86ft Gaps & More Huge Features Added to the 2022 Red Bull Hardline Course
Photo: Dan Griffiths
The already huge Red Bull Hardline course has received some updates for this year's racing with some massive new jumps added in.
Built on top of the previous 'Dirty Ferns' hip jump the builders have added in an on-off jump for riders. The jump will feature a 40ft gap to a 30ft landing pad before another 40ft gap out of the feature. Gee Atherton says this new feature adds to the "rhythm section" of the course where holding the perfect amount of speed is required to set a good time.
Photo: Dan Griffiths
The other new feature on the 2022 course is two huge double jumps, the first measures 86ft while riders will have a slightly easier 85ft gap on the second. Both jumps have the landings hidden by the take-offs so it will be a completely blind send for riders in their race runs. Originally the first jump was 91ft but it was shrunk down slightly as it was tough to get enough speed to clear the gap.
Photo: Dan Griffiths
Photo: Dan Griffiths
After Tree felling in the 'Dirty Ferns' and 'Waterfall' sections, the previous jumps looked a bit small so the builders thought something bigger needed to be added in. Dan Atherton says: "The potential was suddenly there for some big, Fest Series-style features. The newly open, mellow terrain acts as the perfect foundation for fast, long jumps – something which, up until now, Hardline had been missing."
Dan Atherton has already become a casualty of the new features after a big crash on the 30ft landing pad ended in a trip to the hospital. Lucky Dan escaped with just a few minor grazes and is back prepping the course for next week. Dan said: "Testing the on-off was difficult because we couldn't visualise the outcome, and we didn't exactly know how to go about it. We dug out a load on the edge of the landing pad to make a run out if we needed to bail, but I went too far and missed the braking point, so I bounced off and piled straight into the back of the lander."
The build crew will be making some final touches to the course this weekend before riders arrive for the big race on Sunday September 11. You can read more about the updated course here.
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76 Comments
1. Why would the athletes go? You don't think they like competing at the highest level? Just because you think the UCI is stupid this is still the show.
2. What are the sponsors going to do? They definately won't field a team in both leagues. It's too expensive and they only want a team in the top level anyway. This will instantly cut the talent pool way down for both, basically making both worse. It'll be like LIV golf vs the PGA, or the KHL vs the NHL. Both just have "some of the best players" now vs all of them.
3. Red Bull is not a bike racing company. They just make people think they are. People who like mx think it's an mx company, people who like base jumping think it's a base jumping company. Red Bull just plays the cool factor so you buy their poisonous drinks. That's all they want.
Just sayin'
@adrennan further to your union post, you think a union will make it easier for guys to jump around? f*ck no. Unions will make what the riders can do more restricted. You bring in unions and you bring in more paperwork and red tape. With unions and CBAs in most professional sports athletes are barred from doing a lot of extra curricular activities that could be dangerous outside their professional commitments. If a player or rider gets injured doing an 80' gap in hardline when they are under contract with trek as a UCI DH rider now there is issues with who pays them, who pays for the time off, who pays for the insurance, who pays for the union dues since they rider is out. These will all become factors if a union comes in.
Riders think it's unfair to get paid say 5k for a race but they can do as many different ones as they want now. When the union comes in they may get paid say 10k, but the union and contracts will prevent them in racing in most of the events they had access to before.
Basically what I'm saying is the way things are now are likely the best they could be. In the end wether there's a union or not everybody is still getting f*cked. It's just different kinds of getting f*cked.
yes, they make poison drinks. will I still drink them? absof*ckinglutely.
And before you say “their sponsors” remember how free ride was born, mtbers choosing how they wanted to ride
Are we calling it Redbull Harder line now?
get your facts straight!
Holy f*ck someone cased that
Not only is this not required, I guarentee you none of the riders do this. They take risks obviously but there's nothing reckless about it.
Also- have you watched a WC downhill recently?! That shit is actually reckless!!
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