Dig for Victory
Issue 57 / Mon 18th Feb, 2019
Rampage 2018 will surely go down in history, partly due to Brendan Fairclough's immense run. He doesn't, however, do it alone. We catch up with Olly Wilkins and Ben Deakin to find out what it's like being on a dig crew at Rampag
Ewen Turner investigates the importance of the Dig Team at the Red Bull Rampage, one rider and two friends spend ten days sculpting the dirt hoping to create a line that will win the event. It’s a hard dangerous slog, and all that time ends up being condensed into one minutes worth of riding!
2018 is a Rampage year that will always be remembered as a classic, and Brendan Fairclough's run firmly cemented its status. Big lines, new features and controversial judging decision added to a fantastic event. I caught up with Brendan after the dust had settled from Rampage and discovered he has been putting his digging skills to good use smashing down walls and making holes in a property he is renovating. 'I've been off the boil' he tells me, enjoying the change from plummeting down hills in the desert. I've tracked him down to find out just how vital the digging crew is to a successful Rampage.
His dig crew for this year was the classic combination of Olly Wilkins and Ben Deakin, both formidable riders in their own right, but more importantly, know how to swing a shovel. 'Olly is my oldest riding buddy, and I trust him, in a way, with my life' he tells me, explaining that his second opinion on lines, sections and gaps is crucial. The pair of them 'Science it out' apparently, which I think is a casual way of describing life and death decisions. The digging skills come into play of course as Brendan explains 'he's amazing at sculpting and digging lips, and an amazing guy to have around'.
When it comes to Ben Deakin, another good friend, Brendan makes it clear that mental attitude is essential. 'When you're in the desert digging sand and pick axe-ing rock for ten days it's quite important to have good people around you and keep morale up and keep a real positive attitude, it's really easy to get demoralised and overwhelmed by it all'.
Brendan is keen to extol to virtues of his team explaining, 'Olly has got mild ADHD and can't stop talking and running around, and I've got the muscle in an ex-Royal Marine, so we've got the perfect formula really'.
It used to be a different process for the riders, with no real limit on the number of diggers a rider could use. This gave an obvious advantage to those who lived in the States, 'back in the day it was as many as you want, but then it got a bit ridiculous as obviously, people from Europe can't afford to bring all those people', he tells me.
So can the dig crew really be that crucial to the whole result, are they not just the hired muscle? 'I'd say that's the single most important thing because this year a lot of people didn't manage to get their lines finished and were over-ambitious' he tells me. It's evident that this little unit of three made some great decisions to create their line and put in some serious graft to make it happen.
Brendan's run was iconic because of 'The Rock', which will surely be remembered for years to come. I wondered if that was his idea or whether it was a team decision, 'it was a joint decision, we looked up at the mountain and it was the biggest feature, and we had it in mind. We stood on the top of it, and I said to Olly 'f**k this thing's actually possible''.
I try drawing Brendan in on the Judging decisions but he not going to bite, 'I have great respect for the judges, but they had a different opinion to what I thought'. It's clear that he's moved on, and a better assessment is in his own opinion of his performance. 'I couldn't have done anything better, and I was so, so, happy with my run, and I felt it was the only original line from top to bottom with unique features throughout'. As Brendan puts it 'I couldn't have ridden any better or done any better, I walked away happy in one respect and deeply upset in another respect'.
Although he wasn't going to commit, when asked about next years Rampage, I think it would be unlikely if we didn't see Fairclough back again for another round.
Taking the word of Brendan is easily done, but I figured a chat with his boys would give some further insight into the world of Rampage.
Olly Wilkins
Why do you think Brendan chose you for his dig team?
This was my 5th time at Rampage, and I dig and ride with the guy every day at home. I’m kinda the unimaginative choice! As for Deaks, he’s been to war. I doubt a bike event causes him too much stress! Rampage is a pretty unique experience. You have to do a tremendous amount of work in a small period. I think experience really pays off there. After all this time I think this was the first year where we really felt efficient and prepared.
What are the rules on dig teams at Rampage?
For the last few years, each rider has been limited to just two diggers. Before then it was a free for all. I remember one year there were reports on Semenuk having 11 people working on features! Other than that you must only use provided sandbags, no power tools and must have a mandatory rest day halfway through the build.
What makes a good dig/support team? Are you purely there just to shovel, or is there more to it than that?
I really can’t imagine anything outside our own dig teams over the years. I think the most important thing is that you’re gonna help morale and you’ve got some grit. You work for a long time on a one minute trail. Days can be entirely taken up picking rock or filling sandbags so you’ve gotta be reasonably mentally strong to be able to crack on till the jobs done. Other than that I would say its super important that you have people around you with opinions on where to put stuff and how it’ll work. Between us all, we’ve got a lot of years digging and riding horrible stuff. It definitely pays off.
What is the process that you guys went through to make Brendan's line? How many days? What were the critical decisions?
Day one is mental. Everyone is scraping around for their own real estate. We chose to get away from the crowds and build a unique line top to bottom. It’s a lot more work, but I feel it’s worth it, what rampage is meant to be about. One landing had seven riders on it on the other ridges! Seven, three-man dig teams! Light work for that many people. After day one we had decided on our key features and could kinda ‘claim’ the line. Obviously, we play to Brendan’s strengths and build super tech stuff. One thing we never build are blind features. Brens, not a fan and I’m with him. Our line can be way more narrow as you aren’t hitting them totally blind and can remain fairly accurate.
You obviously have plenty of experience shovelling dirt but how does it compare to your dirt jump building back home?
The dirt really is a lot different to the jumps and tracks I build back home. Water plays a crucial role in getting anything done. Features will work almost instantly when you have water and sun available on command. A lot of the ‘rampage skills’ you learn are actually based around how to bridge gaps, use sandbags and rocks to hold the dirt/dust from sliding away off the cliffs and between the canyons.
