Bike
MTB
Is Goldstone vs Vermette the next big downhill mountain biking rivalry?
Maydena Bike Park is set to host the latest chapter in the growing rivalry between downhill stars Jackson Goldstone and Asa Vermette, with the duo battling it out at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania.
Part of this story
Downhill mountain biking has always been fuelled by rivalries. Think Gee Atherton vs Stevie Smith. Rachel Atherton vs Tahnée Seagrave. Loïc Bruni vs Amaury Pierron. Now, the sport may be entering its next great chapter, with Canada's Jackson Goldstone vs the USA's Asa Vermette emerging as a World Cup rivalry that could define downhill racing for years to come.
The young guns are both still at the formative stages of their careers, but have already shown that they’re firmly up to speed. Goldstone was victorious at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania last year, while Vermette triumphed at the event in Wales. They also both recorded numerous victories in the UCI Downhill World Cup in 2025 - with Goldstone taking the overall title.
This season is the first time that the duo will be going toe-to-toe in downhill mountain biking’s elite class for a whole year though, and if their other head-to-heads are anything to go by, fans can expect a tight contest for the hot seat.
Their first battle of 2026 takes place at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania (February 6-8), and if last year’s race was anything to go by – Goldstone edging Vermette by 0.23s to clinch the crown – you won’t want to miss it.
But who are the two standout favorites for the third edition of Red Bull Hardline Tasmania? And will Goldstone make it back-to-back wins? Or can Vermette get revenge and become only the third rider (alongside Goldstone and Ronan Dunne) to win both Red Bull Hardline events?
01
Jackson Goldstone: Canadian downhill star and World Cup champion
Jackson Goldstone is the reigning men's Downhill World Cup champion
© Boris Beyer/Red Bull Content Pool
The 22-year-old from Squamish, British Columbia, Canada, proved his bike handling skills from a young age and has already won everything there is to win in the Elite class. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that he missed one entire season through injury.
Goldstone first made a name for himself on the world stage in 2021 during a breakthrough season where he clinched the Junior UCI World Cup overall and Junior UCI World Championships at the first time of asking.
The following season saw him repeat his Junior UCI World Cup overall title and add five more Junior UCI World Cup wins, but his performance at Red Bull Hardline Wales showed he was already at another level. The rookie tamed Dan Atherton’s Dyfi valley creation on his debut, becoming the event’s youngest-ever winner against a stacked field that included previous champions Gee Atheron, Bernard Kerr and Craig Evans.
It's always exciting when Jackson Goldstone is on track
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
His first Elite season took a bit of adjustment, but he soon picked up his first UCI World Cup win at Val di Sole, Italy – widely regarded as the toughest track on the circuit. A second followed at the season finalé in Mont-Sainte-Anne, where he won in front of a partisan home crowd to finish fourth in the overall series.
Go inside Goldstone's World Cup title win in The Search for Milliseconds, below:
31 min
The Search for Milliseconds: Jackson Goldstone
On the final day of the World Cup season, downhill MTB rider Jackson Goldstone prepares to risk it all to win.
Great things were predicted during his second Elite season, but his racing year was over before it had even begun. A crash during his finals run at the inaugural Red Bull Hardline Australia ruled him out for the rest of 2024 with a torn ACL and MCL.
Not deterred by the risks of racing one of the world’s hardest downhill courses, Goldstone returned to Tasmania in 2025, completing the redemption story by winning on the Maydena Bike Park track.
It was the start of a stunning season for the Canadian, who went on to win five UCI World Cups (including a record-equalling run of four-in-a-row), the UCI World Championships and UCI World Cup overall – leapfrogging Loïc Bruni at the last round in Mont-Sainte-Anne to win in dramatic fashion.
Now 22, he’s laid down a marker for the rest of the field, although an exciting crop of Juniors led by Vermette means he won’t be able to rest on his laurels during his title defence.
02
Asa Vermette: America’s rising downhill star
That's 2–1 finshes at Red Bull Hardline in 2025 for Vermette
© Dan Griffiths/Red Bull Content Pool
The 19-year-old from Durango, Colorado, USA, has been a competitive force on two wheels since he picked up a mountain bike at age 7 and started racing at 14. That year, Vermette raced his first national championships on an enduro bike, beating the rest of the downhill bike-riding field despite snapping his chain midway through the run.
Although he was competing in the pro/open classes in the US from the age of 14, Vermette did not make his debut in the Junior class until he was 17 at the 2024 UCI World Cup series.
It was worth the wait as Vermette won three Junior UCI World Cups and became Junior UCI World Champion, finishing third in the overall series after a crash ruled him out of the final round. He showed he could mix it with the Elites too, becoming the US national champion.
Get the inside track on Vermette's record-breaking Hardline win:
These results saw him invited to the 2025 season opener at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, where he set the fastest qualifying time and narrowly missed out to a rampaging Goldstone in his finals run, settling for second ahead of big hitters like Troy Brosnan, Bernard Kerr, Gee Atherton and Sam Hill.
Vermette showed that his performance on one of the world’s hardest downhill tracks wasn’t a fluke later that year, winning the Welsh edition on his debut to steal Goldstone’s record as its youngest-ever champion.
Vermette conquers the worlds toughest downhill course
© Nathan Hughes/Red Bull Content Pool
He also continued to show his talents on the UCI World Cup circuit, picking up another two Junior UCI World Cup wins and finishing second in the overall to Max Alran by just 12 points, with the pair often laying down faster times on the hill than the Elites who followed. Vermette also showed that he has got skills to go with his speed, throwing in a backflip during his fastest qualifying run in Lenzerheide.
03
Why Red Bull Hardline Tasmania matters in the Goldstone vs Vermette rivalry
The head-to-heads between Goldstone and Vermette have so far been limited to three smaller races in the USA in 2022 and 2023 and Red Bull Hardline Tasmania 2025. However, with the American stepping up to the Elites in 2026, it’s a duel that downhill fans can look forward to watching for a whole season.
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania will be the first meeting of the year for the duo and will show who has the edge before the first UCI World Cup in May. But there’s also plenty at stake for each rider.
Crowds will amp up the atmosphere all weekend
© Nick Waygood/Red Bull Content Pool
Goldstone has the chance to become the first two-time winner at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, which would confirm his status as the world’s best rider. While for Vermette, it’s an opportunity to get revenge for narrowly missing out on the top spot last year. He could also become only the third rider to win both editions and steal another of Goldstone’s records by becoming Red Bull Hardline Tasmania’s youngest winner.
One thing’s for sure, it’s a contest between two of downhill’s most exciting athletes that you won't want to miss.
04
How to watch Red Bull Hardline Tasmania live
You can watch the next installment of this unfolding rivalry live by tuning in to Red Bull Hardline Tasmania from 2pm local time on February 8 (3am UTC), or just hit play in the player above.
Part of this story
