Video: 2014 Gravity Nationals Preview at Angel Fire

Jun 18, 2014 at 20:36
by Dan Swanson  
The country’s best downhill and dual slalom riders are coming back to Angel Fire this year for the USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships at 10,500′ elevation.

This race determines the United States National Champion for both Downhill and Dual Slalom in Junior Age Classes, Junior Category 1, Category 1 Age Classes, and Pro. Racing begins Friday and continues through Sunday.

Want to see what the riders have in store this weekend? Rider Chris Boice stopped by the bike park and rode the course for everyone to see. Video below:

Views: 22,337    Faves: 28    Comments: 0



Event Overview:

Friday
Downhill Practice, starts at 7 a.m.
Dual Slalom Practice, starts at 10 a.m.
Downhill Cat 2/3 Races, 9 a.m.
Downhill Cat 2/3 Awards, 11 a.m. at base area deck
Dual Slalom Qualifications, starts at 2 p.m.
DJ Miles Bonny – Legends Grill, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday
Downhill Practice & Qualifications, starts at 8 a.m. and Noon
Dual Slalom Practice, starts at 1 p.m.
Dual Slalom Races, 2 p.m. (Pros at 4 p.m.)
Dual Slalom Awards, 5:30 p.m. at base area deck
Red Bull presents Rad Company, 8 p.m. at the base of the mountain.

Sunday
Downhill Practice, starts at 8 a.m.
Downhill Male and Female Races, starts at 10 a.m.
Awards for Morning Races, 12:30 p.m. at base area deck
Awards for Afternoon Races, to follow races, at base area deck

Visit USAC’s at www.usacycling.org/ for detailed event information.
Share your photos using the hashtag #AFRdirtStop by the bike park this weekend and watch the pros show you how it’s done!

www.angelfireresort.com

Author Info:
dswanson30 avatar

Member since Apr 2, 2014
4 articles

103 Comments
  • 71 19
 Trying to be like Claudio Caluori except not funny
  • 9 8
 I was about to say that haha
  • 5 11
flag SethMTB (Jun 19, 2014 at 20:27) (Below Threshold)
 I think the accent is half of it for claudio but still.. accent or not claudio is a better trail narrator.
  • 13 94
flag scottdmr (Jun 19, 2014 at 20:47) (Below Threshold)
 No Claudio is not funny actually just really annoying. Same as Brett tippie.
  • 7 2
 To each his own...
  • 13 1
 I mean not every person can sing while pinning it down a World Cup course...
  • 5 4
 Very true Seth.
  • 8 11
 Tippie for king!
  • 14 1
 i don't think he was trying to be funny
  • 4 3
 Is that 'World Cup Road Gap' at 4:40 the gap that Stevie broke his foot on? Looks very similar.
  • 13 0
 Oh no, Im wrong and I cant delete my comment :'(
  • 22 2
 He is not trying to be Claudio - he's just describing the track as he goes down, which for us that can't be there, I really appreciate!
  • 9 1
 Agreed!^^ I appreciate the course pre-view!
  • 9 6
 @scottdmr. Finally I'm not the only one who thinks tipple is annoying!!!!! Everyone on pinkbike loves him but he's sooo annoying
  • 1 0
 It's good to see there are some normal people on here haha.
  • 1 1
 Unfortunately, Claudio ruined all track POV previews. Anyone who doesn't do it like Claudio will be told, not as good as Claudio, and if someone tries to do it like Claudio will be called a copycat. So, for you track previewers, just be yourself!
  • 2 0
 Who gives a flying f*ck. He's giving a trqil preview what do you want him to do. if you don't want a preview don't watch it pu$$ies a$$ bltch3s
  • 30 3
 I don't think the video does the track justice. I bet you'd regret choosing an AM over a DH bike.
  • 6 29
flag nouser (Jun 19, 2014 at 18:37) (Below Threshold)
 HAHAHAHAHA no.
  • 12 0
 You're nothing but a negative nancy, and your comments prove it. Video doesn't do this trail justice, and its nowhere near the gnarliest in the park.
  • 3 0
 It is called world cup for a reason. It was a world cup track that the US hosted.
  • 3 6
 Does it get beat up from constant riding? It did look smooth in the vid but that might be because it hasn't really been ridden too much yet. Some of the roughest trails to ride are ones that get big ol brake bumps or roots/rocks becoming exposed from normal wear/tear.
  • 1 0
 They just reworked it so it should be awesome
  • 6 0
 I rode my Santacruz Nomad last year at Angle FIre Nat Champs... that was a helluva ride!
  • 1 0
 I've been ridding the track all weekend and haven't seen one pro on an AM.
  • 11 0
 Thx for the preview, Boice. And thanks for all the work. It's guys like you out building for the rest of us who keep the sport ticking.
  • 12 1
 Hmmm pretty fast, but One more time please with the camera facing up just a bit... Great riding either way...
  • 2 1
 My thoughts too... I gave up after 20 seconds. I get a stiff neck trying to look up all the time.
Why is this SO endemic in bike vids?
  • 3 0
 It's a learning curve like anything else. I wasted footage on a few trip due to not pointing my camera high enough. It's endemic because we have thousands of riders who are new to using helmet cams and making videos. Now my rule of thumb when filming is point the camera higher than I think, then go a little more and I usually get the angle I need.
  • 13 4
 Nice helmet...where's the trail though?
  • 6 0
 No kidding. All you see is the visor.
  • 5 0
 Yeah, was getting dizzy trying to look ahead.......
  • 5 3
 Chest mount makes a better looking video
  • 4 0
 Wow I'm shocked! Cutting corners in the grass? I thought it was a Euro-Enduro problem! Very disappointed Wink

