So very gutted for Bruni but It's amazing to see Gwin show so much respect for Bruni's riding. Gwin blows down American stereotypes with his gracious winning. He really is your best ambassador to the sport.
Loic is one of my favorite riders, but watching him and Gwin is a lot like watching supercross when Ricky Carmichael and James Stuart raced against each other. They are both about just as fast but one of them looks like they are riding 80% while the other is on the edge at 97%
@Andyboom: They really are not, but what we see on internationnal t.v. is mostly Trump and rednecks...kinds of ruins it for you! Gwin is as good as it gets!
I thought for sure Bruni had it. But in the end, it almost seemed like Gwin played it a bit safe on his run (due to the sloppy conditions) and it paid off. Be patient Bruni, there are many more chances ahead...
That's any kind of racing. You can pin it, but there is a risk. You can play it safe at times, but that's a risk that you won't be as fast as well. It's as much mental as physical. Sucks bruni went down, but that's racing. If he slowed and played it safe, he may not have been fast enough. Excellent racing all around.
Bruni is fastest right now, but is riding out over the hairy edge. It sure makes for exciting riding and it is really hard not to route for him. I do think he should have a chat with Chainsaw and Ratboy though...You can smash a season by riding like that but I wonder if they both still think it is worth it?
Not the first time he's crashed at the pointy end, and probably won't be the last. Kid's a huge talent though, when he stays upright everyone's in trouble.
i feel the worst for gee.
new team, all that new money and sponsors, new bike............but..........
same old, same old thing...................SOMEBODY get gee a bike that is big enough for him!
its like watching a bear ride a tricycle in the circus.
so much horsepower under the hood, and no way to get it to the ground.
@GabrielDugas: A good majority of people want Trump because he actually has the balls to get rid of all the shit people that are in America, countries is becoming a butt-hurt welfare ran shit-stain, all these illegal low lives need to get out and be sent back to where ever they came from.
@esstinkay: Good point. True racing wisdom here. Shoulda, woulda, coulda... But at the end of the day, it's whoever had the fastest time. Clocks don't lie. I really love and respect Loic and dang he's fast. Such a humble and smart kid. There's something to be said though about racing at "Gwin" speeds and staying on your bike and within you're limits. If you're only able to do so while being on the edge, you're not as great of a rider, imo. Not saying this typifies Loic, but I think it does at times. Over the long run, the riders who are super fast, while staying within their limits, come out on top.
@SlodownU:Washington in general is a scam.. I don't call it POLITRICKS for nothing..lots of lies and empty promises..we all know that the lobbyists with the most dollars are driving policy change.. We need a complete system dump and redesign. Also accountability for actions.. Doesn't matter who is in the white house its a f*cking joke
@likeittacky: I have to mildly agree with you. Not opposed to feeling bad for Bruni, but this is a race to the bottom, not to the middle. Like all races you have to pace yourself. Maybe Bruni's pace was too much to handle for the full race. And I'm not taking anything away from his effort. He was killing it, and I was excited to see him dominate. But no matter what, he wasn't the fastest to the bottom. Congratulations to Gwin
its almost 1 day ... but still gutted for Bruni,, not a happy run by Ratty!! and Good to see Gwin is still carrying the bulls eye.. happy for Hart & Chainsaw .. and #5 up and coming frenchie! what a run!
I'm American; why am i rooting against Gwin who left a major team for a small-ish company??? I should be all about Gwin but I spent Bruni's run screaming at the TV wishing for him to crush my brethren
its one of those last things that are holding riders back from easier wins and results in this sport.
imagine if their was a 'pit board' section, and a member of the team would be located just before, or just after the last split letting his or her rider 'where they are at'..............time wise.....
3+ means your 3 seconds up, chill out a bit, no need to take yourself out 3- means your 3 seconds down,either stay this pace and settle , or turn up the wick an gamble a bit.
too easy......no need for any wack-o electronic ear pieces and two way radios, keep it simple , like in it mx.
