Asa Vermette didn’t think it was enough.
The 18-year-old downhill mountain bike sensation was the final rider to hit the Red Bull Hardline course in Dyfi, Wales, on Sunday. He knew England’s Charlie Hatton had put down a great run before him.
He knew the top of his run wasn’t the fastest and he made a small mistake. That mistake didn’t matter.
As soon as Vermette crossed the finish line, the timing screen turned green and he became the youngest Red Bull Hardline winner in the event’s history, beating Hatton’s run by 1.681 seconds.
It was a bounce back effort for Vermette after he finished second at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania in February.
“I felt really good after Tasmania; I just wanted to get the win, pretty bad, for sure,” Vermette said. “So to do it there was insane. Also, I wasn't really even thinking about being the youngest person until it happened. So, I'm stoked on that; it’s cool.”
The Durangoan completed his final run in two minutes and 24.477 seconds; Vermette’s final run was over four seconds faster than his qualifying run. Hatton finished in second in 2:26.158 and Ronan Dinne was third in 2:29.396.
Like in many of his World Cup runs, Vermette built up his run by starting slower in the first split and then built his speed and a gap to his competitors. He was fourth after the first split and then had the fastest splits in Split 2, 3 and 4.
Rain was in the air in Dyfi the night before the qualifying and race day. Vermette didn’t grow up racing in the rain and mud in Durango but he’s gotten used to it doing the World Cups.
“My riding style for all the technical rock gardens was actually pretty good because at Purgatory we’ve got a bunch of those; it's just doesn't usually rain,” Vermette said. “So the track was something I was pretty familiar with the steep chutes, corners and big jumps … having a slippery top section was something … to adjust to was some slippery rocks. But other than that, the track was pretty suited to me.”
A big difference between World Cup tracks and Red Bull Hardline are the jumps. The jumps at Hardline, with drops up to 90 feet, according to Vermette, are a lot bigger than anything he’d see at a World Cup. The difference suits Vermette as he enjoys hitting jumps.
Vermette had one final jump to nail before crossing the finish line at the bottom. He felt like his run wasn’t enough because of a couple mistakes. Reflecting on the moment, Vermette realizes that on the bike, every mistake feels like it’s bigger than it is.
After hitting the final jump, crossing the finish line and realizing he won, Vermette was mobbed by camera people and his competitors congratulating him in front of a huge crowd.
It was an insane feeling for Vermette, one he struggled to put into words as all the fans were stoked to watch a run on such an entertaining track.
The 2025 World Cup season has been tough for Vermette so far. He crashed in the first two rounds, is without a win and is fourth in the men’s junior downhill World Cup standings. His Red Bull Hardline win could turn the tide on his year.
“It'll help for sure, just for the confidence,” Vermette said. “It's a totally different field and different track, but just the confidence of knowing you did it the weekend before or whatever will be nice to have. Hopefully we can just keep building and going on for me.”
Vermette has a quick turnaround to defend his men’s elite downhill USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championship in Big Bear Lake, California, from Thursday-Sunday.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
