THOUSANDS of spectators watched a local mountain bike rider triumph in the “world’s toughest downhill event”.

Two-time world champion Gee Atherton took the crown for the first time in the history of Red Bull’s Hardline event over the weekend (15 September).

The fifth edition of the popular spectacle took place in the hills of Dyfi Valley in Dinas Mawddwy with local rider Gee taking home the trophy for the first time after a nail-biting final in front of 3,000 spectators.

Twenty riders took to the start line on Saturday for qualifying in wet conditions.

Red Bull Hardline 2018 challenged even the most successful riders, with tight wooded sections, the iconic Road Gap jump with a trajectory of 55 feet, and some new epic jumps that really tested the riders at speed as they enter the final section of the course.

The final fly-off, which is the biggest jump ever at Red Bull Hardline, saw riders travel 65 feet – the equivalent of four double-decker buses – as they sped towards the finish line.

The weather and the long technical course proved difficult for some riders to handle with last year’s winner Craig Evans, Adam Brayton and Brendan Fairclough all failing to qualify for the final.

Gee was the last man to drop in the course which was created by his older brother, Dan Atherton, and was supported by a raucous crowd.

After a flawless run, Atherton took his first ever Red Bull Hardline win.

Speaking of his win, the former World Champion said: “Hardline is tough, the guys all pushed really hard.

“I didn’t look at the times before I went down for my final run, I knew the track was drying so just chilled at the top and waited.

“The first section was good but I was getting tired and fatigued but I sent it off the road gap with no feet clipped in, went into the turn and just push on into the wood.

“I felt good at the end of the season, had some great results but I’ve had my heart set on this for so long. I’m so happy.”

The runner-up Bernard Kerr said: “It was good, I tried really hard. I almost threw it away a couple of times with two big mistakes.

“Gee smoked us all with that last run. I was gutted not to win but so stoked for Gee to finally win, so happy to settle with second.”