Seriously I actually don't really know what to think about it. I find it good to be creative in the line choice but I also agree that it's a little sad if a track looks like a straight line in the end. Your thoughts?
  • 4 0
 there are no straight lines in this course....boice is that fast!
  • 13 5
 about as technical as a cooking a frozen pizza....
  • 2 6
flag fingerbangextreme (Jun 20, 2014 at 3:40) (Below Threshold)
 ...playing for stoke city ...making an instant coffee ...programming sky plus
  • 7 13
flag oldmanDan (Jun 20, 2014 at 5:32) (Below Threshold)
 There is more to racing than straight line speed. Where were the turns? The trail was like american roads. Straight.
If this is a US wc track, it's no wonder us brits spank the yanks at wc level!

Our tracks are like our roads....

Twisty AND fast!
  • 9 2
 Trust me, it was just the video somehow making all the rocks dissapear. I rode the top half of this course a month ago and it is one long unending rock garden. You just cant see it in the video. There was literally more rocks on the trail then dirt. So so rough. Im not sure why they cant be seen in the video.
  • 2 8
flag oldmanDan (Jun 20, 2014 at 6:29) (Below Threshold)
 If you read my comment, and find where I say it's not rocky then you can have a medal. If you can find some corners on that trail, you win a bigger one.
  • 6 0
 That was in response to the intial post. As in (it's more technical then the video makes it look). If your just giving away medals though, I'll take one anyway.
  • 3 1
 What the Brits don't really understand here is just how much vertical there is on this mountain. Yeah, there are some long flat out straights that are pretty lame, but if this track was twisty like most current WC tracks (and seemingly every British track), it would be such a long DH race run. So the route kinda heads straight down the mountain. Some of that track is sustained steepness that you can't see because of the angle of the helmet-cam. And as others have said, the video didn't seem to pick up how incredibly rocky that terrain is, and it's not some nice smooth rock, no, it's f*cking razor sharp volcanic rock. At any rate, the long flat out sections need some work, at least some cool berms/jumps or something, but at the end of the day, is every DH track supposed to be the same as all the others? Whatever.
  • 1 1
 @oldmandan, don't forget our roads are as rough as f*ck as well, and that's just the main roads
  • 1 0
 The video was terrible footage. The go pro or whatever was bouncing crazely. Loose mount or loose helmet
  • 1 2
 Full of excuses aren't you...... The camera bounces about..... The mountain is too steep... The resolution doesn't do it justice.... If we don't go down in a straight line then it's too long.... If only you Americans rode wc with the same gusto you neg prop with, you could win something....
  • 2 0
 hahaha I just wish I could see your time on the track! wait for the race footage.
  • 1 1
 Umm, aaron gwin? And yah we have big long gnarly mtns here
  • 1 1
 Also, for all you UK haters that dont think this track was gnarly enough. I present a good video:

www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/KHS-Angel-Fire-National-Championships,26178/jasonvelocity,91
  • 2 0
 It may be rocky but its still a poorly made dh trail. It hasnt progressed with the sport. There's a million trails like that it the Alps. They're called fire roads.
  • 4 0
 the name of the trail is World Cup. Its chunky and gnarly. Boice and Gopro = easy looking and flat. Although I think theres a few better race lines mid mountain besides the long flats. AF has tons of options
  • 3 0
 those who think the track looks tame/not technical enough/not enough corners are silly!

go ride it, and then come back and let us know what you think. the gopro footage doesn't tell the track's story very well. those of us who've actually BEEN to AF know it's a proper burly track that is quite varied, and stacks up against the current WC tracks quite well