How does it feel to be facilitating Brendan hitting these huge lines and then watching him? Are the risks as big as they look on TV?
Yeah, not good. A lot of it, I wish I could guinea pig in his place. Not because I want to, but it would undoubtedly be less uncomfortable than watching him up there. The risks are massive. All of the exposure after big hits are the kinda thing you don’t see on TV. After Bren's rock, for instance, there was a massive ravine which you really don’t see on the live feed. Bren has to brake mega hard, or he would end up in a very different spot and a bad one at that.
Do you ever have to talk him out of hitting features, or vice versa and try and convince him he can do it when he has doubt?
We talk about where stuff needs to go and sometimes disagree. Mostly though we have the exact same ideas and thoughts on the layout. There tends to be a right and a wrong on a lot of these features. We are talking about ‘as fast as you can go’ or ‘as slow as you can go’ kind of speeds a lot of the time.
Do you ride any of it? Have you ever guinea pigged anything for him?
I’ve spent my life guinea pigging for him but never at Rampage! We ride at the old sites to get bike time in. The commotion and pressure of the actual event don’t appeal to me!!
What made Brendan's line so special this year? It was obviously a fan-favourite, but being there on the ground, what made it stand out in your opinion?
I really believe it was our best yet. We included a bit of everything and was right at the edge of what he’s capable of. It really was edge of the seat kinda stuff for us, and I’m very pleased and proud it all paid off, and we all came home safe. I think it stood out because it quite literally stood out. Dwayne Johnson was the largest rock on the hill, the canyon was the largest on the hill, and the chute was the largest on the hill. A good year for us but I’m sure glad it’s over!! Big thanks to Bren and Deaks for being semi-ok at times...
Ben Deakin
Why did Brendan choose you for the dig team?
Nothing else to say other than I guess I'm a legend...I actually think it may be due to a previous career as a Royal Marine Commando where I've got experience in filling the odd sandbag in the desert, We are also good friends, and I also remain calm under pressure, and I wanted to do my best to allow Brendog to do what he does best!
What makes a good dig team for Rampage? Is it just about shovelling?
The dig team you see for 16 hours a day for 10 days solid in a hot, hostile environment, so a good-humoured and hard working team is key, Bren, Olly and I all get on really well which really helps. A bonus is we obviously all ride at a reasonably high standard, and we know each other's boundaries and have different visions and outlooks on how we can create the best line to our ability out there using our combined skills.
What is the process of creating a line at Rampage? What do you enjoy most about it?
I guess it's seeing each other's visions and what we can create out of the land we have got in front of us. The hardest thing is it is a judged competition, and you have to be quick about getting the features and landscapes you want before someone else gets them. When we first arrived, we saw the venue in front of us and wanted to deviate and be different from the competition.
How physically demanding is the digging? It looks pretty risky even for the crew; did you have any close calls?
The digging is honestly 8-12 hour days of graft, It really is hard on the body and mind that's why having a good team around you that are also great mates is a huge help. When you first attend the venue, I guess you become overwhelmed of the sheer size and scale of it all, but by the end of the week you are hanging off cliffs scoping a line for your mate to ride a bike down!
One close call was when Olly and I pushed a rock which was on our line, and it literally ended up turning the wrong way down a chute and shot off down the hill. We were honestly speechless, luckily we asked the dig teams below us to move before pushing it just in case, but we certainly weren't expecting a 1/2 tonne rock to deviate offline and fly down the hill.
Do you wish you were riding when you're there or are you happy as part of the crew?
I am definitely happy I am just there as part of the crew, The features and lines there are something else and breathtaking, It makes you realise how good/ nuts/ calculated these guys are.
How big are the features, obviously TV doesn't do it justice, but can you attempt to describe the level that the riders are operating at?
The feature sizes are ridiculous, and the problem is if someone is dropping a 65ft drop the 40ft drop will look suddenly rideable in comparison. To put it in perspective imagine a 40 ft drop on its own at the local woods it would be the biggest talking point ever. However, the fact there's so much in a small area you get really complacent. The maddest thing for me is the exposure, whereby if you just slightly misjudge some of the features you are flying off a cliff, canyon or whatever. Most crashes that happen out here are certainly not the funny ones where the rider walks away unscathed!
Do you feel Rampage is better these days with fewer wooden, pre-built features? I suppose that means more work for you!?
That's a hard one, I feel it allows the riders and their teams to be more creative with the ground although it does mean more work for us. The only downside is you don't get the perspective on TV without the wooden features as the dirt generally merges with the background, and as great as helicopter cameras are, I feel its miles away from the action!
During the digging, is it competitive with other teams looking for the best lines, or is there a good atmosphere between everyone?
It's generally an excellent atmosphere, being Team GB we are known as the jokers where some of the US teams don't quite get our sense of humour, but we get on with everyone. There are some teams that don't get on with people I obviously can't name names, but I guess there's a conflict of interest with other teams about there lines crossing or whatever, but we were left to our own devices on our own line that we didn't share with anyone else so got on with everyone.
What made Brendan's line so special this year? It was obviously a fan-favourite, but being there on the ground, what made it stand out in your opinion?
I'm obviously going to sound biased, but our line genuinely had the X-Factor. We were away from the main motorways with big jumps and smooth landings and went to the core of what Rampage is about in my eyes, sketchy raw off camber chutes, loose exposed turns and big features. These included the 50-foot canyon gap, a mental cliff ride chute and most famously 'The Rock'. A stand-alone 45-foot rock where we had a 30-foot drop off to a tiny catch berm, very unique and nothing else like it in the whole of Rampage history!
Thanks to Brendan, Olly and Ben for taking the time to chat to me.
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By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
