Red Bull Rampage 2026: Genon, Zablotny, Goomes, your weekend guide

Red Bull Rampage 2026 is almost here, and one of the toughest events in freeride mountain biking takes place this week in Virgin, Utah. The women open on 8 October, the men finish on 10 October. The event celebrates 25 years since its creation with its 20th edition, and it will be broadcast live on Red Bull TV and on the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.

A format with no set course

No halfpipe, no course: just red sandstone and vertical cliffs. Each rider has two helpers and digs their own line into the mountain, by hand, with spades. Designing the line is part of the performance.

Men: 18 riders, including one Belgian

The field has 18 riders. Eight places go to the best riders from the 2025 edition, and ten are wildcards chosen by a committee of former winners, riders, judges and industry experts.

• Hayden Zablotny (Canada) defends his title: he won on his debut in 2025.
• Thomas Genon (Belgium) is pre-qualified, as are Tomas Lemoine (France), Tom Van Steenbergen, Reed Boggs, Talus Turk, Cam Zink and Finley Kirschenmann.
• Cam Zink, a Rampage legend, is the oldest rider in the field.
• Four rookies: Kade Edwards, Kaidan Ingersoll, Johny Salido and France's Paul Couderc.
• Among the wildcards: Carson Storch, Szymon Godziek, Bienvenido Aguado Alba and Tom Isted.

According to Pinkbike, however, Tom Isted is out: he broke his thumb while building his line, before even riding it. Five alternates are on the substitute list, including France's Louis Reboul.

Women: the hunt for a third title

Twelve riders line up for the third women's Rampage. New Zealand's Robin Goomes won the last two editions and is going for a third in a row. Her main rival remains American Hannah Bergemann, second in 2025 by only 0.16 points. Georgia Astle and Cami Nogueira are also pre-qualified. Mikayla Parton, a wildcard, makes her debut.

Why watch

Here, a line dug with a shovel matters as much as the jump. The event, born in 2001, has had 11 different winners according to BIKE Magazin: nothing is decided in advance in the Utah desert.

The editorial team