'Rookie' from Utah recounts experience at Red Bull Rampage prior to event cancellation

VIRGIN, Washington County — Red Bull Rampage celebrated its 25th anniversary over the weekend, but for half the male competitors of the world-renowned freeride mountain bike event, the chance to compete this year was not to be.

Due to high winds, the event was canceled midway through the first runs, allowing only half of the 17 male riders the chance to run their lines down the iconic sandstone cliffs. Two riders from southern Utah were Connor Gallart, 27, of Hurricane and Jaxon Riddle, 24, of St. George, who was in second place when the competition was called.

KSL spoke to Gallart, who said that he felt "fortunate" to be able to get a ride in, when so many others weren't able to.

"I was a fortunate rider who got to drop in," Gallart said. "I think about nine out of 17 of us were able to drop, so about half the men's roster, and I was the second one to go drop in."

The Red Bull Rampage started in 2001 and has held 19 total events since its inception. While the event has always been held in the same general area, the exact location has been moved around different faces of the cliffs in southwest Utah. This year, however, it was held at the "OG" location on Kolob Terrace Road.

Gallart said that he and the other competitors spent weeks carving out their lines that they planned to ride, adding that they did so trying to maintain the integrity of the iconic sandstone.

"Going into this event, considering that it's on BLM land, we made sure not to overbuild," he said. "With this year going back to the original site, I really wanted to keep it natural terrain style."

Gallart was considered a "rookie" to the Red Bull event, with this being his first year competing. His journey to the iconic event, however, was a little less traditional.

"When I was younger, I'd set up little pieces of wood to jump my bike off of it, and I'd always try to escape to go ride my bike," he said, adding that where he grew up in California wasn't conducive to building major jumps. Even so, he found ways to ride until he had to put it on the back burner.

"When I was 20, I joined the Coast Guard and served for six years, and during my last two years of enlistment, I just kind of had an epiphany," he continued. "I was off the coast of Alaska and managed to pull up the live stream of Red Bull Rampage online on a government computer, and I was like, 'Man, I sure do miss the days of bike riding.'"

Gallart completed his service, and then moved to southern Utah to train with his friends on the very red rock hillsides as those he watched on the livestream.

"I didn't tell any of them I was coming, but I came over to Utah and hung out with my friends I haven't seen in over a decade," he said. "Then I decided that this place is awesome and I want to move here."

Gallart is also a student at Utah Tech University, hoping to study business, while also working for an asphalt company. He said that competing at Red Bull Rampage was a dream come true.

"As soon as they say, '3,2,1,' it's just bliss," he said. "It's like a similar feeling as skydiving or surfing or just something where you're just so present in that moment. There's something really, really beautiful about that just being so present."

He said that although he wished he would have gone a little "bigger" with tricks on his run, he's grateful that he completed it. He also said that as the storm started to roll in, he felt sad for his friends who didn't get to compete.

"Out of nowhere, the wind just comes, and there's a howling sandstorm, and it was a bit of a bummer," he said.

The event was initially put on a "wind hold" at approximately 10:30 a.m., according to a Red Bull spokesperson, who said that it was "too risky" for the riders to go down. The event was officially called off at 3 p.m.

"I'm really gutted for my friends because they couldn't even put their runs down, but it's all part of it," Gallart said.

The incomplete competition made it so that scores could not be used to determine any winners, and competitors will have to wait another year.

"Strangely enough, I want to do it again," he said. "There's nothing like Red Bull Rampage. It's our Super Bowl."

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