Morrocco Media travelled to Leogang in Austria for the UCI DH MTB WC 2013 Finals to provide sports video analysis support for the Dirt Norco Race Team throughout the course of the weekend (morroccomedia.com/#!sports-video-analysis/c14i3 ). Mountain bike video analysis allows riders to analyse line choices, rider technique and bike set-up. We can compare different line choices through a section of track and compare your line choices with other riders, ultimately finding you the fastest line down the race course. We can use all the analytical tools available to us to help improve your technique, comparing changes you make and how you compare to other riders to help improve your performance. Bike set-up can be objectively and quantitatively dialed in by comparing different set-ups to establish the fastest for the course and your riding style, to help maximise bike and rider performance.
Arriving on the Friday morning we had a quick chat with the Dirt Norco Team and then headed up the gondola to get started. We spent Friday working our way down the course filming different sections and identifying which parts of the course would glean the most from being analysed. The Leogang course offers few line choices for the riders, so the gains are predominantly due to technique differences between the riders, especially in the top third of the course where it is about cornering technique and speed. The middle part of the course is about carrying and maintaining speed from the upper third along the flatter section and over the jumps, so hitting the jump transition smoothly and accelerating off the back end of the jumps is crucial here. The lower third of the course offered most from analysis with several parts having key differences in line choice
Friday night was spent analysing the footage to identify fast lines, any rider techniques that were helping them get through sections faster and comparing the Dirt Norco riders against the faster riders to help them improve. On the Saturday we targeted three key areas; the rock garden, the steep rooty section and the low-gradient jumps section. The analysis was crucial as it revealed that the outside line through the rocks was quicker, including entry and exit speeds. The top line on the steep rooty section was fastest as it rounded off the lower tight left-hand turn and gave faster exit speed which outweighed the slower entry speed compared to the middle line. On the flat jumps it was clear that hugging the right-hand side of the track was faster and getting pedal strokes in where possible really counted. Again, all this was analysed and shown to the team to help Ben and George with their race runs. Sunday morning was spent checking that the lines identified on the Saturday were still fastest and confirming with the team that they were still on the fastest lines.
The advantages of the sports video analysis service are:
• that it is entirely objective, there is no subjectivity involved;
• it quantifies improvements; and
• it visually represents where improvements could be made or which lines are faster and why, which is a great tool for riders as they can actually see the differences.
Morrocco Media can provide:
• Technique Development –
Off-Season Training Days or private sessions.
• Pre-Season Product/ Bike Development.
• Race Weekend Support – as described above.
This video is awesome there are always sneaky lines and extra speed people leave till the race too though. Lots of tactics in play. But this is still invaluable for a top rider.
I think the best thing would be to compare the same rider on both lines to see which one they are faster at.
Love it.
However how hard would it really be for anyone to do this, stationary camera, overlay the image.
I would have loved to see Connor fearons overlay of that rock garden (30seconds in) he was the only one to go super wide then cut inside. Was very fast.
New rule: talking about the spirit of the sport is not only gay but it's also pain in the ass for the former world champions.
secondly with all the "carbon, new wheel size and electronic suspension" there is no spirit to talk about.
from the race results at leogang there is only one conclusion and that is: grow a mustache to go faster.
Technology may well one day dominate the circuit. Mark my words: there'll still be plenty of room for talented, hard-working riders with good instincts. There's space in any sport for that. You can't fake talent or hardwork.
Just that when the difference between first and 10th is only a few seconds, the talent and practice are at a honed skill level already where those additional fractional seconds are decided by who can afford the tech vs. those who can not.
Depending on track and conditions, we have found firm to be slower on a track using freelap to time and a log book for timing.
Amazing how 1 track suits 9 clicks of high speed, 1 click of low. And another track 5,4. (Boxxer wc's).