Welcome back to RECON, the email delivering your MTB news every Friday in < 5 mins.

Congratulations to Nick Rogers, the winner of our Maxxis tires giveaway, who correctly predicted Jackson Goldstone to take the crown at Hardline Tasmania!

Nick is a high school shredder from Maine who’ll be sure to drop his friends on the fresh set of Assegais he has coming.

On Today’s Ride:

• 🇦🇺 The Insanity Of Hardline Tasmania

• 🤕 The List Of Injured MTB Athletes Balloons

• 📚 Riding School: How To Gap A Canyon

RACING

⚡️ Hardline Tasmania Was ELECTRIC

Are you not entertained?!

That’s the question Jackson Goldstone asked when he stretched out his arms to bask in the glory of winning Hardline Tasmania 2025.

Putting down a time of 3:17.096, Goldstone dominated the course that caused him to crash last year and miss a year of racing. It was a storybook redemption arc for the young Canadian who’s been chomping at the bit to reassert his dominance.

There’s so much to unpack for Hardline Tasmania 2025 and in classic RECON fashion, we’re breaking it down for you nice and easy.

⏰ Every Millisecond Counts

Hardline Tasmania 2025 was a different beast compared to the inaugural 2024 race. While the curated pool of superstar riders was similar to last year, the level of racing got cranked up to 11.

Hardline races are usually about the fastest athlete on the main line, but this year strategy was everything. In general the track allowed more creativity because of fewer trackside poles, with Troy Brosnan, Connor Fearon and Jackson Goldstone all figuring out a quicker inside line in their finals run.

🎰 Goldstone’s Gamble

Speaking of inside lines, Jackson Goldstone made a last-minute decision which may go down in the MTB history books.

After watching Troy Brosnan take an inside line over a berm and earn a major time saving, a new strategy clicked in Jackson’s mind just before embarking on his finals run.

Jackson instantly remembered spotting a tire mark over the same berm when reviewing GoPro footage. At that moment he knew if he wanted to win, he had to try a line he hadn’t practiced all week.

🇺🇸 Asa Was Right There!

After setting the fastest run in qualifying, 18-year-old American superstar Asa Vermette finished just 0.233 seconds behind his Canadian counterpart in finals.

His loss proves how important line choices were, as its estimated he lost a second by not cutting the same berm as Jackson.

Still, the American delivered a scintillating performance that had us all on the edge of our seat. Asa started the race in 6th after an early mistake but eventually flew back to 2nd place. Fans were blown away by how much time Asa made up in the race’s final leg as he blistered towards the finish line.

It begs the question. Would Asa have won if he had taken the same line as the previous riders?

We may never know, but Asa will have plenty of chances to get back at Jackson as their superhuman battles morph into a full-blown rivalry.

👧 Gracey Hemstreet Makes History

Canada really had its greatest exports on display at Maydena.

Gracey Hemstreet rocked the Hardline course as if it was her local jump line at Coast Gravity Bike Park, securing her first REAL Hardline victory since Red Bull officially added a women’s category this year.

Unfortunately though, Gracey was the only female to complete a finals run.

Erice Van Leuven crashed, Louise Ferguson didn’t manage to ride the whole course before seeding, and the fast world cup ladies Vali Höll, Tahnee Seagrave and Nina Hoffmann decided the risk wasn’t worth the reward.

This leaves some question marks around women’s participation at Hardline. The massive 90 footers in Wales and the huge gaps in Taz are a challenge, but we hope more ladies are inspired by Gracey to attempt runs in future events.

🤕 Maydena’s Victims

It would be impossible to cover Hardline Tasmania 2025 and not dive into its crashes.

A major shock to all fans was the race day announcement that defending champ Ronan Dunne wouldn’t be participating in finals.

Pushing for more in his final practice run, Ronan got caught up in a berm before being launched off his bike and thrown backwards into a giant rock. Fans were pleased to hear he walked away with no serious injuries after he posted the now very viral clip to his Instagram, which has now amassed over 48M views.

But the injuries don’t stop there.

