Final Results - EWS Round 7: Valberg, France

 Flat pedals win medals!

 @bikounet: Ratboy, Brendog and Connor in val de sole all shaking their heads in disagreement to your satament, Nyahahaha

 @bikounet: sam hill wins medals, not his pedals

 @leopaul: does anyone know the times though? Just wondering how far the gaps are..

 Nice win for Sam,,, keeping it flat like the brim on his hat!. Nico in second is it 2002?

 @fecalmaster: No, in 2002 he would have been first, by miles.

 And all the way up too. That's a lot of pedaling uphill in between stages. The "pedaling efficiency doctors" must have felt a bowel movement as they saw Sam killing it.

 @hgrant: He was riding flats, all day both days.

 Hill has already previously stated he finds it difficult to ride clips. I think it was in an interview at la thuile that he said he would have crashed into a tree if he was on clips

 @bikounet: Hm, 3 out of 21 podiums on flat pedals so far in men's EWS results (and all for Sam Hill). So maybe it should be "flat pedals win *a few* medals"?

 @MtbSince84: it's not 3 out of 21 if there were no pros racing on flats. We could say that 100% of pros who used flats were on the podium.

 We can also say Sam will be a force to be reconded with next year flat everything!

 Sam Hill has entered into beast mode.

 @plplplplplplplplplplplp: he's the be(a)st!

 Is SCRIBD the reason I see a grey box with a sad face document with a 'the connection was reset' message below it every bloody time I try and see race times on Pinkbike?!

If so, then yes DOWN WITH SCRIBD!!!!! Otherwise I don't know what I'm shouting for...

 Don't forget Shaun Palmer ten years earlier than that!

 +1 fat finger

 Yes!

 The old dudes giving the youngsters a spin for their money !!!

 what year is this?

 Is it what you guys call "the hot seat": www.pinkbike.com/photo/13887457

 @polarproton: Nicolas Vouilloz ! Sur une telle course, second derrière Sam Hill... T'as raison, gaffe à l'ancien, la raclée n'est pas loin ;-)

 @polarproton: Sam isn't exactly an old dude is he! He's been around a while but he's still pretty young.

 hope at least the money's good for him

 @mrfish his contract lasts for 1 year only do you think ? he f*cked up by leaving YETI

 There was a photo of him out riding with Richie Rude and the rest of the Yeti team.

 @RedBurn:

Don't imagine the contract was only a year but there is probably an out clause for both parties if they really want it.
I imagine the money is better than what Yeti could have offered due to the size of the Specialized organisation so maybe he'll stay put. I just know he will be gutted with the way his season is going and the issues he's been having with some of the gear he's obliged to use !

 Also, it's just his first year. Gwin struggled in his first year for the big S, then massively improved the following year. Tyres have been a big issue for Graves this year, pretty much single handedly making him uncompetitive. Once that is sorted I really hope Jared's luck improves as he's one of the nice guys in our sport for sure...

I'd just like to add that whilst Jared hasn't 'won' much this year, it depends on how you define victory - he's not won as many races/stages (but then Rude has leapt ahead massively this year and maybe he'd not have won as many on Yeti either) but he has been pulling in a better wage and is better able to provide for his family in the future. Specialized may also have the funding to keep him on in an advisory or ambassador role after, where Yeti would probably not have anything like a similar package on offer. I'd say the match is decent outside of results - it's pretty clear that there are areas where Specialized need to improve to not be left behind and Jared is proving to be quite good at finding them. Perhaps that was one reason Specialized bought him in? A racers career is hardly long after all, so perhaps as a long game this is actually a very good move for him?

 @slimboyjim: Not sure about that based on what happened to Todd Wells. I don't know the real story there but he had been with Specialized for like forever and still ended up on SRAM/TLD/Scott for the twilight of his career.

 well, what do you expect? he left the best bike in the world behind

 @deli-hustler: He's been training with RR on the regular since leaving Yeti.

 Honestly I think it reduces the performance of the existing ews riders. If you've got two guys who used to be at the top of wc dhand can still dominate past their prime it tells me ts well and truly a secondary sport that has a log way to go before maturity. Yes it reuires different fitness etc and yes other wc guys have raced and not done well , but they havet been doing it seriously. Anyone who has tried properly has been at the top. Remember graves was also a mtb great before ews, not a hill or a nico but still a great. I cant help but feel it's where riders go if they're not competitive at wc dh, and I include hill. Fabien barel ad some great insight into this and stated it should stand on its iwn

 YT needs to pick him up.

 canyon ?

 I'd like to see him on a zerode, that would be a big WTF.. Running a zerode and flat pedals with hill at the helm.... the world of enduro would implode

 @wavetrance: Zerode is a 1 man company. No way they'd have the money to fork out for Sam Hill

 @LionSnoop: I realise that....

 @wavetrance: hahaha or a GEOMETRON or a ORANGE

 @mblar: Perfect fit on YT!

 sam and nukeproof fit pretty nice. they backed him when his results were not the best.
i think silent mr. hill and a marketing big mouth bs brand like yt arent made for each other.
but why am i even tryin to tell u this? kiss my ass

 @wally333: Oh, no, please

 He's leading by consistency. Destroying the field is what Rude was doing at earlier rounds.

 Enduro rules!!! Mega rad mtb discipline, the concept is dope

 He won stage 6.

 @dingus: After day 1 mate

 @Brenos: Ah, I see.

 You can't expect him to have it all his own way.

 @dingus: deffo man, good to see others taking the win (especially Sam hill) but he's just been so dominant