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i had this article about "how to win rampage or at least get better than 9th" written last week. i never published b/c it felt too whiny and dumb. i do, however, want to put this protest on record before anyone else drops in...i had this written in the article and i still stand by it. sucks. brendan's score is way better than a 67 considering low to mid 90's generally win the event.
edit so i can be very clear about how i feel - i love spangler, kyle, vink and the judges. if anyone is qualified to decide which of these diverse and impossible runs is the gnarliest, it's this group of incredible humans, diggers and riders. they know their shit. more than any of us by a landslide. it's the FORMAT that's the problem, not their opinion
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- There's no way around the fact that someone has to go down the mountain first. Additionally and unfortunately, Rampage is a judged event, subject to the imperfect nature of humans. Judges are notorious, in any sport, for being conservative at the beginning of an event. They have to be. If they genuinely think the first run of the entire day is the winning run and score it 100, they set themselves up for failure because run 2 could be just a bit better and so on. It's the problem of the system, and if you're an early competitor, this problem can't be ignored. We have two solutions for the first handful of riders down (not just the first)
Early Riders Take It Easy
1. Do anything you can to delay your start - pretend you have a mechanical or stick your finger down your throat to barf at the top of the hill - it's a freeride event and everyone is pretty darn nice at a freeride event because they're all friends. There's no UCI to DSQ your ass and you may get lucky enough to be put to the end of the start list boosting your chances by at least 3 places in the results sheet should you nail your run.
2. If you're of higher ethical and moral character than sticking your finger down your throat to puke at the start, then just forget about your first run. Throw it out the window. Don't even be nervous because you have no chance. You can't win. You probably can't even podium (we're too lazy to check the history on that). Do something funny for the camera at the start, cruise the ridge, stop for autographs and selfies, wave to the helicopter; this is your chance to get some social media exposure and air time that will make the Red Bull highlight reel that hits the major news networks. As an early rider, your stock run, no matter how earth-shattering, even if you nail it, will net you, at best, a score of 87. You'll be completely forgotten until your next run, because the big guns are still ahead and that's just how it works.
Did he deserve to win? No, but that score should have easily been high 70's. You could tell by his reaction he was shocked by it.
Glad Rheeder won but they are still overweighting jumps and features with massive highway wide dirt take-offs/landings.
Would a fair and reasonable solution be to keep the first run scores hidden, until all riders drop, so as to gauge the overall standard and level of riding, and then pitch everyone accordingly.
The second runs however could still be scored live, judging whether riders have improved or not on their first runs.
I understand that this would have a detrimental effect on overall spectator excitement. However, on the whole, the second runs are where the excitement from the scoring builds.
The first runs are inherently exciting just getting to whiteness the creative madness of each rider and team in full, after avidly refreshing Instagram, vital and PB all week for build updates and riders first hits.
If this point has already been made, ignor me.
Rampage kicks ass.
I hope there is a jokes Deakinator Edit to follow.
That pretty much explains why Rampage and Crankworx (the freeride portion) aren't as exciting to watch as DH or even XC where the riders decide where they place, not "judges" who "have to leave room" for scoring.
Sal is an awful guy to have on this event. Talking about Agassiz's heart rate sitting at 160 before he dropped in as just something normal is just stupid. Who died and made this guy one of the youtube fitness models?
Cam is amazing, get him on the wc with Warner if Claudio is not going to do it. Even as a sideline guy, he gets it.
For the first runs- I have to assume the judges “calibrate” their impressions & initial scores based on what happen the year before. And If they ain’t at least doing that........then they need more judging school lessons
Case in point: Ethan Nell's run.
Why couldn‘t there be an option and let the fans/ spectators be the judges, I mean they are the closest to the riders and probably see the steepness/gnar of the whole run.
It is freeride anyways so keep it simple...on these events stats never interested anyone.
It must be hard judging it but the fans are sometimes the reason these events are rad,why not incorporate them in the judging.
Just my two cents..congrats to Brett and all the riders
It’s data driven, can be adjusted for favorite-rider bias after we get enough data, and captures the reason we love to watch.
My heart rate and breathing pattern were going haywire watching the more raw parts of Brendan’s run and the top of Jordie’s. On the other hand, I didn’t feel myself physically responding to the tricks until they were massive or were on a difficult-to-trick features: Lacondeguy’s consecutive hits, Lunn’s 720, Nell’s flat drop flip up top, and a few of Rheeder’s tricks.
Another and impossible solution is, the riders do their runs and then the judges watch the repetitions and decides. I think that is the more equal scoring solution for all the riders.. BUT, it will take more time and the competition is going to be imposible to finish in time. Or simple, the riders do their runs, and the next day will now the results. Riders have their pride on what they built for weeks, and that should be take carefully.
Just my opinion
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