Tommy G 9th at Red Bull Rampage 2023
The highs and the lows of this year’s Rampage event.
If you sat down on Friday night to watch this year’s Red Bull Rampage and found yourself looking away from the screen more than you looked at it, you weren’t alone.
Our Belgian CLLCTV rider Thomas Genon (better known as Tommy G) made his tenth appearance at the annual event held in Utah in the USA. With a stacked field of Rampage veterans, the competition was fierce.
Rampage has been running since 2001. It has been held annually since 2012 (with the exception of 2020 which was cancelled due to the pandemic). With the defending champion Brett Rheeder absent from the start list, the title was anyone’s to take.
The riders and their dig teams spent the previous 4 days perfecting the lines ahead of finals day on Friday 13 October. The weather on Friday was typical of a warm desert day: light winds, dusty and warm.
Red Bull Rampage results
Though unlucky for most, Friday 13th gave hope to a field of 17 riders. But only one could walk away with the coveted prize.
The first few riders to send it off the mountain confirmed what we all know: this sport is not for the faint of heart. After 4 starts, only one had successfully made it down to the finish.
In the end, it was US rider Cam Zink who took the Red Bull Rampage crown for 2023. Though he crashed out on his first run, he delivered with his daring line choice, unbeatable skill and outrageous trickery to get a near-perfect score of 95 on his second run.
Tommy G’s Rampage run
With the freeride and downhill legend Brendan ‘Brendog’ Fairclough safely back at base with a solid score to his name, it was time for Tommy G to hit the sandy slopes for his first run.
The wind conditions at the top fluctuating between 5 km/h and 11 km/h, Tommy took his chances and set off on the steep and technical descent from the ridge. His bike of choice was a single-crown Canyon Torque. Not only does a single-crown pave the way for some sweet tricks but it’s also gnarly given the terrain. Many of his rivals chose triple-crown forks to soften the blows, so we knew Tommy meant business.
On his first run, he wowed the crowd with a toboggan, tailwhip, a 3 table and a 1 foot table. If that wasn’t enough, he even 360’d a drop at one point. In hopes of increasing his chances of winning, Tommy G’s second run was even more tricky than his first. A tailwhip into suicide no hander, a 360 drop into 360 table then a superman seat grab. To finish, he kept it real with an old school tailwhip.
The judges awarded Tommy with a score of 77.41. Unfortunately, by the time the other riders posted their scores, it wasn’t enough for the win. He placed 9th overall which tells you just how difficult this competition is.
What next year will bring is anyone’s guess but you best believe we’re excited for another visit to Utah!
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