The season’s Downhill racing has started. It’s official. What did you make of the new Tasmanian Red Bull Hardline event? Here are some takeaways from our point of view.
1. Gracey Hemstreet and Louise Ferguson are made of strong stuff.
Gracey Hemstreet’s back wheel and tyre went their separate ways when landing a huge drop in practice, resulting in a huge crash. She bounced back, completed the course and qualifying runs, and became the first woman to race Red Bull Hardline. Meanwhile, Louise Ferguson crashed twice in her race run, but still went on to hit every feature and complete the course. Hitting those massive jumps after taking such slams… just wow. Nerves of steel and heaps of grit. Rachel Atherton recently tipped Gracey as one to watch – the athlete who might take on Rachel’s record of titles. She might well be right.
2. Hardline: it’s hard.
Matt Jones forgot his passport so was late to arrive in Tasmania and missed the track walk day. His vlog shows him struggling his way down an unknown course, unable to stay on the tail of other riders to give him clues as to what’s coming up. He’s dragging the brakes and stopping above features he’d easily clear if he’d known they were there, getting tired because he’s dragging the brakes, and then riding worse and losing confidence because he’s getting tired. It’s a nice bit of reality and vulnerability from a pro rider – and there’s probably a fair bit in there many of us can relate to from our own bad days on the trail.
3. Hardline: it’s not that hard.
Well, Rónán Dunne made it look easy. With his bike arriving late, he had around a day and half less practice time than other riders and still took the win in an absolutely blistering time. Him and his Mondraker team mates this year should make for some great viewing in the World Series.
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4. Hardline: it is a race.
There were a few there from the freeride scene – who could ride the course, but not at the pace needed to bother the podium. But it wasn’t just the speed that made things harder for the freeriders – the length of the course proved a challenge, both in endurance terms and for learning the track. The seasoned DH riders found it much easier to remember the course and learn what features were coming next and what lines to take. Witness one of the slowest riders down, Reed Boggs, tackling his race run. If more courses get added to the Hardline series, we could well have a pretty epic race series to watch in years to come. Could it ever rival the World Series? 5000 fans turned out to watch this Tasmanian event. Not a bad start.
5. Tahnée Seagrave can commentate.
Dropped into the commentary box at the last minute after not making the start list (you had to complete all the features to race, and the wind kept her from ticking off the last jump), Tahnée joined Rob Warner and Eliot Jackson for much of the race. It was so slick you’d think it was pre-recorded. Useful and insightful commentary that helped us understand what the riders’ process was. Nice one.
6. It’s not about the kit
Ok, if you’re at the pointy end of the race, it is – riders were making adjustments of just one psi or click to their set ups to get things just right. But there was also Remy Morton with his chainless Specialized Demo with 26/24 mullet. And Dennis Luffman who turned up with a Canyon Sender so old and battered that it was deemed unfit to race. He ended up competing on Dan Atherton’s bike – and wearing baggy jeans tucked into his socks. A nice reminder that mountain biking is about having fun, not shopping.
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania 2024 Results
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania Final results:
| Rónán Dunne | IRL | 3:08.145 |
| Bernard Kerr | GBR | 3:10.021 |
| George Brannigan | NZL | 3:11.021 |
| Matteo Ingiuez | FRA | 3:13.047 |
| Connor Fearon | AUS | 3:13.469 |
| Laurie Greenland | GBR | 3:14.177 |
| Sam Gale | NZL | 3:14.700 |
| Sam Blenkinsop | NZL | 3:14.721 |
| Theo Erlangsen | RSA | 3:15.807 |
| Gaeton Vige | FRA | 3:15.844 |
| Brook MacDonald | NZL | 3:16.607 |
| Baxter Maiwald | AUS | 3:18.072 |
| Adam Brayton | GBR | 3:18.508 |
| Thibault Laly | FRA | 3:18.727 |
| Kaos Seagrave | GBR | 3:20.832 |
| Vincent Tupin | FRA | 3:21.447 |
| Jim Monro | GBR | 3:22.525 |
| Dennis Luffman | GBR | 3:25.487 |
| Johny Salido | MEX | 3:36.340 |
| Remy Morton | AUS | 3:45.607 |
| Matt Jones | GBR | 3:54.107 |
| Gracey Hemstreet | CAN | 3:56.586 |
| Reed Boggs | USA | 3:59.562 |
| Thoomas Genon | BEL | 4:19.916 |
| Louise-Anna Ferguson | GBR | 5:08.412 |
| Dan Booker | AUS | DNF |
| Jackson Goldstone | CAN | DNF |
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