You’re known for being one of the most aggressive riders at the World Cup, is that deliberate or just your natural riding style?

A lot of riders calm themselves down before a run and I take the opposite and try to hype myself up. You try and tell yourself how important the run is, how it’s the most important thing in the world to you. It’s good, it gives me a really aggressive riding style.

But if you make a mistake or if you fuck up it’s… maybe for an hour or two after the race you’re a piece of shit. And then after that, it’s like it’s not the end of the world, it’s just a race.

Ronan Dunne is one of the most exciting riders to watch thanks to his loose and aggressive style // Bartek Wolinski, Red Bull

But it gets you in a good head space because it makes me ride the fastest and it gives me that really aggressive approach, I suppose. If you do well then it’s a really good feeling because you’re so hyped up already.

I think I’m starting to calm down. I used to be a lot more loose but I have a lot more experience. But I’m still a pretty aggressive rider and it’s worked for me and it keeps everyone entertained.

Last year Ronan won both Hardlines: “I was on top of the world” // Dan Griffiths, Red Bull Content Pool

Back in 2024 you took double wins at Hardline Tazmania, and Hardline Wales, then you won your first World Cup in Poland… did you think you’d go on and win everything, like Gwin maybe?

I didn’t have the Aaron Gwin style thing. But you see some World Cup racers, like Bernard Kerr, they get podium, podium, podium… and I thought – maybe not wins – but I thought I could be on the podium for the rest of the World Cup season. And after getting the Red Bull helmet it definitely felt like I was on top of the world.

Then with this sport, if you think that then you get humbled pretty quickly. It’s super easy, you just slip on one root and you’re gone. It was Leogang after that and I think I got my worst result of the season.

I beat myself up, I got sixth in the semi finals and I was stoked on that, and then just made a big mistake and slipped on a root, and once you make a mistake there…

Like at the Canadian open and that ‘hold my beer’ moment?

The run was going pretty good, then I crashed and it was just before that rock garden with everyone [from the crowd]. And I didn’t have the speed to go through there flat out, and I don’t want to go through half arsed. So I thought I’d chug a beer. And it kept everyone stoked and it was a good way to do it, I suppose.

At the end of the day, everybody came there to watch you ride, if you went through the section nice and steady… you needed to do the fans some justice so at least that was something else.

Search Ronan Dunne on social media or online the biggest return is that crash at Hardline Tasmania, where you hit your head on a rock. It looked like the ‘easiest’ section of track on the course, what happened?

It was super random, on a track walk you wouldn’t even look at that section and it was honestly one of the easiest bits of track. I’m not very good at flat stuff and Asa just gained on me, so first run I was like, I need to hammer this.

I went in a bit too fast, first run of the morning. You go into the turn a bit airborne, float into it, and I think I floated in a bit too long. I hit the ground and the wheels just gripped, threw me over, super quick and didn’t do much wrong. I was high sided and before I knew it I was on the ground.

That’s usually Hardline, it’s the features you don’t think about that get you, your mind is always 50 metres or 100 metres ahead and you’re thinking of a big feature.

Should that rock have been padded?

I know my Instagram video has got nearly 100million views and they’re asking ‘why wasn’t that rock padded’. You actually don’t think of it until it happens. Somebody always needs to crash on it first!

I broke my pelvis and collar bone before I even hit the rock, but if I hadn’t been wearing the back protector I’d have been in a pretty bad state.

But Hardline is such a rider focused race, if you wanted something padded they’d happily pad it for you.

How’s your head space after such a bad one?

The injury has taken away a little bit of the fear for me, because I was quite surprised how quickly the turnaround was. Broken bones suck but they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. So I definitely won’t be toning down the riding. Maybe just more looking out for rocks! And I’m going to wear a back protection all the time now.

Hardline Wales works so well because you can hit everything flat out, no brakes

Red Bull Hardline in Maydena Bike Park, Tasmania didn’t go to plan, here’s hoping Dyfi will work better for Ronan // Nick Waygood, Red Bull

We’ve just seen the confirmation for Red Bull Hardline at Dyfi, it’s 26th & 27th July in Wales and can be streamed live on Red Bull TV. Last year was obviously great for you and you took the win. But what did you think of that notorious canyon gap?

It was a sick feature but the lip just looked shocking. It looked cool if you were going to do a first video, but not a race run. A race run, you’re coming into it as fast as you want, and you don’t want a big long boardwalk where you have to brake.

Someone is going to be thinking about just winning and they might brake just two minutes later and before you know it they’re doing what Jim Monro did.

Hardline Wales works so well because you can hit everything flat out, no brakes when it’s running perfectly. If you added in something you have to brake and have to slow down for, I don’t know…

It looked amazing and gnarly, but it wouldn’t be the biggest feature on the track. Definitely a feature like that but you could just hit flat out I’d be stoked for, something you could race over. I’m curious to see if there are going to be any changes for this year, and the 90 footers are super cool.

Ronan went on to take his first ever World Cup win last year, at Bielsko-Biala, Poland // Bartek Wolinski, Red Bull

You’ve got the first round of the World Cup first, in Poland, how are you feeling about that?

Last year went pretty well, so I’m pretty excited for that one. I should be back in full form for that one, so it’s a pretty good race to come back to.

And the Loudenvielle race after that, I got a podium there after that with a crash. So the first two races are looking pretty dialled for me, I’m pretty stoked.

Are you 100% after your injuries earlier this year?

I’m not full strength but I’ve been riding loads and everything feels pretty fine now. I’m just dialling in the downhill bike and I’m sure we’ll get faster as the season goes on.

I won’t be coming in as I’d hoped to do, before the injury. But loads of riders had injuries this year, it’s crazy. Loic Bruni, Loris Vergier… loads of top names. And it happens to everyone. Thankfully for me it gave me a month to get back on the bike.

There are a host of changes to the World Cup this year, with fewer teams for starters… how do you feel about it?

I hope it’s all for the better to grow the sport. But I think they’re still missing out on a lot of key things. And making it a lot harder to race. That makes sense but they need another series, they need to back another like the IXS cups, the top riders there need to make a salary and then they go on to the world cups. A feeder series.

The UCI did announce the Continental Cup as a World Cup feeder series, is that the kind of thing you were thinking?

You want to be able to watch it as well. And if someone’s doing amazing at that then they can come onto the world series and that would be fair.

You’ll have to pay £30.99 a month if you want to watch Ronan at the World Cups this year

Are you worried fewer fans will be watching you race, now you have to pay £30 a month for a TNT subscription?

It’s good in a sense because it makes Hardline grow! That’s what I’m looking forward to. Hopefully some day.

That’s exactly what I want World Cups to be, like Hardline tracks. Even the World Cups, everyone’s being caught up with discussions about the three rider podiums and so many other things. But the number one thing that needs to be sorted out is making the tracks. Having good tracks and features. Then at least if everything else is shit we’re going to be stoked, we’re going to be happy when we’re riding our bikes because we’re on a great track.

The La Thuile track… I’ve heard that’s a really good track. They built it last year so it’s been sitting there ready to go, it’s super wide and natural and I’ve heard that’s meant to be a great track. And then you go to Les Gets and it’s a great track but the features suck at the bottom – table tops that don’t work.

Ronan Dunne performs during the Red Bull Hardline practice session at Maydena Bike Park on February 6, 2025 in Tasmania, Australia // Brett Hemmings, Red Bull