For the second year in a row, Red Bull has brought Heavy Metal to the Midwest and the Midwest has shown up. The crowd started picking up just as riders arrived for practice this past Saturday morning in downtown Detroit, and they didn’t leave until the sun set and winners were announced. A roughly five hour contest with a few breaks kept everyone entertained and The Bomb Hole crew was on scene to fill any gaps that couldn’t be jumped with jokes. A mostly U.S. competitor field with a handful of international standouts, the day was filled with a few makes, a ton of bails, and plenty of close calls. 

Stepping up the scaffolding build and spectator size from last year in Duluth, Heavy Metal drove snow this year from neighboring Pine Knob Resort (about 45 min North) to shape lips and run-ins in the 40+ degree sunny day in Hart Plaza. You couldn’t have asked for a nicer day, maybe just a bit more natural snowfall but that is how it has been this year around the Great Lakes. We didn’t see many fans in boots, so for the sake of everyones shoes there enjoying the show, maybe a bare Hart Plaza was for the best. 

If you didn’t tune into any of the livestreams that were running on various grams throughout the day, just know plenty of carnage ensued. Three different venues hosting a wall ride (zone 1), down-flat-down (zone 2), and a long down rail over amphitheater-style steps (zone 3) tested each competitor that dropped in. At the end of the day, Egan Wint and Pat Fava took home $10,000 a piece and the Heavy Metal crown for the year. Ryan Paul and Luke Winkelmann placed second and third respectively for the men, while Jaylen Hanson and Maggie Leon rounded out the podium for the women. Keep an eye out for more dropping around this event… and maybe some rumors on where it will be held next year?