@stacykohut: Yeah but at the same time I think it would take away a lot of the risk involved which makes racing so exciting. Forces the riders to gamble and balance on the edge between keeping rubber side down and going like absolute nutter. Bruni gambled and went for it but it ended in Gwin's favor.
I would be very happy if redbull would show at least the top 10 Juniors. They are the future of the sport and it would also help them get more exposure for sponsors what translates to more support...
The take away I have after this race is first congrats Gwin,,, and second how diverse the field is this season. I mean if you miss one turn its all over. The compition is at epic levels and we can enjoy a rollercoaster season.
I have to agree with that. Even though it comes out as bland and boring some times you can't argue with the riding this guy can acheive. And you're right he's always a good sport not letting all the success getting to his head. And anyway, he was dominating so much that it must be incredibly motivating for him seeing he's gonna have to race for real this time.
I am not a Gwin fan, never real 'got' him and his personality - but I thought he came across really well in the post race interview today, especially his comments on Loic's run. Really classy, he has gone up in my book.
To me he seems to good to be true so I get suspicious and wonder where the hook is. You know, how cardinals are supposed to have the cross tattooed under their feet so they can step on jesus at every step. So what is Gwin's dirty secret? Did he make a pact with the devil? What kind of energy drives a mortal to perfection?
If there's anything we can take from this, it's that the demo is a fantastic bike. Finn wins his first world cup on it, and Loic would have also won the WC today by 2 SECONDS, when last year he was always behind Gwin, who at the time was on the demo.
@Snowdog85: Gwin was the man to take down and he probably just signed the juiciest DH rider deal ever with spesh. Pressure can affect performance in a lot of ways.
Any of those riders will do just as well no matter what bike they're on. But I know that after switching to a 2016 demo, my riding speed has very noticeably picked up and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm sure I'd love a YT also, but Specialized just know what they're doing, no matter what your opinion of them is, they produce sick bikes.
The vast majority of PBers were all aboard the spesh hype train until Sam Hill stopped winning and then Gwin took the torch on the Session. Then everybody was drinking the session coolaid and were aboard the spesh hate train (dem short chainstays) until gwin started winning on the new demo.
I don't understand all the "Bruni won" or "Gwin was handed the win" comments. Every rider that didn't crash could have pushed harder, but with that comes an increasing risk of crashing. Bruni hung it out there and it looked like it was going to pay off, until it didn't. If he keeps riding like that he'll probably pick up a win or two this year and a few more crashes. It won't lead to an overall title though. Perhaps that's the hardest part for those guys: riding at that edge of control and speed.
I get your point. I also get how other people think it was Bruni's race... he was faster than Gwin until he crashed. Same thing at the Worlds last year when Gwin was faster but crashed. I bet Gwin would trade this win for that one. =)
Yeah, I never really get those comments. Yes he was was faster then Gwin up to that point, but he was over 100%, and he crashed. So its irrelevant. Bruni has to turn down the boost just a tad, to have a better chance at being a consistant threat.
This is the beauty of this sport though isn't it, Gwin rides at insane speeds (and somehow looks comfortable doing it!), so the next generation come along trying to go even faster! As you suggest, can they eliminate the mistakes to take the top stop regularly to turn their pace into wins? It'll be good watching to find out!
Bruni is consistent, qualified first, again, was ahead and crashed. Gwin is a phenomenal rider, and Bruni is the only guy who even looks close to beating him. I think these two will battle it out all year
@micko1000: Definitely. I'm not trying to take anything away from Bruni. He's fast and it's looking like we are in for an awesome WC season of racing with a handful of guys capable of taking the win any given race. Just saying Gwin got the win today. It wasn't handed to him; he earned it.
@westeast: true, not crashing is part of the race, but even Aaron himself said that Bruni deserved the win, that's why he wasn't so stoked on getting the first sopt, he knew that Loic was the fastest man that day. It will be interesting to see how this play out in the future, Bruni growing up and getting stronger mentally and Gwin making changes on his bike.
what a race! my god that was unreal, i am shaking!
Bryceland chute craziness
Hart nearly goes out the front door 100 times!
Gwin is just an animal
Bruni light speed before crash!
