Den 25 år gamle freeridesyklisten fra Vernon i British Columbia startet runnet sitt i Utah temmelig bra, blant annet med en svært frontflip som ga han Best Trick-prisen.
Men lenger ned gikk han for langt på en backflip og kræsja hardt. Resultatet ble at han knuste begge hoftene, brakk av en bit av lårbeinet, pådro seg brudd nederst i ryggen og slo den ene skulderen ut av ledd:
(Kræsjen ser du lenger ned i artikkelen)
En annen som kræsja i treningen til Rampage var norske Brage Vestavik, som skal ha knekt kragebeinet. Han deltok derfor ikke i finalen.
I en artikkel på Pinkbike hagler nå kritikken mot RedBull Rampage, hvor mange mener arrangementet er for farlig og har for store premier.
I kommentarfeltet skrives blant annet:
There’s no need to make more sacrifices as a gladiator in Red Bull’s coliseum.
Maybe it’s time to say they’ve pushed this about as far as it needs to go, and it’s time to say farewell to the event. The consequences are so high. We don’t need to be entertained this way at that cost.
All this to provide a moment's entertainment for a bunch of folks drinking beer in front of the TV - who will forget about Tom van Steenbergen as soon as they flip the channel. Redbull Rampage is the worst kind of dumb shit for the mob.
Men andre ser annerledes på det, og mener deltakerne må ta ansvar selv, og at de trenger et sted å pushe sporten videre:
I don’t see why it’s a negative thing to acknowledge the sacrifice of personal safety to try and achieve something spectacular. So many people make comments like «Oh your gonna hurt when your older» this and that. Look at Cam Zink, your´e telling me that guy isn’t hurting every day? So if that’s the case, then why does he still do it? It’s the pursuit of something bigger. Sure most of us can go through our lives and avoid injury, and never experience greatness. Rampage is a place where legends are born.
We give Semenuk, Sorge, and Boggs praise because they stomped a clean run. Great, I think that’s amazing. What else is amazing, is the athletes that get injured in the sport they love, and despite this, they continue to push the limits of what’s humanly possible.
So while you think I’m after a crash highlight reel, I am in fact supporting the riders who are truly pushing the limit. The flat drop front flip was legendary, and the crash that followed was gnarly, and I think it’s only fair to recognize what Tom achieved was badass, rather than seeing a 0 on the scoreboard for an incomplete run, his attempt should be celebrated.
VINNER: Brandon Semenuk holdt seg på hjula og vant nok en gang. Foto: RedBull
It's kind of disrespectful to the riders to say 'i want to see them progress at a pace they want to do it at'. Do you think they are all idiots and are throwing themselves off cliffs because Red Bull or the industry told them to? They do it because they are adrenaline junkies who love doing scary shit on their bikes. They know their limits (Tom van Steenbergen bailing on the caveman is a good example of that). Accidents happen and they know the risks they are taking. You lot are talking like it's the hunger games or something.
Men hvordan gikk det sånn ellers? Jo, Van Steenbergens landsmann Brandon Semenuk vant Rampage for fjerde gang (!). Kurt Sorge ble nummer to og pallens eneste ikke-kanadier ble amerikanske Reed Boggs.
