Washington Wheels Park hosts pre-Rampage event for kids

WASHINGTON, Washington County — Hundreds of kids, teens and adults made their way to Washington Wheels Park in southern Utah Tuesday to showcase their skills on wheels ahead of an extreme mountain bike event that will take place Thursday.

Red Bull Rampage is a freeride mountain biking competition that is held annually on the sheer sandstone cliffs near the town of Virgin, just outside Zion National Park. This year, the Rampage is celebrating its 25th year in southern Utah. The city of Washington, in partnership with Greater Zion, opened the park for Red Bull — the energy drink company that owns the Red Bull Rampage — to host an event for kids.

The 14-acre Washington Wheels Park officially opened in March and features a world-class skateboarding facility for all skill levels, as well as an Olympic-style qualifying course.

St. George resident Jaxon Baird, who said he has attended Red Bull Rampage a few times, said that events like the gathering Tuesday are a great way to highlight local parks like Washington Wheels.

"We're getting a lot of people moving here, and it's really just growing as a community with biking, skateboarding, scootering — everything," he said. "It's great that the (city) was able to get this new park built for us, and I think it's great that Red Bull decided to put on an event here. It's a great park a great location, so it's awesome."

The 25th Red Bull Rampage will start Thursday, Oct. 8, and continue through Saturday, Oct. 10, with limited tickets available. It will also be streamed live on YouTube and Red Bull TV.

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