Smith and Hart back at the pointy end
Pierron wtf what a result!
ah i am so happy wc dh is back!
Ok last gripe, coverage ends on the replay of the last rider down the mountain, no interviews, podium etc. Brutal coverage and could be so good, just never is.
Red Bull's tv app is very sensitive to your internet connection. Today I got a few blips where I lost image quality and had a few stutters but was able to watch through the podium and interviews. Other times though it's completely dropped me.
@TPLRacing: ya I figured that out after my f$&king tv red bull app kept saying "Live" with a static pic ???? At least they have rewind function ???? Stoked for Gwin and Smith ????????????????
the redbull streaming via appletv glitched and froze a dozen times throughtout the morning. It's very hard to be in the moment and enjoy the race with that happening constantly.
I notice a lot of people making a lot of the same remarks. Gwin finally has my respect and loic is faster. First when has gwin ever not been a gentleman? Now he is already winning on another bike some of you are realizing you can't ignore him anymore. Can't beat em join em? The other thing I notice is the repetitive storyline of Loic being faster. He sure was fast, but he rides out of control, the same way ratoboy rode all season the year he won. Is that faster or just balls on the chopping block crazy and hope you make it. I love Loic, he is the sickest DH rider to watch right now as far as pure guts, style and speed. That being said i dont think he is faster. I think he is willing to commit to 100% of his skill level on every turn. We saw gwin race balls out last year in New York and it was stupid fast. That's the only time I've ever seen him look out of control like Loic. They can all do it still ratboy, minaar, stevie...but they have all been hurt and are prolly happy with top ten finishes racing at 95% and not crashing. I just don't think the narrative of Loic being faster than gwin but he wrecked is fair. Faster or fearless? Still my favorite rider to watch currently other than gwin.
I guess sales of SC bikes ion CC frames with ENVE builds are going to go down this year... A demi-God wins a World Cup on a Half-priced bike on Tektro brakes. Give that man the alu frame Suntour drivetrain and suspension.
Here in Canada the full out yt is the same price as the s works and the v10 with out carbon wheels , you guys in Europe have it lucky with those bikes . But no real value difference over here , the importers have jacked up the prices.
I don't think brakes matter to much to gwin, the onza tires is what I'm most suspect about
Ya if you go buy internet pricing . Go into a bike shop and haggle a bit and you can get a good deal on a s works or v10 . I looked into a tues , and cause of there direct sales and the Canadian distribution you can't get a deal on a tues ( also the hottest bike on the planet now so there gonna sell no matter the price ) .
I just don't think the value everyone keeps going on about is there . There good bikes I'm a fan , but I got my demo locally at Dunbar cycles in Vancouver and I got very well taken care of ,both in service and pricing .
This is why I will always use a local bike shop , I know in some parts of the world shops are hard to come by and internet retail is much easier and have great deals . Here in Canada we are a Mecca for riding and can support many local shops , some euro retailers need to see the market for having stocking dealers with there bikes on the floor for the public to see . Like every other brand does. This however may affect the pricing , but like I said earlier the Canadian distribution for YT has already middle maned the prices ,which has pushed the pricing up the level of other premium DH bikes . I know the distributor for Canada ,they have had many brands pulled from them for price jacking and poor customer service ,
I would never spend 8-10k on a bike without seeing it in person and trying it out for sizing .
Rachel seemed super stoked about 1st place dropping the f-bomb on Redbull TV, haha, also being a good sport by giving Seagrave props for the quali run.
I mean thats why gwin is the best he never takes such a risks he is the most calculated rider ever! But i live this year already its gonna be like james hunt vs niki lauda, oc course lauda being gwin!!
Yeah retired...which really sucks because she's a hell of a rider and really added something special to the women's roster. She was always one of the ones to look forward to. She had a wild style and was always on the edge. The women's field will always be a bit empty with her absence.
@blast-off: how much Gwins deal went for, like 5 hundred the season? how much is the top of the line YT, 10Gs? they had sold out their bikes and there is a waiting list, I mean they are on the way of recovering every single penny of their investment by now.
