5 minute read
Without question, Red Bull Hardline is the most progressive downhill mountain bike event in the world.
In its eleventh year, this invation-only race was conceived and developed by MTB royalty - brothers Dan and Gee Atherton. Red Bull Hardline is designed to be the toughest downhill course in the world, borrowing elements from BMX and Motocross to test even the most impressive riders. With huge jumps, slippery technical sections, and terrifying drops, this is not for the faint-hearted!
Year on year, Dan and his team of builders have levelled up the track, pushing it to the limits to make it increasingly challenging. To complete the course, riders have to combine their speed and technical ability with big air and freeride skills.
We’re proud to have supported the riders since 2019, supplying them with custom Hardline Dryrobe® Advance changing robes to protect them between sessions from the harsh and changeable Welsh weather. A very limited number are available online, so if you want to get your hands on one, click here.
In the run-up to the weekend’s action, riders practised hard to hone their skills on the course and some of its tougher features, including ‘The 90s’, an intimidating pair of 90-foot jumps, and the iconic ‘Road Gap’, which sees riders with over 55 feet of air time.
Every year sees the progression of women riders at the event. This year, 5 female riders, Kirsten Van Horne, Vaea Verbeeck, Hannah Bergemann, Cami Nogueira and Lou Ferguson, joined the practice sessions with the hope of working towards competing in the event. It is truly impressive to see them push the boundaries of women’s downhill. Having put together a top-to-bottom run of the course, Britain’s Lou Ferguson became the first woman to be able to take part in Saturday seeding runs!
Like every year, the rugged Welsh weather plays a crucial role in the event, even forcing it to be cancelled in 2023. With high winds forecast for the afternoon, the organisers took no chances and moved Saturday's seeding runs to 9 AM to ensure that they could go ahead.
Lou Ferguson etched her name in history, becoming the first woman to complete a seeding run at Hardline Wales with a time of 3:36.9, securing her spot as the first woman to start a finals run on the legendary course.
18-year-old Asa Vermette brought his strong performances in practice to Saturday, backing up his fastest timed training run with the top seeding time. He overcame an early lead from Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, pulling ahead in the latter half of the track to take the top spot by two seconds. Charlie Hatton secured the third-fastest run, coming 2.885 seconds behind Vermette.
The unforgiving course caught out some of the experienced riders, including former winners Rónán Dunne and Bernard Kerr, who both received DNFs after not making it to the bottom. Kerr was taken to hospital as a precaution after crashing out, but was cleared to take part the following day.
Sunday’s race again started earlier to avoid any potential issues with the wind, ensuring that the race could go ahead, and the action didn't disappoint!
Lou Ferguson completed her run to become the first female to race on finals day at Hardline Wales and the only woman to complete a finals run on both the Wales and Tasmania tracks! As she crossed the finish line, the rest of the female riders were there to cheer her home. There’s such a strong camaraderie within this group of riders. This incredible achievement will hopefully inspire more women to push the boundaries of what is possible in this sport.
After the disappointment of his seeding run, which ended just seconds from the start, Rónán Dunne set the early pace with a rapid 2:29.496. Kaos Sagrave and Matt Jones, both had some brutal falls but managed to make it across the line. Gee Atherton became the oldest rider to race at Hardline and put in a decent time of 2:36.693. His Artherton Bikes teammate Charlie Hatton absolutely sent it down the course, taking the lead going into the final few riders, getting the crowd behind him, and lining it up for a tense finale.
American teenage sensation Asa Vermette lived up to his promise, delivering a blistering run that brought home his first Hardline title, after narrowly missing out in Tasmania earlier this year. Asa is the youngest winner of the event and is truly a generational talent to watch out for in the coming years.
Watch his sensational run:
Full Red Bull Hardline Wales 20205 Results:
1. Asa Vermette (USA) - 2:24.477
2. Charlie Hatton (UK) - 2:26.158
3. Rónán Dunne (IRE) - 2:29.496
4. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZ) - 2:29.673
5. Bernard Kerr (UK) - 2:30.430
6. Sam Gale (NZ) - 2:34.596
7. George Brannigan (NZ) - 2:35.525
8. Roger Vieira (BRA) - 2:36.045
9. Gee Atherton (UK) - 2:36.693
10. Felipe Agurto (CHI) - 2:40.533
11. Josh Bryceland (UK) - 2:40.909
12. Oli Clark (NZ) - 2:42.868
13. Jeronimo Paez (ARG) - 2:44.409
14. Joe Smith (UK) - 2:45.593
15. Théo Erlangson (ZAF) - 2:50.499
16. Harry Molloy (UK) - 2:50.550
17. Jono Jones (UK) - 2:58.634
18. Louise Ferguson (UK) - 3:44.593
19. Matt Jones (UK) - 3:54.088
20. Sebastian Holguin (COL) - DNF
21. Brook MacDonald (NZ) - DNF
22. Adam Brayton (UK) - DNF
23. Matteo Iniguez (FRA) - DNF
24. Laurie Greenland (UK) - DNF
25. Kaos Seagrave (UK) - DSQ
Watch the full race highlights over on Red Bull TV.
Published on July 29, 2025