Hemstreet and Ferguson are the first women to master the hardline

Gracey Hemstreet wird als erste weibliche Hardline-Bezwingerin als Rider of the Week geehrt.

Photo: Graeme Murray / Red Bull Content Pool

Ireland's Rónán Dunne put in a brilliant run at the first Red Bull Hardline Tasmania on Saturday, winning the downhill race ahead of Bernard Kerr (GBR) and George Brannigan (NZL). Wildcard rider Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) and Louise-Anna Ferguson (GBR) were the first riders to ever take part in a Red Bull Hardline final and master the gnarly course.

The Red Bull Hardline is a fearsome downhill competition that has been held annually in the Dify Valley in North Wales since 2014 and is streamed live on Red Bull TV. This weekend saw the Hardline premiere in Australia at Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian course included the fast section of the Baxters Highway, the fierce Road Gap, the towering Shark Fin and the final 23-meter kicker. Rain and strong winds put the competitors to the test ahead of race day on Saturday, when 5000 spectators had already turned out to cheer on the riders.

On the carefully curated 2.3 kilometer course at 925 meters above sea level, riders were able to reach speeds of 70 km/h or more in some areas, with an elevation gain of 575 meters, the biggest gap jump 23 meters and the highest drop ten meters and.

A total of 27 riders took to the course in perfect Saturday weather, which meant the course dried out and got faster as the day progressed. Unfortunately, local Tasmanian hero Darcy Coutts was unable to compete after his impressive qualifying time of 3:10.722 on Friday due to injury.

Riders Tahnee Seagrave (GBR), Harriet Burbidge-Smith (AUS), Hannah Bergemann (USA) and Cami Nogueira (ARG) failed to qualify, but Gracey Hemstreet and Louise-Anna Ferguson managed to complete the course, making history in the process. And all ten years after Dan Atherton created this event.

In the men's race, Dunne topped the intermediate rankings with a time of 3:08.145. Briton Kerr (3:10.021) and Kiwi Brannigan (3:11.021) completed the podium, while Hemstreet was crowned "Rider of the Week" to cheers from the crowd.

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