Wow what a finish ... have a feeling that 2016 is going to be an epic battle every week between Gwin and Bruni with season going down to the wire. Two classy and talented riders who look to be in top form. However concerned about the lack of depth on the women's side. Rachel Atherton simply amazing as always, but gap from 1st to 10th place more than 1 full minute cannot be good for the future of women's DH and growing the sport.
Betcha as the sport grows, that gap between Rachel and the rest of the field will fill in. It doesn't make for very interesting racing right now, but I'm not existentially concerned about it--I think the extent and level of female participation in DH has more to do with the willingness of parents to put their daughters on mountain bikes than with what's on redbull.tv right now.
I disagree with Gwins statement that Bruni had him beat. A big part of racing is mental and being smart about it. Gwin knew where to hold back and where to pin it. If only Bruni held back just a little bit, THEN he would beaten Gwin. A lot of racers could have beaten Gwin on the first few time splits like Bruni if they weren't concerned about crashing and going balls out. But you have to stay on your bike to win.
Still remember seeing Finn after a high school xc race about 3-4 years ago. He won his race (of course) and then was putting on a clinic on the dirt jumps. I was marshalling the race and had a good view of him launching the jumps on his xc bike. I couldn't believe the work ethic, even back then. I guess we won't be seeing Finn at next week's race.....
still cant believe the womens race is still being relegated to a "catch up" and not on the live stream - I am sure there is some logical reason so please, let us know because from my POV its just not cricket
I think their view is that it's not as exciting as th men's so won't get as many views. I completely DISAGREE with that and would love to see it all, including th juniors and women's, but I guess it costs them money to live stream so they want to make sure they get good views?
@src248: not hours at all - about 1 or similar maybe at most, plus there is nothing to say they cant do a 2 parter, show the women's, take a break then do the mens top 20
Fair play to gwin but Loic was insane!!!! never put such a large knot in my hair watching anything and he held that first mistake geez this year is going to ben TENSE!!!
Hopefullly we get to see Bruni and Gwin push the limits this season! Great to see Smith, Hart, Atherton and Fairclough healthy and hopefully mixing it up this year. One more podium from Peaty would be amazing! I'm curious as to whether Loic is riding a factory Demo or is it something similar to what they changed for Gwin. Both seem very comfortable on their new bikes. Feels good to have a humble competitor representing the US right now, yes there are more of us like him!
Feel like a kid going to sleep on Christmas Eve. Going to wake up to all sorts of rad racing results. Pinkbike is like a muddy, adrenaline addled Santa Clause.
There was a lot of pride on the line in that race. Gwin wanting to prove that he made the right move and that Specialized had made a mistake by not paying him what he wanted. Bruni going to battle on Gwins old ride, the weight of Specialized's pride on his back. It was epic! Judging by his comments after the race I am pretty sure Gwin gave it all he had and was honestly impressed by Bruni's speed. Glad to see Chainsaw confident and fast, he will get faster as the results start adding up!
I was really willing to see Loic at the top here in france. He has the wits to catch up to Gwin, but that's what it takes if you wanna beat him... Loic`s a winner and he knows well that he'll only beat aaron pushing it hard. Hopefuly he will stay on his bike next worldcups!! And great to see stevie, josh and danny back on the top!
Looks like the YT is a serious capable machine. Gwin should only get more comfortable on it as the season progresses which will make for a fun season to watch with how fast Bruni was today.
Rat boys always fun to watch, Stoked for Gwin but was actually pulling for Loic just because he was pushing hard!! Excited to see these two battle it out all season!
I'm the only one that thinks that Brendon can be in a better place if he wants? It seems like he don't give his best, seems like he is in a bike park at sunday with friends... even that he got 10! Poor Bruni! Nice Gwin!
Awesome race as expected!! Great to see Gwin showing class on and off the bike, Stevie's comeback is REAL, Brosnan lines... And Loic's warp speed will leave Gwin thinking.
THANK YOU REDBULL for continuing to improve the coverage every race. Really great work
Kevin merry was flying. Was there at the race but he pulled up on the track and couldn't continue. Looked like he had broken/dislocated his arm or shoulder. I didn't see him fall so can only guess something happened to him further up the track. Support from the fans for all the riders especially the French ones was incredible great atmosphere.
