Robin Goomes made her name with a 41ft drop - but her journey to the top carried her to the bottom of the world. The 24-year-old left behind life in Antarctica to make history as the first-ever women’s champion at Red Bull Rampage. Goomes is not your average mountain biker.
From a disciplined life in the New Zealand army, to throwing out all the rules to enter the unpredictable world of professional biking, her story is one of courage, sacrifice, and relentless determination. Earlier this month, the 'Backflip Barbie', a nod to her custom Barbie-themed bike, made history by winning Red Bull Rampage in Utah. Her 85-point haul saw her top a seven-strong field in the big-mountain freeride competition with a stunning 12.
5m (41ft) drop. Goomes, who was already the first woman to land a backflip at a Speed and Style Crankworx event, landed another two at Red Bull Rampage to also claim the prestigious Utah Sports Commission Best Trick Award. However, during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, Goomes said: “Being the first for me is never what motivates me.
" She added: “I'm more motivated to just do it for myself and then hopefully just keep growing." That's a mentality that has served Goomes her whole life having grown up in the remote Chatham Island in New Zealand, 800km off the coast of Christchurch where she was born. The Chathams, the largest of the Pacific Ocean archipelago, has a resident population of just over 700 but an environment that lent itself to exploring the .