Louise Ferguson's top-to-bottom race run made history at the weekend, becoming the first woman to compete in the finals at the Welsh edition of Red Bull's hellish Hardline event.
We all know Red Bull Hardline as the brainchild of Dan Atherton, who seems to have a talent for imagining lines from nothing, and creating the techiest, toughest downhill tracks in the world. And for the past decade the best riders have made their way to Wales (and more recently Tasmania) to try their hand at surviving whatever Atherton has conjured up. 2025 was no different – we saw seasoned pros and past winners falling, suffering mechanicals, and just not making it to the bottom.
But the biggest inspiration for me personally? Lou Ferguson. A humble and kind person, but ferocious on the bike, she made history becoming the first woman to qualify and race Red Bull Hardline Wales. In fact, getting to witness it firsthand made me jump on my phone (when I was out of the signal blackspot that is Dinas Mawddwy) and book a coaching session, so I can finally conquer drops bigger than a kerb.
The full lineup of riders for Red Bull Hardline Wales 2025. Credit: Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
Lou Ferguson: history maker
Ferguson stood out for me not just because she ticked off all the features for the first time, but because she was the first female rider to do so in Red Bull Hardline Wales history. Louise-Anna Ferguson, the 29-year-old pro racer has been pushing boundaries in mountain biking for a few years now, but she has really come to the forefront this season. Last weekend, she became the British Downhill national champ, and she’s been steadily picking up some decent placings in the Whoop UCI World Mountain Bike Series on her Intense M1 gearbox bike – and yes, that makes her a contender to win the 100k Gates Belted Purse for the first Elite World Cup winner on a gearbox bike with a belt drive.
Louise Ferguson hits the 90 footers at Red Bull Hardline 2025 // Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
But Red Bull Hardline is something different entirely. Not to diminish any of her previous results, but watching her become the first woman to successfully hit the 90 foot jumps earlier in the week was a huge accomplishment. It was clear just how much this meant to her as she fought back tears in front of the camera. A day later, she’d put down her first full run of Hardline Wales – and then became the first woman to qualify for the main race on Sunday.
“It was such a mental battle to put the run together,” she said, speaking to me after her seeding run on the Saturday, somehow still looking composed and not at all like she’d just had the adrenaline rush of a lifetime. A win would be in the bag, all she had to do was get down in one piece on the Sunday. And that’s exactly what she did.
“It’s been coming for a long time”
It wasn’t a faultless run – something that she confessed to me in our post-race chat – but when she did make an error, she paused and composed herself. She didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. She knew she could do it, and she already had done it. She just simply had to get down in one piece.
“It feels pretty good – I’m still trying to calm down,” she told me. “But it’s been such a great day. I was super nervous for my run, and I think it showed at the top and then I managed to just lock in and get all the features done. And coming through the finish was insane. I’m just super proud of everything and I hope this is the beginning of a lot more women in finals. It’s been coming for a long time.”
Lou Ferguson’s race run was incredible, and the crowd really got behind her throughout the weekend. Credit: Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
Her mental strength was incredible during the whole weekend, but so was her composure and the way she recognised all the women that came before her and the battles they fought that enabled her to get to this point. She’s a Red Bull Hardline Wales winner – the first, and that is incredibly impressive.
Tahnee Seagrave has done a huge amount to push women’s downhill. // Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
She thanked the likes of Tahnée Seagrave, who helped her, and all the other women there who rode during the week. It’s incredible to watch as a woman, seeing other female riders pushing themselves to the limits, but also having that air of compassion about themselves. And standing up there, picking lines, talking about how to approach something of this calibre. But most of all, being treated with respect by the community.
Rachel Atherton came back from retirement in 2023 and won the Lenzerheide World Cup.
Another massive trailblazer in the sport was there to witness Lou make history. Rachel Atherton is the most successful of an impossibly talented family in terms of pure results, and she’s been fighting for women to be included in these sorts of races for years. Maybe we’ll see Arna, her daughter, at Red Bull Hardline 2040?
Lou Ferguson proudly holding up her trophies for the week. Credit: Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
What’s next for women in mountain biking?
So what’s next for women in the sport? It’s fantastic to see brands like Red Bull get behind them, introducing separate categories or even separate events like Red Bull Rampage last year. We need to keep riding this momentum, and hopefully more and more women will feel empowered enough to push the boundaries. And its these elite accomplishments that will encourage grassroots participation, from young girls believing they could also one day be riding down Dyfi Valley’s toughest tracks, to your mum finding the urge to get her bike out of the shed and tackle a trail centre.
Casey Brown performs at Red Bull Rampage 2024. // Robin O’Neill / Red Bull Content Pool
And I have to say, one thing that really stuck out to me during the event was just how inclusive and excited everyone appeared. The atmosphere as Lou rolled under the finish arch was electric. Adults and children alike were cheering, and it almost brought a tear to my eye. Almost. But what it definitely did was reinvigorate my zest for riding bikes. No, I don’t think I’ll be hitting 90 foot jumps like Lou, but maybe a 9 footer won’t be out of the question in the near future.
Mountain biking as a community is one of the friendliest and most accepting I’ve encountered. I know it’s not the same for everyone, and people have their own experiences, but Red Bull Hardline Wales made me feel like we’ve come such a long way in the sport, and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.