Just a reminder, we will be posting the women's results here and you will see the top women on the Red Bull feed so if you don't want to know the results please check back later!
Props to gwin for his awesome performance, last season had he not crashed in the world finals he would have beat bruni and he would be world champion. Karma is real bruni crashed and gwin won. I'm stoked for this new season
So awesome for the World Cup to be back on. It's looking like a good year with a whole bunch of blokes pushing this year. Bring on the next round in AUSTRALIA! I'm
making the 2,000km road trip to be track side!
Holy crap what a crazy first race! So gutted for Loic. Gwin was on it and held it together well! And ummmmmm Charlie Hatton in juniors speed trap ........ 65.5 WTF!! Faster than Gee through it!
Respect for Gwin, his talent, his humility, his respect towards Bruni and sport in general, and a gentle advise for Our national "risks taker" LoĂŻc: wear some Onza tires next time for your fatal corners!!!!!! Joke apart, I'm glad that Gwin won on Onza tires today, considering that OK it doesn't make it all, but I love these tires so much as I use them for quite a long time now and good tires are a detail that counts, agree it :-)
Yeah baby YEAH! 2.5sec over 2nd place, and he just got the bike a little while ago. His old team has been using telemetry in preseason testing, and in practice, and he beat 'em on a stock(ish) bike. Double-A is the GOAT
So sad for Bruni. He had it in the bag Also hope that crash didn't scratch his world champ paint job. That bike is a work of art and belongs in a museum.
My boy Stevie! Back on top showing that he can compete with the top again. When he gets rolling and more confident it will get dangerous for every other rider!
People tend to forget that racing and winning World Cup is based on an accumulation of points; and not just about the win. Hence, full out annihilation mode is not the way to gamble.
Congratulations to to two Warriors of Faith over the weekend Aaron Gwin and Manny Pacquiao !!
.....and the Gwinning continues! Great to see him on top but I wish my fellow Canadian could have been there instead!!! This year of racing will be intense
take it easy, it seems like there's not gona be any live coverage on RedbullTV. I'm watching it right now, and there are only interviews, track preview, etc. Live timing is much more exciting for now...
@ReverseKanga: Didn't mean it like that. They just showed the last bit of the woman's race while the men were competing live. a disapointment not able to see most of both.
Think Loic went into that turn faster than anyone had all weekend hence the crash, a bit like the Rat over jumping the finish line bridge at the WCs.
Next time Loic please!
props to Gwin's grace in being handed victory
He was pushing way to hard on that course. The man has the speed to beat anyone, all he needs is a little refinement in his riding and he will be unstoppable!
Go watch his final run, he was absolutely PINNED, unbelievable racing. Came close to crashing twice yet managed to stay on the bike while riding beyond the limit until he washed out on what is basically the last "hard" section/corner.
Peaty 1st in the speed trap and a consistent run for 42nd. Not bad for his first race back. Hopefully he can get it back into he top 10 or 20 as the season progresses. I'd like to see him grab a podium (a win?) in his final season.
@Jack-McLovin: He may not get a podium but you cant deny he has been part of the success of modern DH racing. he is a legend, I hope he does win. I would love to see Gwin,Loci and all the rest if peaty put down a burner at Sainte-Anne or Ft Bill. But yeah sadly he has come off the pace in the last 5 years. still showing the young guns he can charge.
It worked perfectly for me, full coverage, seeing it from the charts then crossover to the live feed on redbull, I was comparing qualis>live feed charts>redbull live feed. when the french guy got like 3:13:00 in the semi wet track tought WOW. rest of the field did a semi dry-dry track. so to me the french got the best results.
@brusmaster: to be fair he did 3:13, 2 seconds faster than Bruni qualis time. that got him in 4th place. just beat by 3 faster (really fast) riders. to be fair he won in life.
what the hell with the starting list for finals??????? I want to see top qualifier not someone protected in top 20 that had a bad qualifier... UCI got paid by sponsors to show them. that's sucks.
