Scottish mountain biker first woman to reach finals of tough downhill race

Scottish mountain biker Louise Ferguson has made history by becoming the only woman to complete the final course of the Red Bull Hardline in Wales.

The 29-year-old from Fort William, who is based in New Zealand, became the first female rider to qualify in the history of the event, which is held in the Dyfi Valley, on Saturday.

In the event’s 11 years, a female rider has never completed the course – hailed as one of the toughest downhill mountain bike races in the world – in full.

The run is well known due to the scale of its jumps and the challenging terrain.

On Sunday, Louise made history by battling slippery conditions to complete the run, becoming the first ever rider to win the women’s category in the event’s history.

She beat some of the world’s best female riders including Vaea Verbeeck, Kirsten Van Horne, Cami Nogueira and Hannah Bergemann.

Ferguson, currently ranked 14th in the world, recently won the British National Championships the week before attending Red Bull Hardline UK for the second time.

She said to get through the finish line was the “craziest feeling”.

“It doesn’t feel real, to be honest”.

“I’m just taking it all in, and I’m super proud and happy with the effort. I can’t explain how nervous I was at the top, so to get through to the finish line was just the craziest feeling. It was super greasy at the top – some of the guys are making it look easy, but it’s not.”

“It’s hard to explain how much it means to achieve this. The other girls have definitely got this and I would’ve loved to have come down with them.

“I know it’s just a matter of time and it’s going to be something I can do with them in the future. To see them at the finish means so much. The support is unreal and our community is something else. I’m just so happy.”