Claudio's Course Preview: Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup DH 2016

 I still don't understand what's up with all the hate for Enduro racing. Can anyone enlighten me please ?
Maybe I haven't been in PB long enough, idk...

 @Deartist7: no hate here, just want more DH content. I NEED MORE. f.edgesuite.net/data/www.narconon.org/files/www.narconon.org_drug-abuse_heroin_heroin-overdose-guy.jpg

The front page content has changed drastically since my friends sucked me into the sport 4 or so years ago.

 Actual Enduro racing is awesome. "Earning" multiple DH runs by climbing to them, balancing a light bike/gear with durability, etc. The problem the I think most of us has/had with Enduro is the industry hype/nonsense around much of it. Overly 'enduro specific' this or that, the word 'enduro' itself tossed around WAY too much like "Extreme" was in the mid to late 90's etc.

 @Deartist7: actually racing enduro is awesome and probably one of the best things to ever happen to mtb, but the coverage it gets is just boring I am not complaining I honestly cannot offer constructive criticism on how to make it more interesting cause I do not know but watching pictures of mountains and the sun and guys with backpacks going up fire roads lost it charm about 2 years ago.

 I avoided a lot of endure posts as well - then I saw Richie Rude's last edit and it almost gave me a heart attack.

 @fercho25: You're gonna get downvoted to hell but you've kind of encapsulated why EWS coverage is so meh to some, I read a couple here and there but when there's 3-4 new EWS posts a day things get a little bland. Very very very beautiful photography in a lot of the articles, I will say.. but overall hard for me to be excited about. Shame because it's a perfect balance just enough crazy downhill awesomeness that highlights real fitness and athleticism, but after watching a few live events it doesn't strike me as the one I scream at my monitor for. I don't know why, it just isn't.

Perhaps I'm suffering a huge drought of DH/freeride related stuff. Can't complain, going to crankworx in a couple weeks that should be the needle in my vein, should get my fix for a little bit.

 @bman33: Bang on, Lot of us DH guys hate the thought of "earning a decent" that's what we pay uplift for! But tbh i'd rather go for an enduro race than an XC, seems to have the right amount of up and down

 @fercho25: Good point. In 27 years of biking i've never ridden a proper downhill bike or been on a chairlift but really look forward to the coverage of the DH WC rounds. Even my non-biking girlfriend loves to watch it too.
I've raced enduro and enjoyed it and tried to be interested in the coverage but it's just a bit meh.

 Totally agreed bman33. You nailed it. its the word ''enduro'' and all the marketing hypes and bs that went along with it that created a negative impression. The way it was presented was like an insult for lots of mountain bikers. That's how people were basically riding their bikes already since the beginning so when they came out and made a big deal out of it, people were like ''so what? That's what we do! We ride bikes up the hills with our buddies and rail the way down like mad. Get over-it!''. Enduro specific bikes was all bs too. Of course we want light and durable bikes you can climb with and ride rough descents...That's just the normal evolution of an all mountain bike. And as far as the race format being called ''enduro'', was weird to a lot of people because it was over-stated. For endurance riders, to be truly ''enduro'', the climbs would need to be timed also. Not just the decent. We already have grassroots races we call ''Tech XC'' or something like that. Its basically a super long continuous loop (usually between 20 and 60K) with tons of climbs and technical descents. You get timed over-all and also individual time for the descent segments. THAT'S a real endurance race that combines cross-country fitness and downhill technicality. Enduro as we know it, its just half way there.

 Got it guys...

 No hate here! I ride AM aka Enduro more than anything. But in terms of entertainment value, theres nothing that comes close to DH. Its action packed! The only other events that come close are Megavalanche or Rampage IMHO. I think its mainly because the event format, the live coverage and great commentary that makes it fun to watch. It would be very difficult to do that with Enduro.

 @dirtremedy: that's it in a nutshell fella.

 @Deartist7: I dont do DH, I have a full suspension bike and go to Enduro Races, But DH videos and related motivate a lot more than Enduro Coverage.

DownHill is the nirvana of Enduro.