Completely disagree. If Gwin gets a flat in quali, I'd rather see him race later than sit on the hot seat for two hours until the legit competitors come off. No name Joey in 20th position doesn't have a realistic shot at the podium.
I've really warmed to Gwin. At first when he was beating all of my favourite riders I was a bit sick of him, but with speed and professionalism like that he deserves the wins.
Red bull you fucking suck..every year I get my hopes up that I'll finally get to watch the live feedand every year end up watching a downloaded replay after its all said and done..eat shit you fucking Lying sons of bitches
Bruni is fastest right now, but is riding out over the hairy edge. It sure makes for exciting riding and it is really hard not to route for him. I do think he should have a chat with Chainsaw and Ratboy though...You can smash a season by riding like that but I wonder if they both still think it is worth it?
I have to mildly agree with you.
Not opposed to feeling bad for Bruni, but this is a race to the bottom, not to the middle.
Like all races you have to pace yourself.
Maybe Bruni's pace was too much to handle for the full race.
And I'm not taking anything away from his effort.
He was killing it, and I was excited to see him dominate.
But no matter what, he wasn't the fastest to the bottom.
Congratulations to Gwin
gwin ride the only time where you can stay in sadle! otherwise bruni win.....
its one of those last things that are holding riders back from easier wins and results in this sport.
imagine if their was a 'pit board' section, and a member of the team would be located just before, or just after the last split letting his or her rider 'where they are at'..............time wise.....
3+ means your 3 seconds up, chill out a bit, no need to take yourself out
3- means your 3 seconds down,either stay this pace and settle , or turn up the wick an gamble a bit.
too easy......no need for any wack-o electronic ear pieces and two way radios, keep it simple , like in it mx.
especially the top 10 dudes...........they got the resources and it would make sense..
how many wins have been lost to 'over riding' the last couple sections of a dh track.........
Here in Canada the full out yt is the same price as the s works and the v10 with out carbon wheels , you guys in Europe have it lucky with those bikes . But no real value difference over here , the importers have jacked up the prices.
I don't think brakes matter to much to gwin, the onza tires is what I'm most suspect about
Ya if you go buy internet pricing . Go into a bike shop and haggle a bit and you can get a good deal on a s works or v10 . I looked into a tues , and cause of there direct sales and the Canadian distribution you can't get a deal on a tues ( also the hottest bike on the planet now so there gonna sell no matter the price ) .
I just don't think the value everyone keeps going on about is there . There good bikes I'm a fan , but I got my demo locally at Dunbar cycles in Vancouver and I got very well taken care of ,both in service and pricing .
This is why I will always use a local bike shop , I know in some parts of the world shops are hard to come by and internet retail is much easier and have great deals . Here in Canada we are a Mecca for riding and can support many local shops , some euro retailers need to see the market for having stocking dealers with there bikes on the floor for the public to see . Like every other brand does. This however may affect the pricing , but like I said earlier the Canadian distribution for YT has already middle maned the prices ,which has pushed the pricing up the level of other premium DH bikes . I know the distributor for Canada ,they have had many brands pulled from them for price jacking and poor customer service ,
I would never spend 8-10k on a bike without seeing it in person and trying it out for sizing .
Pics of them in pit bits as onza
Gwin, i don't who is before he rides for YTi: i'm a freerider !
2.5sec over 2nd place, and he just got the bike a little while ago.
His old team has been using telemetry in preseason testing, and in practice, and he beat 'em on a stock(ish) bike.
Double-A is the GOAT
www.redbull.tv/videos/event-stream-636/downhill-finals
click 'Overall' and you'll be able to select what portions you want to jump to. Although I don't see Peats run listed...
Congratulations to to two Warriors of Faith over the weekend Aaron Gwin and Manny Pacquiao !!
-Charlie Sheen
so many of mommy's and daddy's credit cards are gettin' ready to get racked up with yt goodness!!!!!!
#thekidsarealright
Of course he's a legend haha. And it's incredible that at 40 years old he's still in the top 42 best riders in the world.
What type of device are you trying to view the feed with, sir?