Here’s Everything Locals Need to Know About Red Bull Rampage This Week

Red Bull Rampage Returns to Southern Utah: What Locals Need to Know

Every fall, some of the world’s best mountain bikers descend on the red-rock cliffs outside Virgin for an event that looks a little like mountain biking mixed with cliff diving, motocross and controlled insanity.

That event is Red Bull Rampage, and this year marks a milestone as Rampage celebrates 25 years in Southern Utah. The event returns to the original site off Kolob Terrace Road where it began in 2001. The women compete Thursday, Oct. 8, with the men following Saturday, Oct. 10.

An Unconventional Mountain Biking Experience

Rampage is not a traditional downhill race. Riders are invited to a massive desert mountainside, where they and small dig crews spend days creating their own routes down the cliffs. They are judged on difficulty, creativity, control, tricks and the overall line they choose. That can mean massive drops, razor-thin ridgelines, backflips and huge jumps across gaps most of us would rather admire from a safe distance.

Spectator Information: Attend the Action Live

Southern Utah residents who want to attend in person can buy spectator tickets through the official Red Bull Rampage website. This is not an event where you can simply drive into the desert and park next to the course, so spectators should check Red Bull’s official information for ticketing, parking, transportation and access instructions before heading toward Virgin.

Experience Rampage From Home

Those who would rather watch from home can also stream the competitions live through Red Bull TV and Red Bull’s online channels.

A Southern Utah tradition

The first Rampage was held near Virgin in 2001, with Wade Simmons winning the inaugural event. It quickly became one of mountain biking’s most influential competitions by pushing riders to combine freeride creativity with increasingly difficult tricks and terrain.

Cedric Gracia’s backflip in his winning 2003 performance showed how quickly the sport was evolving. A year later, 17-year-old Kyle Strait won Rampage, beginning a long association with the event.

Rampage took a three-year break before returning in 2008 with larger jumps and increasingly ambitious lines. Cam Zink’s enormous 360 drop in 2010 became one of the event’s defining moments, while Kurt Sorge eventually became the first three-time winner.

Brandon Semenuk has also become one of Rampage’s most successful and recognizable riders, winning multiple titles while consistently pushing the technical side of freeride mountain biking.

Milestones in Rampage History

Another major milestone came in 2024, when Red Bull added a women’s competition for the first time. Robin Goomes won the inaugural women’s event and returned to win again in 2025.

Rampage: A Local Tradition and Global Showcase

Rampage has become more than just another sporting event. For a quarter-century, the cliffs around Virgin have been one of the most recognizable stages in action sports — showcasing the region’s red-rock landscape to mountain-bike fans worldwide.