So here we are when all is said and done. The 2015 World Cup season is already just a memory; the last jump has been hucked, the final pedal stroke taken, and the ultimate victories have been claimed by the two racers to also take Men's and Women's series by storm. Aaron Gwin and Rachel Atherton continued their obliteration of the competition in a race that deservingly formed the jewel in the crown of a wild, wild ride stretching all the way back to April and the holy slopes of Southern France. Six races later, it seems to have passed too fast to take stock of anything we might have learnt, but there's no doubting that these are the golden years. 20 years from now we'll look back and be proud to have witnessed these times with these legendary riders going head to head, carving out the still relatively early history of the sport with their cut-down spikes. So put on your signed Greg Minnaar jersey, crack open the beers and get a second look at the mind-blowing action on the replay. But first there should be time for one last photo epic...
About your Pinkbike World Cup Photography TeamDave Trumpore • Age: 35 • Years Shooting: 4 Dave spent the bulk of the past 17 years racing professionally before realizing that despite qualifying for the random World Cup final here and there, the next generation was just way too fast and way more talented. Upon hanging up his racing boots in 2010, it would be a few years until Dave picked up a camera and started shooting the odd race here and there as a way to stay in touch with all the friends he had made over the years, and the rest as they say is history. In just a few years time his photos have graced the pages of just about every MTB magazine and major media outlet, while his commercial client list includes a who's who of the cycling industry, and he is lucky enough to shoot regularly with some of the best riders on the planet. Currently at Pinkbike, Dave shoots the Downhill WC and the Enduro World Series as well as contributing to the occasional editorial story. Matthew Delorme • Age: 40 • Years Shooting: 8 Matthew DeLorme is just one of Pinkbike’s motley crew of World Cup Photographers. He currently lives out of a Ogio bag, and calls the road his home. Delorme works for Trek Bicycle, covering their MTB racing programs. He can usually be found laying in the dirt trackside, cracking jokes and saying things that make little to no sense. He enjoys capturing accessory moments and the journey every bit as much as catching the action shot. Nathan Hughes • Age: 28 • Years Shooting: 2 Nathan Hughes was snared as mainstay Pinbike media crew for the 2013 World Cup season and has been trapped behind the lens and the keyboard ever since. In between the biggest bike events of the year Nathan can be found on client shoots, making far-off travel stories and trying to catch a moment to spin the pedals himself. A great appreciation of the wilderness, the fear of a normal life and the quest for the perfect picture will have him hooked and looking to raise the bar for years to come. Thanks also to Beatrice Baar for some incredible additional imagery!
Roll on the world championship. Gwinner deserves to gwin it.
Gwin!!! Keep it rollin' at World Champs. Good luck man!
the vitalmtb slideshows are a good option to compare different riders - good photo quality in fullscreen.
If you take a look at videos of gwin, where he is braking hard (for example in the finish area, or leogang in the last woods, before the outside line) you can see that he is also sitting relatively deep in the travel (probably at 2/3).
He is for sure running something around the mid-setting at low-speed in combination with a very stiff shimstack - that's the basic stuff. Spring rate is higher than average (for WC riders) and should be relatively progressive - but not as crazy as most people think.
To give you an idea - gwins set-up for MSA 2010 on yeti (clicks from closed position):
"Fork: Fox 40 Fit RC2 w/ Kashima Coating
Low Speed: 8 clicks
HS Speed: 14 clicks
Pre Load: Zero
Rebound: 12 clicks
Spring: Green
*Special Tuning: Custom Compression valve stack. If a consumer's valve stack is rated a 5, then Gwin's is a 9 for firmness."
Yes it was a different fork model, but the green spring wasn't that stiff at all. But you can see, that the shimstack is nearly twice as stiff as normal - that's a HUGE difference.
A very stiff shimstack with little preload (on the shimstack, which means many clicks out) works much finer in terms of grip and small bump sensitivity than a normal one fully closed - while giving more ride height and g-out control. (please don't go and close your HS adjusters haha - it won't effect things positively).
hmm ... god save the freaks ... and gwin ... and the rat.
it's also about his riding style.
if you take a look at brook - he is always bombing and hucking trough everything - which looks great, but this also makes his suspension do much more of the work compared to gwins.
gwin has a bmx sx backround - he is sometimes riding like if he was on a rigid bike - absorbing all the landings and humps, even if it's not necessary.
he always looks way more active than other riders - he tries not to work against the terrain - like if he was floating - and that makes his suspension look bored.
The Lourdes run is a good example. Look how much travel he is using in some corners and in the finish area. But he is absorbing the hits and landings so smooth on the track, that the suspension looks way stiffer.
www.singletracks.com/blog/downhill/video-aaron-gwins-crazy-fast-winning-run-at-the-lourdes-world-cup
at least that's what i think
Good luck for the world champs.
Btw I've been waiting for Hill to make us another legend run like in 2008 and I'm still waiting, I hope we will have the chance to see him take the win there!
also bummed to see Emmeline retirement announcement. was hoping for another year of her battling Racheal
Otherwise great content again PB, the next best thing from being there or watching the Red Bull coverage. Well done!