When it comes to season finales, Red Bull really knows how to put on a show. After an intense UCI season for the downhill renegades and a fierce podium battle in the FMB World Tour, two significant events round off the race calendar. Red Bull Hardline, typically hosted in rural Wales, is a fusion of downhill tech with freeride hits. Then there’s Red Bull Rampage, an arid desert setting for the most iconic, edge-of-your-seat spectacle in freeride mountain biking. The History of YT at Red Bull Rampage dates back to 2012, putting both our athletes and our TUES platform to the ultimate test.We’ve supported multiple riders over the years and provided custom TUES frames which have gone on to earn podiums and prizes, something that we’re stoked to be a part of.
2012 // Welcome to Rampage
Andreu Lacondeguy at Redbull Rampage 2012
YT Athletes // Andreu Lacondeguy (4th place)
It’s 2012, and it’s the first year that YT Industries would flex its mettle at the biggest freeride event on the planet. We had one athlete, the wildman from Spain, Andreu Lacondeguy, rock up to the party with an early edition of the TUES platform. We watched from the edge of our seats as Lacondeguy sent it straight into 4th place.
2013 // YT Returns
YT Athletes // Andreu Lacondeguy (4th place)
Andreu Lacondeguy rocked up to Rampage with a pre-qualified invite, having stomped a lightning-speed run to secure 4th place in 2012. Hailing from Spain and on board his YT TUES 2.0, the wild man of freeride sent the crowds into a frenzy with yet another 4th-place finish.
2014 marked YT Industries’ third appearance at Red Bull Rampage. We had two talented and daring freeriders, willing to give it all and risk it for glory. These were formative times for the YT TUES platform, but there truly is no better place to test its geometry and durability than on the barren mountain faces of the Utah desert.
Finally, it was Andreu’s year. Up until 2014, Lacondeguy had consistently finished in 4th place in the three years leading to this event. The Spaniard began his run with a huge drop into a ridgeline littered with hips, whips and jumps before heading to Aggy’s step-down. The bottom section allowed Lecondeguy to cook up some style with a smooth flatspin 360 into a big hip, which cinched him his long-awaited win. Check out Lecondeguy’s POV run here.
Fellow teammate and winner of Red Bull Rampage 2010, Cam Zink, styled out an insane 360 step-down off a 40ft drop, securing 2nd place behind Lacondeguy and the Best Trick award that year. Watch Zink’s POV run here.
Stormy weather plagued Rampage in 2015, with the finals being pushed a day earlier. This decision came at a cost, as riders lost a valuable day of practice and final feature fettling. Unfortunately, injuries jeopardized some riders’ chances to continue in the finals.
Lacondeguy gave it his all in his first run with a well-executed flatspin 450 off the hip, taking him to 2nd place – watch it here.
Here’s some firsthand insight from Cam Zink;
“I didn’t do my second run because it wasn’t worth it. We are risking our lives out here. Paul [Bas] got carted off and couldn’t feel his legs when they Care Flighted him out. My run was as it was. I mean, I could have cleaned it up a hair, and I could have done a little bit better but not a lot. It would have been a tiny bit better, maybe fifth, maybe fourth, but they weren’t liking what I was doing today, so it wasn’t worth risking my life. That heavy of a run, the scariest, gnarliest run I’ve ever done in my life – to do it again to maybe gain a place or two? It’s just not worth it.”
Kelly McGarry // 1982 – 2016
The mountain bike world was rocked upon hearing of the unexpected passing of legendary Kiwi freerider Kelly McGarry. He cemented his status as a balls-out freeride madman at Red Bull Rampage 2013 after landing an insane backflip over a 72ft canyon (watch it here).
Fellow team rider and friend Andreu Lacondeguy had this to say;
“Kelly was a freerider! That is the first thing that comes to my head when we talk about him. He was a real one, always on the road on the sickest trips, just going riding and looking for a good time. I knew Kelly for a long time; the first contest I ever showed up to, he was there, and it was funny because he was like five times bigger than I was. I will always remember him with a huge smile on his face and all the gear on, ready to go! He was always on it, always riding, and, what is the most important thing, he was always happy and stoked to hang out. Kelly was one of those dudes that really loved the sport; he had so much passion! Always going huge and riding hard with the sickest heavy metal haircut and a huge smile on his face. There aren’t many left like him, and we are gonna miss him so much. It’s going to be hard to go to the places and not see the Kiwi giant walking around.”
