HARDLINE!

[Soundguy]

I’m watching the Tasmania race right now. Pretty cool to see them branching out from the Atherton track. After canceling the last race day of I guess they are finally accepting that the weather in Wales blows (pun intended).

I know video doesn’t do justice but this course seems pretty tame by hardline standards.

Who else watched? Discuss.

 

[serviceguy]

I’m watching the Tasmania race right now. Pretty cool to see them branching out from the Atherton track. After canceling the last race day of I guess they are finally accepting that the weather in Wales blows (pun intended).

I know video doesn’t do justice but this course seems pretty tame by hardline standards.

Who else watched? Discuss.

I did. Live. Almost managed not to fall asleep. I agree with the video comment, I thought both the video quality and tHe cameras placement sucked, probably due to the thick vegetation, it must have been amazing to be there in person. Rob seemed a little rusty…can you tell I’m an old man? Can’t stop grumbling about things…

 

[Soundguy]

I did. Live. Almost managed not to fall asleep. I agree with the video comment, I thought both the video quality and tHe cameras placement sucked, probably due to the thick vegetation, it must have been amazing to be there in person. Rob seemed a little rusty…can you tell I’m an old man? Can’t stop grumbling about things…

I think Rob is just getting tired lol. You’re right about the vegetation though… they were only following with the drone for that one little fast segment. They follow top to bottom with the drone in Wales. I forget who it was but someone in Tasmania just crashed into a camera.

 

[serviceguy]

I think Rob is just getting tired lol. You’re right about the vegetation though… they were only following with the drone for that one little fast segment. They follow top to bottom with the drone in Wales. I forget who it was but someone in Tasmania just crashed into a camera.

None other than

Spoiler: Spoiler alert!

Jackson Goldstone

 

[stb222]

I think Rob is just getting tired lol. You’re right about the vegetation though… they were only following with the drone for that one little fast segment. They follow top to bottom with the drone in Wales. I forget who it was but someone in Tasmania just crashed into a camera.

The wales one is still happenjng:

 

[a.s.]

I’m watching the Tasmania race right now. Pretty cool to see them branching out from the Atherton track. After canceling the last race day of I guess they are finally accepting that the weather in Wales blows (pun intended).

I know video doesn’t do justice but this course seems pretty tame by hardline standards.

Who else watched? Discuss.

Not as tight as the last course but the jumps are much bigger and I believe it is very steep in that beginning/middle section. Given the fact that several people got messed up pretty good in practice and that two top guys crashed in the finals, I'll go ahead and say it was anything but tame.

 

[Ian F]

Yeah, when (redacted) crashed during finals, the broadcast camera angle made the section not really look that bad, but there was another clip posted on his IG from a different angle that made the section look a lot harder to ride - especially at race-speed. Apparently a torn MCL. Hopefully he recovers before the World Cup season starts.

I also watched live, although I believe it was actually delayed quite a bit. When I first tuned in some asshole in the chat comments spoiled the winner and (redacted) crashing during his run before I could make the video full-screen. What fucking shitty thing to do...

 

[serviceguy]

Yeah, when (redacted) crashed during finals, the broadcast camera angle made the section not really look that bad, but there was another clip posted on his IG from a different angle that made the section look a lot harder to ride - especially at race-speed. Apparently a torn MCL. Hopefully he recovers before the World Cup season starts.

I also watched live, although I believe it was actually delayed quite a bit. When I first tuned in some asshole in the chat comments spoiled the winner and (redacted) crashing during his run before I could make the video full-screen. What fucking shitty thing to do...

I had the countdown page up, it kept displaying the ‘will start soon’ for a while, I went to PB to check if the race had been postponed or something and it was on already. Turns out the progress bar was moving but I did not notice it, I had to fast forward on Reb Bull to catch up. Weird.

 

[serviceguy]

Not as tight as the last course but the jumps are much bigger and I believe it is very steep in that beginning/middle section. Given the fact that several people got messed up pretty good in practice and that two top guys crashed in the finals, I'll go ahead and say it was anything but tame.

Yes, but I don’t think the camera placement made that very clear. Shame, because that was supposed to be half of my DH watching experience for 2024…

 

[UtahJoe]

I haven't watched the finals yet, but I watched the previews on Jack moirs channels.... He spent time at many of the jumps watching the riders session them.... Some of those drops.. Goddam

 

[ebarker9]

Full credit to anyone who rides even a portion of these courses, but to me the coverage got exciting once Connor Fearon came down. Everyone up to that point looked like they were mostly surviving/cruising the sections in between the big features, then he showed what a full attacking race run looked like.

 

[Ian F]

Matt Jones fully admitted he was just riding the course and not racing it. But credit where credit is due, it was his first "adult" DH race (he used to do local races as a kid) and really only uses his DH bike for stuff like Darkfest and the occasional bike park trip. From the container drop to the finish is what he has more experience riding. Techy single-track and blind, janky jumps not so much. That he rode it at all is a testament to his natural skills.

Otherwise, I agree - Fearon was the first of the DH racers who attacked the course.

All said, it does bode well for the Wales event later in the year, although the now confirmed risk of injury may keep some racers away. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Hemstreet and Ferguson be the first women to do full runs on that course, likely with Seagrave right there with them. I wonder if they will make the landing for the drop after the big booter jump a little steeper to reduce the harshness of the landing.

 

[serviceguy]

Am I imagining things or was Ratboy supposed to be competing in Tasmania ? I remember he was in the roster at FYfi last year, but I have this idea he was listed in Tasmania as well...BTW, why did Tahnee not run the finals?

 

[Ian F]

I don't remember Ratboy being part of the Tasmania group. Maybe he got an invite, but it seems like he's not into doing big trips like that anymore.

Tahnee wasn't able to do the last jump due to conditions that didn't give her warm-fuzzies and one of the stipulations for doing a race run is you had to have hit every feature on the course. With her injury history, she's not into taking risks unless she is really confident. Oddly enough, Matt Jones basically said that while he had hit all of the features, his first full top-to-bottom run without crashing was his race run. He crashed during his seeding run near the top. Apparently, that first drop-in section is a lot steeper and harder than it looks on camera.

 

[Ryan.P]

.BTW, why did Tahnee not run the finals?

Didn't do the last jump .

 

[serviceguy]

I don't remember Ratboy being part of the Tasmania group. Maybe he got an invite, but it seems like he's not into doing big trips like that anymore.

Tahnee wasn't able to do the last jump due to conditions that didn't give her warm-fuzzies and one of the stipulations for doing a race run is you had to have hit every feature on the course. With her injury history, she's not into taking risks unless she is really confident. Oddly enough, Matt Jones basically said that while he had hit all of the features, his first full top-to-bottom run without crashing was his race run. He crashed during his seeding run near the top. Apparently, that first drop-in section is a lot steeper and harder than it looks on camera.

Didn't do the last jump .

While it was huge, I thought the landing made it less challenging than other jumps on the same course (i.e. the road gap). Says the guy than cannot knowingly manage a 1 ft drop.

 

[Ian F]

That last jump seemed a little tricky because it was easy to come into it with too much speed and overshoot the landing. Most of the guys have their bikes set up stiff as well as the strength to ride that out, but it seems the women had a harder time maintaining speed through the shark-fins. Plus, standing at the lip of that jump... looking at the landing some 75 feet away with a creek and foliage between, it has got to be a bit of a mind-fuck. And Tahnee admitted that as she gets older - and has had sooo many injuries - getting her mind into the right state to do some features is a challenge.

While I'm sure she wanted to race, it also seemed like she was happy to leave the event having progressed her riding and also injury free.