2017 Pinkbike Awards: Comeback of the Year Nominees

Don't call it a comeback. There were no classic fairytale comeback stories that piqued our interest in 2017, but there were three riders who stomped when it mattered after some quiet times.

The closest Bruni came to the top step in 17 months was in his dreams, but then put the power down precisely when in counted in Cairns. Ryan Nyquist proved that old dogs can learn new hucks and in his first full season of enduro racing, Sam Hill took the EWS crown and stood atop the winner's podium.

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Why he's nominated:

Loic Bruni has been in the doldrums since his win at Cairns World Cup in the spring of 2016 - relatively speaking. The young French rider who was tipped for greatness has still shown some consistency, but injuries and other factors have prevented him from achieving the overwhelming domination many were hoping for. Laying down a winning run at the World Championships in Cairns and just pipping Mick Hannah's perfection by a few milliseconds came somewhat from nowhere.

Seventeen month's separated his back to back wins on the down-under dustbowl, but could have re-ignited the spark that many have touted to be the next great of this sport.

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Why he's nominated:

At 37 years old Nyquist turned his focus to MTB. 34 years of riding, competing and winning BMX competitions fuelled a need for a change. At 38 years old in 2017, Nyquist bagged a 3rd place bronze medal at the infamous Joyride Slopestyle at Crankworx Whistler.

His iconic style can be spotted from miles away, anybody that remembers Miracle Boy and Nyquist will recognize that he has stayed true to his root maneuvers even though he has taken on a wholesale discipline change. To step on to a podium at this level, at his age, at this level of maturity of the slopestyle game, is nothing but outstanding and gives all of all old-boys some hope.

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Why he's nominated:

There was a time (between 2005 and 2010) when you could count on Sam Hill thoroughly humbling the competition and owning the race clock. The competition, however, inevitably catches up and though the five-time DH World Champ never stopped being a downhill top 10 contender, he did stop being that one guy you consistently expected atop the podium. And yet here Hill is, in his first full season of racing the Enduro World Series, back on top, as the overall series champion.

That's one hell of a return to form for the 32-year old Aussie.

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Downhill retaliation, dirt mastery or enduro domination, who would you choose? - Paul Aston

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