Red Bull Announces Hardline Series Dates in Tasmania & Wales

Oct 27, 2023 at 9:29
by Alicia Leggett  
photo

We announced last week that Red Bull appears to be setting up for a two-stop Hardline series in 2024, and now we're back with a little more information.

The series will kick off in Tasmania, Australia, February 23rd and 24th. That'll fall about three weeks before the start of Crankworx Rotorua, so that means we're more likely than ever to see the top northern hemisphere freeride pros spend a block of their winter training, riding, and racing down under.

Next, the Hardline series will celebrate its tenth anniversary in the Dyfi Valley June 1st and 2nd, hopefully with some friendlier weather than the storm we saw wash out last year's event.

bigquotes10 years ago, we never could've imagined that Red Bull Hardline would reach the stage that it’s at now. It's been so inspiring to watch the progression of the sport; in those early years, riders pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to adapt from riding a typical World Cup course, but recently the roles are reversed, and the onus is on me and the team to build a track gnarly enough to showcase the riders' skills. As part of that progression, we’ve decided to take the event global, with the first satellite event to be held in Tasmania. It's an awesome place with everything we need to build a longer, faster course that will fit perfectly with the Red Bull Hardline ethos.—Hardline founder Dan Atherton

We are curious to see what unfolds in the years to come - in the rapidly changing landscape that is racing and competing today, it's great to see an event like Hardline take the chance to grow. Find more information about Red Bull Hardline here.

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155 Comments
  • 265 11
 And so it begins, the fall of UCI/Discovery and rise of Redbull Hardline Series being the new standard...

Honestly just super excited to see what they put together in Tasmania and how it compares with Wales!
  • 63 4
 Red Bull exacting revenge on the UCI for the curse of the Warner Brothers
  • 64 2
 Add the Crankworx stops, and an Urban DH event and you would have a true "world" cup. Just needs some nice prize money to get things going
  • 23 2
 Surely can't be far way. Take over crankworx, add in hardline + another 1/2 events

Although the thought of a do or die hardline for mass riders is a scary thought
  • 9 0
 @Burningbird: Crankworx already has some decent prize money.
  • 61 24
 @Burningbird: Screw urban DH. It's a comedy sideshow.
  • 44 10
 Everybody crying all season that world cup racing is getting too dangerous.....now we want to see this. I realize the entire point of these comments is to be contrary but make up your damn minds. Very few riders race hardline, they ride it. The idea of racing this course and others like it with the current crop of wc racers and expecting the level of competitive racing currently seen at world cups is naive thinking.
  • 23 2
 @Struggleteam: Agreed, I love watching Hardline but the risk involved is a little to high for a World Cup level DH race series. It is just a matter of time until someone gets seriously injured. And there is no room on those courses for the Juniors.
  • 23 8
 @powderhoundbrr: Glad somebody agrees. No room for women either...lets kill the progression of the sport all together. Would love to see redbull or somebody challenge the uci with a race series. However, Hardline while cool to watch, isn't the answers.
  • 13 1
 ya, cos an invite only series with 20-25 riders that, until next year, didn't have a women's category is really gonna challenge the WC series...smh
  • 11 0
 But this event only has 20 invite only riders. Isn't that the thing that everyone is against in the UCI DH series?

