how long is the red bull hardline course

What is the Red Bull Hardline?

When all is said and done, Red Bull Hardline is a track that takes riders right to the edge – not just of their technical skill but to the limit of their ability to keep it together – mentally – under a relentless assault of mind-blowing obstacles.

Is the road gap downhill?

The wooded section after the Road Gap is actually quite technical and is one more akin to a downhill track than a freeride one. Once the riders make the leap out of the woods, on another 45ft gap jump, then they line up for the last, huge jump, which is a fairly recent addition.

Where are we?

The Dyfi Valley is located in Snowdonia, north Wales. This area is very popular among mountain bikers, as it's only a few miles north of Machynlleth and close to Dolgellau, two villages with access to all types of MTB trails and bike parks.

What's the Hardline course like?

The Hardline track – designed and built by Dan Atherton and Ollie Davey – is a beast of a thing. Snaking its way down the mountain in the heart of the Dyfi forest, the track combines huge freestyle jumps with tricky technical downhill features.

What happened last time?

In 2019, Red Bull Hardline welcomed riders with sunshine and dry conditions – a rarity in this corner of Wales. The track was riding nicely during practise and qualifying, and it looked like fans were in for a fast and furious final.

How can I watch?

You can get full coverage of Red Bull Hardline 2021 at www.redbull.com/hardline throughout the weekend. Qualifying will be streaming live at 3pm CEST on Saturday, July 24 at that link, as will the finals on Sunday, July 25, also at 3pm CEST.

Bernard Kerr is on a different planet

Over the years, British rider Bernard Kerr has proven that he’s something of a Red Bull Hardline expert.

Laurie Greenland and Kade Edwards step up

The two former Junior World Champions from Great Britain have both had mixed results at Red Bull Hardline. Despite their promise and World Cup experience, you've always been left with the sense that both riders have kept something in reserve. That wasn't the case in 2021 when both finished on the podium.

Debutants showed no fear

The Red Bull Hardline course is something that takes years of practise, crashes and race runs to master. Try telling that to some of this year's debutants though.

Although it was dry, the weather still played its part

Red Bull Hardline has always had a run-in of some kind with the weather. Usually held towards the end of September, the course is often caked in mud and super slippery after some seasonal Welsh conditions (aka torrential rain and gale-force winds) up the ante on the hardest course in downhill mountain biking.

The Step Down is one of the scariest drops ever created

The 2021 Red Bull Hardline course had some notable tweaks to previous editions – the Step Up ramp had been made mellower to help riders carry more speed, the trees had been cut down next to Waterfalls Edge, the iconic Road Gap had been made bigger and longer.

Jono Jones had the biggest save of the weekend

Matt Jones 's identical twin’s debut Red Bull Hardline experience in 2019 was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Pumped up by other riders pulling tricks over the Step Up, Jono attempted a backflip with dire consequences. Halfway through the flip, suspended upside down, he decided to bail.

Pit bike racing needs to be at every downhill event

Downhill mountain bikers are a different breed from their cross-country counterparts. While most professional cross-country mountain bike riders might spend their evenings recovering and refuelling after an intense day of practise, downhill racers like to relax in different ways: racing pit bikes.

How high is the road gap?

The star of the show is the road gap – a huge booter sending the riders over a road back into the trees. It's 26ft high and rider trajectory is around 55ft. The riders come off the gap at full speed to clear the road and land heavily into a big berm which transfers them back into the trees.

Who built the Red Bull Hardline?

Red Bull Hardline isn't named that for any old reason – it truly is one of the hardest downhill courses in the world. Built by Dan Atherton, the gnarly track combines the best of downhill with freeride features that challenge even the top mountain bikers.