There isn’t a sporting event on the planet quite like Red Bull Rampage.
Just riding your bike here, on the jagged rock-faces of Utah’s desert, is an act of defiance. And for the first time this year (2024), it was the women’s turn to make history and rage against the machine.
“Just before I dropped in, I got this rush of excitement,” Robin Goomes told Daily Star Sport . The start hut for Red Bull Rampage is unique: it’s a slab of wood on top of a cliff face – and Goomes was the first ever woman to drop down onto the rock.
“In that moment, I was grinning from ear-to-ear,” she added.
With the No.1 on her back, Goomes rolled down the steep ramp and down into the desert – using all of her skill and practice to pick her way down the unforgiving slopes. However, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take any risks – landing two backflips on her way to the finish line.
Goomes was the first woman to start, the first woman to finish – and she would soon be crowned as Red Bull Rampage’s first female winner, setting a benchmark with her score nobody else could match.
“Everyone that goes to Rampage puts in so much work just to be there,” Goomes continued. “We’re building up throughout the year, for a lot of people it’s there entire career… as soon as you get the invite you’re living your life knowing that you’re going to Rampage.”
Goomes was told about Rampage midway though her slopestyle season – but admitted it was all she could think about from the moment she found out.
From then on out, it was all about Rampage.
It would all come together for Goomes in Utah: “Once you’re out there you’re putting so much work over ten days.” From digging her own line, to practising the jumps – everything would come together in a two-minute adrenaline filled run.
“It’s sweeter than anything else you’ll ever experience,” she added.
However, Goomes wasn’t the only thrill-seeker on the rock face, and she hopes all the women that took part can help inspire the next generation.
“I think, from what I’ve already seen, people are inspired. Winner or not, every single girl on that hill is inspiring new riders.”