As much as I love hardline, they need to open up the field to allow some real competition. At the moment more than half of the riders in the event are no real threat to the podium.
  • 2 0
 @Burningbird: I believe Crankworx prize money is significantly higher. I saw on some WC podium that first place was like 3800 Euros or something. Completely ridiculous.
  • 5 5
 @Struggleteam: You realise that Jess Blewitt rode Hardline last year
  • 1 1
 Finally a new standard everyone can get behind
  • 1 1
 @Burningbird: count me in to watch.
  • 1 0
 @biker245: It will take more to break the stranglehold of UCI but it is possible. LIV Golf and PGA are a good example
  • 3 1
 @Struggleteam: I disagree that it should be watered down as it goes against the whole ethos of a 'hard' line. I'm pretty sure it isn't Hardline's intention to compete with the WC DH race series and that will always be a space for everyone. There's room for them both to exist. The mid season calendar date will always limit the numbers keeping it relatively small I would think.
  • 1 0
 @ajaxwalker: most people are not a threat to the podium because most of the top racers don't attend. I think that's because it's their job to race the world cup and hardline is not in the world cup. If it was in the world cup, the top racers would race and it would be even sicker than it already is.
It would be good if @pinkbike could do a king of the year type spreadsheet where we see who got the most points over the season across all events, kind of like king of crankworks. Best ten reaults count, or best twenty, whatever. Different events weighted according to the entry list.
  • 9 0
 @korev: No woman has even ridden Hardline, some (Incl Jess) have hit certain features on the course during practice... that is all...
  • 6 2
 @korev: yes and she crashed in practice and broke her collar bone. Remember that up until a few years ago the majority of females were riding around features on regular World Cup tracks. They are are progressing at an amazing rate but You could not bring all the World Cup riders to hardline and have a race. It’s silly to argue otherwise. Even if the elite men started to push that track for .001 the crashes would be devastating.
  • 1 0
 @gabiusmaximus: That it is - but it creates insane viewership numbers for Red Bull because it's such a spectacle and just viscerally appeals to audiences that don't "follow" mountain biking in the traditional sense.
  • 2 2
 @korev: If you mean "rode" crashed on one of the first features and was out for the rest of the season. The yep you are totally right.
  • 5 0
 @powderhoundbrr: Jackson was a junior when he won.
  • 3 2
 @Struggleteam: the women do a great job of managing the features but to race the course all out may be too demanding. I hate to see someone lose out on their whole season for a risky one off event no matter how badass they are for giving it a go.
  • 6 1
 @Struggleteam: people were crying about DH world cup being too dangerous? Last I heard it was all bike-parky and boring.
I wish people would either make up their mind, or stop crying - ideally both.
  • 1 0
 Listen to Simon French talking about the construction which is already underway. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/beyond-the-tape-podcast/id1454491103?i=1000633263023
  • 1 0
 @Venturebikes: There's only one Warner, fukc the brothers.
  • 7 1
 What are you on about, the World Cup was incredible this year and Hardline was canceled lmao
  • 5 0
 @korev: And injured her self badly only top level riders are getting down hard line Matt Jones couldn't manage it.
  • 2 0
 @toad321: Alpine skiing to some degree does this: you have slalom, giant slalom, super-g and downhill and you can win the overall (combined) and / or the categories.

I don't know if DH + urban DH + slopestyle has a big enough overlapping rider base and there would be a ton to figure out, but I'm digging the idea a lot.
  • 1 0
 @korev: and hasn't ridden since
  • 4 0
 @toddonbike: what do you mean? No female has done a top to bottom run at hardline. That would be the step one goal before before any of them could race it. Now imagine junior /women men, even the lower tier of the elite men. Hardline is a cool exhibition and something watch when the world cups are out of season. Just enjoy it for what it is.
  • 1 0
 It's a great show and good idea on paper, but to be able to race in all weather conditions and get mass numbers on track to compete with the World Cup, the jumps have to probably almost halve in size. If you can only clear them in perfect conditions, trail running rock hard at full speed, they just aren't feasible to replace the UCI and draw across the numbers needed to take over.
  • 1 0
 @kevbine: she raced a couple world cups this year including a 3rd place in July before injuring herself again
  • 1 5
flag jeredbogli (Nov 1, 2023 at 23:07) (Below Threshold)
 soooooo is it only dudes? just sausage fest? or will the clowns at EnergyDrink let ladies be involved?
  • 1 0
 @korev: no she tried and bust herself up twice
  • 6 0
 @jeredbogli: there is nothing wrong with sausages. The humble hot dog is an all time classic, not to mention the sausage and bacon butty.
Your comment came off as awfully foodist.
  • 87 2
 Cant wait for the UCI to issues sanctions on riders who compete in a competing race series
  • 11 0
 Not until the competing series is bankrolled with Saudi millions, I reckon.
  • 4 2
 It'll just drive more riders away, making the UCI a second-tier organization, like what PFL is to the UFC. All the really good riders will go to the Hardline series, and the lower-level athletes will stay with the UCI
  • 5 0
 Why would they do that? It's not a competing series, is it? Just an additional series for Downhillers. 7,8,9 World Cups are nowhere near enough for a sport to be sustainable.....