What can you say? You have good and bad years when it comes to racing, and 2016 just wasn’t our year at Red Bull Rampage. Both athletes didn’t place quite where they wanted to. Nonetheless, it’s always an honor and an incredible experience to be invited to attend and participate in Red Bull Rampage.
It was in 2017 that we witnessed Ethan Nell’s Red Bull Rampage debut. Having grown up just a stone’s throw from the Rampage site, it was no surprise that this fresh talent looked at home on the big mountain hits. Nell laid down a clean, solid run to get started with, which he ramped up with extra spice for run number two. He delivered both a flatspin 360 and a backflip on the top ridge, a suicide no-hander over the biggest drop of his line and another flatspin 360 to finish things off. His clean execution secured 3rd place as the crowd erupted around him. You can watch his full run here.
After winning Red Bull Rampage in 2010, Cam Zink arrived at Red Bull Rampage 2017 with renewed vigour and eyes on the podium. After sending it straight down “the scar” off the top, Zink landed an epic backflip off his purpose-built drop. Primed for taking the win, Zink was edged out of the hot seat by Rampage veteran Kurt Sorge. Check out Zink’s 2nd place run here.
The theme of 2018 was all about mullets and 80’s glam rock power metal. This was arguably one of YT’s most badass concepts, which resulted in two podium places that year. Sadly, it was the final year we’d see the late and great Jordie Lunn take to the Utah desert before his untimely passing in 2019.
It was clear from his first near-perfect run that Lacondeguy was hungry to win Red Bull Rampage 2018. With a clean, stylish run full of combos, including a flat spin 450, a backflip, and a superman, followed by a flip off of a step-down, before finishing with a flatspin 360 lookback. Looking to up the ante in his second run, Lacondeguy crashed near the finish area, securing himself 2nd place. Watch Lacondeguy’s run here.
His teammate, Ethan Nell, pulled out all the stops in his first run with a step-down backflip, suicide no-hander from a massive drop and a steezy nose manual down a steep chute. That first run was enough to secure 3rd place for a second time at Red Bull Rampage. Watch Nell’s run here.
Adolf Silva won the crowd’s heart and went home with the People’s Choice Award, while Lunn and Zink were struck with some bad luck, leaving them without placing.
2019 // A Twist of Fate
YT Athletes // Ethan Nell (7th place), Andreu Lacondeguy(17th place), Bienvenido Aguado Alba (19th place) and Cameron Zink (20th place)
The Rampage finals were stacked in 2019 with 20 riders primed for laying down some jaw-dropping runs. However, a twist of fate would see riders go down left, right and centre. We saw Andreu Lacondeguy have a gnarly crash in his first run, which resulted in a wild and loose second run. Ethan Nell steadily improved his score between runs 1 and 2, despite a crash in his first, while both Cam Zink and Bienve crashed out too.
Despite the bad luck in finals, we can certainly say that the YT Family had the best-looking bikes on the course that year.
2020 // Pandemic Rage
2020 was a bit of a strange year for everyone, not just in mountain biking but for all humankind. The global pandemic postponed or cancelled many events, and Red Bull Rampage was one of those.
2021 // Seeking Redemption
YT Athletes // Ethan Nell (8th place)
After two years of waiting, the highly anticipated Red Bull Rampage returned for its 20th anniversary, and boy, it didn’t fail to impress. Millions of viewers tuned in from around the globe to see 12 freeride madmen compete in the finals on October 15th, 2021. Representing YT Industries, we had Ethan Nell on board his fresh custom TUES. Putting down a solid 1st and 2nd run, featuring a huge backflip off the step-down, Nell secured 8th place in the finals.
Speaking to Red Bull ahead of the finals, Nell said: “Last day of practice today, and I got all of my line dialled in and linked everything together top to bottom. I’m feeling really good about it, but still have some tricks I want to tick off today [in practice]. When it comes to my run, I have a couple of features that scare me. I’ve got a big flat spin I’ve got to do on the ridge. But I think it will go well. I also have a big lily pad drop that is pretty technical that I’d like to trick as well, so hopefully, everything goes smoothly.“
