The People of World Cup DH Racing (Part One)
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There are a tremendous number of people who actually make the World Cup DH series happen. A lot of them are very much behind the scenes people: team managers, mechanics, masseurs and other support staff. And of course, there are the racers—the heart and soul of the World Cup.
I’ve covered World Cup downhill racing full time for a decade. In that time, I’ve come to know many of the people who constitute the soul of the World Cup. This past summer, I only had time to attend two races—not the whole circuit as I have in the past. My main focus was to take the time to document the People of the World Cup in a 3 part series of portraits. Here’s part 1… These are the People of the World Cup.
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 Long time friend of Loic Bruni, Loris Vergier is poised to be another French legend - but he'll have to edge out Bruni first. Leogang, 2014. |
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| Danny Hart and Ruby in the Giant pits. It'll be interesting to see where he lands for 2015. Fort William, 2014. |
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| After his chainless World Champ ride, one has to wonder what we'll see from Neko Mullally in 2015. The kid's got talent, that's for sure. Leogang, 2014. |
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| Always smiling... Loic Bruni had a rough ride here at Leogang, but it's only a matter of time before the Lapierre rider takes the top step. Leogang, 2014. |
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| At the end of the day, the Nukeproof Team manager, Nigel Page, is just stoked about bikes. Managing the team is a full time job, but the one time World Cup racer still makes time to get after it, racing in events like the Megavalanche and the odd enduro event. Leogang, 2014. |
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| Doug Hatfield. This man has forgotten more about wrenching on bikes than I will ever learn. Leogang, 2014. |
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| Who'd have ever guessed that budding junior XC racing star Emile Siegenthaler would turn to the dark side at age 21 and become a gravity racer? There's no looking back now - it's been seven glorious years and still counting. Fort William, 2014. |
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| Andrew Neethling. The South African is tough as nails and as stylish on a bike as they come. I've seen Needles take some hard slams in practice - notably in Val di Sole in '13 - but he shakes the dust off and just gets back to it. Leogang, 2014. |
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| To say he had a bit of a rough season for 2014 would be an understatement, but Steve Smith never lets anything keep him down. Look for the Chainsaw Massacre to return to full form in 2015. Leogang, 2014. |
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| Claudio Caluori is a man of many hats: Team Director for Scott Gstaad, Red Bull Crashed Ice Competitor (Don't know what that is? Think 4x racing. On ice skates. On a track made of ice--complete with jumps, berms, and "incidental" contact. It's the real deal), and Pump Track and Bike Park designer. Fort William, 2014. |
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| George Brannegan. Another Kiwi single track assassin. He's a quiet one, but definitely one to keep an eye on. Fort William, 2014. |
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| I've known Brook MacDonald since he was racing for MS Evil back in 2011. Since then he's gone from a "devil may care" wild man with a suitcase full of fireworks to a more focused racer, but he's still a wild man when the chips are down. Fort William, 2014. |
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| Rachel Atherton. A true pro, make no mistake, but Rachel isn't afraid to play the clown to lighten the mood up a bit in the pits. Fort William, 2014. |
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| The magic in the mix? Eric Carter put his time in as a racer and then brought that experience to Specialized for 2014. I'd say that the results speak for themselves. We'll see where he lands for '15. Fort William 2014. |
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| Fraser Britton--man, this kid has come a long ways since I first laid eyes on him back at Mt St Anne in 2005. His camera bag was bigger than he was. Wait...his camera bag is STILL bigger than he is. But his stoke for mountain bike racing is even bigger. Fort William, 2014. |
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| A man steeped in World Cup, Martin Whitely has been there, done that since day one: from his beginnings on the World Cup circuit as the UCI's man for Mountain Biking Racing back in 1998 to running the revered Global Racing program (featuring a young unknown named Greg Minnaar) in 2001-3, to running the Honda G Cross team, to running Trek World Racing - one of the most successful team's on the circuit - the Aussie ex-pat has always been a force behind the scenes. Fort William, 2014. |
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| Steve Peat. The man is simply legend. Fort Wiliam 2014. |
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| Rachel Atherton's shadow would be how many characterized Manon Carpenter the past few seasons, but I think it's safe to say that she's come into her own during 2014. Fort William, 2014. |
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| The former sous chef come World Cup photographer Matt DeLorme almost makes an even better grilled roast pork served with a side of wild mushroom risotto than he does photos. Fort William, 2014. |
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| Luca Shaw. The young gun really came of age this past season, taking second overall on the World Cup circuit amongst the juniors. Next year will be a whole new ball game: the elites. Expect to see him take a bit of time to adjust, but if he stays on track, look for him to be a podium threat in a couple seasons. Fort William, 2014. |
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| It's always a pleasure to watch Sik Mik take the track. When he took time off a few years ago and then came back after a year off... wow. The renewed focus he's exhibited since then has been awesome. It's a pity his '14 campaign was cut a bit short due to injury, but it's going to be great to see him back at it full tilt for 2015. Fort William, 2014. |
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| It seems as if every damn Kiwi on the circuit is a joker, and Sam Blenkinsop is no exception...He's one of the funniest people on the circuit. He may look relaxed and composed here, but trust me: he's just thinking up the next practical joke to play on one of his mates. Fort William, 2014. |
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| It's great to see Joe Smith able to go at it full tilt on the Nuke Proof squad. his early years with Kona simply showcased the diamond in the rough; with Sam HIll to mentor him the possibilities are very, very interesting... Fort William, 2014. |
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| Seeing Troy Brosnan finally take a "W" this past season was amazing; this kid's had it coming for a looooong time. Fort William, 2014. |
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| Martin the Masseur. Based out of the MS-Mondraker Pits, Martin is the man with the magic hands. Name any top rider who pancakes hard in practice and it's a given that they are able to ride a bike - let alone walk - the next day in part thanks to Martin's deft touch. |
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| Emmeline Ragot and Loris Vergier of Lapierre owe a lot of their success this past season to Billy Ceusters--the crazy Belgian mechanic for Lapierre/Gravity Republic. It makes sense that a guy so adept at collecting speeding tickets would be equally adept at making bikes go fast, too. Fort William 2014. |
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| Jon Cancellier of SRAM is a quiet king maker. JC is the Blackbox mechanic to the stars - particularly when it comes to suspension. When a SRAM racer takes the top step of the box, it's a given that this man had a hand on the bike before that race run. Fort WIlliam, 2014. |
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| The team manager for the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, Kathy Sessler, is a former elite DH racer ("One Fast Momma" is her nickname) from "back in the day". One thing about Mama Sessler - absolutely nothing phases her. It'd be hard to imagine anyone else at the helm of what is arguably the most recognizable team in gravity racing. Fort William, 2014. |
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| The Shaw brothers. Sibling rivalry at its best. Fort William 2014. |
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| It's been a great ride seeing Ben Reid storm the World Cup circuit this past decade... Reid's stoke to ride has translated into watching the Irishman take countless runs on every track on the globe... It's a bit of a shame that he's moved into a management position, as I won't really have the chance to see him smashing turns all day long anymore. But his continued presence on the Circus means there's always going to be a wild card in the deck, and that's a good thing. Fort William, 2014. |
Stay tuned for Part 2 in the coming days.
Mentions: @GiantBicycle @LaPierre-Bikes @trek @Nukeproof-bikes @SCOTT-Sports @devinci @claudiocaluori @mdelorme @SramMedia @Specialized @redbullbike @GTBicycles @fraserbritton @Polygonbikes @urteam @ECMTB1
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Edit: Just saw the "Part One" part of the title...