Szymon Godziek crashed in practice and Elise Empey face planted off a huge drop. Kaos Seagrave, Erice van Leuven and Edgar Briole came up short on the notorious creek gap, where you need a minimum of 74 km/h of speed.

Erice broke her wrist, neck, and back plus some internal injuries. Displaying her toughness, she got up after her crash and went to the medical vehicle thinking she only injured her wrist. We wish her a speedy recovery!

🤳 Matt Jones The Showman

While he was last among men for his lap time, fan favorite Matt Jones wowed us all with a finals run ending backflip that he had teased during practice. His progression on the track shone hard and proves his versatility on the mountain bike.

Even though they’re not in contention for victory, it’s kind of a tradition that some freeride athletes get invited to Hardline.

But Edgar Briole, Szymon Godziek and Kaos Seagrave all crashed during practice. With Jones left as the only freerider in finals, it makes us wonder if freeriders are a dying species at Hardline?

🏁 Top 5 Results Hardline Tasmania 2025:

Men:

1st. Jackson Goldstone: 3:17.096
2nd. Asa Vermette: 3:17.329 // +0.233
3rd. Troy Brosnan: 3:19.479 // +2.383
4th. Bernard Kerr: 3:20.505 // +3.409
5th. Connor Fearon: 3:21.007 // +3.911

Women:

1st. Gracey Hemstreet: 4:06.465

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

We argued in a recent video that Red Bull Hardline is positioning itself as the supercross of mountain biking. With big air spectacle mixed with technical racing, hypey media coverage, free streaming, and a goated rider list, Hardline could be the device pro MTB needs to grow its audience. While Red Bull needs to think through limited female participation and a high injury rate, a rumor regarding a potential Hardline Canada is getting fans excited about legitimate competition to the UCI’s racing monopoly.

INJURY UPDATES

🤕 MTBers Are Down Bad

Broken bones, torn ligaments, and enough bruises to make a UFC fighter wince.

The main MTB season is months away but the injury list is growing like a weed. This year, we’re reminded that risk is the price of admission in action sports.

For some riders, sponsors like Red Bull are there to back them up and lighten the blow of hard hits. But for other athletes, a nasty crash can mean more than just hospital time. It can wreck their season, their bank account, and even their whole career.

Injury List As Of Feb 14, 2025

- Kade Edwards - broken heel (crash during practice for Hardline)
- Dakotah Norton - broken hip socket while riding moto
- David Godziek - twisted knee (meniscus surgery)
- Tom Isted - hit his head very hard, maybe concussion (practice crash at NST)
- Ollie Davis - collarbone with surgery (Hardline Seeding Run)
- Casey Brown - tweaked ankle
- Ronan Dunne - horror crash, no injury details
- Erice van Leuven - broken wrist, neck and back plus punctured lung (Hardline)
- Edgar Briole - scary crash at Hardline, no injury details
- Dylan Stark - concussion with swollen brain (crash at NST Bike practice)
- Barbara Edwards - broken femur (crash at NST Bike practice)
- Lucy van Eesteren - fractured fibula (crash at NST Bike practice)
- Thomas Genon - broken neck, no surgery needed (Crash at NST Bike practice)

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

There have been times when pro riders didn’t touch their bikes for months during the offseason, but those days are long gone. As mountain biking has grown, so have the number of events, which are increasingly sprouting up all over the year. On top of this, increasing competition has raised the bar and requires athletes to do year-round training to compete at the highest level, resulting in more injuries. Since its’s Valentine’s Day today, go spread some love and tell an injured rider you’re rooting for them ❤️

TEAM UPDATES

🤝 Sam Reynolds Signs With Aon Racing

Rad dad, YouTube shredder, and DarkFest mastermind Sam Reynolds has officially put pen to paper on a new home.

After parting ways with Team UR at the end of 2024, Reynolds is strapping in with none other than Reece Wilson’s Aon Racing.

He’ll be rocking a futuristic Gamux Sego – a downhill rig that looks like it was built for a sci-fi movie.