For example, in motorsport, drivers in the WEC, are also seen in IMSA in America, and other Sportscar races.....why shouldn't MTB-ers ride non World Cup races?
  • 3 0
 Has the UCI ever done that in the past? As far as I know they don’t sanction CX riders for competing in Super Prestige or DH riders doing crankworks.
  • 5 0
 @Starch-Anton: that implies common sense from the UCI!
  • 3 0
 @xciscool: in other disciplines, yes. I don't think I've seen it in MTB but in the early days of gravel, the UCI attempted to sanction road riders that wanted to compete in Unbound, Steamboat, BWR, etc. I don't think it worked out well for the UCI.
  • 1 0
 www.pinkbike.com/news/UCI-Clarifies-Rule-on-Unsanctioned-Races.html
  • 2 0
 to those of you that are asking if they've ever done it: basically every time another race series became popular enough to threaten them.

www.pinkbike.com/news/UCI-Clarifies-Rule-on-Unsanctioned-Races.html

This one was targeted at Enduro IIRC, but they also targeted marathon racing when 24hr races were getting momentum for a national series in the US, gravel, etc.

In all fairness it's been a winning strategy for them in the past, why would they stop?
  • 1 2
 Won’t happen. It’s a 20 rider invitation only marketing event. The pros won’t be there. They will be training for the race season
  • 1 0
 @chrismac70: it's only 20 riders so far. Who knows what will happen in the future. If they're adding more venues, I assume they'd add more riders.
  • 2 1
 @danielfloyd: what makes you think they will do that? Rampage has never increased its field size. This is all about selling drinks, not racing
  • 72 2
 Would love one day to see Squamish British Columbia host a Red Bull hardline stop.
  • 7 0
 Not sure why this was downvoted. Fully agree - BC would be a logical and amazing Hardline stop. Further to this, opportunity to also incorporate a Hardline stop somewhere in South America could really be an interesting addition. I’m all for taking this to the next level in a new era for biking, but am aware that funding is a fundamental challenge to making this happen.
  • 24 1
 @Law-MTB: The Mount 7 Psychosis in Golden was the original Hardline! Would love to see it officially come back.
  • 1 0
 @powderhoundbrr: Crankworx summer series raced it couple seasons ago
  • 2 0
 @bgoldstone: Yeah for sure and there is always a Thursday night unofficial "ride" every year with the Dunbar series as well. Just would be fun to see the best of the best on it again. I saw Stevie Smith race it one year many moons ago.
  • 3 1
 Maybe a Tour De Gnar/Hardline cross over? Different reasons behind the events but maybe some common ground
  • 1 1
 Who is going to organise it. RB won’t that’s for sure
  • 5 0
 Not even a local to Squamish and this idea gives me anxiety.

