Red Bull Formation, the premiere women’s big mountain freeriding event, came to an end today in Southwest Utah, where twelve of the best female riders in the world pushed the sport to new levels. This was the third edition of the progression session that ran from May 8th through May 15th, where the participants – Hannah Bergemann, Camila Nogueira, Casey Brown, Chelsea Kimball, Georgia Astle, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Louise Ferguson, Robin Goomes, Sam Soriano, Vaea Verbeeck, Vinny Armstrong, and Vero Sandler  – envisioned new lines on the mountain and sent top-to-bottom runs that highlighted their creativity and athletic prowess on a mountain bike.

“The progression witnessed this year was spectacular and truly marks a turning point for women’s freeride mountain biking,” said Katie Holden, a Red Bull Formation founding organizer. “Since last year, we have seen a tremendous amount of confidence from the riders. From tackling steep drops to choosing lines that played to their styles of riding and incorporating tricks, we hit a major milestone.”

The event consisted of three dig days, where the riders carved out their ideal line on the mountain; one rest day, where they found community in each other and the industry mentors; and three ride days, where the mountain was host to some of the gnarliest women’s freeriding to date. Each ride day the athletes chipped away at pieces of their lines, hoping to bring it all together in a top-to-bottom run on the final day.

Following the final runs, athletes voted on the rider who ignited the sessions and “brought the spice,” to the progression session. The Spiciest Line Award, presented by Industry Nine, went to the athlete who sparked the stoke, and rode in a manner that exhibited their courage, creativity, and community at the event. It was presented to Camila Nogueira, who received the trophy to mark the accolade.

“Winning this award today is the perfect end to an epic event. My goal this year was to challenge myself with a daring line, one that would challenge my courage due to its exposure and where I would need to stay calm under pressure,” said Camila. “I truly believe everyone riding today deserved this honor as they are my friends who continue to push and inspire me.”

In addition, this event marked history at Red Bull Formation when New Zealand’s Robin Goomes threw the first-ever backflip at the event. Goomes’ line started at the top at the Scissor Drop then ran through looker’s right to end in the Snake Pit, the lower portion of the course that has a series of jumps and features. Goomes landed multiple backflips this week, including on the step-up jump and on the final hip jump just before the finish area.

Other highlights from the event include the following:

• Hannah and Casey took their riding to the next level with career elevating runs, raising the bar for all riders in the space. Their line had a highly technical entrance off the top of the mountain that fed into a series of large, exposed drops.
• Vinny exhibited true grit after shaking off a minor ankle injury following her first run, then stepped up to complete a playful line with tact and composure. Entering at the Utah-res, she weaved down the middle of the mountain that highlighted her style of riding. She finished her run by dropping into the Snake Pit with explosive speed and style that she is known for.

• Vero and Georgia shared a gracefully executed run as they finessed their way off a drop into the heart of the course. This continued onto a series of large drops that showcased their individual styles on a technically challenging run.
• Rookie Red Bull Formation rider Louise Ferguson had full authority of her line for her first time on the mountain. Her run was clean, controlled and confident through the middle of the course that made her look like a veteran, despite her first-time riding in this challenging terrain.

The event is supported by Industry Nine, Arc’teryx and Wild Rye. Video highlights chronicling the event can be found on the Red Bull Bike YouTube as well as the event webpage. A full event recap will be available later this week. For more info follow @RedBullBike and #RedBullFormation.