Red Bull Rampage

Cam Zink Wins Red Bull Rampage 2023

The Oldest Competitor Takes The Crown

Both Veterans and Rookies Went Big, Riding Massive Features and Sending Huge Tricks at the World’s Toughest Freeride Mountain Biking Competition

This year marked the 17^th edition of Red Bull Rampage, the legendary big-mountain freeride event, and once again it did not disappoint. Seventeen of the world’s best riders brought their A-game to the Southwest Utah desert, and in the end, it was Cam Zink of the U.S.A. that came out on top with one of the biggest and baddest lines of the day. The event made history with the help of T-Mobile, as 5G-connected first-person view (FPV) drones captured runs of each competitor for the live show, providing viewers never-before-seen angles and more. The event replay is available on-demand on both ESPN+ and Red Bull TV. Then on October 22nd, viewers can also tune-in to a 90-minute highlight beginning at 2:00 PM PT/5:00 PM ET that will air on ESPN.

The event featured no shortage of mind-bending tricks and harrowing terrain. The coveted prize was ultimately claimed by Cam Zink with 95 points, wowing the judges as the only athlete to drop fall line into the incredibly steep and consequential “Grandfather drop”, then sticking a 55-foot jump leading into a massive backflip on a 63-foot step down recreated from his iconic 2013 Rampage run.

“It takes a lot for a run to line up, and after I cased that jump [on run 1] my jitters and nervousness switched to competitiveness. I was ready to go again and tackle my second run, and I knew the wind wouldn’t ruin this for me,” Zink reflects. “I’m glad I reached for the stars and got the win. The original Sender was ten years ago, and my last win was thirteen years ago…and it was still the biggest step-down flip I’ve ever done, and here we are again. It’s still just as intimidating and scary. I’ve put in a lot of work, and I feel fortunate to still push it at the 37—as the oldest to compete here.”

Tom Van Steenbergen’s run was a comeback story two years in the making. He dropped straight from the start gate with a caveman drop and kept the momentum going by throwing a big 360 and a highly technical flat drop backflip on his biggest feature to take home the second-place trophy.

Sharing the same line as Van Steenbergen, Carson Storch trailed closely behind his good friend in third place with an impressive run featuring a backflip, and two of his signature 360 spins. The duo, happy with their first runs, skipped their second runs and did the first Red Bull Rampage party train down to the finish corral.

Beyond the top three riders, plenty of moments wowed the crowd. Spanish rider Bienvenido Aguado Alba won three different awards for his massive 70+ foot front flip over the canyon gap taking home the Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award, the T-Mobile People’s Choice Award, and the Kelly McGarry Spirit Award. Kyle Strait won the BFGoodrich Tires Toughness Award after returning to the event and conquering the same line that he injured his back on last year. Sweden’s Emil Johansson won the Michelin Style Award for his fluidity and flow on the course, as well as his unique trick combinations. And the Carvana Digger Award went to the team of local rider Reed Boggs.

“I’ve been thinking about the front flip for the whole year. The speed required is so scary, and that was the big challenge for pulling it off. And it worked—twice! Since 2019, when I made my rookie mistake, I’ve been working to get back here,” said Bienvenido Aguado Alba.

Final Results:

Cam Zink                                 USA                 95.00

Tom Van Steenbergen            CAN                 89.00

Carson Storch                         USA                 87.00

Brendan Fairclough                 GBR                 86.66

Talus Turk                                USA                 84.00

Kyle Strait                                USA                 83.58

Emil Johansson                        SWE                 82.83

Bienvenido Aguado Alba        ESP                  79.44

Thomas Genon                        BEL                  77.41

Reed Boggs                             USA                 76.73

DJ Brandt                                 USA                 73.51

Alex Volokhov                         CAN                 72.00

Kurt Sorge                               CAN                 69.66

Jaxson Riddle                          USA                 68.00

Adolf Silva                               ESP                  51.33

Szymon Godziek                      POL                  0.00

Clemens Kaudela                    AUT                 0.00

The event is proudly supported by BFGoodrich Tires, T-Mobile, GoPro, Carvana, OANDA, Maverik, Troy Lee Designs, AutoCamp, Can Am and Utah Sports Commission.

To stay up to date on the latest Red Bull Rampage event information, follow @RedBullBike and visit the event website here.