⚙️ Freerider 2049

Reynolds’ Gamux Sego comes armed with a Pinion electric gearbox, a Gates carbon belt drive, Manitou suspension, Hayes brakes, and a stack of top-tier components from Kenda, Spank, and Sinter. In Sam’s own words, “it’s the Formula 1 of downhill bikes”.

💪 Surviving in a DH World

Landing sponsorships as a freeride athlete might be harder than hucking a 90 foot gap these days. Brands are tightening their marketing budgets and concentrating spend into downhill, making it harder for freeriders to get a share of scarce industry cash.

While racing gets the TV spots and mainstream coverage, freeriders have become resourceful in building attention on their own. Viral edits, social media presences, and events like DarkFest keep the discipline in vogue.

Reynolds has been killing the game on YouTube, keeping his fanbase hyped with insane content and behind-the-scenes madness. His move to Aon Racing proves that he’s still a major player, and let’s be honest—who wouldn’t want to see him send it on a CNC-machined Swiss speed machine?

MORE STORIES

❄️ Results 2025 UCI Snow Bike World Championships

Lisa Baumann dominated the second UCI Snow Bike World Championships in Châtel, claiming gold in both the Super-G and Dual Slalom. On the men’s side, Vincent Tupin took the Super-G title, while Léo Grisel triumphed in the Dual Slalom. MTB legend Cédric Gracia (Giant Bikes) also made it onto the podium, securing bronze in Super-G.

🇪🇸 New Rider At Intense Factory Racing

Intense Factory Racing just got even faster. 🚀 IFR welcomes Colombian rocket Juanfer Vélez to the squad for 2025! Crazy to think this guy only got his first DH bike in 2023, and now he’s already rubbing elbows with the world’s best. From sending it to a Hardline podium (3rd at Wales 2024) to a killer 13th at the Les Gets World Cup 2023.

⚙️ Trek’s Prototype Session: No Secrets, Just Speed

Trek Factory Racing DH is ditching the usual secrecy—this season, their riders will be shredding on a prototype aluminum Session out in the open. No covers, no hiding, just raw R&D on the race track. A fully adjustable main pivot with three positions, carbon seatstays & chainstays in the mix, and a modular shock mount for on-the-fly tuning. Plus, a bolt-in head tube insert to tweak geometry as needed. Expect to see different setups throughout the season - because Trek isn’t just testing, they’re racing to win.

RIDING SCHOOL

🧍‍♂️How To Track Stand

This section of our newsletter is written by MTB education app Mastery, founded by Justin Rausch (@OneMTB) where we bring you the advice of pro riders to sharpen your skills out there.

A track stand is a balancing technique that lets you stay stationary on your bike without putting a foot down.

While it might not seem like the most exciting skill to learn, mastering it will significantly improve your overall riding—enhancing slow-speed control, technical climbs, and overall bike handling. To make learning easier, we've broken it down into four simple steps.

Choose the Right Location

• Find a flat or slightly uphill area free from obstacles.

Bike and Body Position

• Align your pedals horizontally (3 and 9 o'clock positions).

• Stand on the pedals with knees slightly bent.

• Keep your body relaxed and centered over the bike.

Apply Gentle Pressure

• Gently press the front brake to create slight resistance.

• Apply light pedal pressure to maintain balance.

Practice and Refine

• Focus on small movements to adjust your balance.

• Look at your stem to make balancing easier. 

With Mastery, you can learn MTB skills fast. Several courses are launching this Spring from top pros so If you haven’t yet, be sure to join the app’s waitlist.

🎥 Video Of The Week

Winter Riding at Glassie BikePark With Corey Watson:

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

Canada’s two super talents reflect on their wins

🌊 Wipeout Of The Week

Edgar Briole Comes Up Short 

📊 Last Week’s Poll

The people have spoken.

👇 More Sick MTB Content

Supercross legend Ken Roczen hints at going pro in MTB

The story of the viral “City Bike Boys”

RECON hints at revolutionary MTB startup 

Influencer “Big Privlege” Picks Up YT Deal

This guy is the Fabio Wibmer of Japan

This newsletter is written with ❤️ every week by Nic Bean, Marc Brodesser, Michael Sikand, and Justin Rausch