2021 Pinkbike Awards: Event of the Year Winner
Event of the Year Winner
2021 turned out to be a surprisingly robust year for events, and choosing a winner is tough. On the one hand, some events are remarkable in that they happened in the first place, while others will always be remembered for the wild racing and surprising plot twists. Still, there's one that stands out as an event that'll push the sport forward more than any other this year, and we can't wait to see what happens with this event in years to come.
Why it's the winner
Red Bull Formation has only happened twice, but you wouldn't know it based on how everything went down. The event included three build days and three ride days in the desert of Virgin, Utah, at a former Rampage site. Both steeped in mountain bike history and brand new all at once, Formation brought together eight invited riders plus two up-and-coming alternates to envision and create their own lines down the face of the mountain. What transpired was, to our knowledge, the biggest week of ladies sending in all of mountain bike history.
Re Wikstrom / Red Bull
Hannah Bergemann and Casey Brown take on the Ovary rock roll to the Fallopian Tube, a crux move on the upper mountain. Re Wikstrom / Red Bull
From the final Photo Epic:
 | Every single rider at Red Bull Formation 2021 made the freeride mountain biking world proud. Hannah Bergemann pioneered The Ovary to the Fallopian Tube, which is no joke. Vaea Verbeeck stomped her technical double drop. Chelsea Kimball built and rode a brand new drop to canyon gap. Cami Nogueira also built a brand new technical roll to drop, and even after hitting the dirt hard on the first try and pushing through another couple of wild attempts, she repeatedly picked herself up and tried again until she succeeded. She's tough as nails. Jess Blewett sent huge jumps with arguably more style and amplitude than anyone. Vinny Armstrong was the first to trick the step-up in the first riding session. Casey Brown rode the gnarly Fallopian Tube line, and then, even though it would have been completely reasonable to call it a day after that burly accomplishment, she hiked back up with Sam to support Sam's first attempt at the line, dropping in to demonstrate with even more speed and finesse than the first time. Sam Soriano sent the big double drop at the bottom bigger than anyone else and set the standard for steadfast bravery. Each women's mountain bike event like this one chips away at the barriers for women that have cemented in the sport over the last few decades, but this one did more than just chip away. Though we don't have official records for this type of thing, it's safe to say that Red Bull Formation 2021 included several of the gnarliest female freeride accomplishments... ever. This is a huge step forward. |
18-year-old New Zealander Jess Blewitt crushed it on her first trip to Formation. Re Wikstrom / Red Bull
Not only was Formation in itself something special, but it's notable in the way it has jumpstarted the women's event scene and fostered a type of growth that the sport needs to move forward. This summer also saw Casey Brown's Dark Horse Invitational and Hannah Bergemann's Hangtime Jump Jam emerge, both of which were progression sessions that saw female freeriders hitting their biggest features ever. Between Formation, Dark Horse, and Hangtime, the women's riding scene is stronger than ever, with the big mountain freeride, slopestyle, and jump bases covered. Then, a full women's field was invited to compete at Proving Grounds. Despite inclement weather and tough practice conditions, Cami Nogueira and Hannah Bergemann went on to put together complete runs and take first and second. Looking back, it's clear that 2021 was an extraordinary for women's riding progression, and we can thank Formation for leading the show.
In case you missed it or want to reflect back, find all the coverage from Red Bull Formation here.
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Formation was a big participation trophy. The riders showed up risked their lives for a couple thousand Instagram followers and a mediocre edit. If they are going to do similar events as the guys I think they should get rewarded similarly or separate themselves from an already renowned event like Rampage. I would love to see them build a full line and see what they can actually do on a blank canvas.
Also, changing the organizer of the event, Katie makes the event too political.