Red Bull Ride Finals - Round Two.
(for round one click here)
Cam McRae

 
Robbie Bourdon, having not completed round one, was first up after the break. Up until that point he had crashed at least once on every run and I held my breath as he began his descent, followed by a Bell 206LR helicopter filled with cameras. This was distracting for the spectators and media because of the noise and the dust but the riders got a charge out of it. He started off with the same line as the previous round but this time he nailed the drop and the canyon gap and was looking good as he approached a line nobody had attempted up until that point.


Robbie Bourdon, daring to go where no man had gone before.
The landing is in the shade below buddy with the red hat.

The take-off was at the end of a knife edged cliff and it pointed you across a gap, perhaps 35 feet up. As Bender will tell you, the hard part is always the landing and for this move you needed to launch your bike on an angle heading rider’s right and then whip your bike to hit a postcard sized tranny heading rider’s left (in relation to the take-off) across the slope below. The transfer was a good 15 feet over. Robbie busted it with style as the photographers spent as many exposures as they could on this pretty move. He cased it some but still tried to hang on only to get launched over the bars after running into a bush. He came really close to sticking this hairball move despite having less bounce in his bike than most of the other competitors.

Andrew Mills was also counted as a DNF (perhaps because he exceeded the 4 minutes max recovering from his crash) from round one and was next up. He crashed up top again on a big launch and didn’t seem to recover from that. After his mishaps in round one I was surprised to see him in the saddle at all. A massively ballsy effort.


Lance Canfield

Lance Canfield seemed to have something to prove every day and after his lacklustre first run it was clear that he was going to leave the safety chute at home. He nailed the top of his run, taking the same line he had earlier but this time nailed the step-down and then was headed for the step-down transfer Robbie had attempted. He didn’t pull as much style as Robbie and sketched out to the side. A valiant effort that was rewarded with a significantly better score than his previous line.

Dave Watson was up next and I wondered if he would tone it down after such a big crash. He boosted a drop at the top of the course, much bigger than anyone previously, but failed to stick it and he seemed to go down hard. As far as I was concerned there was little chance that he would attempt the line he had hoped to ride in round one but he started to put some things together, nailing the gap Cedric had ridden earlier.

 
Dave Watson's steps up again...

 

He then began to head towards the judges table and his crazy line. I really didn’t see how this could turn out well, the line was just too exposed and dangerous. Oblivious to my doubts Dave dropped in boldly and then rolled down toward the ledge. To complete the move he needed to transfer from the left to right line he was riding to a right to left tranny (from the rider's perspective), some 25 feet below and seperated by a gap. He was already at an incredibly steep angle and it looked like he was just going to drop like a stone directly below him where there was no viable landing. Just when it seemed like all was lost, Watson swung his bike around mid-flight and skewered the landing perfectly for perhaps the best audience reaction all day. To come back from such a nasty crash and nail such a massive line was simply amazing.
and pins it - Dave's landing pad is in the bottom left of the frame but he was heading straight toward me when he touched down.

Vanderham was putting a nice line together that included a suicide no hander over the canyon and lots of panache the whole way along. It was looking like a great placing as he styled off the last few step downs and aimed for the Scorpion drop at the very end of the South ridge. It was looking like he was sure to stomp the landing but he went down hard when the swing arm on his RM7 snapped, sending him for a roll.

Darren Berrecloth is a bit of a shit. He’s only been riding mountain bikes – so the story goes – for a matter of months and he’s schooling the veterans and new schoolers alike. Wade Simmons and Brian Lopes will tell you that bmx is a great training ground, and he came out of the gates charging, stomping the drop at the top that claimed Watson and then busting a superman seatgrab off Cedric’s gap. He then pedaled toward the judges table and sailed off into the abyss on a line next to Watson’s. His line was big but there was no transfer involved and he dunked the landing.


Darren Berrecloth.

Kyle Strait rode the same line as his first run but pulled out a no-hander over the canyon and nailed everything else clean and smooth.

Richie Schley, who has stepped it up recently, was again stomping it on his second run down and adding a garnish of flair to his moves. He launched a larger line at the bottom this time and was claimed by the shrubbery, going over the bars.

Although Cedric Gracia had the second best score from round one it was obvious that his score wasn’t going to make top 5 after the performances that had gone before him so he needed to twist it. He rode smooth, clean and fast again and pulled a no-hander over the canyon. He apparently crashed higher up (I didn’t see it) and then dropped a large one at the bottom and headed for a kicker someone had made, boosting off it perhaps larger than expected and sketching the landing. Despite going down twice the judges gave him the second highest score for his run.

Super T seemed to know he had it in the bag and he chose a different line this time following the path blazed by Bourdon. He cleaned everything on the way down almost casually and then lofted another big one no one else had done at the bottom. He became another victim of the bush conspiracy though and ended his run on the dirt. I was hoping to see him try the transfer step-down that claimed Robbie and Lance but it wasn't to be.


Darren Berrecloth and Cedric Gracia discuss the vintage while Tyler get's his medal

Tyler was a gracious and humble champion to the end – a more sincere winner would be tough to find.

Although it was a competition to be sure, the attitude was different than any I have been to in the past. Despite a few grumbles about the judging, and poaching lines everyone had a remarkably mellow and positive attitude towards the event.

I didn’t envy the judges and while I didn’t always agree completely with their verdict, I think they did a great job in the end.

 

 
Red Bull Rampage Champion 2002
Tyler Klassen

In the final analysis the Rampage gets some very high marks. It was easily the most exciting, dramatic and spectator friendly sporting event I have ever attented. It is also ideally suited for television and if an executive from a major network manages to pry head from ass the possibility for some amazing coverage is there.

I would like to say thank you to the organizers, sponsors and athletes - everyone involved in the event deserves a big pat on the back. Pick up a case of Red Bull if you would like to see more events like this - without their generous sponsorship the Rampage couldn't have happened. If all goes well with the Bureau of Land Management I'll see you at the Rampage next year.

Red Bull Rampage Final Results 2002

Rider Round 1 Round 2 Best
1. Tyler Klassen, CAN 79.6 65.6 79.6
2. Cedric Gracia - FRANCE 71.2 76.2 76.2
3. Darren Berrecloth - CAN 67.6 75.4 75.4
4. Shaums March - US 75.0 66.0 75.0
5. Dave Watson - CAN 61.8 73.0 73.0
6. Kyle Strait - US 68.4 72.2 72.2
7. Richie Schley - CAN 69.2 71.4 71.4
8. Lance Canfield - US 60.2 70.8 70.8
9. Thomas Vanderham - CAN 66.2 66.4 66.4
10. Robbie Bourdon - CAN DNF 63.2 63.2
11. Andrew Mills - AUS DNF 61.4 61.4
12. Chris O'Driscoll - US 59.4 DNS 59.4

 

Story and Photos
Cam McRae