Out with the new riders like Dylan Stark, DJ Brandt and Jaxson Riddle: in with the old, including Cam Zink, Tom Van Steenbergen and Brandon Semenuk, for Rampage 2024
Red Bull Rampage will be ridden by the freeride old guard in 2024, with very little room for up and coming riders like Dylan Stark, in one of the most conservative lineups in recent history.
Brendan Fairclough, Cam Zink, Tom Van Steenbergen and 15 other amazing riders will be competing at Red Bull Rampage this year, on Saturday, 12 October, and Brandon Semenuk is back on the hill. But there’s no place for the likes of the brutally visceral Brage Vestavik or stylish British up and comers Kaos Seagrave and Kade Edwards.
Dylan Stark took part in Rampage in 2022, but there’s no place for him this year
This is a missed opportunity to move the event forward and see different riders’ approach to Rampage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really looking forward to watching Brendog tick off some serious exposure, see Semenuk make it look easy, and be wowed by Kyle Strait’s huge sends.
But it won’t be new, we won’t see Dylan Stark grinding a rail or bringing across his street BMX skills to mountain biking. And for me that’s what Rampage is really all about, seeing impossibly talented riders innovating and doing things no one else could dream of.
Jim Monro gets bucked off his bike while testing the new canyon gap at Red Bull Hardline, a bridge too far
After this year’s Red Bull Hardline went too far and put in an unnecessarily dangerous 70ft canyon gap, I’m over seeing riders go big for the sake of it too. There’s only one end to that arms race, and it’s with an athlete getting seriously hurt after trying to go bigger, bigger, bigger. Instead I want to see style, flair and creativity.
And besides, Brendog could never win Rampage, no matter how many silly outcrops of rock he gaps onto… he’s got the wrong fizzy drink sponsor.
Who wouldn’t want to see DJ Brandt at rampage again this year?
I’m not saying don’t watch Rampage either, it’s my favourite event of the year because it’s so incredibly exciting. Make sure you’ve got a subscription to Nord VPN going too, so you can watch it for free. Besides, Dylan Stark is down as an Alternative rider, meaning he’s sat on the bench and could in theory compete if another has to pull out. Also on that second list are DJ Brandt and Jaxson Riddle, another two new riders I’d love to see ousting some of the big stars.
There’s also no place for Gee Atherton at this year’s Rampage, which might actually be a blessing in disguise after his massive crash in 2023. There aren’t too many of us left who could bear to watch the former DH world champion and Rampage longtimer risk it all.
There’s no Gee at Rampage in 2024 either, which is a relief for some of us who don’t want to see another crash like 2023
How to watch Red Bull Rampage for free
Last year Red Bull Rampage was hidden behind a paywall in the US, with a $10.99 a month subscription to ESPN+ requited to watch the action live. If you want to watch it for free though Red Bull TV screens it all live for nothing, all you need is a subscription to Nord VPN.
Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.
Try out Nord VPN for its speed, security and simplicity to use. It is also compatible with a range of devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc.), giving you the option to watch wherever you want.
A VPN is a piece of software which offers both online privacy and ability to change your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV like you would back at home while in another country. There are other great options out there, of course, and plenty of free VPNs but our sister site TechRadar recommends the paid-for ExpressVPN, giving it a 4.5 star rating.
2024 Red Bull Rampage Men’s Roster
Pre-Qualified Athletes
- Cam Zink (USA)
- Tom Van Steenbergen (CAN)
- Carson Storch (USA)
- Brendan Fairclough (GBR)
- Talus Turk (USA)
- Kyle Strait (USA)
- Emil Johansson (SWE)
- Bienvenido Aguado Alba (ESP)
Wildcard Athletes
- Adolf Silva (ESP)
- Brandon Semenuk (CAN)
- Clemens Kaudela (AUT)
- Kurt Sorge (CAN)
- Luke Whitlock (USA)
- Reed Boggs (USA)
- Szymon Godziek (POL)
- Thomas Genon (BEL)
- Tom Isted (GBR)
- Tyler McCaul (USA)
Alternates
- Ethan Nell (USA)
- DJ Brandt (USA)
- Jaxson Riddle (USA)
- Hayden Zablotny (USA)
- Dylan Stark (USA)