Kye Forte is one of the biggest BMX riders in the world, if not the biggest.

Now Kye has style for miles but even he would say this is bigging him up a bit much.

Kye Forte is also the current UK Masters DH champ and came 8th at the masters worlds

And I think he only picked up a DH bike a couple of years ago.

kayak23 – Member

What more do you want?

Someone he’s heard of…

I don’t follow soccer. Presumably if I went to a premier league game I’d be disappointed.

Homework time.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xdp-2wHJiA[/video]

Bernard Kerr Stoppie Sunday.

Stoppie Sunday 2

Seriously!

I don’t follow soccer. Presumably if I went to a premier league game I’d be disappointed.

Just like being a newcastle fan…

So no else agrees that the rider list contain less top stars than last year?
That’s all I was getting at.

And no troll was intended. I just wondered how many teams after watching last years would want their top stars risking life and limb for relatively no return.

Buying a ticket to a sporting event you clearly know almost nothing about and then complaining to the internet about not knowing who any of the competitors are?

Yeah. that’ll be someone else’s fault.

Who to blame though? Redbull or Dan Atherton (whoever he is)?

Maybe the riders are more suited to the course than the out and out DH racers who were more prevalent last year?

Genuine question – if you did a coca cola style blind tasting test – would many people know who’s being the helmet and goggles? Can people tell the rider from their style alone?

Stevet1 – Member

Maybe the riders are more suited to the course than the out and out DH racers who were more prevalent last year?

Back of the class for you too!!!

That’s at least as good a lineup as last year. Wee bit surprised to see Ruaridh in it mind, never really seen him as a hucker/nutter.

On the red bull website it says “Last year’s winner Danny Hart has signed up again and is very keen. Brendan Fairclough also has something to prove after his crash last year” and also says there will be 20 entrants so im guessing thats not everyone

I haven’t heard of any of them, aside from Gee :gasp:
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I know that’s not the line the cool kids here are taking.
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But that may be because the main sport I am into is coarse fishing.
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I’m not even sure why I’m on this forum really.
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I must’ve somehow joined up by mistake..

euans2 – Member

I agree there’s no MTB ‘A Listers’ on there

When did Gee stop becoming an “A Lister”?

Perhaps after they stopped making The Atherton Project. Or maybe because everyone forgot he was World Champ until Rob Warner reminded us at the start of the Worlds this year, or maybe after he lost ‘the big showdown’ between him and Steve Smith in 2013, but that’s unfair and untrue.

No, admittedly I could have covered it in caveats, but Gee’s a ‘given’ considering it’s an ‘Atherton Thing’.

edenvalleyboy – Member

Genuine question – if you did a coca cola style blind tasting test – would many people know who’s being the helmet and goggles? Can people tell the rider from their style alone?

Some of them for sure.

Genuine question – if you did a coca cola style blind tasting test – would many people know who’s being the helmet and goggles? Can people tell the rider from their style alone?

Its not about that tho, its for when he is taking selfies after the race, his mates wont know who any of the riders are. May as well not go if you cant get any decent instagram cred.

There’s some big names in there.

Ruaridh Cunningham is the biggest. Gosh, it’s 17 letters long..

DrP

Point proven by all above. I obviously don’t spend enough time watching or reading about other people ride.
Someone mentioned Danny Heart and it was him I was most surprised about not being on the list. I thought he would be back to defend last years win.

Gosh, it’s 17 letters long

only because he can’t spell Rory.

yeah looks like a decent enough list to me. i remember last year there were questions about non-runners and the line was that redbull athletes only could take part, which is why Monster Energy sponsored riders like the Syndicate boys and Brendog were not invited? i cba checking up on riders sponsors but im sure Danny Hart rides for that Rockstar Energy now, maybe this is why hes not listed?

And he definitely shouldn’t abbreviate his surname…

so as an aside, where exactly is this hardline track? will it effect me riding Dyfi on Sunday?

I must agree with the majority on here. Who were you expecting ? Why buy tickets for something you don’t follow that much and will have to spend a large amount of time driving to (unless you live in that part of the world). Crazy.

Anyway have a good time , just wish I could get the time off work to go. The speed they go and the size of the jumps/steepness is next level s**t.

Looks great to me and as someone else said, there are some riders in there this year perhaps more suited to the hucking and styling-it-up kind of riding the Hardline course seems to be designed for.

None of them are slow but the inclusion of Forte, Kerr, Lacondegeuy would seem to me that the organisers are hoping for some spectacular riding not just fast DH riding….someone like Lacondegeuy for example has no chance of winning this thing but he’ll put on a hell of a show, shame the other Lacondegeuy isn’t there too….some sibling rivalry always spices things up nicely!….maybe this is Luis’s chance to step out of the shadow created by his Rampage winning brother?

….and yeah, as others said Rampage is on soon and the top freeriders don’t want to break themselves before that one!

Dan Atherton said last year the whole point was to invite riders from different backgrounds and put them on the same course, Forte is from BMX, Luis Lacondegeuy is BMX, DH and freeride, Maes is an alien at just 17 years old rocks up and takes silver at the World Championships having spent a season racing Enduro…he’d be world class in whatever discipline he chose….then you have a solid BDS rider in Brayton who can turn it on for the cameras, ditto Al Bond….then the seriously fast WC downhill guys like Gee..looks bloody brilliant to me!…i’m going too on Sunday, best clear my phone’s memory as I reckon I might be capturing a fair bit of footage.

so as an aside, where exactly is this hardline track? will it effect me riding Dyfi on Sunday?

