Toughest Course to Date at Red Bull Hardline 2022
The world’s toughest downhill mountain bike race, Red Bull Hardline, just got tougher with brand new, challenging features sculpted by this year’s trail crew. In the wake of the UCI Downhill World Cup Championships, many of the elite riders won’t be heading home to rest and recuperate but will instead be bound for the Dyfi Valley, ready to tackle the 2022 Red Bull Hardline track designed by the visionary Dan Atherton.
Each year, the calibre of riders, competition and style at Red Bull Hardline levels up and the course is no exception. Dan and the team have forged two new sections on this year’s track.
Built on top of the classic ‘Dirty Ferns’ hip, the course now boasts a huge on-off which allows riders to gain enough speed for the next feature. The first gap is approximately 40ft, landing you onto a 30ft landing pad before another 40ft gap into a speed tuck straight through the trees.
The two jumps lie towards the top of the felled area by the old Waterfall jumps – an OG section at Red Bull Hardline. According to Gee Atherton, this is the ‘rhythm section’ of the course where carrying the perfect amount of speed is a necessity, not an option.
Next up, are the back-to-back giant doubles. At an eye-watering 86 ft for the first jump and 85 ft for the second, this section is not for the faint-hearted. For both jumps, the landing is obscured by the take-off, so riders will be rolling in blind until their bikes leave the ground – enough to rattle anybody’s nerves. The new doubles are akin to ‘Fest Series’ style jumps which Red Bull Hardline had, up until now, been missing. You can find out the full story behind this year’s build process at redbull.co.uk/hardline2022
The dig crew will be fine tuning the course over the next few days, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the brave athletes taking part next week. As the eighth edition of Red Bull Hardline, it’s guaranteed to be the biggest and best yet. Which fearless rider will be clutching the winner’s trophy this year? We can’t wait to find out.
Dan Atherton, racing legend and Dyfi Bike Park owner, says “Boundaries are made to be broken. Red Bull Hardline strives to keep pushing the limits of what’s possible in mountain biking and I’m proud to see Dyfi as the stomping ground for it all to happen”.
Red Bull Hardline will be broadcast live globally on Red Bull TV from 1pm on Sunday 11th September. Ahead of the event, fans can enjoy daily shows documenting all of the behind the scenes action at Red Bull Hardline with episodes 1 & 2 available to watch on Saturday 10th Sep, and episode 3 as an exclusive pre-show offering on Red Bull TV ahead of the main event.
For further Red Bull Hardline rider updates and for more information visit http://www.redbull.com/hardline.
