231339
225777
Vernon  

Two Okanagan mountain bikers on podium at Red Bull Rampage

Locals on Rampage podium

The Okanagan was well represented on the podium at one of the biggest mountain biking competitions in the world, Friday.

Coming off a win at Red Bull Rampage in 2018, Vernon's Brett Rheeder scooped up a silver medal at the same event Friday, while Vernon's Tom van Steenbergen took third place.

Every October, the world's best freeriders take over the desert in Virgin, Utah, spending a week building their own unique downhill courses at Red Bull Rampage.

The high-risk competition involves high-speed drops over giant rocky cliffs with flips and spins.

The 14th edition of the downhill event saw 21 athletes from all over the world competing Friday, and after each rider completed their two runs, Squamish's Brandon Semenuk, who had won the event in 2008 and 2016, was at the top of the heap with Rheeder and van Steenbergen close behind.

Rheeder came close to becoming the first rider to ever take back-to-back wins at Rampage. He also secured the Best Trick award this year, and his two-man crew took home the Best Diggers award.

Locally, Van Steenbergen hosts his own slopestyle biking competition at Big White, the second iteration of which took place this past July.

Jordie Lunn, a popular Vancouver Island-based mountain biker, was remembered throughout the competition. Lunn passed away earlier this month when he suffered a head injury while riding in Mexico.



More Vernon News

229439