 These comments are so enduro.

 @Jonny-Only: Same here. This one as well from Dan Atherton.
www.pinkbike.com/news/dan-atherton-from-the-top-of-the-world-down-2015.html

 @Deartist7: most dont dislike the actual racing more the over exposure of it at the cost of othe disciplines

 @cypher74: Exactly!

 Well said

 I love watching the EWS highlights video and thats about it. The photo epics are great too actually. The Irish EWS was better as a spectator at the event than the Lenzerheide wc (I'm talking from the sidelines). Nothing compares to live DH coverage though, not even that Rude fella who seems to be a pretty good contender for best mountain biker on the planet.

 @mdg3d: full bore

 @Deartist7: Don't worry, as soon as all the dh guys accidentally click on an EWS post and see that Sam Hill is one of the top enduro riders in the world, the hate will disappear.

 @fercho25: here's constructive criticism:
1. Get more dynamic riders/ex-riders covering it. Claudio is great. More needed.
2. Better coverage. More cameras at key spots to watch riders in reference to their competitors
3. Better format for coverage. Each stage should have the top riders grouped together so that the "live" coverage can focus on the top 10 in that stage as the race progresses. That would also make the event more palatable for the major sports/outdoor networks as they would only be committing to an hour-ish time slot.

 @anchoricex: it's HOW it's covered. People watch baseball for crying out loud. There isn't a ton in baseball that cries excitement, but the way it is covered creates the tension and significance.

 @rrolly: That is a very fair point. Agreed. We're best friends because you imply baseball isn't exciting. Baseball sucks.

 True that brother me too!! Miss him much!!

 LONGLIVECHAINSAW......STEVIE #1

 He genuinely sounded a scared when he was telling Mark to slow down in the bottom woods section. It sounded like someone was molesting poor Super Grover...

 @kit-nz: No joke. I'm sure he was really worried his hands were gonna give up and he was gonna end up over the bars.

I'm impressed he held on. Mind over body.

 Actually it seems that Claudio is getting faster and faster with age...

 You NEED to go to Vallée-Bras-Du-Nord at St-Raymond, maybe 50mins from Quebec city!! That's the best place for trail riding in Quebec! I would go 2 days there... You can even find some infos here on pinkbike...they had a big part 1 and part 2 article not too long ago.

 @Timo82: in the Eastern Canada forum theres a thread for Vallee-Bras-Du-nord. There's a lot of helpful information on this place. Including a person to contact there that you can email to get even more info.

 @Timo82: Can confirm, Vallee Bras du Nord is awesome....

 Actually, if I may chip in. I live in Quebec City. You have to check out Sentiers du Moulin. It's in Lac-Beauport approximately 20 mins drive from Quebec City (closer than Vallee). Vallee is awesome, but Sentiers has a more rough feel to it. Less novice tracks, more difficult/expert tracks.

A local bike club called LB Cycle built a two very fun trails at Sentiers that are appropriately called LB Cycle and LBC2. If you want an idea of how awesome these trails are: vimeo.com/176501467

 sentiersdumoulin.com/fr/accueil

Les Sentiers du Moulin inc.
99, chemin du Moulin
Lac-Beauport (Québec)
G3B 0E1

 @guycharlesvalois: That does look pretty sweet!

 @Timo82: We will be riding there some. Spending a few nights at Roquemont.

 @guycharlesvalois:

f*ck me, that looks amazing... very well made film too. respect

 @Timo82: www.pinkbike.com/u/briceshirbach/blog/east-bound-and-down-quebec-canada.html

 @querent: Yeah, that's really good info for you!! But be sure to do the Neilson in Shannahan (vallée bras du nord)!

 147% would have made a nice snooker move!

 Third job. Velosolutions, Scott and Redbull. He seems like the kind of guy who has 150% of a normal person's energy.

 I love the interplay between the two cameras, but it was better with Peaty. Mark didn't add anything to the commentary other than "scary fast..."

 On my iPad if I gesture zoom it becomes full screen.

 crikey blimey it certainly does eh?