The Red Bull Rampage 2015 is long over, but the mountain bike world is still discussing it wildly. On the one hand about the judges' scoring, on the other about the many crashes. The reason for this is Paul Basagoitia's major crash during his run, in which he broke his 12th thoracic vertebra. Many riders crashed in training or qualifying and had to watch the final on crutches or via live stream from a hospital bed. Nicholi Rogatkin's crash in training left many people open-mouthed, with the crash video going viral on social media.
It was a similar picture in the final: Frenchman Antoine Bizet surprised everyone with a trick-laden run, but fell so hard on one of the last jumps that he broke his arm. Paul Basagoitia shone with a daring line, skidded after his landing and literally exploded in a cloud of smoke. The result: a broken thoracic vertebra. Shortly afterwards, many of his fellow drivers wished him a speedy recovery. Including his mate Cam Zink:
Basagoitia was flown to hospital immediately after his crash and operated on for nine hours. However, viewers of the live stream did not see any of this, as Red Bull did not show the images of the helicopter rescue. The five-time Rampage participant still cannot feel his legs. Basagoitia is currently being treated by experts in hospital. The riders have posted under the hashtag #irideforpaul one Fundraising campaign for Paul Basagoitia has been set up. This money will be used to pay for the expensive rehabilitation measures that Basagoitia and his family will now have to undergo. Even the best insurance does not cover all the necessary treatments. Basagoitia is fighting to get back on his feet. He sent this message from his hospital bed via Facebook:
Is the Rampage too dangerous?
These crashes naturally raise a question: Has the Rampage become too dangerous? However, this discussion is nothing new. Every time the unofficial world championship of freeride mountain bikers is overshadowed by bad crashes, such heckling occurs. The freeride event was even suspended between 2005 and 2007, but the Rampage has been held annually again since 2012. As the organiser, the fizzy drinks manufacturer apparently does not want to do without the spectacle, the TV footage and the extreme photos. There is currently a heated debate on the internet about who is to blame? Red Bull as the organiser? The media, who only report in detail when the jumps are even higher, further and more dangerous than before? Or the riders who recklessly put their lives at risk for a few dollars?
Under the hashtag #fuckrampage critics of the freeride spectacle have taken a clear stance against the Rampage and Red Bull on social networks and blogs. Basagoitia's mate Cam Zink, who finished sixth himself and used this abbreviation in his recovery wishes for Paul Basagoitia, was the instigator. At Red Bull, on the other hand, the advertising machinery seems to be continuing as if nothing had happened. The replay continues to run on Red Bull TV, the German website says nothing more than "Get well soon" about Paul Basagoitia. Only on the US website of Red Bull there is a short report on the state of health and the fundraising campaign. BIKE asked someone who has experienced every Rampage live on site since 2004, with one exception: Tarek Rasouli, the owner of Rasoulution works a lot with athletes and Red Bull. He himself knows Paul Basagoitia well.
Tarek Rasouli: "No more dangerous than before"
BIKE: The web is discussing the Rampage after a few crashes. Is the Rampage more dangerous than before?
Tarek Rasouli: The Rampage took place for the 10th time this year and I don't think the event as such is more dangerous than in previous years, but of course the riders are pushing themselves more and more. The level of riding is increasing enormously in terms of tricks, big jumps and difficult lines that the athletes create for themselves.
The jumps are getting more and more difficult and higher. How can an organiser still guarantee safety?
I can't speak directly for the organiser, but from my experience, the safety of the riders is always the top priority for Red Bull. As a professional athlete, you know that there can be bad accidents, even if you are one of the best mountain bikers in the world. I know that too well from my own experience. Unfortunately, you can never guarantee 100 per cent safety in such sports! However, if you look at the development, the big and dangerous features were already reduced last year. In 2013, Cam Zink performed the biggest backflip drop in bike history. After that, the organisers decided not to build such a feature at all. If a rider were to build a line with such a drop themselves, it would be their decision and not pushed by the organiser or offered directly in the course. In my opinion, the same applies to the Canyon Gap, which in the past had a more challenging approach and a much smaller landing. Now this has been optimised and nothing serious has happened with this very large jump!
Do you have to rethink or change the event after such crashes?