Track is in Dinas Mawddwy different valley to the Dyfi so no problem.

What was I expecting? A similar line up to last year with people I knew.
I wanted to go to watch the best riders in the world throwing them self-off that massive road gap first hand without the tv making it look smaller.
Being comfortable throwing myself off most of the biggest drops and gaps I encounter (Kinver Freeride Park for instance) I want to see in person the pro’s do it on a much bigger scale. Like after hitting some of the bigger gaps and jumps at Revo only to realise how small even the biggest jumps there are compared to what Dan Atherton built in the quarry next to it which He and Gee rode.

I’m surprised I don’t who these people are. As said I don’t spend that much time watching and reading about racing etc. but watch a few videos most days (that looks interesting) on the front page of pink bike and always watch the DH Highlights, rampage and some of the slopestyle. I have no interest in XC or Enduro but doubt any of these people come from that background.

The fact that they have been invited to ride means they are among the worlds best on a bike. You might not get all the biggest names in Dh, but you have some of the most talented bike riders on the planet.

How many of the redbull rampage riders do you know? Probably not that many, unless you follow freeride stuff.

Luis Lacondeguy rides similar sized jumps in hardline on a bmx

I have no interest in XC or Enduro but doubt any of these people come from that background.

Really, just google them, look at their R&R profiles ask if you can ride the course or just watch and write us a little review

I wanted to go to watch the best riders in the world throwing them self-off that massive road gap first hand without the tv making it look smaller.

And you get exactly that, it’s just they don’t all race DH world cups 😉

kudos100

And you get exactly that, it’s just they don’t all race DH world cups

I’m pretty sure everyone on that list has raced DH World Cups except Forte.

I’m surprised I don’t who these people are. As said I don’t spend that much time watching and reading about racing etc. but watch a few videos most days (that looks interesting) on the front page of pink bike and always watch the DH Highlights, rampage and some of the slopestyle.

Al Bond was a regular on the Atherton Project, raced for CRC/Nukeproof, now on Dirt/Orange team.
Brayton, well… its Brayton, how have you NOT heard of him!
Ruaridh-Cunningham has been Junior World Champ in 07, and at Fort Bill no less! (beating Bryce in the process, 34th Junior that year)
Bernard Kerr is always bigged up by Rob Warner as UK’s next big thing and has been top 20 in most WC this year.

Admitedly i dont know everyone (Mark Wallace, 11th UCI ranked DHer! He is Canadian tho).

I’m pretty sure everyone on that list has raced DH World Cups except Forte.

The point is they don’t all race DH world cups now, so the OP probably hasn’t heard of them.

He claims to only read the headlines and doesn’t follow things too closely. If so it’s unlikely that he knows one is a junior world champ, one rides a dh bike a few times year and wins junior world cups etc

UK DH rankings

UCI DH rankings

They are all up there.

kudos100

The point is they don’t all race DH world cups now, so the OP probably hasn’t heard of them.

I can’t be sure without checking but I think they’ve all raced WCs this year with the exception of Al Bond, Lacondeguy and Forte and Bondy’s just had shit luck and tons of injuries otherwise I’m sure he’d be well up there.

http://athertonracing.co.uk/2015/09/10/dan-atherton-sidelined-for-red-bull-hardline/
Well Dan is broken want to give him shit for that?

I can’t be sure without checking but I think they’ve all raced WCs this year with the exception of Al Bond, Lacondeguy and Forte and Bondy’s just had shit luck and tons of injuries otherwise I’m sure he’d be well up there.

I’m not sure what you are getting at? Yes they have pretty much all raced WC DH and some of them are racing some rounds, but they are not on the OP’s radar.

Point is, just because someone is not in the top 30 at WC DH every round, doesn’t mean they are not shit hot on a bike and among the worlds best.

Op seems to be someone who is not a big fan, the kind of person who would know Federer and Nadal or Messi and Rondaldo, but couldn’t name anyone outside the very top of the sport.

For someone who is a big fan of following mtb, the list is pretty bloody good.

mikewsmith – Member

http://athertonracing.co.uk/2015/09/10/dan-atherton-sidelined-for-red-bull-hardline/
Well Dan is broken want to give him shit for that?

This’ll be why I guess.

kudos100

I’m not sure what you are getting at?

You said “they don’t all ride world cups”, I pointed out that they did. You said “they don’t all ride world cups now” and I pointed out that they did. I’m being a pedant, isn’t it obvious 🙂

Lets not fight. We are basically in agreement. I’m pointing out for the sake of the OP that these guys are good (incredible) and that this is in no way a line up to be sniffed at.

My guess is that Redbull have stopped riders sponsored by other energy drink companies from competing. Rules out Fairclough and Hart etc.

fiver says thats Brayton saying OH ****

TheOtherJamie – Member

My guess is that Redbull have stopped riders sponsored by other energy drink companies from competing. Rules out Fairclough and Hart etc.

Hart raced last year when he when he was sponsored by Rockstar. Fairclough raced last year when he was sponsored by Monster. So, no. I don’t think that’s the case.

There’ll be different reasons for different riders. Lingering injuries, lack of funds. They may not be getting paid or be contracted to ride one off events, lack of team support etc so they might have to weigh up the potential winnings/pr with the cost of travel or injury.

Poor Dan, injured again.

🙁

Craig Evans. Get in.