Hardline Tasmania

these events are carefully calculated around the ROI.

Of course they are. As are their sponsored riders. But they appear to be doing it in a way that works for both the rider and the fan. Seeing Red Bull advertising that has no influence on my purchasing decisions is £7.99 a month cheaper than a discovery subscription.

They are just as money motivated as WB and Discovery but everyone gives them a free pass for some reason.

WB took a previously free product and put it behind a paywall with no benefit to fan or rider whilst messing with the format in a way that wasn’t popular. It’s not a free pass as such, there was also criticism of Red Bull’s world cup coverage, but it’s alot better than WB.

I also struggle with all the hype when clearly most of the top racers aren’t interested.

Meh. It’s a pre season race in a hard to access location and a mid season race with high injury risk. I don’t think anyone is expecting a WC calibre entry. I’d rather have seen the likes of Kade and Brage rather than two more top 10 World Cup riders.

Interesting seeing Ronan in one of the Vlogs saying how much more it meant to win than a WC and how nice it was to actually win some proper prize money.

don’t think he compared it to winning a WC, considering he’s not done that.

don’t think he compared it to winning a WC, considering he’s not done that.

I think it was just an awkward wording in his excitement (and possibly being wired to the moon on RB).

I felt he was just trying to say he’d rather win Hardline than a WC, or preferred the event.

Good Downtime podcast with Louise

That Amazing Run at Hardline Tasmania With Louise Ferguson

I read that hardline has ended both Kade and Goldstones seasons before they even started. Healing vibes to them both

Bizarre way of looking at it. If they’d crashed in their local woods, would their local woods be responsible ? No, not really. It’s just a place, a day, we/they/everyone crashes, what if they’d crashed in the recent Portuguese DH or the Spanish one…. It’s just an event.

That’s a really strange way of thinking.

But they weren’t riding in the local woods. They were at a promotional event for sponsors. I doubt they ride that hard or take the same level of risks in their local woods

Lol of course they do. Otherwise they’d never progress to higher levels. They have to ride, race, test, practice, push. That’s all part of being a sportsman.

Think of Bernal or Froome crashing, should they never have been riding?

Kolb and A’Hern were injured pre season previously, Myriam too.

Chrismac70 has been getting downvoted into oblivion on Pinkbike for exactly the same “promotional events” conspiracy theories.

You’re very persistent for someone with no point to make.

Did someone at Red Bull steal your wife or something?

For an alternative view of Goldstone’s stack see 1:45 on this video:

So @chrismac how about Asa Vermette this weekend in a no-name race in Tennessee ? Should he have been racing ?

I get why somebody might be mildly irritated by the whole RedBull self promotion and hype machine, but only mildly. I can’t fathom why anyone would make it a cross to burden like Chrismac does!

As yet another example, Marine Cabirou broke a vertebrae training over winter 2021.

You can’t let Vermette into the elusive preseason club just yet, the Tennessee National is a C1 race. Hopefully as he’s a youngster, we’ll still get to see him light up the tracks sometime this year.

That section looks a hell of a lot steeper than it did on the live feed!

It always happens at Hardline that people don’t appreciate just how difficult the track is in between the gigantic features. The Welsh one looks extremely difficult in between the jumps, especially up top with all the off camber slabs which are always soaking wet.

I read that hardline has ended both Kade and Goldstones seasons before they even started. Healing vibes to them both

You read wrong. Kade wasn’t even at Hardline.

Jackson’s crash wasn’t on one of the big features, so I wouldn’t say is Hardline specific (unlike Dave Mcmillan for example). Injuries can happen when you’re riding bikes fast down a hill.

Time to drop the little Red Bull vendetta, it’s making you look a bit silly.

edit – both Kade and Jackson have thanked Red Bull for their part in the surgery. There’s not many other sponsors that get recognition like this.

It’s no cross to burden. I just get a bit rilled by this whole RedBull are the saviours of the sport, are only doing this to help the sport, and can do no wrong attitude that many, but by no means all, seem to have. That and the over hype to cover up that most of the best aren’t there.

@Mark, it’s hardly unusual for sponsored athletes to thank their sponsors.

I can’t think of any other examples where sponsors are thanked for going the extra mile to assist injured riders. Happy to be shown otherwise.

As i already said, no one is saying Red Bull are holier than thou, but I don’t see anyone doing anything better… Their WC coverage was better than what replaced it. They are title sponsor of the leading freeride and slopestlye events. They are the sponsor riders strive for.

 I just get a bit rilled by this

In your case “a bit” is doing a lot of work in that sentence.

I can’t think of any other examples where sponsors are thanked for going the extra mile to assist injured riders.

Pretty sure they are known in the moto world for giving brilliant support to their injured riders too.