Redbull Hardline – 2024

Just watched the replay after driving home from wales (unrelated). Such a good watch, even my wife was engrossed in it, and she thinks I’m a bike weirdo!

“It’s a great course because as far as I can see no one has rode it all perfectly, so there’s always an opportunity to gain time”

Perhaps we’ll see Bruni next year, if Spesh will allow it, Goldstone and Pierron too.

Not sure about the shoe-champagne thing

It’s the worst thing to hit MTB since fist bumping.

Well that was superb, hats off to everyone involved and the commitment of the riders 🙂 it even had our MTB totally disinterested wives gripped!

Great race! Glad the track still has plenty of tech, that’s what makes it a great race to watch even if the massive features are what most scares the riders and gets the clicks online.

Makes it painfully obvious how the WC DH broadcasting is now missing the mark though…

The tech was where it was won or lost, not the features. But completely agree about the coverage. Next up we have leogang which is frankly going to seem like a snooze fest compared to today.

Hardline breakaway series ftw. They’ve got the money to do it.

Its already a competing series, no doubt the UCI will try to ban it soon

Sensational race, some ridiculous lines from the top riders.

Commentary was great

Felt Tanhee could have had a little more enthusiasm in her voice….

Was it bad weather then @alpin? That’s funny because I just watched a superb race in pretty much ideal conditions

Was expecting to watch it at 4:20 GMT but it was delayed due to high winds…. I’m sure that was the same for you…

Felt Tanhee could have had a little more enthusiasm in her voice….

She does talk well on the subject, but my wife can’t stand her voice – i think her accent is a bit unfortunate and it does make her sound a bit disinterested.

Not sure about the shoe-champagne thing

It’s the worst thing to hit MTB since fist bumping

It’s been a thing in kayaking forever.
If you have a swim, you have to drink a beer from your neoprene shoe.

Interesting to see it used as a celebration rather than a forfeit 🙂

Fantastic event with great coverage too, the footage put you right in the action.
Wish the UCI would watch this and drop the excuses about how hard it is to film a whole run

Only gripe was timing on screen didn’t  show for the early men and no rider names. This was the YT replay. For anyone watching sound off meant not a clue what was happening.

Where is crismac? I’d love to know if he watched it and what his opinion was.

I know one of his main arguments is that it’s not a proper race because “the world’s best don’t show up”.

I definitely saw the current DH world champ sitting in the hot seat and the most recent world cup winner take the win.

It was great to see the properly fast lads show up and treat it like a race track rather than a series of big hits. I don’t think the ‘freeracers’ will get a look in now.

I thought Tahnee was great. I’d happily get rid of Warner tho.

BK threw it at the top. He just overdid it, once again. I’m gutted for him, but he’s his own obstacle. I’m actually surprised that Rob* didn’t mention spaniels on heat!

Velez hasn’t scored a single WC point as yet, but finished 3rd.

There’s still a distinct lack of the big dogs showing up. We don’t need Chrismac to point that out to us that next week is Leogang and for many teams, the WC is too important to them to permit riders to compete in something as insane as Hardline.

*Rob Warner’s mangling of foreign names and places still hasn’t improved.

Loved it, great racing. The Street racing lads were blisteringly fast. Commentary was superb.

I don’t won’t to be ‘that guy’ but maybe a couple of catch nets on the edge of the cliffs wouldn’t go amiss…

I did watch the top 10. Tannee was the better commentator. Dune deserved the win. I was more impressed by the tech sections than the jumps.

iI was surprised by the lack of safety. Tibault got very close to going off a cliff.  I would be interested in the reaction ifWBD/UCI delayed the start for 2 hours

Velez hasn’t scored a single WC point as yet, but finished 3rd.

I don’t think they compare really do they? The top ten in the WC are often on the same second, the top 20 are often split by 5 seconds or less. In this field? Not so much. Plus some of those riders aren’t going for speed, but just to complete it. The Jones brothers for example.

but maybe a couple of catch nets on the edge of the cliffs wouldn’t go amiss…

I hadn’t realised before the drone shot, just how close to a cliff parts of the course are!

Really enjoyed all of that, great racing.

I thought Tahnee was great. I’d happily get rid of Warner tho.

I thought the pair of them were great, over excited Rob with someone to bring him down slightly works well. No idea how much commentary Tahnee has done before but think she did a great job.

I don’t won’t to be ‘that guy’ but maybe a couple of catch nets on the edge of the cliffs wouldn’t go amiss…

Yeah that was pretty close for Laly, one of the replays showed a rock sliding over the edge 😮

Velez hasn’t scored a single WC point as yet, but finished 3rd.

He hasn’t made the semis yet. It just shows the level of talent at the WCDH races as Velez is clearly super talented

BK threw it at the top. He just overdid it, once again

Mr. Kerr appears to have a new coach! 😂

If there’s anyone on the circuit that has needed a mental coach to help reign it in a little when the big occasion comes, it’s him!