Knowing Red Bull, they will sit down with the most experienced athletes and the sports management, as they do every year, to further develop the event. They will certainly also look at the issue of safety to see whether adjustments can make a difference. The fact is that you can't stop the progression of the athletes. There has never been a double backflip attempt on a big jump before, but this year there will be. I'm sure every rider just wants to show their best because it's the only event of its kind, although riders want more Rampage-type (big mountain) events!
How does the organiser deal with Paul Basagoitia's fall and the serious consequences? What help can he expect?
It's definitely not an easy situation. But Red Bull will certainly help Paul with his rehab in various ways. Red Bull always cares the most about athletes and therefore they will certainly support Paul as much as possible. I know that Red Bull athlete counsellors have already visited him in hospital.
Crashes are part of Rampage history
For the riders, the invitation to the Rampage is like an accolade. Only the best freeride mountain bikers and slopestyle pros are allowed to compete. Those who finish on the podium do not receive millions in prize money - only 100,000 dollars are distributed among the Rampage finalists - but lucrative advertising and sponsorship contracts for the next few years await them. The riders know the risk they are taking, but still risk their lives if their jumps go wrong. But do they have any other choice? Is it because of the television images that are broadcast around the world? The first Rampage winner Wade Simmons answers: "It's hard for me to judge. After all, only they know what they can do. But they are all old enough to be responsible for their own actions. But it's also a fact that you have to leave your comfort zone if you want to be successful."
Despite hard training and lines that every rider plans and builds themselves, there is still a residual risk. As with all sports at professional level, there are always crashes at the Rampage. But they have never been as serious as Paul Basagoitia's crash in ten Rampage editions. "There have always been crashes at the Rampage and the athletes also know that they can fall hard and injure themselves badly - every rider is aware of the risk they are taking," said Rob J Heran in the PULS interview with BR.
Some are wondering whether the track could be made more secure. This would not work in the current competition mode, which many riders welcome. As everyone chooses their own individual line, it is almost impossible to secure the terrain with fences and mats over a large area. On downhill courses in the World Cup, for example, there is only a narrow corridor of flutter tape. Dangerous rocks and trees can be padded there or steps can be secured with safety nets. However, this would not be possible on the Rampage - at least in the current format.
"Bigger, further, hornier: But where are the limits?"
Like every year Bike pro Andi Wittmann followed the Rampage via live stream on the screen. As a former downhill racer and slopestyler, Wittmann knows what the guys in Utah are capable of. The Bavarian is also familiar with injuries. He is currently fighting his way back onto the bike after breaking both legs in a crash at the beginning of August. We spoke to him about the Rampage, the risk and his reactions:
BIKE: You sent Paul Basagoitia recovery wishes via Facebook after the crash. I assume you saw the crash on the livestream, right?
Andi Wittmann: I saw Paul's crash live and didn't think it was an injury like that at first. But it happens quickly when things go wrong.
There were several crashes at the Rampage this year: Rogatkin, Bizet, Basagoitia. Why is that? Is the Rampage too dangerous now?
Injuries, like a broken arm in Bizet, don't shock me. That's part of it. What I see is that ten out of 40 riders were unable to start due to injury - that's 25 per cent. That's too much! I've been looking at the whole thing from a different perspective for three months now, not just 50 cm lower, but with more distance and perhaps a little more common sense than before my crash.
The jumps are getting higher and higher, further and further, and there is more trickery. Shouldn't the safety measures be significantly increased in return?
Of course, we riders would do it all without sponsors and financial backers because it's simply our passion and a lot of fun. However, the question arises as to whether this is going in the right direction: with events that push the limits even further, which we riders already do enough of anyway.
Or do you have to completely rethink the event?
Bigger, further, cooler - yes, but where are the limits? Does something so bad have to happen before you realise that? We don't have jump standards or speed specifications like in freestyle motocross, for example - one small mistake and it ends fatally.
Are the riders taking too much risk with their lines and jumps?
I see the sport at an incredible point, which has been reached through the progression of the riders and the growth of events. However, predictability and safety have clearly fallen by the wayside as a result and we should think about that. Preferably before more big things happen. And I'm sure that there are ways that all riders are in favour of!
