When photos first emerged of the canyon gap at Red Bull Hardline over the weekend we all gulped. Since then, quite a lot has happened. Here’s a round up of what’s what so far:
What Is That Canyon Gap?
For those who have been under a rock this weekend, here’s what the fuss is about.
Who Is Riding At Hardline Wales 2024?
Who is lined up to tackle the course, and that gap? Here’s the men’s start list for Red Bull Hardline, Wales 2024:
Adam Brayton
UK
Alex Storr
UK
Bernard Kerr
UK
Brendan Fairclough
UK
Brook MacDonald
NZL
Charlie Hatton
UK
Craig Evans
UK
Dennis Luffman
UK
Edgar Briole
FRA
Gaetan Vige
FRA
George Brannigan
NZ
Harry Molloy
UK
Jim Monro
UK
Jono Jones
UK
Josh Bryceland
UK
Josh Lowe
UK
Juanfer Velez
COL
Matt Jones
UK
Matteo Iniguez
FRA
Matteo Iniguez
FRA
Ronan Dunne
IRL
Sam Blenkinsop
NZ
Sam Gale
NZ
Sam Hockenhull
UK
Sebastian Holguin
COL
Szymon Godziek
POL
Taylor Vernon
UK
Theo Erlangsen
SA
Thibault Laly
FRA
Thomas Genon
BEL
Vincent Tupin
FRA
Tahnée Seagrave, Cami Nogueira, Hannah Bergmann, Louise-Anna Ferguson and Vaea Verbeeck began training on Monday.
Sam Reynolds didn’t like how it looked, and he wasn’t wrong:
Sam does the ‘OK’ in inverted commas, and indeed, is a concussion OK? Yes, it’s better than falling into the actual canyon, but a brain injury is still an injury.
Got spat out of this one pretty hard but somehow came away with just a concussion, thanks everyone for the help off the hill
Jim Monro – Instagram
Brendan Fairclough is apparently less worried:
Dean Lucas thinks it’s all gone too far:
There’s a bit of debate over on the Forum about what’s driving this. Is it progression or attention seeking? Will people do this stuff anyway, or is it pressure for attention and sponsors? What’s the difference between this and Red Bull Rampage?
2p From Me
For me, the key difference between Red Bull Hardline and Red Bull Rampage is twofold. One: Nothing at Rampage is mandatory – even the built features that are provided don’t have to be ridden. You dig and build your own thing, to your own tune, to your own strengths. There’s no ‘here’s a thing if you think you’re hard enough’ pressure to add into the mix. Two: Hardline is a race. Riders aren’t just aiming to clear the features, they’re aiming to do it at speed. I’m unconvinced that switching between red-mist race brain and Nitro-Circus level feature clearing is a great combination.
I’ve have many debates with people before about the ways in which I think Red Bull Rampage manages to tread just the right side of controlled risk taking vs glorifying self destruction. I don’t think I can step to the defence of this feature in the context of Hardline.
2p From Mark
He’s lucky to be alive and the problem I have is that the cost of entry to trying something like this is a bike, some wood and a massively dangerous drop. The first death from this is probably likely to be someone copying it in their local quarry.
Caveat: I’m 53 years old.
Back in the ‘olden’ days impressive stunts like this were common on the tellybox. Saturday night TV was full of it. But there was always a big fat notice or a presenter who said, ‘Don’t try this at home…. professional this and that blah’. Not that this made any difference to whether kids went into the park and spannered themselves but it at least showed that the producers were aware of the risks and the danger that showing it could cause. Red Bull don’t seem to care at all as long as it gets the clicks and engagement. I have a moral issue with this stuff and the fact the driving force is weighted too much towards commercial interests with questionable care given to the consequences. The policy seems to be, go bigger than we did last time, which is kind of how it’s always been in all endeavors but at some point there’s going to be a limiting line and the price of crossing that line was almost paid in full by Jim here. If they really cared there would have been a net up right from the start, although it would not have helped Jim. They got really lucky. The Risk Asessement doc must be interesting read, if there is one.
I know, I know. I sound just like my dad.
2p From Benji
Maybe the riders like doing things like this? I imagine they’ve been doing stupid shit since young, which is how they got where they are. That’s my Devil’s Advocate mode. Not sure if I’m fussed either way tbh!
Add your 2p… head to the comments and/or vote in this poll:
How To Watch Hardline
If you’ve still got the stomach to watch it, Hardline will be broadcastlive globally on Red Bull TV on Sunday 2nd June at 2.30pm GMT. Ahead of the event, the week’s best action from course walk and practice will be on the Red Bull Bike YouTube.
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TT comparison is not entirely on all fours as (even) I could get round the TT course on a moped. That canyon gap is all or nothing. Either clear it or have a grim outcome.
Looks like it has been binned anyway? Cynical side wonders of this was always the plan for marketing..
Adam Brayton in his vid had BK saying it was his decision to say they needed a net, and that one could not be made quick enough
Brendog saying (@6.50) they won’t be doing the canyon gap this year but it’ll be back next…
Perfect that gives them 12 months to build a concrete ski jump in its place and put a bouncy castle in the bottom.
in all seriousness though, Ive have driven passed there when that waterfall has been in flood.You can guarantee that current structure would withstand a big rainfall, or I imagine high winds.
