Interview with downhill star Jackson Goldstone: Super talent & golden boy

BIKE: Jacko, did you follow the final of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo City DH series in Mexico?

Jackson Goldstone: I did. Not the whole livestream, but the fastest runs.

Sad that you couldn't be there?

I was a bit sad to have missed this race. But I would have preferred to be with my team testing the new Fox suspension in Maribor, but the embassy had sent my passport back too late, so I missed the flight and had to stay at home in Canada.

You're damn fast in the city, you came second at the Cerro Abajo 2023 in Mexico. What's your favourite urban downhiller to watch?

My good friend Tomas Slavik. Unfortunately, he had bad luck in the final and crashed, although he was almost certain to win the overall.

Not Juanfer Velez?

This guy is sick, really sick! That's true. But I'm friends with Slavik, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.

Has urban racing been ticked off for you?

Not quite ticked off yet, but at the moment I want to concentrate on the World Cup. That's why there are only two goals for me: World Cup and Red Bull Hardline.

I spoke to your team manager Steve Peat. Steve said that he was nervous about your hardline participation in Tasmania this year. But he said you promised to take it easy.

Ha, ha - yes, it turned out a bit differently than Steve had expected. I had taken it really easy all week at the Hardline. But on the morning of the race I felt great and rode a bit faster (giggles). But I didn't actually decide that until the morning.

Pretty risky - you tore the ligaments in your knee at the Hardline in Tasmania a year ago, which ruined the entire 2024 World Cup season.

Bitter, I know. I tore my anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. Thanks to Red Bull, I got the best surgeons and trainers. I think my knee is now 100 per cent again. And this year I was able to make up for the setback in Tasmania.

"He came, he saw, he conquered". What a comeback!

Yes, it couldn't have gone better.

Right behind you: Asa Vermette. Johannes Fischbach said about you and Asa that you are a new generation of downhillers. What makes you so fast and flowy?

I don't know what makes him so fast. He probably has his own secrets. All I know is that he's insanely good at everything he does. He's a brutally good motocrosser, for example. For me, I spend a lot of time on the bike. I've been riding since I was two years old, so I've gained a lot of experience.

Were you surprised that he finished close behind you in second place?

No, I had been watching him all week and knew that he would be fast.

"Mister Hardline" Bernard Kerr said that you have to get used to the track on your first Hardline until you can deliver good racing after two or three participations. You won the Hardline at your first attempt. How was that possible?

In my first hardline victory in Wales 2022, I benefited from the fact that others fell. Even the favourite Bernard Kerr. In the end, I had the fastest time - that's what counts. (laughs)

Hardline newbies rub their chins and raise their eyebrows when they see the violent stunts. Not you. Why?

I think that's because of my slopestyle past. When I was younger, I spent most of my time freeriding. Jumps, drops, stunts, tricks - I didn't do anything else. That gives you a lot of confidence. I feel very comfortable in the air.

When you think of the Hardline in Wales - what challenges you more, the high drops or the long jumps?

The last, long jump was the hardest for me. The wind was blowing from the front and as I'm very light, I didn't have the speed to make it over the jump.

Is the Hardline track in Wales the most extreme downhill descent in the world?

Yes, you could say that. One of the hardest tracks for sure - and the hardest track we rap on. Because the jumps are massive.

Some say that the Cerro Abajo city downhills are similarly dangerous.

I agree, the city downhills are insanely dangerous. But the hardline requires a lot more skills to make it to the finish.

You're a small guy compared to the gorilla Loic Bruni. I wonder how you can hold on to the handlebars with all those drops and bumps. How important is a strong physique in downhill racing?

Super important. That's why I go to the gym three or four times a week - and try to get as strong as Bruni. (pause) I'll never be as strong as Bruni. (laughs)

Are you too lazy?

No, because I'm small and slight. I'm trying to get stronger, but my physique limits me. I'm not going to become a plump Bruni.

What do you train?

Bench presses, deadlifts, squats - everything the others do. But I don't post any of it. (laughs) I have the same personal coach as Finn Iles and I do the hard programme pretty consistently.

Muscles are one thing, a strong head is another. Do you also have a mental coach?

No.

Wow, so you have nerves of steel by nature when you have to start last.

I was probably (laughs) born to stay cool under pressure. Bruni is also a role model in this respect. It's unbelievable how he can deal with pressure when he's last in the starting gate at the World Championships or a World Cup. The guy is unstoppable. I can still learn a lot from him.

When did your nerves get really tense?

Presumably at the first Red Bull Hardline in Wales. But the World Cups are also a test of nerves. If you want to finish at the front, you have to give it your all and go all out. That can really scare you. With all the pressure to perform, you also have to relax.

What's the best way to relax?

With golf. I love golf. You go for a walk, hit the balls and don't think about biking at all.

Who do you have to thank for your storybook career - more your father or the fact that you grew up in Whistler?

Definitely my father. He is my biggest supporter and he was the one who travelled everywhere with me so that I could get better. I owe everything to my father. By the way, I've spent my whole life in Squamish, where I live with my family. But Whistler is only half an hour away from home.

I try to get stronger, but my physique limits me. I'm not going to become a plump Bruni.

