Is This Race Series Going To Kill The World Cup

This is Red Bull Hardline, Tasmania, and it might just be the gnarliest mountain bike race in the world. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Before we get into any of that, let's rewind. So first things first, where are we? And more importantly, what exactly is Red Bull Hardline? I've traveled across the pond to Tasmania in the Southern Hemisphere and the home of the latest edition of the Hardline race format, an event first developed by Dan Atherton, a member of one of mountain biking's favorite families. But what is this demon child that Dan has created? Designed to test the limits of what's possible on two wheels, this event started in 2014 and has continued to be a pillar of downhill ever since. Being such an iconic and unique race, you would expect to see the world's fastest races in attendance. And whilst there's no shortage of speed in both the men's and the women's field, this is where Red Bull mix things up once again. Yes, I don't think there's any feeling like a Hardline course, just the speeds are going and having the jumps off feels so sick. Bigger than any other World Cup track or downhill track. World Cups now are not like this and I just get smoked because it's all about your lines and bike setup and all of that, whereas this is a bit more oomph, a bit more like pushing, just going for it kind of vibe. Less of a survival and more of a race, proper race. What is it about these Hardline events that makes them so unique and sets them apart from others around the world? Not only do you need the speed of a World Cup racer, but you also need the jumping prowess of a free rider as well. There really is nowhere to hide. Any holes in your skills, this event will find them and expose them. These larger features and highly technical terrain are in part down to Red Bull's no holds barred approach to track design. They are purely focused on pushing the limits of the sport and the riders that are doing it. Just look at the size of that feature, it is absolutely massive. That's not the only one. From the top, it drops straight in, firing off the express drop and threading through the woods towards the cliff and log jump. Speeds build fast onto the motorway, launching riders over the 60-foot double. All that momentum carries into the supercross section before they burst out the trees, clearing the road gap, crooked canyon, and creek gap. Then it's flat out to the line, off that flat drop and into the finish line. What's often missed when it comes to Red Bull Hardline Tasmania is the sheer volume of descending and the crazy high speeds that riders go up. 78. Conor Dunne about to drop in. Here goes Troy Brosnan. On home soil here in Australia as well. Less than quarter of a second off then. 0.21 of that first flip. It's difficult, but it's got to be quicker. It's got to be quicker. You seem to have so much time. I mean, like you said. Another one going down in the finish. Well, it was past the finish line. This is obviously one of the special events that we have in the year. It's pretty unique with all the jumps and stuff and just how the week operates and stuff. It's pretty limited group that gets to ride. It's definitely a special week for all the riders that get to come and we're all really hyped to come here every year. Preparation going into it is a little different than a World Cup. It's still a race. It's still a tough track to ride with the tech sections, but you have to be practiced and ready for the big jumps as well. Only real main differences is just getting a bit of extra jump time and trying to figure out how to hit big jumps again after a bit of time off over the years. It's pretty rare to get opportunities to ride stuff this big and stuff this technical. You have to try and find that other places. Dreamline in New Zealand, Queenstown, that's a good spot that we would come and train and get used to getting some air time and then come here and be able to feel a bit comfier going into that. Having raced World Cup Downhill and Fourcross for many years, Dan decided to switch his focus and start his very own bike park in North Wales, Dovey. Arguably one of the most iconic bike parks in the UK, Dan's unique trail design draws from his years of experience racing the multitude of disciplines to a world standard. I think for me, it's always been about progression and starting the bike park, starting the bike company and running through all that was Red Bull Hardline. I just think there's no better place for pushing the progression of mountain biking than a race like this. How does Red Bull Hardline Tasmania differ to its predecessor, and is it perhaps even harder? With Hardline Tasmania being the second iteration of the Hardline series, it's easy to draw comparisons between the two and say that one is harder than the other. A combination of crazy high speeds, massive jumps, and a whopping 575 vertical meter descent test not only riders' skills, but also their concentration. With the fastest time recorded being three minutes and seven seconds, my head hurts just trying to imagine concentrating for that long on anything, let alone a death-defying track. I'm here with Lou Ferguson, one of the first women to ever complete Red Bull Hardline. With it being such an iconic event, what do you think makes Red Bull Hardline such a unique event? The riders, really. We have such a mix of different disciplines, but then also the track brings a lot of different challenges. That combination of different riders and backgrounds and then the track with the features dealing with the wind and then the downhill side of things as well, it's quite an interesting combination and it brings out the best in everyone. I think for Hardline, it's definitely different to most other races. Obviously, with the features we have, I think the 60-foot gaps or the 90-foot gaps. It's definitely different to a different race, but then I still think it's still the outcome. You're still racing yourself and you're still racing some tough competition. The track's different, but the end goal is still the same. Also, it's such a chilled more vibe, as you guys can see. We're all pitted together. I think most of these pits, everyone would be in a 40-foot lorry or team bus with mechanics, physios, line spotters, but we just each have one mechanic and that's it. I think it gives everyone a bit more of a fair playing field. No telemetry on the bikes, no warm-up bikes, no line spotters. It's a bit raw vibe, I think. Obviously, everyone's staying together, roommates. Everyone's a