Riders arrived at the venue again in 2002, and suddenly the scary lines they had forged the previous year transformed from tentative and sketchy into a solid base from which to progress. The airs were higher and more stylish and the riders began to take bigger risks. The virtually unknown Darren Berrecloth put himself on the map in a big way by busting a surprise superman seatgrab, writing the next chapter at Red Bull Rampage where tricks became mandatory. Canadian Tyler Klassen attacked cliff drops most of the other riders avoided, including a 35-footer that no one else would touch until 2004. "When it came down to setting myself aside from the field I was up against," he said, "that was the way to do it. Everyone else thought I was stupid." Stupid? Maybe. Champion? Definitely.
Their appearances at Rampage in 2002 virtually launched the careers of Klassen and Berrecloth, who finished 3rd. "All of a sudden, after that I was a professional freeride mountain biker," he says. Red Bull Rampage was no longer an experiment; it was the benchmark.
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