Top sections looked really rough, you could see the bikes bouncing all over the shop (possibly as their suspension was set so hard for the jumps).

Kudos to all the riders. It’s interesting to see how the different types of pro (and non-pro) stack up, even if we know a current WC DH racer will be taking the win.

Yep commentary was great, but surely Rob & Tahnee must have expected Brayton’s time to stick until another racer got a full run in?

Ronan was looking ominously good. Really hoping he can maintain form for a serious crack at the WC overall this year.

The Columbians were sensational, and struggle to see much overlap between street racing and Welsh gnar

There’s an Instagram clip of the two Colombians hitting the on/off and then the 90s foot doubles side by side

It was great racing and wish I could watch WC as easily, on YouTube catch-up with multiple cameras etc

I’d like to see the north American rampage lot down there, we’ve only seen Kyle strait haven’t we? And he was pretty understated last year. They’re not gonna win though obvs

struggle to see much overlap between street racing and Welsh gnar

Ability to turn brain off and go full send? 😀

struggle to see much overlap between street racing and Welsh gnar

**** fast, brilliant bike handlers?

I didn’t watch it all but there was zero mention of the canyon gap that got everyone frothing earlier in the week.

It’s almost like they did it for the clicks and there was never any intention to have it in the event…

There’s an Instagram clip of the two Colombians hitting the on/off and then the 90s foot doubles side by side

Saw Matteo Iniguez and Thibault Laly, but not the Colombians. It’s a very “Laly” sort of thing to do.

I’m confident that they’ll sort out the line over the ravine and the jump back across for next year, although it’ll almost be a pity because the last minute detour was the best thing about this year’s race. It redressed the balance of seriously tech stuff Vs impressive looking jumps, imo.

I was wondering about the canyon gap. I’m not familiar with the area but you could see it in the background descending from what looked like a completely different starting point.

It was very convenient that they had a whole new track prepared ready to use when the gap was condemned.

I think the start point was the same. If you watch Kerr’s YouTube of last week, you can see where they re-routed to re-join the track just after the metal ramp step up.

Canyon jump will be in next year I reckon.

‘no overlap’ – just meant it as a compliment to them as the terrain and environment is so far removed, and they were both first timers on  the course and (presumably) first time in UK . Plus I always thought you had to be a world cup regular to have that edge in speed (craig Evans apart)

Felt Tanhee could have had a little more enthusiasm in her voice….

I liked her – shes obviously a fairly quiet person naturally, but thinks things through. Worked well with Rob.

Rachel Atherton has done the commentary before, she was bloody awful. Everything was sick, gnarly and screechy. No thanks

I think Hardline Wales has something very special going for it. The terrain, the views etc all add up to great sceptical. Tazmania was more of a bike park ride in comparison.

They could make a Hardline series. I do think location / terrain is more important than the ‘big feature’ thing.

I kind of feel sorry for Ronan Dunne getting a Red Bull helmet. I imagine for Red Bull its less about Ronan and just making sure they have some one at the front of World Cup DH wearing their kit.

The Columbians were sensational, and struggle to see much overlap between street racing and Welsh gnar

I ride regularly with a Colombian. He absolutely loves rough tracks (up and down) and says that really is the only thing to ride in Colombia because they don’t really have bike parks…just massive hills

Plus I always thought you had to be a world cup regular to have that edge in speed (craig Evans apart)

Craig Evans was a world cup regular in 2017.

I’d love to know how many other top riders were watching at home wishing they were a part of the show or hoping to get an invite for the next one.

Sponsorship is all about exposure and the organisers are throttling the world cup. I bet lots of people are considering all the options.

@fingerbang

They’re both world cup regulars, but because of their age (20 & 21) are just under the radar at the moment. As a junior Holguin shared a podium with Goldstone at Snowshoe and was 6th at Mt Sainte Anne. They will find their form some time soon and this might just be the catalyst for Juanfer to start making it into and through semis.

They could make a Hardline series. I do think location / terrain is more important than the ‘big feature’ thing.

Very much this. It’s the destination event sized hole that EWS used to fill, ironically enough.

@lister – I think it is here https://maps.app.goo.gl/HN9adMuCbPgvNRCF8

If you use satellite view you can see the outline of the jumps and road gap

They could make a Hardline series. I do think location / terrain is more important than the ‘big feature’ thing.

The point of the event is the ‘big feature thing’, it’s literally in the name. Hence the Cannon, the Road Gap, the Canyon Gap, the 90 footers…

I feel like a series is inevitable.

Patiently awaiting information.

Rat boy mentioned in a vid that there has been talks of a series, or a different one each year. He said that Norway was being talked about.