The Rules
The rules of the competition are pretty simple. 30 or so selected riders show up to Virgin Utah and build their own trails down the sides of the cliffs, each with a unique trail route down the mountain. Some riders choose to share trail sections, others don't. 4 or so judges watch the riders and judge them on style, fluidity on the bike, how technical the trail they ride is, and how much air time they can get off the jumps. The riders have to build their trails, practice, and compete in the finals within a matter of a week. Seems like a long time but in reality it's very hard to build a whole trail in a few days in the blazing hot dessert conditions. You can run into problems such as breaking your bike, yourself, or dealing with inconsistent weather.
Brett Rheeder backflips off of a canyon jump in practice.
The bikes that are used for this competition have to be built for extreme abuse and big hits. Such bikes have 8 inches of suspension travel, in the front, and in the back. As tough as these bikes may be, Many bikes are destroyed in the process of riding. Broken wheels are among the most common.
The finalsThe finals are when things get really extreme. Riders push the limits of what can be done on a bike to try and achieve the top spot. A lot of riders crash in the process of pushing themselves, but few reach their goals and prevail. Every year, the jumps get bigger, the trails get gnarlier, and the level of progression boosts as riders improve and push the sport.
Tom Vansteenbergen Attempts a front flip on the canyon gap
The sport has been elevated a lot because of Redbull rampage, and every year people push the limits of what can be ridden on a bike. Can't wait to see what comes up next year.
This is an excellent blog post, an example of how to do it well.
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