Female freeride MTB competition this weekend: Red Bull Formation

Athletes and diggers scope the course at Red Bull Formation in Virgin, Utah. Photo: Catherine Aeppel / Red Bull Content Pool

VIRGIN, Utah. — The second edition of Red Bull Formation is back, where the top eight female freeride Mountain Bike (MTB) riders will showcase their skill, style, and precision while negotiating an unforgiving terrain in the Utah desert.

The event has an open window to take place before Tuesday, June 1. This year’s riders are Casey Brown, Jess Blewitt, Vinny Armstrong, Vaea Verbeeck, Camila Nogueira, Hannah Bergemann, Chelsea Kimball, and Samantha Soriano. The riders have spent the past few days with shovels and pickaxes. They’ve been spotting their lines and preparing the course for the competition. Eventually, the teamwork put into the trails will change into competitive nature.

Hannah Bergemann tests out her line at Red Bull Formation 2019 in Virgin, Utah. Photo: Paris Gore / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull Formation was founded in 2019 by former pro freerider Katie Holden. Hannah Bergemann, a participant in the inaugural event, described the experience to Alicia Leggett at pinkbike.com – “It means an opportunity to showcase all of our riding in a really cool environment, plus show the world and the next-gen what we can do. It also means an opportunity to pave a nice path for them to take it further.”

The event this year is seeking to push the limits further. There are three days of digging and riding each, compared with two in the 2019 event. It’s taking place in Virgin, Utah, home of the men’s Rampage event from 2008-2013.