I would have allowed the canyon gap if it was built correctly. The height and distance obviously aren’t a problem. People have gone bigger in the past and Jimbo proved you can even do it without a bike.
It’s the stupid take off that’s the problem. It’s a rare case of the keyboard warriors being proved right but as soon as the first pictures appeared online people knew it wouldn’t work.
I’m no expert, but I can imagine most of that jump being sort of predetermined:
“If we’re going to do it, it needs to be *here*, and the landing needs to be *there*, and it needs to be a step-up because there’s no space for a big landing so we need people landing slow.
So the run in needs to go from there to there. We need x metres for a gap that’s worth all the bother and the loss of actual DH course, leaving y metres for flat bottom and run in.
Min. flat is z metres so the takeoff is going to have to be short and kicky or it means the gap’s going to be too small to make the all scaffolding worth the bother.”
OK so seeing as I got in early with “kicky” let’s keep it running. Next year, they redo it with a reshaped takeoff but also a whole different landing, moved off to the right by 2-3 metres. (which needs the ramp reshaped but I’m not thinking they’ll leave that up, anyway)
Double or nothing I’ll say no nets, or no full width net anyway, instead they address that just by making the whole thing safer, so that riders can focus on definitely clearing it and not have to worry so much about clearing it wrong, ie with there being no space to overshoot or go left or right. It gets much safer as soon as you don’t have to land in an area basically the size of my driveway
I’m not going to argue with or reply to anyone here but when I mentioned the Isle of Man TT it was in response to a suggestion that serious injuries/fatalities at this event will get future similar events banned. What has happened here is that Bernard Kerr has been asked to test some new parts of the track prior to the event taking place. He rode most of it and told the organisers/builders that parts of it weren’t going to work and they needed more safety precautions than they had in place, therefore the features in question will not be used in the event. I see no problem with this approach but I agree the jump looked like an accident waiting to happen the way it was built
It’s the stupid take off that’s the problem. It’s a rare case of the keyboard warriors being proved right
Oh **** off with the keyboard warriors pish. People called it as dangerous and lo and behold, the riders agreed.
Could you imagine how that would go if someone’s front wheel washed out? Or their bike gave up on the kicker?
I love how people are so quick to defend this shit when it’s someone else’s life in the balance. Extreme sport or not that doesn’t give anyone a pass on risk assessments or reasonably practicable mitigtions. Nobody is asking for sanitised courses, just consideration for the riders wellbeing. And before you start with the “they know the risks” patter, people often need saving from themselves. You want to see what happens if someone dies in an official event in the UK? I guarantee you nobody will be holding anything whilst the aftermath rumbles through the courts and the increased insurance costs and admin kills off the stuff us mortals want to do. Look at what an empty cattle truck falling into a ditch did to DH racing.
Oh **** off with the keyboard warriors pish. People called it as dangerous and lo and behold, the riders agreed.
Could you imagine how that would go if someone’s front wheel washed out? Or their bike gave up on the kicker?
In such a rush to post the asterisks you didn’t take the time to realise I’m saying the same thing you are? People saw the pictures and called it out. Then the test rides backed it up. I’m glad they’ve canned it for now.
Quite an eye opener seeing the track that close up and how jagged those rocks are. Chin breakers indeed.
Everyone focuses on the big features, it’s easy to miss the fact that all the ground in between the features is also absolutely horrendous.
In such a rush to post the asterisks you didn’t take the time to realise I’m saying the same thing you are? People saw the pictures and called it out. Then the test rides backed it up. I’m glad they’ve canned it for now.
@sharkattack apologies then, I misunderstood. I’ve been wading through far too many comments saying exactly what I thought you had.
bit alarmed by ratboy’s greying hair in BK’s latest LSD vid. I remember when he was a wee nipper riding Nannerch in Earthed 3. Also he seemed to be getting on with Gee?
Now the hype of the canyon gap has faded we can sit back and watch the fun…the best riders in the world working out how to piece a full run of this beast of a course together.
I love the vlogs that show the conversations between the riders about each section and the lines.
Looking forward to more and the race on Sunday – weather looks sorted for the next few days.
Looks like the women have hit the big classic road gap now which is pretty awesome. I reckon the canyon gap will be sorted for next year and pretty epic.. See if Brendan wants to flip it like his rampage canyon gap ha.
It’ll be great to see them hitting that new top section, it looks vicious up close.
Was nice to see them struggling with the top section, and having to work hard to get down it, never seen some of them ride so slow. However its incredible to see their fast progression from snails pace to almost race pace on it in a matter of hours.
I love Ronan Dunne’s course previews/onboards, they’re objectively absolutely awful because all you get is “oh jaysis… oh that was a bit… right we’re coming up now on eh… ooof…” but it just works. You get a sense of difficulty and hecticness that’s so often missing.
Question on Ronan getting the Red Bill helmet- how does that work? I’d assumed they get approached by RB, then negotiate a deal, but that Matt Jones vid seemed like he had no idea he was getting it. Or would they have have negotiated with his agent beforehand?
Its all negotiated and agreed up front, there has to be a signed deal on the off chance the rider doesn’t want it. I cant imagine that happens very often but but the odd person might. Then the helmet sponsor provides the helmets to get painted up ready for the announcement
It’s a much better spectator event than I imagined – walking up to the waterfall to watch them coming down the mountain and sending the big jumps then walking back down to the big screens to watch the final riders is great.
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