/endrant
  • 5 0
 I've ridden it several times, a DH rig will win it. The video paired with Chris Boice doesn't do this trail justice.
  • 5 0
 Based on the speed this dude was travelling I guess this trail was a whole lot steeper than it appeared...
  • 5 0
 Yeah, that's an understatement. There are actually longer, steeper trails at AF but USAcycling told them to tone it down a bit.
  • 2 0
 I'm gonna be picky, but the camera was so shaky that it was hard to see the track most of the time. Also, frames are skipping a bit. Doesn't PB player support 60fps? Every video in motion should be shot in at least 60fps. The camera angle is a bit low too.
As for the track, it doesn't look like it's technical at all... Some rock sections every now and then. It looks to me like it's more of a freeride track than a DH track.
  • 9 5
 why does he keep saying world cup? i would poo my pants if that made the world circuit
  • 9 0
 Once upon a time there was a WC race there. It was referred to as a bloody man's course too.
  • 5 6
 Was it Bryn Atkinson who said that? This looks better than Cairns and Leogang and Peitermaritzburg.
  • 2 0
 Pretty sure it was Bryn.
  • 6 3
 No way better than Leogang
  • 2 7
flag Medacus (Jun 20, 2014 at 3:48) (Below Threshold)
 "Was" a World Cup course! If it was any good it would still be used on a more regular basis
  • 2 4
 Better then Leogang? you talk about cyclecross right? All this is is freaking flat fireroad with a pile of rocks every half mile...
  • 2 0
 Medacus, Angel Fire definitely has the terrain to host another WC, but the resort is so far from anything resembling a city, and the "town" at the base consists of like a general store, a gas station, and a restaurant. The mountain is seriously a gem, and the trail builders are creating some great stuff that this track doesn't use. There's over 2000ft of vertical there, and some outrageously steep slopes that a proper WC course could utilize.

michibretz, As others have noted, the video doesn't pick up how rocky and rough the trails are. And it's sharp volcanic rock. Those long flat out sections are relics of DH racing from the past, and just a feature of the mountain just being so large. I'm not saying it's better than Leogang, in fact I like Leogang. Always seems to produce great races.

Just for some perspective, Sam Hill broke his elbow or some shit at the 2005 WC at Angel Fire.
  • 1 0
 Sam Hill broke his Elbow? Really? How comes he won in Italy a month later? maybe you are confusing this with Matti Lehikoinen who fell over a hay ballen they used to create a really nasty super gnarly slalom down the slope?

anyway, if you check out both mountains in google earth your findings will blow your mind ... Angle fire drops 1800ft in 2.8 miles Leogang 1700 in 0.9 miles. In fact the only 1300ft long stretch everybody likes to complain about in the mid section of Leogang is steeper than than the average of Angle Fire Resort Wink

not saying it wouldn't be fun to ride, i might be even stoping by later this summer with my trail bike
  • 7 3
 Not seeing this as a very technical race..just flat out speed...Don't know if Iike it.
  • 5 1
 Not seeing you as someone who has ridden AF before.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, AF is rough as hell. This is a prime example of camera settings making a trail "dissapear" in the video. Angel fire has two trails: Twisty flowy big jump trails that get bombed out and 2 mile long gnar gardens.
  • 1 0
 I have seen other videos of A.F. that look really nasty.. This didn't look like what I was expecting, especially for nationals.
  • 1 0
 I just heard from a friend that raced there today.. Said exactly what cougar said.. the video does not do the trail any justice.. Rough the whole way down.. Sounds like fun.
  • 1 0
 I rode nationals last year and it was a very different track. A lot rockier And fresh cut. But wasn't packed so it got chewed up quick. Some of it was the same but not the first half
  • 1 0
 I think last year for nationals it started out on Chillin then midway down the mountain cut it over to the WC .
  • 2 0
 I Hit it a couple weeks ago. Not near as fast mind you. Nonetheless, thanks to everyone at angel fire. I love that place.
  • 5 2
 thats hard to watch, and the commentary doesn't help.
  • 9 7
 Proper track, needs to be back on the WC circuit! Chris Boice knows its all about making moto noises whilst you ride!
  • 1 0
 world cup is just the name of the trail its not a world cup trail but I do have to say it is still a very technical trail at angel fire
  • 2 0
 There really was a World Cup race held at this venue....
  • 2 0
 did he call the guy in the begining of the video a arse?
  • 1 0
 I'll miss the race, but will be there the next two weeks after that. Can't wait to try it and the other trails again.
  • 3 1
 What are the racers gonna do with the other 23.5 hrs in the day?
  • 2 0
 Absolutely sick track ! 10\10 would be there if it wasn't so far Frown
  • 3 1
 So sick! Nice work boys!
  • 1 0
 The question is, will Mikey Sylvestri be there?
  • 3 2
 Very fim trail but no technical enough for wc
  • 1 0
 What camerat brand was that?
  • 1 0
 Sick track...Good luck tomorrow Boice
  • 1 0
 was that a tame racing driver?
  • 2 2
 should have called it pietermaritzburg haha looks super fun thought, nothing wrong with a super high speed course
  • 1 3
 Wow... seems so tame after watching fort bill and leogang these last couple weeks.
  • 3 4
 FIX THE GO PRO ANGLE!!! ITS TO LOW
  • 2 4
 Hahaha I taught it was Claudio and than a fall asleep
  • 3 5
 worldcup???????dunno
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