Latest news with #TahneeSeagrave
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ferguson reaches Hardline Wales finals to make history
Scottish mountain biker Louise Ferguson has made history by reaching Sunday's finals of Red Bull Hardline Wales. The 29-year-old from Fort William, who is based in New Zealand, became the first female rider to qualify in the history of the event, which is held in the Dyfi Valley. In the event's 11 years, a female rider has never completed the course in full - mainly due to the scale of the jumps and challenging terrain. Elite women's rider Tahnee Seagrave invites riders to compete at Hardline Wales and posted on social media that she was "so proud" to see the women giving it their all at the event and to see Ferguson complete the qualifying stage. A "super happy" Ferguson described her accomplishment as a "relief" and hopes to see more women competing with her next year, and says they are getting closer to a standalone women's race at the event. "I wasn't sure if we'd ever get to do all of the features, I really feel like we're making progress," she said "Tahnee Seagrave has put in so much effort to get us here. We've had so much support and this is finally achieving some of the goals we set." Seagrave encouraging more women to race the 'hardest downhill track' Mountain bikers bid to conquer 'deepest, darkest Wales' Seagrave targets elusive world title
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Ferguson reaches Hardline Wales finals to make history
Scottish mountain biker Louise Ferguson has made history by reaching Sunday's finals of Red Bull Hardline 29-year-old from Fort William, who is based in New Zealand, became the first female rider to qualify in the history of the event, which is held in the Dyfi the event's 11 years, a female rider has never completed the course in full - mainly due to the scale of the jumps and challenging women's rider Tahnee Seagrave invites riders to compete at Hardline Wales and posted on social media that she was "so proud" to see the women giving it their all at the event and to see Ferguson complete the qualifying stage.A "super happy" Ferguson described her accomplishment as a "relief" and hopes to see more women competing with her next year, and says they are getting closer to a standalone women's race at the event."I wasn't sure if we'd ever get to do all of the features, I really feel like we're making progress," she said"Tahnee Seagrave has put in so much effort to get us here. We've had so much support and this is finally achieving some of the goals we set."
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Riding Hardline 'like playing Mario Kart with mates'
One of the toughest mountain bike races of all takes place in Wales next Wales is a part-downhill, part-freeride race which will be staged in Machynlleth on 26-27 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 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 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 says he "fell in love with the place" after visiting his sister, who had moved over 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 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 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 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 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.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Seagrave targets elusive world title
Tahnee Seagrave has set her sights on winning the Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup series as well as the World Championships this new season gets under way on 16-18 May with the opening round of the World Cup in Bielsko-Biala, 2024 the 29-year-old had to settle for second at the World Cup and third at the World Llanfyllin-based rider, who has been racing at the top level for the past decade, has agonisingly missed out on securing gold, but hopes that will change this season."I'd love to win a World Champs, an elite World Champs title, I've never had that in my career," she said."I've been so close to the overall title so many times and just missed out, so I'd love to be a little bit more consistent."I'm really excited to kick things off. I'm just itching to get going, but just like I've said before, I'll always just give 110% and see where that takes me." Seagrave came back to form last season, winning the World Cup round in Val di Sole, Italy, following a difficult few seasons after a serious concussion suffered in April 2022."Last year was a really good season for me. I didn't really expect anything but I had this just low-level confidence that I knew that I could perform at my best," Seagrave told BBC Sport clinching junior World Championship gold in 2013, she was tipped to dominate at the very top level, but one injury followed another, from broken bones and muscular tears to slipped discs in her neck, before concussion left her wondering whether she would ever race again."When I had my head trauma, it took a lot of mental work to come back to racing and I think that kind of changed my perspective on life and on racing," she said."I really had to build a self-confidence and that just kept growing every day and the more I rode the more I gained confidence, I just shut all distractions out and I learnt a lot mentally."Seagrave also turned to sports psychologists and psychiatrists as "she did a lot of work to be able to feel confident".She has recently been busy testing a new bike at her mid-Wales base during the off-season after parting ways with her five-year association with bike brand Canyon and switching to Orbea."We're just trying to create a fast bike and one that works really well and that can take us to the top step," Seagrave said.
