Louise Ferguson makes Red Bull Hardline history as first female winner of the "world's toughest mountain bike race"
Since Ferguson was this Welsh downhill brute's first ever female qualifier, she has become the first champion of its female category. 18-year-old Asa Vermette also became the Hardline's youngest ever winner by taking the men's title
Once again, Red Bull Hardline descended upon the Dyfi Valley in what's widely recognised as the world's toughest downhill race. Yet again, for another year, the event brought high-octane racing with results that no one could have predicted.
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Hardline crowns its first female winner
Red Bull Hardline invites only the world's best and toughest riders to take on what is possibly the most difficult race track on the planet. It's filled with huge jumps, incredibly technical sections and massive drops, so it's certainly not for the faint of heart.
2025's second Hardline of the year brought two historic milestones, the first being Louise Ferguson's qualification for the main event, and in doing so winning the women's category. It's said that due to the sheer scale of Dyfi's race track, women previously have struggled to qualify for the main event, but for the 29-year-old Scot, that proved to be no issue at all.
SI202507271283.jpg, by Liam Mercer
After qualifying, Ferguson says, "I feel so much pride. All the girls have worked so hard over the last few seasons, and it hasn't been easy. Getting the opportunity to come to Red Bull Hardline and progress each year has made such a difference. I'm a small part of it, but it feels so good to do it for all the girls, and it's not going to take long before there's more of us completing the course.”
“The run is a blur. I just tried to focus on one feature at a time to get through, and it worked out. It's so much harder than any other event, and it takes so much courage to hit even one of the features, let alone all of them back-to-back. I can't explain how slippery some of the rocks were - it was such a mental battle to put a full run together. I just tried to focus on what I could control and trust in myself.
"The community at this event makes all the difference - all the men are so supportive, and it feels like there's no divide between the categories - it has an incredibly special support network and vibe. I can't wait for tomorrow”.
After a commanding qualifying and equally impressive race run, Ferguson became the first female winner in Hardline history.
18-year-old Asa Vermette takes the win in the men's category
Red Bull Hardline has become known for welcoming riders of all ages to compete with the young guns showing their skill at the Tasmanian leg of the Hardline circuit. So much so that Jackson Goldstone took the win ahead of a mighty fast-looking Asa Vermette with a gap of just 0.233 seconds.
SI202507271293.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The Dyfi leg of Hardline, often considered the main event, was Asa Vermette's first crack at the most intense track in the world. Without Jackson Goldstone competing, and having ridden so well in Tasmania, all eyes were on Vermette.
As the young American downhiller tackled the course, it didn't take long for him to top the time sheets, gaining seconds on the second-place rider, Charlie Hatton. In a nail-biting effort, Vermette was riding as close to the limit as physically possible, finishing with a time of 2.24.477, 2.6 seconds faster than Hatton's still mighty impressive 2:26.285.
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