Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
Five lucky people will be selected at random to win a Vital MTB t-shirt.
Thanks in advance,
The Vital MTB Crew
Is Hardline even that hard?
Does not change the fact that seeding results could be utilized if the event is cancelled, the riders should in my opinion always assume any formally timed run could be the final results. A vast amount of variables exist that could result in having to use a set of formal timed runs to determine the winner. A scheduled final race run is not a guaranteed occurrence.
Weather happens, its an outdoor sport.
Shame they can't have a contingency day but its very understandable why that is cost or logistically prohibitive.
Been waiting weeks for this as there is not a lot going on to either watch or do in northern hemisphere winter currently.
However... personally I'm not a fan of the "seeding results being final results". As a fan I would rather just see "no result". Appreciate that sponsors and boadcasters might need to salvage anything they can for column inches and content.
Also sad for there to be forever an asterisk by Asa's first international elite result.
I mean there's no elite/juniors distinction at Hardline and he straight up won in Wales.
I saw some video where the wet dirt was just caking up on the feet of people. I'm pretty familiar with that kind of dirt/clay. The only way they could make the bottom part of that track rideable in the wet would be to not have those huge clay-capped jumps which... wouldn't really be hardline. Throwing some gravel into the drainages would have zero effect, as it's the surface of the jumps themselves that gets slick and/or sticky (I know those are contradictory) and has nothing to do with how well it drains.
Someone talked about the Trail Armor used at Jarred's. That MIGHT be possibe, though I've also heard that it rides noticeably slower than hard packed dirt jumps... meaning that the jumps might need to be dialed back a little bit.
I understand why the trail armor makes sense as a business venture for Jarrod's but there is no way in hell that Affy would choose to put that on Hardline jumps. Too "lame" and not as insane of a media product. They even try to minimize the markings for track limits, so changing the whole riding surface wouldn't be in the cards.
Using seeding results isn’t a given and it’s up to the organization to tell the riders what will happen in case of cancellation. Seems like this wasn’t done.
Seeding isn’t the same as qualifying, it’s more like timed training, and you would never use those results as finals
it was a UCI-sanctioned event, right? Does the UCI rulebook not have anything specific about this? Does it really only address the situation for qualifying and not seeding?
Wait what? Hardline is UCI sanctioned?
Stopping people competing because they haven't done the features on course yet is not a rule either, but it is enforced at Hardline. However having to complete two full practice runs is a requirement in the rule book, but not necessarily enforced at Hardline, to facilitate the step by step practice process. So across the board at Hardline there are discrepancies related to rules and rulings. It's a weird and unique event that means UCI commissaires just make sure the race is kinda safe and riders are fairly unanimous in decisions it seems.
Honestly seems like people on the internet are far more upset than the riders are at seeding being taken as final results?
From all the interviews I’ve seen everyone seemed relieved that the event was canceled.
My only complaint is that they didn't have the quali stream locked and loaded after the weather came in before the race to at least have a broadcast that night.
wut
This is incredible!
Lots of talk about whether the riders were informed of what would happen in the event of a weather cancellation but did any of them ask?
If not, what would you reasonably assume in their position? If I were a world cup rider and I wasn't bothered to check, I think I would assume that it would be done the same way as in the world cup.
Asa's winning run...and to think that this was the "cruisy" one...
Kid is going rip the WC Elites a new one. R.I.P. Jackson
What’s the bet?
No bet from me, but we now have not 1 but 2 "Once in a generation" phenomenons/freaks on 2 wheels, arrive in the elite's within a year of each other!
RIP the old guard of the elite roster.
The Alrans quietly enter the chat
One thousand percent. Alrans are here to do big things. It's also so strange to see people cook up this Asa vs. Jackson battle when in reality there are so many fast racers in the elite mens category in 2026. I'm sure there's some stat nerd on the forum here, but there must be at least 15 former WC winners in the men's category and then add in the 4 or 5 fast juniors coming up and it's well.......cooked!
Jackson has more competition, that's for sure. Asa and the Alrans ("triple As"?
are bringing talent that the elites have only ever really seen one rider at a time (sorry Jordan). Sam Hill. Aaron Gwin. Loic . Amaurry. Jackson. All of those riders really shook things up for the field. But, as always, adjustments will be made. The guys who can, will up their game. But you're smoking crack if you think that anyone is going to mop the floor with Jackson.
Can’t I just have my opinion? Jacksons’ got talent but no power. Asa has both…
This might be the worst take in a while. What makes you think he doesn't have power?
The dude may as well be named Gappy McGaperson, he pulls hard as. No power, lol.
Such an interesting mix of conviction and cowardice, I love it. Sportsfan vibes!
Whatever power it takes to boost over shit that nobody else is even thinking about, Jackson Goldstone has it.
HHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA
<<if you've ever wondered how to make a dumb opinion even worse, see above>>
Jackson should get "talent but no power" printed on an ironic t-shirt.
If you try any harder, Beez, you're gonna have to change your screen name to "Dual Crown Addict".
Well this thread has run its course
All animals turn to crabs. All bikes become Horst link. And all forums turn to Pinkbike.
Post a reply to: 2026 Red Bull Hardline Tasmania