Don’t think Squamish wants / needs any more exposure to attract hordes of enduro bro’s.
  • 1 0
 @powderhoundbrr: that would be too intense. But, imagine…
  • 45 0
 A mountain biking event outside of Europe ? Sorry I don’t believe you.
  • 2 7
flag MrNally (Oct 31, 2023 at 8:50) (Below Threshold)
 don't remember the enduro world cups in australia this year?
  • 11 0
 @MrNally: Well apparently the UCI dont
  • 2 6
flag MrNally (Oct 31, 2023 at 9:47) (Below Threshold)
 @Alexcrow: the races at the start of this year were organized by the same people that are still organising the World Cup series next year and for the six years after that, get a clue
  • 4 0
 @MrNally: perhaps the one without a clue is you, wake up
  • 7 0
 Hopefully you’ll see a lot more of them in coming years!
  • 1 2
 I’m glad you said event rather than race. It’s a marketing stunt in the middle of the off season
  • 44 0
 Any opportunity to have Warner back on the mic is a good day
  • 19 3
 Thank you Mr. Atherton for listening to the athletes and fans and giving them more of what they want. Has to work better than forcing a shitshow on us through out of touch outlets and self appointed rules committees
  • 11 1
 Gotta give it to the Athertons. They've done such a good job of building income that'll continue coming in after their racing careers end. Dyfi Park makes sense for training, Atherton Bikes as a brand, plus Hardline as a series. Gwin is taking a similar track in the US.
  • 3 5
 rant rant rant
  • 2 2
 @MrNally: Lots of folks talk a big game but never take the chances these people have. Perhaps we should all work for free as well?
  • 3 3
 @padirt: you are ranting again, who's working for free?
  • 1 1
 The top athletes aren’t interested and don’t turn up.
  • 13 0
 We look forward to welcoming everyone to our home in Maydena soon!
  • 1 0
 Planning and booking as we type.
  • 1 0
 Will the track be available after the event for rookies to axe themselves on?
  • 12 1
 Yes!!!! This is amazing news!
  • 1 1
 I really dont understand how my comment could be taken in a negative way! What a f*cking melt! haha
More mountain bike events is pretty much an all-round positive thing - especially if its creating a new series/forus for racing
  • 2 0
 @adzrees: top tip for Pinkbike comments. Don't look at the votes. Most users on here are bots and thirteen year old boys.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: haha very true mate
  • 11 4
 Hardline WC Series is the future!
  • 6 2
 That’s a good joke. They only invite 20 people to ride. It’s not even a race, let alone a series
  • 1 1
 @chrismac70: Wouldn’t surprise me if WC finals is only 20 next year too so what’s your point?
  • 1 2
 @Joebohobo: this only allows only 20 to take part. Imagine if the UCi said only 20 riders could enter a World Cup. Imagine the outcry on here. I’m betting virtually none of the WC top 20 wont turn up unless they are under contract to RB
  • 1 0
 @chrismac70: Yep I know, I'm just messing - it was more just a fun way to throw about some of the general frustration with how the WC series of going haha
  • 7 0
 It’s provocative and really gets the people going
  • 9 4
 Hardline Utah!
Rampage style line but make everyone do the same course and judge on speed + style.
  • 5 0
 I hope Gwinn throws his hat in the game with his new bike park.
  • 1 0
 This should be different having a hardline in Tasmania that will have to build something special to compete with dyfi valley course this is a hard core event I have marshalled there for the last two years,

Ahahah made lard this who ever wrote it thay put that last years race was a wash out when it was this years come on guys plz get it right ✌️
  • 3 3
 Didn't manage to get Tix for Hardline in Wales last year, left it too late.....lucky enough for me
What happened with Tix last year, was there refunds or did Tix roll over to 2024? Wondering if it's worth me booking flight/ferry now based on hope of securing Tix, but if Tix rolled over, there's probably little chance of getting any
  • 27 13
 could you just say tickets?? not a great abbreviation lets be honest, although you are Irish
  • 2 0
 All tickets got refunded, though our group would have much preferred them being rolled over!
  • 22 27
flag Garry17 FL (Oct 31, 2023 at 8:21) (Below Threshold)
 @cass2003: Fair play to you Cass...but I'm assuming that you don't have an answer to my original question...but true to form just like a typical Brit you stick yer nose in anyways where it's not wanted e.g. Kenya, India, The Gambia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Palestine and for over 800 years and counting Ireland
  • 4 9
flag cass2003 FL (Oct 31, 2023 at 9:43) (Below Threshold)
 @Garry17: you're a bit sour aren't you Gary. I love Ireland. Coming next month actually. Just the majority of the people suck. Bye for now
  • 16 0
 Luckily my dog also avoided getting Tix last year.
  • 7 0
 Jesus this escalated fast
  • 3 3
 @cass2003: spoken like a true invader.
  • 4 2
 @cass2003: Good on ya Cass... enjoy yer trip over, I'm sure that despite yer xenophobic attitude you'll still receive a hospitable welcome, and you'll hopefully enjoy yerself
  • 1 0
 @Garry17: I thought the Tix was quite a good abbreviation. It was the unnecessary capital Ts that got my goat.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: thanks jaame
  • 3 0
 Walton family, if you're reading, could ya inject a little bit of cash to the purse?
  • 2 0
 Awesome news, I would expect superb weather in Tassie at that time of the year. Keen to see the entry list, would be good to get an Aussie or two.
  • 2 0
 There will definitely be a bunch of Aussie riders invited, along with the top international racers.
  • 1 2
 43oC, and organically grown bushfires. Almost a given. Trust the local forestry and government have been burning off like crazy in the cooler seasons to avoid risk to event cancellation and people attending. Please also, no hippy, leftists arsonists keen to prove the world is "boiling".
  • 1 0
 Who thinks Gee Atherton will be able to recover in time for this? His crash at rampage practice was pretty dang bad. Much love to Gee, the legend. Get well soon.
  • 3 0
 Love it!
  • 1 0
 Wonder if Tasmania will be a modified version of Dream Track, or something completely new?
  • 3 0
 Dream track is in Queenstown nz
  • 2 0
 @StromloSlayer476: But in our dreams it's in Oz.
  • 10 0
 Dream Track is a jump track in New Zealand. The course we are building is more in line with Hardline Wales, but many of the features are bigger. While the Maydena course will have huge (100+ft) jumps, this is a DH race, so there will be plenty of wild tech features.
  • 1 0
 Upvoted everyone because of shabby geography....my bad
Stoked!! @maydenabikepark
  • 1 0
 @maydenabikepark: gonna be spicy that’s for sure! The world isn’t ready
  • 3 0
 Release the kraken!
  • 2 3
 Imagine this, Redbull starts charging for RB TV access. Would you all pay for it or turn on them and just hope another major corporation will somehow magically broadcast the sport you love for free?
  • 1 1
 Redbull's whole business model for their media is exposure and advertising. They create content to advertise their brand (and actually get other brands to advertise with them these days). Paywalls are the last thing they want - that stuff is totally shareable all over the place and they want it to go viral everywhere, not just their own app/website (hence the tons of freely available RB content on Youtube).

