Riding Hardline 'like playing Mario Kart with mates'

BBC News

19 hours ago

One of the toughest mountain bike races of all takes place in Wales next weekend.Hardline Wales is a part-downhill, part-freeride race which will be staged in Machynlleth on 26-27 July.According to the organisers, Hardline riders "push their limits to conquer a brutal course with massive jumps, drops and technical challenges".Kaos Seagrave, a London-born professional rider who is based in Wales, has many years of biking experience under his belt but says Hardline Wales "is actually the hardest race I've ever done".Seagrave devotes his time to freeride mountain biking having left racing on the World Cup scene after finding races "too serious".Hardline is the only race the 26-year-old still competes in, and also tests for, as he feels it is the only race that gives the racers the chance to have fun while racing."The good thing about Hardline is you get to race and be competitive. It's like playing Mario Kart with your mates," Seagrave said.Though he was born in the UK, Seagrave, along with his professional racing sister Tahnee, grew up near Morzine in France - the gateway to the Portes du Soleil area that mountain bikers flock to in summer, and skiers in winter.When the siblings were younger, the family often had athletes staying with them."I was at the races all my life," said Seagrave. "Before I was a racer, my family would always be at the races because my mum would cook for some of the teams."The Seagraves eventually left France for Wales, where they have lived and raced for 10 years.Kaos says he "fell in love with the place" after visiting his sister, who had moved over first.In Morzine there was no opportunity for biking in winter, meaning that – unusually perhaps - the Welsh weather was appealing."We wanted to always just ride bikes and you can't with winter out there [in France]," Seagrave said."Here you can ride 12 months of the year. It's just so beautiful."The Seagraves are not alone, with Wales' landscape attracting many elite racing families in recent times."The riding is insane, the amount of hills and wherever you go there's kind of a track there," Seagrave added.
'No spiders or snakes - but I don't like crashing in Wales'
The Hardline competitions have only two races, one in Wales and one in Tasmania.Due to the rough landscape in the Dyfi Valley, the Welsh Hardline is widely regarded as the hardest track in the world."It's just the actual steepness of the hill and the Dyfi Valley," Seagrave explained."And then there is the weather as it's normally wet, so it's normally going to be a wet race, and roots and rocks in the wet are quite sketchy."I think for Hardline, it's got to be the hardest line that there is."If you crash in Tasmania, I know there are animals like spiders and snakes, but normally if you crash on the side, you're not too bad."If you crash in Wales it's just kind of rocky, slatey and it's such hard-packed dirt. I don't really like crashing in Wales."Nevertheless, Seagrave enjoys testing the track in Wales, willing to be the guinea pig - the first to ride the track before a race starts and before any other athlete. With each course getting new jumps and features every year, they need to be tested for safety but also to make sure the obstacles are actually rideable."It's a cool experience but it's always quite scary because obviously you're doing a jump for the first time," he added.Seagrave describes testing as a "different gamble" due to the risk involved when trying out the most difficult course on the planet."You're there to do a job but if I don't think I can do something I won't," Seagrave said."I've had a few crashes so sometimes it's better to say change it before it's ridden. But you do want to at least try."
However, there has been no testing for Hardline this year as the course has no new features.Yet Seagrave says there are nerves involved when he is preparing to try a new trick."I'm absolutely in my head just like, 'Oh my God, what if I just go off the side?'" he said."As I get to the top and get on my bike, that's when I'm like, yeah, I'm okay. When I'm going to drop in, those thoughts just go to the side and only thoughts of me landing and doing it are in my head."Seagrave grew up with admiration for Hardline creators Dan and Gee Atherton, themselves professional racers."We always try to get Dan to come back out on the Hardline course but he's always like, 'Oh I'm old now I can't ride it'," Seagrave said."I went to the bike park with him on Sunday, he was dropping us and riding so well. He'd beat most of us - but he says it's up to us to ride it now."After all the crashes Gee has had, seeing him ride is just amazing. They are unique athletes."Seagrave missed out on competing in both editions of Hardline last year after a shoulder injury, but is raring to go again this year.He says the primary target is to "go out there and have fun" as he prepares for a year of freeriding events such as Crankworx and Swatch Nines and also handing in an application for a wildcard spot for Red Bull Rampage.