Pushing MTB to the Limit: Simon French on Hardline Tasmania

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 . Podcast Stuff Listener Offers 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 2 or more bikes in your garage, they are definitely worth checking out. Just head to stashedproducts.co.uk/downtime and use the code DOWNTIME at the checkout for 10% off your entire order. And Just so you know, we get 10% of the sale too, so it’s a win win. Patreon I would love it if you were able to support the podcast via a regular Patreon donation. Donations start from as little as £3 per month. That’s less than £1 per episode and less than the price of a take away coffee. Every little counts and these donations will really help me keep the podcast going and hopefully take it to the next level. To help out, head here . Merch If you want to support the podcast and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. We now also have local manufacture for most products in the US as well as the UK. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop . Newsletter If you want a bit more Downtime in your life, then you can join my newsletter where I’ll provide you with a bit of behind the scenes info on the podcast, interesting bits and pieces from around the mountain bike world, some mini-reviews of products that I’ve been using and like, partner offers and more. You can do that over at downtimepodcast.com/newsletter . Follow Us Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast . Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to follow it. Episodes will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it’s totally free. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/follow . You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Maydena Bike Park