Thousands to converge on Maydena for Red Bull "Hardline"

Tasmaian rider Dan Booker (photo credit Matt Stagg).

Some 5,000 mountain bike race fans are today converging on Maydena for the February 7-8 Red Bull event on the world-renown downhill course set in bushland in the upper Derwent Valley. 

Returning to Maydena for its second year, Red Bull Hardline – with its massive turns, jumps and drops – is considered the world’s most challenging downhill race event. 

While this week’s practice sessions have been held in ideal sunny conditions, cooler, damper weather is forecast for today Friday and the main race day, Saturday.

The race moved beyond its original home in Wales to the Tasmanian course last year. 

Like Wales, the Maydena Bike Park, some 50 kilometres from New Norfolk, is known for its steep and rugged terrain, pushing the best racers from around the world to their limits. 

The Tasmanian track itself is 2.3 kilometres from top to bottom. In practice and in the races themselves, riders are riding at 70km/h and more in some sections.

Last year, in the men’s event, Ireland’s Ronan Dunne took first place with a time of 3:08 minutes and the Canadian Gracey Hemstreet took the women’s title in 3 minutes 56 seconds. 

The track has a vertical elevation of 575m, with its largest gap jump of 75 feet or 23 metres, and the largest vertical drop of more than 10 metres.

Geology on the course changes three times, which results in totally different rock and soil types throughout the course.

As mountain bikes now draw from highly advanced engineering and exotic materials, so the sport has developed its own culture. 

The language, too, reflects the literal and mental highs of mountain biking. 

The two day Maydena event includes a series of festivities in and around the course. 

Friday 7th Feb

• Event Village & Expo Open 8:30am 8:00pm
• Red Bull Hardline: Practice 9:30am 1:00pm
• Red Bull Hardline: Seeding 2:00pm 4:00pm
• Athlete Signings @ Finish Bowl 4:00pm
• Tassie Food Trucks & Live Music @ Event Village 5:00pm 8:00pm

Saturday 8th Feb

• Event Village & Expo Open 8:30am 8:00pm
• Red Bull Hardline: Practice 9:30am 1:00pm
• Red Bull Hardline: Race 2:00pm 4:00pm
• Tassie Food Trucks & Live Music @ Event Village 5:00pm 8:00pm

For those who’d like to see the event but can’t attend in person, it’s  possible watch Saturday’s race on Red Bull TV via the official event page, or via its Youtube channel.