City DH, hardline, slopestyle - you'd like to do it all. Doesn't your World Cup team veto that - I'm thinking of your knee injury that paralysed you for a year.

Mmmh ... what's the best thing to say now to avoid getting into trouble? I'm lucky enough to be able to do what I want. But my focus this year is the World Cup. And Hardline. And Crankworx. And Whip-Offs.

There's a series with you on Red Bull TV called "Beyond Limits" - you're often seen crashing. How many crashes do you have in a season?

Laughs. Phew! That could be 40 crashes or 100, I don't know. You crash more than you think. If you don't crash, then you're not giving it your all!

A lot has happened in the World Cup during your injury break. There are new talents at the start. Who is your strongest competitor?

Everyone. Everyone has become so damn fast.

There are more World Cups this year. Ten races - is that good?

Yes, more is better. It's easier to collect points, especially if a race goes pear-shaped.

Do you have a favourite track?

Mont Sainte Anne is by far my favourite track. And then also in front of a home audience. I don't like Snowshoe.

Some believe that the World Cup could lose its status as the Formula 1 of mountain biking. Red Bull Cerro Abajo and Hardline are gaining ground. What do you say?

There is something to it. But it's not there yet. The Downhill World Cup is Formula 1 - still. The fastest riders in the world compete here. That's why I would always rather win a World Cup than the Red Bull Hardline. Because there's no Loic Bruni or Amaury Pierron competing in the Hardline.

Who are your buddies that you hang out with at the World Cup?

Mostly with the team. And then there are Ronan Dunne and Gonçalo Bandeira, for example, with whom I get on really well.

You jump double flips and tailwhips, don't shy away from even the highest drops - what about the Red Bull Rampage? Is it on your bucket list?

She's on it. I definitely want to take part in the Rampage one day. In general, everything on my bucket list has to do with mountain biking. That's all I'm interested in.

Bike technology too? Are you a tech nerd?

I can build a bike, if that's what you mean. My mechanic lives in France, so I have to do everything myself at home. I've learnt a lot over the years.

My dream is a log cabin in the forest with a river. Not a Lamborghini or a penthouse in Monaco.

Do you have any special preferences?

I want my brakes to be snappy and sharp. I can't stand it when they are spongy.

Have you ever tried a high-rise handlebar like Dakota Norton?

I was riding them long before Dakota. Now, however, I tend to put a lot of spacers underneath to get the front end higher.

Whose riding style do you like - playful like Remy Morton, brutal like Brage Vestavik or "on the edge" like Ronan Dunne?

I like all of those mentioned. I usually watch edits by Brandon Semenuk. But I can't think of anyone in particular whose style I like.

Do you often get asked about your Red Bull cap?

Addressed? I literally have to hold on to it so it doesn't get ripped off my head. For example, from the spectators at Hardline. Sometimes people also ask where I got the cap or where I found it because they can't believe I'm a sponsored athlete.

With all the hype surrounding you, how high is the risk of all this success going to your head?

That can happen. But not to me. I don't want to become an arrogant, conceited guy, so I'll be careful.

Or your parents and siblings give you a reality check that you are still a normal person.

I know myself that I'm a normal person. Nobody has to tell me that.

You're a downhill star. Do you dream of living in Monaco like Fabio Wibmer, having a model girlfriend and driving a Lambo?

I want to live in a log cabin in the forest with a river and lots of trees around me. That is MY dream. No Lamborghini and no penthouse in Monaco. But trails on my doorstep.

What others say about Jackson "Jacko" Goldstone

Jackson will have to dress warmly. The world has moved on. The brothers Till and Max Alran will give the Canadian a run for his money. The World Cup is becoming more and more professional, everyone is training hard - just about anything can happen.
(Marcus Klausmann, downhill icon)

When Jackson announced that he would be returning to the Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania after a year out through injury, I rolled my eyes. He made me promise to take it really slow.
(Steve Peat, team boss)

What kind of guys are these? The way Jackson Goldstone, Asa Vermette and Ronan Dunne downhill is unbelievable. This has nothing to do with conventional downhilling, it's a completely new, radical style. So fast, so flowy - sick!
(Johannes Fischbach, Worldcupper)

Profile: Jackson Goldstone

• Born: 10 February 2004 in Squamish, Canada
• Discipline: MTB Downhill

Sporting career:

• 2021-2022: Dominance in junior downhill with eight wins and seven second places in 14 World Cup races. Overall World Cup winner in the juniors and Junior World Downhill Champion 2021. Winner of the Red Bull Hardline as the youngest rider.
• 2023: Entry into the elite class with a victory in Val di Sole and at the season finale in Mont Sainte-Anne. Only rider with two World Cup victories in 2023, second overall behind Loïc Bruni.

Successes:

• 2021: Junior World Champion, three World Cup victories, overall World Cup ranking (juniors)
• 2022: Four World Cup victories, overall World Cup ranking (juniors)
• 2023: Two World Cup victories in the elite category
• 2024: Injury break due to cruciate ligament rupture at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania 2024
• 2025: Overall victory Rebull Hardline Tasmania

What else might interest you:

+ The most dangerous city race: Cerro Abajo. Here Fischi talks about Chile.
+ Jackson's bike in the comparison test
+ You can let it run here