Boxxer World Champs - Val di Sole DH World Champs 2016
Each year as the racing season comes to an end at the World Champs, the industry gets together to hold a final competition of their own to celebrate a job well done and to head into the off season with one final funny story from life on the road.
In recent years we've raced trail bikes down the DH tack in Norway, or ridden kids bikes through an obstacle course designed by Cedric Gracia in Andorra. Of course neither race was over until a beer was chugged at the finish line, so the harder you pedaled and the more out of breath you were, the harder this final task would become. Needless to say there were always a few who would surge ahead at the end.
This year in Val di Sole things were changed up a bit and the focus was put solely on the mechanics. Those unsung heroes who operate behind the scenes day in and day out to make sure the stars of the show can do their thing for all of our entertainment. Their moment in the spotlight would come in the for a revised Rockshox Boxxer Word Champs, and even that has taken a hiatus for the past three years and was long over due for a return.
The premise is simple: The best mechanics in the business square off in brackets and go head to head rebuilding a Boxxer as fast as possible with the winner advancing to the next round. And in true 'Industry Worlds' fashion, the clock doesn't start ticking until your beer is empty.
This year the winner of the previous two incarnations of this event, Evan Warner, would go toe-to-toe with Kevin 'Factory' Joly of Team Specialized Gravity Republic for all the glory and all the grain rights after another incredible season of World Cup racing.
The rules are 'simple' - First one to the end wins and advances to the next round.
The task at hand...one 2016 Boxxer World Cup.
Master of ceremonies was of course the one and only Rob Warner. He was on form as always but with a bit more of the craziness much like we used to see in his Freecaster days.
Defending champ Evan Warner got out to an early lead in the semi-final round.
Evan could probably do this in his sleep, or at least with his eyes closed.
No pressure. At least not from the few hundred people looking on and watching your every move.
After making quick work of Kona team mechanic Matthieu Dupelle it was on to the finals for Evan.
Kev Joly may spend most of his days working on Loris Vergier and Finn Iles's race bikes, but in the off season he also runs his own bike shop and knows a thing or two about rebuilding just about everything.
Kev had to come from behind in the semi-final round but his ability to stay calm under pressure and to chug a beer at record pace propelled him into the final round.
Almost done. All that's left is to air the fork back up...
Put the air cap back on...
And re-hydrate for the next round.
The stakes in the final round got quite a bit bigger and so did the final obstacle.
SRAM's John Dawson was the judge and his word as always on the SRAM pits is law. So on his count, the finals between Evan and Kev got underway.
Just a casual damper rebuild in front of a few hundred people.
Even four-beer deep and at the end of a long day of prepping race bikes, Kev Joly can still got the job done at record pace.
Out with the old oil and in with the new.
A 10cc squirt of oil from the syringe into the lowers and Evan was on the home stretch.
Kev tightening the final bolts.
It was neck and neck right down to the very end.
Kev was the first to take on the big green bottle but Evan was hot on his heals.
Eva went for a two-to-one ration of beer chugged versus beer spilled for optimum efficiency.
Almost a dead heat, John Dawson would make the final call.
And the winner of Boxxer Worlds for the third time - Evan Warner.
Sportsmanship all around for two of the hardest working mechanics on the circuit.
Congrats Evan on a job well done.
MENTIONS: @davetrump / @SramMedia
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and my wife wonders why her laptop is always covered in oil... errrmmm...
that came out wrong.
Seems like a journalist ? Or may be another mechanic ?
I've drank a few beers like that over the years to win some flip cup tourney's, it all counts. As long as you're pouring it into your mouth, it's in :-) AWESOME!
And to think......Steve Peat was in town. What would happen if he saw all that beer being wasted?
Looks like a good craic though
The cycling industry needs a serious history lesson, its so f*cked.
All that said. I love the boxxer world champs !! I look forward to video & photos of this more than the world champs itself !!