I see the rider lineup has been announced. Not taking it away from those listed, but im a little disappointed.
Its supposedly the most extreme course ever but the rider list, to me, doesn't reflect that with first timers and enduro riders listed. Disappointed that Bernard Kerr isn't going to be there.
I wonder why they are all British riders? Is this the result of covid and travel? or has the lure of competing diminished for foreign riders?
Is this the result of covid and travel?
I think this is more likely than riders simply getting bored.
That was my thought, but covid and travel hasn't stopped attendance of WC's and crankworx. I wonder if the invites didn't extend beyond British riders.
This is Brexit beginning to bite 🙂
It's only the first wave of riders announced, so expect international riders to be added next. I listened to the Moving the Needle podcast last week with Ed Masters on it and he has opted out this year, not because he doesn't like the event, but that it's bang in the middle of the race season and he doesn't want to nail himself. I imagine this may be a similar story for those at the sharp end of the WC, also sponsors may not be wanting them to either depending on their focus.
It's in the middle of the World Cup/EWS season too so a lot of riders are concentrating on that. Ed Masters for example was talking about it with Andrew Neethling on his post Les Gets podcast. I imagine characters like Bernard Kerr are thinking the same.
yeah, it's normally once the season's done and there's still enough time to recover if you spanner yourself (high chance really)
I went to see it a couple of years ago, they had invited a load of riders, I seem to recall about 11 turned up.
Out of those a few took one look and bailed out before practice. Then some broke themselves in practice and gave up. Then on the morning it was wet and a few more bailed out.
Basically its very hard/tough and if you are in the middle of a season for a team that's paying you, it could be in your contract that you don't go and do something daft.
In real life it looked significantly harder than the WCDH course I was at in France a few years back.
It doesn't need a roster of top 20 WC riders to make a good event either. The current list is a pretty strong line up of UK riders that are prepared to send it big (the race is one thing, but the practice is well covered too so good rider/sponsor exposure). Give some others a chance for some limelight.
@razorrazoo damn right, really enjoy his insights. Loads of inside knowledge and he's also really articulate. Enjoyed the Nathan Rennie episode recently for example.
Anyway, as above, looks a pretty good line up. Must be a reason for not doing it in it's usual slot around September after the race season is over
my mistake then - i didnt realise that was just the first wave of riders.
I had thoughts of when i went in 2015 and only 8 riders were still standing come finals day.
Are you kidding? It's a great line up. That there is some of the Uk's best and most entertaining riding talent. I would like to see who else they could invite that would be more exciting to watch than the likes or Fairclough or Atwill for example. It will be a sight to behold.
Lineup so far is people who could rather than should make it onto a world cup live feed - they'll get far more TV time on hardline. The top guys, is it worth the risk midseason, considering the fickle nature of their employment/sponsors, probably not.
No spectators, that can't be right, lockdown ends the week before the event.
in Wales ?
endomick
No spectators, that can’t be right, lockdown ends the week before the event.
Probably a big risk to take to go through all the setup and logistics needed for spectators, given the date for ending lockdown could easily get pushed back
To be fair, you only need Kade Edwards there to make it worth watching
If it were just that lot it'd still be a really good event. Quite likely there'll be more big names as well.
Odd not to see Kade and Bernard on that list of UK riders though. And why couldn't Cannondale dig a DH bike out from somewhere and make Ratboy enter?
Copied from PB...
Charlie Hatton
Kaos Seagrave
Brendan Fairclough
Adam Brayton
Craig Evans
Joe Smith
Harry Molloy
Joe Breeden
Jono Jones
Elliot Heap
Phil Atwill
Matt Hockenhull
I can only conclude you're not looking at the same list as me?
Because I'm seeing
Charlie Hatton
Kaos Seagrave
Brendan Fairclough
Adam Brayton
Craig Evans
Joe Smith
Harry Molloy
Joe Breeden
Jono Jones
Elliot Heap
Phil Atwill
Matt Hockenhull
That's a pretty damn stylish, entertaining and talented bunch!
I saw it live a couple of years ago. TBH it really wont matter who is attempting to ride the course, its visually amazing. As a rider comes by you really wont know who they are, the level of skill and commitment are off the scale, that's the entertainment. So moaning about who is or isn't coming does seem daft.
Its the course that's entertaining, sure Kade trying to do a backflip mid run is great, but seeing them live is enough whoever they are.
im not moaning about the rider list - just saying im a little disappointed. That is partly due to no international riders, but also that there was only 12 riders listed. I acknowledged that i didnt realise there were more names to be released.
Ive been to see it live three times, and 2015 is partly why i was disappointed, as by quali and finals day, only 8 riders were left. Yes it is visually stunning, but the attrition rate is high due to both injuries and also riders not actually riding ie Matt Jones, so my disappointment was led by my concern that of the 12 listed, only a handful would be left by finals day.
The fact that some of the best riders in the world turn up and think "**** this for a game of soldiers" reinforces how nuts it really is.
Would be interesting to see a few freeriders participating, but perhaps Dan deliberately keeps it just for the DH race crowd?
Imagine Andreu Lacondeguy having a go at it though.
Would be interesting to see a few freeriders participating
While I'll admit he's more slopestyle than freeride, but they invited Matt Jones a few years back, who's clearly OK with being in the air off massive jumps and what have you, and he was basically crying for his mum* at the end of practice day.