Now I still have my doubts that caffeinated sugarwater creates enough profit that all the crazy ways they spend money on getting exposure make sense. The old man yelling at clouds in me still holds on to the suspicion that maybe the whole thing is just an elaborate money laundering scheme or some such thing. But then again, think about all the paid advertising dollars that are pushing beverages (like the really expensive ubiquitous Coca Cola commercials during Olympic broadcasts, Anheuser Busch near-beer during NFL games and the Super Bowl, etc.) - seems like the margins in bottling/canning stuff are really good.
  • 2 0
 @g-42: They charge $2 for an 8oz can of Redbull. I think I read somewhere it cost on average about $0.10 to produce per can.
  • 1 0
 @sino428: spot on. They sell some sugar water with a fifteen thousand percent mark-up. They spend literally $4000 on raw materials for their entire annual stock of beverage.
  • 2 0
 @jaame: The can probably costs more than the actual beverage inside it.
  • 4 3
 monster energy riders need not apply - sorry Brendog we deduct 20seconds from your time Wink
  • 1 0
 pretty sure the Red Bull Rampage winner rides for Monster
  • 2 0
 Regardless of whether you think Brendog should have placed higher at Rampage (it appears you do), the theory that it's his status as a Monster sponsored rider that was the issue seems a bit off the mark given that the overall event winner sported a Monster helmet.
  • 2 1
 New Zealand stop please Mr Atherton. .
  • 1 0
 Dan's quote is ominous for the riders..
  • 1 0
 Love to say "I told you so"
  • 2 4
 oh an by the way.......... 29 is dead
  • 1 0
 Tried and true…. For riders by riders (of the actual discipline)!
  • 2 1
 The elite racers don’t even turn up. They either aren’t invited or not interested
  • 2 0
 @chrismac70:
or are in hospital for emergency appendix surgery. I have to argue that anyone (male or female) who can finish on the podium at a World Cup Elite category race should be considered elite. Never-mind the other riders who can win or podium extremely difficult disciplines like urban or freeride events. Come to think of it, anyone who can ride the Hardline course is already an elite rider.
  • 1 1
 @maxetak: I agree but most of those who take part haven’t managed that. The last few years.
  • 2 3
 So another marketing event with a selected invitational field. I don’t get the excitement. None of the top riders or teams will be there. Not interested
  • 1 0
 It’ll be hard to equal or top the wales venue but I really hope they do!
  • 1 0
 Yes!
  • 3 3
 At least Brendog has a realistic chance of winning this!
  • 2 3
 No he doesn’t. Wrong helmet
  • 1 0
 @chrismac70: purple helmets not allowed!
  • 2 0
 @jaame: Dream helmet sponsor- Vimto! Ha ha
  • 1 0
 sounds cool
  • 1 0
 Great news!
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