Robin Goomes has raised the bar in women’s freeride MTB, becoming the first rider in Red Bull Rampage history to claim three consecutive titles after delivering a spectacular performance at the event’s 25th anniversary in Utah, USA.
The New Zealand rider sealed her place in the history books with a second run that combined technical precision, aerial progression and the kind of commitment that has made Red Bull Rampage one of mountain biking’s most demanding competitions.
Goomes finished with a winning score of 93.50, ahead of American rider Hannah Bergemann on 92.75, while Canada’s Kirsten Van Horne completed the podium with 86.50. The margin at the top was razor-thin, with just 0.75 points separating the first two riders.
But the result was about more than a trophy. It was proof that staying ahead in freeride mountain biking means continually pushing beyond what was previously considered possible.
Robin Goomes Delivers Under Pressure
Goomes entered the 2026 women’s final carrying the expectations that come with being a two-time defending champion. Winning once at Rampage is a career-defining achievement. Winning three times in succession demands another level of consistency, preparation and nerve.
Her second run delivered exactly that.
The New Zealand rider opened with a flat spin 360 on the upper jump, a trick described as a first for the women’s field. She followed it with a backflip off a massive step-down before finishing with a backflip cancan near the bottom of the course.
Each manoeuvre added another layer to a run that combined progression with execution on unforgiving terrain.
The difference was not simply the difficulty of the tricks, but Goomes’ ability to connect them into a complete top-to-bottom performance.
Behind the scenes, that execution had been years in the making. Back home in New Zealand, Goomes built a dedicated training compound to practise the backflip step-down until the movement became second nature.
That preparation allowed her to approach the competition with a clear objective: improve on the rider she had been the previous year.
“Winning once was something I never thought I could accomplish, so winning this third title is a dream.
The pressure seems to just keep building. All I knew this year is that if I wanted to do it again, I’d have to push harder than I’ve ever done and be better than I have been previously.”
Goomes said
Her response to that pressure was direct: work harder, prepare more thoroughly and commit to progression.
Hannah Bergemann Pushes the Champion to the Limit
If Goomes’ victory demonstrated the value of progression, Bergemann’s performance showed just how competitive women’s freeride MTB has become.
The American finished second for the second consecutive year, missing the top spot by only 0.75 points. Her opening run featured a backflip near the top of the course, a raw chute section, a massive drop and a suicide no-hander at the finish.
She returned for another strong attempt, cleaning the backflip, attacking the technical sections and throwing a huge suicide no-hander before reaching the bottom.
Bergemann’s comments also highlighted the work that spectators rarely see during competition week.
“Yeah, for me, the podiums are just the cherry on top of the week. So much goes into this event behind the scenes,”.
she said
She pointed to months and years of preparation on the bike, followed by ten days of building and practising before competition day.
Her focus was on delivering the runs she had worked towards, rather than allowing the pressure of the result to dictate her riding.
“I was just stoked to get these two full top-to-bottom laps and charge and have a good time,”.
Bergemann added
Kirsten Van Horne Completes the Podium
Canada’s Van Horne secured third place with a score of 86.50, rewarding a composed and controlled approach to the course.
Her line prioritised flow and precision through the steepest sections, linking technical chutes and exposed ridgelines without major mistakes.
In a discipline where spectacular tricks can dominate the conversation, Van Horne’s performance reinforced another important part of freeride riding: the ability to read the terrain, manage risk and maintain control from the start gate to the finish.
Her podium finish placed three riders from three different countries at the top of a fiercely competitive women’s field.
A Landmark Edition for Women’s Freeride MTB
The 2026 competition carried additional significance as Red Bull Rampage marked its 25th anniversary, returning to the original venue near Virgin, Utah, where the event began in 2001.
For the first time in the event’s history, male and female competitors dropped from the same start gate. The venue also presented an enormous challenge, spanning 90 acres with more than 200 metres of vertical descent.
That shared start gate represented a major milestone for women’s freeride mountain biking, placing the competitors on the same towering landscape while leaving each rider responsible for finding a line that matched her abilities, ambitions and preparation.
Red Bull Rampage 2026: Women’s Final Results
| Position | Rider | Country | Best score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robin Goomes | New Zealand | 93.50 |
| 2 | Hannah Bergemann | USA | 92.75 |
| 3 | Kirsten Van Horne | Canada | 86.50 |
| 4 | Vinny Armstrong | New Zealand | 82.75 |
| 5 | Harriet Burbidge-Smith | Australia | 82.51 |
| 6 | Chelsea Kimball | USA | 81.87 |
| 7 | Mikayla Parton | Scotland | 81.75 |
| 8 | Georgia Astle | Canada | 80.37 |
| 9 | Casey Brown | Canada | 76.00 |
| 10 | Janelle Soukup | USA | 73.50 |
Results reflect the highest scores supplied in the event notes.
Three Titles, One Historic Benchmark
Goomes leaves the 2026 edition with more than another Rampage victory. She has established a new benchmark for women’s competition at one of freeride mountain biking’s biggest stages.
Her achievement also underlines how rapidly the women’s field is progressing, with Bergemann pushing the champion to within a fraction of a point and Van Horne demonstrating the value of control on demanding terrain.
For aspiring riders, the lesson is clear: spectacular riding begins long before competition day. It takes sustained preparation, technical repetition and the confidence to execute when the consequences are real.
Three consecutive titles make Goomes the rider everyone will be chasing next time. The challenge now is whether anyone can match her historic run—or whether the New Zealander has another level left to unlock.
