kinrade's line - drop to gap
Double drop to step down to step up
Gap to flat landing
All the pros checking lines
Around noon as usual, most of the riders had shown up, and a lot of them had finished their digging the previous day and were just putting the final touches on their lines before the afternoon practice session. There were some big crashes today, but everyone managed to get up under their own strength. Chris Van Dine the originator of the barrel roll flip, originally called the Diner Roll, was on a mission attempting to the barrel roll the big table top in Gee's line and trying to 3 the step up. He also took a couple diggers on the lower step down on Gee's ridge, look for Chris Van Dine on qualifying day. Cam Zink went down on a double drop him and Kyle Strait built, Kyle stomped it first hit, but Cam wasn't as lucky, his wheels sinking deep into the soft soil on the landing, jackknifing him and his bike into the boulder fields below. Cam was only shaken up, and will be back and ready to send it tomorrow. So far the step up is the only real place where any tricks have found their way onto the Rampage course. With riders such a Graham Agassiz tail whipping it and Brandon Semenuk tossing an Indian Air on the way up to the hard landing. I'm sure we'll see more tricks as tomorrow rolls around.
Gully on Gee's step down
Gully on Gee's step down
Good overview of some of the area
Need the cans for sure and hopefully won't have to bust out the back boards
By then end of the day, my video camera's batteries were dead and the winds had picked up. So I felt it was time to head back to digging. I spent close to two hours in the high winds picking and raking the landing, looking for the perfectly smooth grade on the run out. The dry Utah weather wreaks havoc on your skin drying it out. My hands are just destroyed, covered in terrible caluses and blisters. I think tomorrow I am going to be wearing my gloves.
Sick light on double step downs
Near the end of the day, the winds were punishing the riders enough for them to call it quits, most found their way back down to the bottom, but the determined few, including Brandon picked up their shovels and headed back to their freeride works of art. He got back up just as I was finishing the run out below the landing. We worked hard for about 20 minutes, before calling it quits on a long 10 hour day in the desert digging and riding. Needless to say, my body hurts and I just cannot wait to get up at 6:30 am, to head back out and finish the very fews things we need to get his run all dialed in.
Graham Agassiz bike check:
2008 Stinky Air
Ever done anything like rampage before ?
Event wise no, but I ride a lot of Big Mountain in Kamloops.
What aspect of rampage stokes you the most ?
Big mountain is coming back, and I'm super stoked to be a part of this event.
What are your thoughts on wood features on the course ?
The wood features are all right, but I'm more stoked on going out and building the line, and making what I want.
Running single crowns - tricks in the works
Are you running any prototype or 2009 parts? 2009 frame ?
Nope
Anything special on your bike for Rampage, custom one offs or setup wise ?
My fork and shock are custom built.
Done anything different for tires, or suspension setup ?
I keep my bike running the same all year, did not really change anything for here. Just some fresh tires, and a tune on the suspension.
Weight?
About 40 pounds.
Sponsors and shouts ?
Kona, Sombrio, Race Face, Marzocchi, Giro, Hayes, SunRingle, Maxxis, Oakley, Bicycle Cafe Kamloops, and of course my mom, dad, and friends!
http://www.redbullrampage.com
-Ross Measures
72 Comments
- + 15
no-ah
(Oct 3, 2008 at 23:19)
damn son thats sick
I believe Steve injured his leg recently and has opted out due to it not being up to strength for an event like this. He's tough as hell, so it must be seriously sore for him to miss it.
oh nvm.... lame. the landing has to be perfect to avoid the cliff? i thought they were talking about the cliff's landing... that would have been so cool to see.
lolz a stink air at 45 pounds that thing must be a block of lead my 2004 stinky was 40 pounds and my 1st generation v1 is 45 and it has almost twice as much travel and its built like a tannk
yea 40 is a bit high i would of thaught it would be more like 36 considering its a stinky air isisnt it sposed to be lighter then a stinky?
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The course is to gnarly for super T he has been out of the bike scene for to long he wouldn't be up to a crazy competition like this. It really is a shame he dropped out of the scene loosing all his sponsors but maybe his injurys were catching up with him and he could no longer handle riding pro.
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we want to see the action of this Live on freecaster,does any body know how late that is on freecaster.
now this is what i want to see at the rampage! big lines with no margin for error, its gonna be immense!
I don't think you can really label this kind of event/terrain with the usual convinient terms: "slopestyle" and "freeride" are pretty hard to define/distinguish anyway; "freeride" is an especially vague term. Is slopestyle not freeride? I think freeride is just jumping on your bike: once on, you're free again!
no i do agree wiht the freeride quote but i think the event is going way from its roots wiht addeding wooden jumps i know theres not many and its called The Evolution for this reason but eather way its still going to be sick still gutted that bender ant there thought
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He has thrown down burlier lines than most of the new kids so in this type of comp he would do well.
Yea, he goes big and has done well in the past, but this is the evolution. Just sending it with a one footed flatty isnt going to cut it this time.
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Bad news, the Rains have come. Event being postponed maybe one or two days, more details coming soon. Will have practice video up soon.
QUE EVENTO LOKO !!! DONDE É ISSO ?
SE EU INVENTASSE DE FAZER ISSO COM A MINHA BIKE ELA IA eRA DESMONTAR sÓ em UM SALTO !!
SE EU INVENTASSE DE FAZER ISSO COM A MINHA BIKE ELA IA eRA DESMONTAR sÓ em UM SALTO !!
lets give Super T some props here, a true originator of the Big Mountain style and one of the few riders to step up to bender's level of hucking
from what I understand, Super T got let down by his sponsors due to injury, and settled into working full time as a bike wrench at Bike Brewery in Abbotsford
when you are working for a living, and an event like Rampage Evolution comes along, you are not going to be at the top of your game due to the pressures of working full-time, and without sponsors to pay your $$$ bills if you smash yourself up and cannot work, where is the point of taking those kinds of risk
the life of a pro rider is not easy, despite what you might see in the videos...you have a short "shelf life" and many riders have been dropped like a stone when they pick up injuries and cannot promote their sponsors wares
I have met several stuntmen during photo and video shoots, and they all said the stuff that we on bikes in completely insane considered most riders are lucky to get a "free" bike or some expenses - the stuntman would be getting $75,000 for doing a stunt like that in a movie
I respect Super T for not attending the Rampage event, it takes a man to step back and admit that working for a living is the better choice than taking risks with support, all for the glory of 1 event
from what I understand, Super T got let down by his sponsors due to injury, and settled into working full time as a bike wrench at Bike Brewery in Abbotsford
when you are working for a living, and an event like Rampage Evolution comes along, you are not going to be at the top of your game due to the pressures of working full-time, and without sponsors to pay your $$$ bills if you smash yourself up and cannot work, where is the point of taking those kinds of risk
the life of a pro rider is not easy, despite what you might see in the videos...you have a short "shelf life" and many riders have been dropped like a stone when they pick up injuries and cannot promote their sponsors wares
I have met several stuntmen during photo and video shoots, and they all said the stuff that we on bikes in completely insane considered most riders are lucky to get a "free" bike or some expenses - the stuntman would be getting $75,000 for doing a stunt like that in a movie
I respect Super T for not attending the Rampage event, it takes a man to step back and admit that working for a living is the better choice than taking risks with support, all for the glory of 1 event
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he course looks pretty cool... i cant wait to see the pics from the competition they are gna be sooo awesome!!!! i love the style and love the tracks!!
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