After Saturday being rained off, we managed to make it through to the Finals a day late. With the qualifying day having to be adapted, today’s format was the same as it was originally meant to be, with riders allowed to start building their lines after yesterday’s qualifying and into this morning. So after digging and a bit of practice at the same time if they could manage it, the riders were allowed two runs to show impress the judges.

Unfortunately, Dan & Gee Atherton both dropped out of the finals. Dan after hurting his ankles throughout practice and qualifying. Gee after crashing hard on a step down and dislocating his shoulder. That was a real shame as he had carved out a mammoth line that was not only massive but also required some mega precise riding.



Gee at the top, just before his practice run crash that put him out the comp.

Once the runs started some amazing riding was going on, The biggest gaps there were hit up including the huge chasm that had been drawing attention all week. The atmosphere was tense, you could feel the nerves of both riders and spectators in the air. We’d seen some big crashes, most notably Gee’s this morning and from watching the riding that was happening, there was always a worry that something bad might happen.

Despite many of the riders struggling not to crash on the huge lines and tricks they wre trying, no-one came out of it with any injuries that won’t heal in a relatively short amount of time. The results board below shows the order in which the riders were eventually judged, with the young Brandon Semenuk coming out on top. He put together a blistering run that was the obvious choice for winning. Suicide-No-Handers, two foot Can-Cans and a 360 Drop cemented it for him along some fast, fluid and stylish riding on the rest of his line.

The whole event has been mind blowing, the sheer heat we watched it in, the riding that took place, the scenery, the riders attitude towards pushing boundaries and most of all the vibe that something very important and evolutionary in the sport was happening. A report will soon be hitting the pages of Dirt magazine to fill you in with all the details and some more amazing photos.

It’s been fun, Cunny.

Yesterday’s qualifying highlights

1st Place – Brandon Semenuk

2nd Place – Kurt Sorge

3rd Place – Thomas Vanderham

Red Bull Rampage – Monday, Finals