Casey Groves - Red Bull Rampage Virgin

Sep 24, 2010 at 14:16

Pinkbike.com rider Casey Groves is set to make his first Red Bull Rampage appearance in just under 2 weeks. Casey is best known for his slopestyle skills, but we're confident that he'll hold his own in the desert.

Read on,

Tell us about your competition results this season and how you managed to get an invite to the Red Bull Rampage?
This season I really wanted to step up my competition results. First off was Ranch Style held in Grand Junction Colorado in late April. I took 1st place there for the second year in a row. Following that was Teva Mountain Games in Vail Colorado. It was a good time and I brought home 3rd place. Then I was off to Goatstyle in Creston, B.C. to build the 2010 course with Dustin Greenall. After a massive chain of events I was still able to ride and pulled off 8th place after qualifying 1st, next year gold for sure! I went to Highland Mountain Bike Park for The Claymore Challenge and placed 4th in my first GOLD FMBA Event.




After being on the East Coast it was time to fly back to Colorado for Crankworx. Unfortunately I had to fly home and miss out on the comp due to some personal issues at home. I ended up taking part in Kelowna's Center of Gravity. Winning both the Best Trick and Best Line events. I received a 2010 Kona Scrap and handed it off to a young man in the crowd to pass on the stoke. Then the pressure was on... Crankworx Whistler, the world Championships for slopestyle, where I placed 3rd place this year. After all the events and points being added up on the FMBA Rankings I made the Top 10 with 8th place. That is how I received my invite to this year's Red Bull Rampage.



Casey talks about his new Transition TOP DJ and Slopestyle bike, then takes it for a rip at Dreamland:




You aren't known as a big mountain rider, what have you been doing to prep for this event?
I know I'm not known as a big mountain rider, but there are some things that people don't know about me. I used to race DH on the BC Cup circuit, I was only into Freeriding when I started and had no ambition to ride dirt jumps and Slopestyle like I have been for the past 3 years.

I honestly haven't been doing anything to prep for this event because I don't actually have my Rampage bike yet... It's supposed to be here this week... I hope, seeing as Rampage is next weekend.


But you have been riding and that is prep. What kind of riding have you been doing since Crankworx Whistler?
Not much, I honestly haven't been riding much since. I took a nice break after Crankworx which I needed and then I was training and dislocated my hip. After a nice visit to the chiropractor and some time on the couch playing Call of Duty, I am recovered and am riding my new hardtail as much as I can. I am actually filming a new webisode with Matt Butterworth this week. Have a look at the last one he produced when I dislocated my hip:





You said that you are waiting on your bike to arrive, can you tell us about this Rampage specific bike that you are waiting on?
I don't have a DH bike this year as my focus was elsewhere, but now that I am in Rampage I kind of need one, ha ha. I actually just received my Transition TR450 frame this morning and am stoked! Now I am waiting for my Gravity Components such as wheels and headset, and my 2011 Custom Tuned Suspension from Fox Racing Shox! So excited for this build!

Casey talks about his new TR 450:




That's cool to see your sponsors get behind you for an event like this.  Getting an invite to Red Bull Rampage is pretty much THE BIGGEST DEAL in Freeride mountain biking.

Are you ready to get down there and pick up a shovel and get to work on creating a line that will showcase your strengths?
Yeah I am very grateful to my sponsors and all their help not only towards this event, but the overall season. I am very eager, but the time is getting closer and I don't have everything I need to build up my bike and cannot just go out and buy the parts since they are all custom built for Rampage, we will see how the next couple days go and if I am able to even ride down there!

I am so excited to go stab a shovel into Utah soil! It's like a dream of mine to be down at Rampage digging my own line! I just hope it doesn't lead into that massive Oakley drop!



Ya it is tough when you are invited to an event that is just outside your typical realm in terms of what your riding style is.  Red Bull Rampage is not for a hard tail (Yes in the day Russ Morell rode one, but even Mike Montgomery is on a big bike this time), nor is it for your go to bike - the Transition Double.  We're glad to hear that your sponsors are all pooling together to make it happen though.

This year you may just have to play it safe buddy and pick up that shovel and work on lines that best suit your style and not get too over your head at your first big mountain comp.  We here at Pinkbike have a lot of faith in your skills, but we understand being prepared for something as bad ass as Rampage.  

Is any of your family traveling with you to the venue?
Yeah I plan just to go check it out for the first year, ride to have fun and gain experience from Rampage. I wish my family would come down, but not everyone gets their flights paid for. I may be bringing my friend Matt Butterworth down to film a documentary of the trip as he might be working for Transition this next upcoming week at Rampage.



You have a very supportive family and I bet Graham and Lil 50 wish that they could be there to take it all in at this first Big Mountain event with ya, but like you said, it all costs money.  Good to hear that Butterworth may be along though as he's produced some good content with you this season.

It is also nice to know that you are aware of the size of what Rampage is and that there is no harm in taking it all in on your first trip to the big show, although I am not sure that you have a medium riding button buddy, it's full on, or full on.

Good luck on the bike built up this week and we look forward to your updates from the road!
Thanks Tyler! Let's just hope the bike gets built and I kind of have a medium setting... well it's just developing actually.

I'll keep everyone posted from the road!