Red Bull Hardline: 2023 Rider Announcement
Red Bull Hardline, the world’s toughest downhill mountain bike race, is hard by name, hard by nature. Pushing the limits is necessary where mistakes can be costly. Red Bull Hardline requires absolutely everything from 30 of the most skilled downhill professionals.
The ninth edition of Red Bull Hardline returns in the middle of an action packed season and sees one of the strongest rider line ups to date. For a few of the competing world-class riders this year will be a Red Bull Hardline comeback, whilst others will send it for the very first time down the infamous Dyfi Valley course, built and designed by Dan Atherton since 2014.
Thousands of spectators are excited to enjoy watching Junior DH world champ and 2022 Red Bull Hardline winner Jackson Goldstone fly down the course once again to defend his title. The youngest Red Bull Hardline winner to date says: “The course at Red Bull Hardline is like no other. To take the win last year with such stiff competition was an epic feeling. I’m stoked to get back out to Wales for Round 2”.
Last year’s second place Joe Smith and Taylor Vernon in third are known to carry great speed and are hoping to deliver successful full runs again, putting pressure on the competition. Bernard Kerr, whose race run ended in the rock slab section high on the course last year, will be returning with vengeance.
New to Red Bull Hardline will be Kyle Strait. The US mountain biker fractured three vertebrae last year while competing in Red Bull Rampage and has been on a steady road to recovery since. Safe to say it will be an epic return to racing for Kyle.
Linking the technical sections with gnarly jumps and massive drops with precision has Gee Atherton’s name written all over it. The Red Bull athlete celebrated his return to racing at Red Bull Hardline last year. He knows the Welsh mountains better than no other, so spectators are in for a treat seeing the two time world champion fly through the finish line. The Red Bull Athlete says: ‘The legacy of Red Bull Hardline speaks for itself. To hold the event for a ninth year is just a dream. The world’s best riders continue to push their own limits here in Machynlleth and the boundaries of the sport continue to be exceeded. I’m excited to see what the crew pull out the bag this year’.
Josh Bryceland, also known as Ratboy, is one of the very gifted riders in the line up this year and keen to tackle the Dyfi valley course he last rode in 2018. “I’ve been off the race circuit for a couple years now, last time I rode Red Bull Hardline was 2018. These days I’ve mostly been riding with mates for the fun of it, but I’m ready to get stuck back in this year and take on Red Bull Hardline for the second time”.
Crowds can expect to see the strongest calibre of riders this year with Kade Edwards, George Brannigan, Craig Evans, Thibault Laly and Kaos Seagrave also ready to throw themselves down the toughest downhill mountain bike course.
Red Bull is working again with Trash Free Trails (TFT), for the third year in a row. The community-focused, non-profit organisation made it their mission to educate people on how to protect our trails and the wild places they take us.
Red Bull Hardline will be broadcast live globally on Red Bull TV on Sunday 16th July. Ahead of the event, fans can enjoy the week’s best action from course walk and practice on Red Bull Bike YouTube ahead of the main event.
Across the country, bike fans can enjoy live screenings of Red Bull Hardline at local bike parks and live venues on 16th July, including:
Brink, London
No Limits, Leeds
Adrenaline Alley, Corby
FlyUp 147, Gloucestershire
For further Red Bull Hardline rider updates and for more information visit http://www.redbull.com/hardline
Confirmed Riders:
– Kyle Strait
– George Brannigan
– Adam Brayton
– Josh Bryceland
– Rónán Dunne
– Kade Edwards
– Thomas Estaque
– Craig Evans
– Brendan Fairclough
– Sam Gale
– Thomas Genon
– Laurie Greenland
– Jackson Goldstone
– Gee Atherton
– Thibault Laly
– Harry Molloy
– Charlie Hatton
– Sam Hockenhull
– Matteo Iniguez
– Gaetan Vige
– Bernard Kerr
– Josh Lowe
– Brook Macdonald
– Jim Monro
– Florent Payet
– Johny Salido – 19th 2021
– Kaos Seagrave
– Joe Smith
– Theo Erlangsen
– Taylor Vernon