bit more closer and it's more of an enjoyable event, I think. Roger, what is it about Hardline Tasmania that you find makes it so unique? Obviously, it's the features, I guess. We have huge features, bigger than any other World Cup track or downhill track. Big drops, big doubles. That's why it makes it unique. Obviously, we are here in the middle, in Tasmania, in the middle of nowhere. I think there is one hotel in town. Just in the jungle, and getting big features and sketchy gaps and stuff like that. That's why it's unique about Hardline. It's just literally the hardest track in the world. I think from day one, we wanted Red Bull Hardline to be about the riders being against the course rather than against each other. That's something that we've tried to pull through at every event. Also, for not just the riders, but for the build crew, they are pushing as hard as the riders in terms of what's possible on a mountain bike. Working closely with riders to be like, can this work? Can that work? I think if we can keep pushing the progression and keep the event right at the forefront of what's possible on a mountain bike, then I think that camaraderie between the riders will stick. We won't be having turbos at the top, and we won't be taking it too seriously because it's more about the riders being against the course rather than against each other. When it comes to the rider list, I understand you are the one who selects the riders and invites them to such a crazy event. There's such a mix of downhill racers, freeriders, and even slopestyle riders. How do you go about selecting them? In the past few years, it's been Rob Warner doing the selection. Then this year, it's been me and Vanya from HQ. It's a really, really difficult job actually. You speak to riders and they all want to come, but mountain biking and the World Cup has got to such a point now. There's so much money on the line and so much pressure from teams and sponsors that they do have to think, okay, how does my whole season look? Not just how does the coverage from one race look. We would love to have guys like Bruni here and the top guys, but we understand that there's so much pressure. What was that? Jumps a little bit further right there. Looks smooth. Phenomenal. Absolutely madness. The pace he's carrying down here then. 10 to 21 in just a couple of days time. He does it as well. Not as clean as Troy though. Over the Canadian. He's got the Australian line and that might be crucial. 3.1 up in the last second. Goldstone carrying that speed down here now. Just everywhere gaining speed like where nobody else is pumping. His wheels are on the ground. You see him crouched. This has been an absolutely unbelievable comeback then from Jackson Goldstone. Here he comes. 2.3, 17. Well ahead of the qualifying time. Personally, for me, I'm loving this event way more than a World Cup. I feel so much more involved with this event. I feel wanted. I feel like people are working together and we all hang out together. We're staying together. I'm absolutely loving it. I think this event is sick. Ace of a man then on track. What can he do here? The last man down the mountain. Can he deny Jackson Goldstone that win here today? It's no secret that the Hardline Series has blown up on social media with crazy gaps and mad POVs. Could we see a full Hardline calendar and potentially finally a competitor to the World Cup circuit? So deep up there. I think for now, having it as key events is good because we can keep that progression going and keep pushing hard. For Matt, throwing everything at it. I wonder if he's seen that inside as well. It sounded like Jackson. That was the first time he's done it. You know, you need riders to be able to come in, put everything on the line, push the progression of the sport, step away, and then we work again on progressing the next event. So good. As I said, a first-year junior world champion. Only Samuel, Troy, Brosnan, Nikul, Muya have done the double. He is faster by 0.2, the Goldstone. I mean, at the end of the day, it's gnarly. It's called Hardline for a reason and it is the gnarliest stuff I've ever ridden. Is he going to do it? No. He goes outside. Oh, no. Also a bit of a mistake. He can stall a bit in that right-hander there as well. It's been fun, but it definitely is a focused fun. You really got to pay attention and kind of be on it. And he pulled back 0.9 at the end of the track. It's not actually impossible, but it would be. Yeah, I didn't know about that line coming into that finals run. We were at the top. I was third last rider to drop and Troy was just ahead of me and I saw him do the line and go up at the split and gain a lot of time. So I knew that that line was going to be quicker. I didn't know how it angle was to hit it at and all that. So coming into that section, I was just scoping it out a little bit and definitely didn't do it as fast as the guys who practiced it before, but it still paid off and helped me win the race for sure. Because it was only 0.2 of a second by the time they came down to the finish line and we're looking for even hundredths of a second out there. So any little thing counts to try and get that extra time. And with that 2025 winning run, Hardline may have been changed forever. To be honest, when I'm at these events, I actually just, I kind of was in Queenstown getting nervous about it and stressing about getting quick and whatnot. And when I got here, I was like, dude, enjoy yourself. We're so lucky to be able to come to these events. You get looked after nicely. You ride a prep track that's epic. There's media everywhere to get you some cool stuff. We get looked after. There's food and drink and whatever you want. Actually, we don't realize it enough, but it's like a money can't buy experience that is just unreal. It doesn't matter how bloody baller you are. You are so lucky to be one of those 20 or 30 people in the world to get selected to come hang out and ride here for the week. Mountain biking has got so big that maybe it is the right time for people to start to specialize in different things. I think with these events, with Hardline, every few years there's going to be a big jump in progression. That's really going to see who those riders are and who can step up to that level. There you have it, guys. Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, one of the gnarliest events I've ever been to. What do you guys think? Is this the gnarliest event in the world? Let us know in the comments below. Of course, don't forget to like and subscribe. I'll catch you in the next one.