And just like that, it’s the final curtain call. The end of the Red Bull era. No more Warner, or the format we’ve all come to know, from now it’s all change.
Red Bull was given the UCI contract back in 2012, taking over from Freecaster.tv to stream all World Cup cross-country, cross-country eliminator, and downhill races live on Red Bull TV. Ten years later, the mantle has been passed to Warner Bros Discovery for the next eight years.
From 2023, Discovery Sports Events will work in partnership with ESO Sports (operators of the Enduro World Series and the EWS-E) to organise, promote and broadcast the Mountain Bike World Cup. For the moment the details are quite sparse, but they have just released their calendar for the 2023 season.
So, given the ten years of Red Bull, it felt right that we give them some kind of send-off, a tribute to what has been. I will precede this by saying this list isn’t set in stone, the moments picked have been chosen for one reason or another as detailed below.
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Here are our top ten Red Bull years moments (in no particular order), and why they were picked. Before we begin, forgive me for not including Danny Hart’s Champery run in 2011 or Sam Hill’s (also in Champery) in 2007, they were before the Red Bull days.
1. Aaron Gwin’s Chainless Run in Leogang
The year was 2015. The place, Leogang. As he rolled from the start gate, the last man to come down his chain snapped. For many, it would have been game over, for Gwin, not so much. The planets aligned, the conditions were perfect, and he pulled off what might be the best downhill run in history. I mean, who does that? What a run.
Relive it now…
2. Loic Bruni’s First Elite Win
The year was also 2015. This time in Vallnord. Loic Bruni was having the season of a lifetime but had not managed to take a win, missing out on the overall by a small margin to Aaron Gwin. Still, there was the matter of World Champs to go, and he’d been on top form all season.
Then it happened, it all aligned and Super Bruni took the win. His first World Championship win (at Elite level) and first Elite win. It was a little bit emotional to see Bruni and Loris shed a few tears in celebration.
Bonus content: watch the Bruni & Vergier Against the World episode from Creative Concept to relive the emotions!
3. Annie Last Makes History
In 2017, Annie Last was the first British woman to win a UCI Mountain Bike XCO World Cup in 20 years! Her elite win saw her take the lead early on to take the first win for British women since 1997.
2017 was also the year Annie finish second in the Absa Cape Epic as well as second place in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, making history once again as the first elite British female to get a medal in the XC event.
4. Evie Richards Becomes First Elite British XCO World Champion
2021 was an incredible year for Evie, as well as being the first British person to become an Elite XC World Champion, she got second overall in the XCO World Cup (following her first in Lenzerheide, 1st in Snowshoe and 3rd in Les Gets) and some great results in XCC.
5. Stevie Smith wins on Canadian Soil
2013 was one hell of a year for Stevie Smith. He dominated the season becoming the first Canadian to win an overall title in downhill. 2013 saw him get 3rd in Fort William, 2nd in Val di Sole, 4th in Vallnord, 1st in Hafjell, 1st in Leogang, and of course, 1st in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
The run in Mont-Sainte-Anne was WILD! He was back by a small margin but then put the power down to take the win. He was the only Canadian to win on home soil… until this year (when Finn Iles won at MSA).
#LongLiveChainsaw
6. The Atherton’s take Home the Double Win in Fort Bill
It was a family affair in Fort William back in 2013. Whilst the runs weren’t particularly up there as far as ones that will go down in history (even if Rach did win by over 10 seconds), the attention it brought to the sport was fantastic.
Back in their GT days, Rachel and Gee pulled off a double victory. It was actually Rachel’s first Elite world cup win on home soil and Gee’s first world cup win in three years. A pretty amazing day for the siblings!
7. Greg Minnaar’s Fort William DH World Cup Win in 2017
Fort William never fails to disappoint. In 2017 the course was changed to include a freshly cut woods section. Queue very Scottish weather. The woods turned into a bog, chewing up and spitting up most people who tried to conquer it.
Greg Minnaar and Fort Bill and firm friends and the woods could not contain the GOAT. He made it look almost easy, sailing down to take his 7th win in Fort William (and 20th world cup win).
8. Josh Bryceland at Hafjell DH World Champs 2014
Whilst this one features an unfortunate ending. It stands out because it was SO intense. 2014 was the year Ratboy was heading into World Champs with the overall. It was looking like the rainbow stripes were his, even up to the final moments.
Honestly, watching his POV when you know what happens at that final jump makes my stomach flip. It was such an incredible run and even with the over send, Josh finished in second place.
Josh: “I didn’t want to brake for that Jump.”
Greg: “I noticed.”
9. Danny Hart’s Winning Run in Snowshoe 2019
Will he, Won’t he? WILL HE? To quote Red Bull themselves, ‘it was nail biting’ – yes, yes it was. We tend to overdo the ‘most exciting race’ ever troupe in bike journalism, but to us, most of the time each race is the most exciting race ever!
Danny’s win was such a close one. It was hard to know who was going to take it, but he did. Not quite sure where he got the time in the bottom section, but watching it was as he once said, “poetry in motion.”
10. Tom Pidcock’s win in Nove Mesto 2021
Tom did some incredible things in 2021. Won Olympic Gold (weeks after being hit by a driver and breaking his collarbone), won the e-mtb world title and a XC World Cup all whilst competing in road and cyclocross at the same time.
His win in Nove Mesto saw him become the first British man to win a XC World Cup since 1994. It was also his first Elite win, a position he secured with a lead of over one minute AND he was only 21.
Pretty mind-blowing stuff…
Cutting it down to just ten wasn’t the easiest feat! There have been more than a few incredible moments in the last ten years. So, goodbye Red Bull (at least for the world cups), thanks for ten years of great moments.