Lacondeguy, Zink and Semenuk complete a full SRAM | RockShox podium in the desert of Virgin, Utah. Lacondeguy crowned RedBull Rampage Champion, Zink takes Best Trick two years in a row and Semenuk walks away as 2014 FMB Champion.
In an all new location of the mountain for 2014, the ninth edition of the RedBull Rampage will forever be carved into the record books as one of the most fierce battles ever to be witnessed in the history of the event. Never before have the competitors and spectators been treated to such a spectacle of raw talent and undeniable bravery.
Early in the week riders and dig crews would imagine, create and shape new routes down the hillside, dropping down steep fall lines, launching off 70 foot cliffs and flying over massive canyon gaps. With fresh perspective and limitless possibilities riders would choose their lines methodically and carefully in hopes of finding the right one to impress the judges for the coveted win and title of 2014 RedBull Rampage Champion.
With flash flooding and unpredictable weather conditions looming on the horizon for Sunday, the finals would be moved to Monday forcing the competitors to remain sharp and focused as they were given another day to plan and carefully calculate their final run.
Having missed the podium by just one spot three years in a row now, Andreau Lacondeguy decided that 4th place just wasn’t enough anymore. “I knew I needed that extra little bit to be on the top this year,” he said. “I just picked the steepest line. As soon as I heard the countdown, I just got out of the cage and pinned it to the bottom.” Showing unwavering confidence dropping in off one of the largest drops of the mountain right out of the start gate, he carefully navigated his way down the massive cliffs of Virgin, boasting huge air and blistering speed, finishing his run with a huge flat spin 360 off the Polaris RZR booter to tie it all together. Lacondeguy used SRAM X01 DH, RockShox BoXXer, RockShox Vivid R2C and Avid CODE Brakes on board his YT Industries bike to take top honors.
The tension and anticipation multiplied as the 2010 Champion and 2013 Best Trick winner Cam Zink rolled out of the start gate. Spectators and competitors alike knew that he would surely have something huge planned up his sleeve in hopes of grabbing that top spot once again. His run could be defined as near flawless with a huge 360 step down off one of the largest cliffs on the hill, a move not quite the one to put him into the lead ahead of Lacondeguy, but the one that would earn him the title of Best Trick Champion two years in a row. Zink was one of the first gravity athletes using SRAM X01 DH without a chain guide in 2013, stomping his massive backflip stepdown last year and did the same again this year using SRAM X01 DH, SRAM Guide RSC Brakes RockShox BoXXer, RockShox Vivid R2C on board his YT Industries bike to take second place and Best Trick.
Both former Champions Brandon Semenuk and Kyle Strait were still atop the hill with massive lines and shocking tricks planned, two riders that had undeniable potential to slide in between or on top of Lacondeguy and Zink. Reigning Rampage Champ Kyle Strait would respectively finish in fourth once the dust had settled with his renowned dominating and powerful riding using SRAM X01 DH, RockShox BoXXer, RockShox Vivid R2C and Avid CODE Brakes. Semenuk, entered the Rampage in the FMB overall lead and was a sure favorite for the win again. Using his precise and smooth style he would finish in third just behind Zink, a result that would solidifying his successful season walking away with the title as the 2014 FMB Champion and also given the title of People’s Champion for the event. Semenuk was also using SRAM X01 DH, RockShox BoXXer, RockShox Vivid Air R2C, Avid CODE Brakes and TRUVATIV BlackBox bars.
As all the riders had crossed the finish line, Andreu realized his fate, with his head held high and arms in the air, he would be crowned the 2014 RedBull Rampage Champion. Lacondeguy used SRAM X01 DH, RockShox BoXXer, RockShox Vivid R2C and Avid CODE Brakes on board his YT Industries bike to take top honors.