* not that I blame him at all, but he made a YouTube that's worth digging out, he admits half way down that he's so waaaay out of his comfort zone, it's insightful
I meant the kind who do Rampage.
Jono Jones is Matt Jones’ twin brother. So I guess there’s been some goading going on round their mum’s house.
Good line up gets even better, few more riders in including Kade, Brage and Bernard. More to be announced soon by the look of it.
Interesting to see Matt Walker in there as well.
His name wouldn't have sprung to mind, but he's probably not having the year he hoped in the WC overall so maybe decided to branch out a bit.
Now someone will probably tell me he's done it three times before.
To save everyone looking for it:
Hardline Wave 2 riders
Laurie Greenland
Kade Edwards
George Brannigan
Bernard Kerr
Brage Vestavik
Matt Walker
Hardline Wave 1 riders
Charlie Hatton
Kaos Seagrave
Brendan Fairclough
Adam Brayton
Craig Evans
Joe Smith
Harry Molloy
Joe Breeden
Jono Jones
Elliot Heap
Phil Atwill
Matt Hockenhull
Updated list:
Hardline Wave 3 Riders
Lewis Buchanan
Oscar Harnstrom
Gaetan Vige
Jerome Caroli
Johny Salido
Matteo Iniguez
Thibault Laly
Thomas Genon
Sam Gale
Vincent Tupin
Johannes Fischbach
Jim Monro
Josh Lowe
Theo Erlangsen
Hardline Wave 2 riders
Laurie Greenland
Kade Edwards
George Brannigan
Bernard Kerr
Brage Vestavik
Matt Walker
Hardline Wave 1 riders
Charlie Hatton
Kaos Seagrave
Brendan Fairclough
Adam Brayton
Craig Evans
Joe Smith
Harry Molloy
Joe Breeden (Update: Injured at British Champs and will no longer compete)
Jono Jones
Elliot Heap
Phil Atwill
Matt Hockenhull
Very much looking forward to watching this event. Nicely timed in between other live streamed races dotted about, and I expect to be hungover Sunday so this will help ease it!
Reece Wilson joining Rob Warner on commentary.
Are any women doing this? Asking for a friend.
4 mins in.... !!!
Friday Night = Pit Bike 'World Champs' mayhem. Looks a whole bunch of fun.
Plot twist - everyone is secretly hoping for a semi-serious injury (twisted ankle maybe!) falling off a pitty so they dont have to race the Hardline over the weekend!
Bernards track walk through (skip to 6.30 for the track walk)
Wow, hats off to those guys
I’ve been watching loads of rider clips on Insta; holy sh*tballs there’s some big old gaps. I’d love to watch it at Hardline to really appreciate the speed and size of it. Few of the crashes are eye opening, hope everyone gets through the weekend unscathed.
They actually look pretty scared - un-flipping-surprisingly !
Just how the 'F' do you ride something like that road gap without seeing the landing for the first time. Even if you do it once and live, you have to repeat it at the same speed for a further few goes !
If you only watch one Insta clip from Hardline...
Shame on STW for not fixing the Insta embed function BTW
And if you watch a second...
Laurie appears to bail because of a flat, but was the guy behind trying to land on the moon?
Trimix
Just how the ‘F’ do you ride something like that road gap without seeing the landing for the first time. Even if you do it once and live, you have to repeat it at the same speed for a further few goes !
Bernard Kerr seems to have taken all the young lads under his wing, been towing folks in, showing them the speed, etc
Every year Gee (Atherton, obvs) who with Dan and their team build the course, tends to be the guy that does the 'test runs', IE to work out whether the course is actually rideable, and what speed you need to hit the gaps at. Then at the start of Hardline week Gee 'tows in' all the riders, especially those who are new to Hardline, to get them all down the course for their first run.
Of course, Gee is a certified hard as nails lunatic, but also related to that is currently not dong much riding!
So this year they invited 2019 winner and also fairly handy rider Bernard Kerr to come up to the course a couple of weeks back and be the test dummy - sussed out the drops, gave the course the OK etc.
Thus, this year, Bernard has taken on the task of being first man and helping everyone out with the tow in.
Yeah, but just who of any of us mortals would follow him in on a run. Even if he says "just follow me and you will be fine" - you would be in the air long enough to recite your will before hitting the ground.
That last Insta clip ! - Laurie crashes off the jump in a bail out (presumably) but the other bloke takes off like a bloody missile. That speed needed to launch to the landing looked faster than I've ever ridden my road bike, let alone MTB.
I tend to have mixed feelings about watching it live, love it, don't get me wrong. But a little bit of my brain says sooner or later you are going to be looking at 12 stone of badly wrapped mince meat lying at the bottom of a jump and waiting for Rob Warner to come up with a funny quip.
The track walk vlogs on Vital MTB are ball shrinkingly scary.
I still think the Gopro footage makes it look easier than it is, only cos they're going race speed. But the new drop doesn't look too bad on the Kerr POV but obviously its massive.
same with the road gap, at race speed it looks like you're in the air for as long as the Chatel road gap or something, and you start thinking that if you're at the top of the game you'd have a look at it.
But then you see how big it is in a still shot and you run and hide behind the sofa, or at least I do.
what Im trying to say is that helmet cam flattens everything, or makes it look smaller
