The Line

Red Bull Rampage is one of mountain biking’s most extreme competitions, although describing it as a competition doesn’t quite capture what happens. The event has long been held in the desert around Virgin, Utah, but the exact site changes periodically, giving riders new terrain to tackle. This year, it brings together the world’s best freeride mountain bikers on an enormous, largely untouched mountainside. There is no designated course and no race against the clock. Instead, riders must create their own route down the mountain, incorporating drops, jumps and technical sections, before performing a descent judged on difficulty, creativity, style and control. It is part extreme sport, part construction project and, from the outside, barely believable.

Canadian rider Georgia Astle was excited about the location. “I thought it was super cool, especially to tie in with the 25th anniversary,” she says. “It’s really special for it to be back here and feel that connection to the OG freeride roots.”

This year, the absence of water hoses made everything considerably harder. Water is normally used to help bind and compact the dirt, so without it, constructing a landing became an exercise in patience. “It’s taking so much longer to build landings and make sure everything isn’t crumbling because we just don’t have a hose to use,” explains Astle. The sheer size of the venue added another complication. “There’s actually so much in between that you need to build still and make sure that you’re dialled.”

Where most people see a cliff face, the riders see a possible jump, calculating the speed, angle and braking required to navigate terrain that appears inaccessible. British rider Natasha ‘Tash’ Bradley, who is based in New Zealand, sees the mountain differently from most people, including photographer Dominique Powers. Looking at the same enormous cliffs, Powers sees a sheer drop. Bradley is already working out what she might be able to jump off. “Yeah, I could jump my bike over that,” she says, as though discussing a manageable kerb.

Bradley had already made history earlier in 2026 by becoming the first woman to clear the 110-foot Falcon Heavy jump at Darkfest, another event devoted to the more outrageous possibilities of mountain biking. Yet even she wasn’t entirely convinced Rampage was for her. “To be honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect,” she laughs. “But I figured, well, might as well just give it a go.”

Rampage is also an unusually collaborative sport. Riders rely on their digging crews, share knowledge and sometimes even share sections of their lines. American rider Janelle Soukup, who made her debut in 2025 at just 20 years old, spoke about the challenge of placing that much faith in other people. “Even if you’re super competitive, you genuinely have to put your trust in other people,” she says. “You have to take it step by step, which is really hard sometimes.”

There is also the weather to consider, which can undo days of careful preparation. Wind, heat and changes in the condition of the dirt can affect everything from the stability of a landing to whether a particular jump is safe to attempt. “It’s not what’s happening, but it’s how you react to it,” says Soukup. “You never know what’s going to happen with the weather. It’s all about how you adjust and adapt.”

New Zealand’s Vinny Armstrong was similarly struck by the complexity of the terrain, especially the way different riders’ routes intersected across the mountain. “It’s like a whole other layer on top, the crazy features going on and crossovers,” she explains. Armstrong would eventually finish fourth, earning recognition for her distinctive riding style, while Astle’s crew received the Digger Award for their work on the mountain. Few sports reward the people who build the course as visibly as Rampage does.

By competition day, the mountain was divided into lines that reflected each rider’s strengths, with some built for enormous jumps and aerial tricks, others for precision and technical riding. The athletes had two opportunities to complete their lines, with their highest-scoring run determining their position.

And once again, Robin Goomes was the woman to beat. The New Zealander had won the inaugural women’s Rampage in 2024 and successfully defended her title in 2025. A third victory would make her the first rider in the event’s history, male or female, to win three consecutive titles. But the competition was getting stronger, and repeating what she’d done previously was unlikely to be enough. “The pressure seems to just keep building,” Goomes admitted. “All I knew this year is that if I wanted to do it again, I’d have to push harder than I’ve ever done and be better than I have been previously.”

For Bergemann, the result was almost secondary to the work required to get there. “The podiums are just the cherry on top of the week,” she explained afterwards. “So much goes into this event behind the scenes. Months and months, years of prep on the bike, getting everything ready, then building for ten days and practising… by the time you get to comp day, you just want to do your thing.”

Goomes, meanwhile, was still absorbing the significance of her third title. “Winning once was something I never thought I could accomplish, so winning this third title is a dream,” she said.