Brandon Semenuk Claims Record Fifth Red Bull Rampage Victory
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Canadian star makes history in the Utah desert as the only five-time winner of the world’s premier freeride mountain bike event.
Seventeen riders descended on Southwest Utah’s red rock cliffs, delivering some of the most progressive riding and biggest moments yet at Red Bull Rampage. It was anyone’s game, but Canada’s Brandon Semenuk eventually emerged victorious with a historic run.
Following Thursday’s ground-breaking women’s red Bull Rampage contest won by New Zealander Robin Goomes, the men’s event left spectators on the edge of their seats, with no shortage of suspense.
Ultimately, Semenuk claimed a record-breaking fifth win in dramatic, last-gasp circumstances. The Canadian started his first run strong, wowing with a highly technical Tailwhip into his double drop, but what was looking like a podium-worthy run came to a halt when he crashed while attempting a Flip Whip.
After a gruelling two-and-a-half-hour wind hold, Semenuk returned to the start gate to drop-in again for his second run – one of only two riders to actually do so.
Once he found the right weather window, Semenuk stomped both his Tailwhip and Flip Whip to earn a 92.73 score for the run and his fifth Red Bull Rampage victory, the only rider in Red Bull Rampage history to do so.
“I’m just stoked to build a cool line, hang out with my friends and get down to the bottom,” Semenuk, 33, said. “It was an exciting event to watch. Some of the riding is on such a crazy level. I have good people around me and I’m happy to get down the hill.”
Poland’s Szymon Godziek led the event until Semenuk’s late charge and claimed silver for the second time in three years with a run that featured a stunning Backflip on the biggest drop at the venue.
Godziek was firing on all cylinders this week, sending that same drop 95ft from take-off to landing in practice. He brought that same energy to his first and only run, starting with a Front Flip, followed by a Backflip on the Price is Right, a 360 and a Double Backflip on his final jump. The entire line was daring and had little room for error, but his vision paid off and earned him a 91.66 from the judges.
Taking third place was American Tyler McCaul, a Red Bull Rampage veteran who previously placed sixth and fifth at this venue in 2018 and 2019.
Instead of using his previous line, McCaul made the bold choice to reinvent it and one feature that caught everyone’s attention was a spine-chilling step-down canyon gap jump that measured 74ft from take-off to landing.
On top of the highly consequential canyon jump, McCaul integrated a Backflip, Sui No-Hander and Flip Nac, putting him on the podium with a score of 90.66.
Beyond the podium, the progression was evident across the roster. Great Britain’s Brendan Fairclough won the new Samsung Galaxy Trailblazer Award for his unique line full of creative features and exposure.
Spain’s Bienvenido Aguado Alba won the BFGoodrich Tires Toughness Award for riding in the finals despite a heavy crash the day before on his canyon gap.
The rider-voted McGazza Spirit award went to Ethan Nell for his Red Bull Rampage return with a solid run, while the DECKED Digger Award went to the team of Brandon Semenuk, Justin Wyper and Evan Young, who have worked closely with the five-time champion for years.
Lastly, the Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award went to Tom Van Steenbergen for landing a huge Front Flip on the biggest drop in his line.
“It feels pretty damn awesome to win Best Trick, I’m super stoked on the Front Flip.” said Canadian Van Steenbergen. “The Front Flip was the plan way in advance and it took a lot of work to get it.”
Red Bull Rampage 2024 Men’s result:
1. Brandon Semenuk – CAN – 92.73 points
2. Syzmon Godziek – POL – 91.66
3. Tyler McCaul – USA – 90.66
4. Tom Van Steenbergen – CAN – 89.33
5. Kurt Sorge – CAN – 87.16
6. Thomas Genon – BEL – 85.83
7. Carson Storch – CAN – 85.00
8. Adolf Silva – ESP – 83.50
9. Ethan Nell – USA – 82.33
10. Kyle Strait – USA – 78.66
11. Brendan Fairclough – GBR – 76.00
12. Reed Boggs – USA – 74.66
13. Talus Turk – USA – 72.00
14. Luke Whitlock – USA – 70.66
15. Tom Isted – GBR – 50.53
16. Bienvenido Aguado Alba – ESP – DNF
17. Cam Zink – USA – DNF
