Hardline puts local rider to the test
Sam Gale says the Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania was the favourite track he’s ever ridden, after coming seventh at the event. Photo: Cameron Mackenzie.
If you stop and think about what you’re doing for too long at Red Bull Hardline, you just might talk yourself out of it.
For Nelson rider Sam Gale, it was best not to even think about it as he tackled the course in Tasmania, which featured jaw-dropping jumps and gaps with vertical drops as high as 10 metres.
“It wasn’t too scary. It’s big, but built so well that it all linked together. You’re not even thinking about it because it’s so fun and flowy. It’s the best track I’ve ever ridden.”
The former Waimea College student says the last jump, a ginormous 23-metre gap over a creek, was a little bit nervy, having been untested after it was changed last minute in the build-up to the event, especially with it coming after over three-and-a-half minutes and 2.3km of hard racing.
But, he was happy with his result after finishing seventh and seconds away from a podium in a tightly contested field.
Having grown up in Nelson, Sam says he got his start on bikes after taking his BMX up on the mountainbiking trails someone had made behind his house.
And he was hooked, winning the first race he ever entered as a young teenager.
A background in motocross was quickly abandoned, but he says it gave him the familiarity with going fast which has become his bread and butter on a push bike.
“I was always comfortable going really fast.
“I was never worried, it just felt natural.”
Sam has since moved to Queenstown, saying it suits his riding and opened up options to ride and practice on big jumps, with Red Bull Hardline synonymous with massive jump features and technical racing.
The annual event in Wales has become a major stop on the calendar as one of the most difficult races in the world, having expanded to Tasmania’s Maydena Bike Park for the first time this year, with Sam having raced in several previous editions.
“I like it because I’ve always liked doing big jumps. Massive jumps and gnarly downhill, it’s a dream really,” he says.
Sam is already eying up his next big event as Crankworx returns to Rotorua later this month, before heading overseas to race in Europe.
While he doesn’t get as back as much as he’d like, he’ll always consider Nelson home.
Whenever he does get a chance to come back, his favourite trails are Aorere because it’s “got everything” and Fringed Hill as his favourite “OG downhill track”.