Pushing MTB to the Limit: Simon French on Hardline Tasmania
Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast
Downtime MTB
4.9 • 628 Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2025
⏱️ 95 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we are joined by trailbuilder and creator of Hardline Tasmania, Simon French. From working as a cancer nurse to becoming a world-class trail builder, Simon has transformed Tasmania into a mountain biking destination, bringing Red Bull Hardline to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time.
In this episode, Simon shares his story and takes us behind the scenes of Hardline Tasmania—what it took to bring the event to life, the challenges of designing one of the toughest courses on the planet, and how he balances progression with rider safety. We also dive into the role of bike parks in growing the sport, the fine line between risk and reward for young riders, and his lessons from years of shaping the future of mountain biking. So, it’s time to sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Simon French.
You can also watch this episode on YouTube here.
You can follow Simon on Instagram @simon.frenchy, @maydenabikepark @mysticbikepark.
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Photo – Maydena Bike Park
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Those top riders are here and they're looking at the course for the first time and they're not |
| 0:03.9 | questioning if it's possible and if they're not terrified, then it's not hard enough. |
| 0:12.0 | Hey everyone, I'm Chris Hall and this is the downtime podcast where we're going to be taking |
| 0:15.7 | you deeper than ever into the gravity-based side of mountain biking. Before we hit this week's |
| 0:19.8 | episode, I want to talk briefly about Patreon. More than ever, the support I get from Patreon is key to helping me keep the podcast going. So if you're enjoying the show, getting something out of listening, and you're in a position to help out, then from just £3 a month, you can join my Patreon over at patreon.com for slash downtime podcast. Make sure you never miss an episode by following the show. |
| 0:38.4 | Simply hit the follow button in your podcast app now |
| 0:40.4 | or find dedicated buttons for all the major platforms |
| 0:42.7 | at downtimepodcast.com for slash follow. |
| 0:45.5 | You can also keep up to date with what's going on |
| 0:47.5 | by following us on Instagram or Facebook |
| 0:49.4 | where we're at Downtown Podcast. |
| 0:51.4 | And if you're hungry for more downtime, |
| 0:52.7 | then you can join our brand new |
| 0:54.4 | refreshed newsletter at downtimepodcast.com for slash newsletter. If you want to help support |
| 0:59.9 | the show and Patreon isn't your thing, then you can represent by grabbing yourself a fresh t-shirt, |
| 1:04.1 | sweatshirt, hoodie or mug from downtimepodcast.com for the shop. Before the episode, don't forget |
| 1:09.6 | that downtime listeners can now get 10% off of stashed space rails. Stashed is the ultimate way to sort your bike storage. Their clever design means you can get way more bikes into the same space and easily access whichever one you want to ride that day. If you have two or more bikes in your garage, they are definitely worth checking out. Just head to stashedproducts.co.com. |
| 1:28.0 | for slash downtime and use the code downtime, all in capitals at the checkout for 10% off your |
| 1:33.4 | entire order. And just so you know, we get 10% at the sale too, so it's a win-win. That and all the |
| 1:38.9 | links I've mentioned will be in the show notes for this episode on the website, downtimepodcast.com. |
| 1:43.7 | All right, mountain biking isn't just about riding. |
| 1:46.3 | It's about vision, resilience and pushing the limits of what's possible, |
... |
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