5 Things We Learned from the Lousa World Cup Double Header

 Hahahahaahahaaha!!!!

 Fair play hahaha. We do indeed.

 @salmonfilet: based on your username, shouldn't you be protesting a fish fry??

 @Thirty3: I just threw up in my mouth. Thanks a lot

 @willdavidson9595: Stockholm syndrome is a funny thing. Strange how when push comes to shove, Trump matters more to folks like you than the US constitution. Sorry yall are so gullible to think"socialism" is what youre voting against.

 @willdavidson9595: 1) the constitution isn't the bible, it's a fallible document written by privileged white men. At that measure the bible isn't the bible.
2) Biden is not a socialist, this doesn't need to be argued bc, history. Look at his record.
3) the US of A could use more socialism. If the US eliminated the racist electoral college, the country could turn into California. The most successful state ever. unequivocally. So then while your militia rises up to reinstate the white supremacy, the 'radical left' could secretly give you free healthcare, free education, and reasonable wages. So that at least your children could rise above the din of idiocy in a generations time.
4) If 3 is unappealing and you're already rich, stop being so selfish.

 @willdavidson9595: why the hate on socialism? It's not like you have to pick a team of either socialists or capitalists. Successful western nations show that it's about finding the perfect combination of the two.

 @utahlabrat: hahaha did you just claim that California is a successful state and a place to be envied?? It is being run into the ground year after year in a downward spiral that appears to have no end. Their state debt is completely out of control, tech businesses are moving out, all major cities are being overrun by homelessness, drugs, crime, etc. People are moving out in droves. There is a mass exodus to all of the conservative states. Boise alone is growing at a rate of 10k Californians a month. California doesn’t have any solutions. Only examples of what not to do.

 @sledshed: A small c-conservative? No laughing matter, you're a dying breed. California is 20th in per capita state debt and has the 5th largest GDP of any COUNTRY in the world. Just behind the UK and Germany, ahead of the rest of Europe and India. The cost of living is very high, emigration is outstripping immigration, 6 million out vs 5 million in, but hardly an exodus. Idaho seems like a nice place to live.

 You guys may want to watch this, just in case you think you „voted“

youtu.be/-JRAotDftBo

 Maybe they should do a referendum to decide who will be their next president, the one who wins is the new presi...OH WAIT !?!!

 your politics is a cancer

 @utahlabrat: here’s the thing, you’ve made reasonable points, but “California is the most successful state ever. Unequivocally.” is certainly up for debate. GDP is a terrifically poor way to measure “success”. It’s a reasonable way to measure the size of an economy, but it is agnostic to every other arguably more important measure of economic and social “success” — standard of living, income distribution, education, crime rate, structural unemployment, cost of living, suicide rates, etc. etc. etc. How about your state of Utah? It seems successful in a number of ways, like highest social mobility rate in the country.

 He did.

 Hell yes he did. Mont Saint Anne in 2017.

 I think it has more to do with not getting the chance all year to ride different conditions at race pace. He mentioned in one of the Wyn TVs that the European racers still had a fair chunk of "local" races through the season, and were maybe a bit more up to speed come time to world cups. That being said, I'm sure Gwin wasn't upset to be stuck riding in the sunshine for most of the season haha.

 He was also in touch with Danny Hart at Champery before he crashed, the guy is a machine

 @samdaman1: Yeah that bridge section crash was nasty. Gwin is one brave mofo

 @leon-forfar: @leon-forfar: also, let's not forget that Gwin did have opportunities but didn't take them. Granted, travel (and covid in general) in the US is an absolute nightmare. But there were opportunities....Downhill Southeast. Eastern States Cup. California Enduro. Big Mountain Enduro. I'm not sure why he chose not to ride in these series. I feel like someone that competetive and driven would want to be racing any chance they got.

 @Trudeez: Gwin isn't an Enduro racer! There have been only a couple of minor DH races in Socal since march.

 @Rubberelli: neither are Brendawg or Bernard and look at all the enduro races they did. And, Downhill Southeast and ESC get plenty on Worlc Class racers, definitely not anything like a world cup, but racing against Luca, Walker, Neko, Richie, Dakota, Charlie, Marco, Nik, Stevie etc would definitely be good experience to get into racing mentality. My point is, if you wanna be the best you gotta put in the work. And AG clearly didn't.

 @Trudeez: Gwin didn't take any wins this year, but he still placed higher than all the riders you just listed, so he clearly is putting in the work just as hard as his fellow American athletes. 9th place in the overall after an injury-plagued year, followed by a pandemic is an impressive feat. Hell, 9th overall in any given situation is stellar (despite it not being as dominant as his previous years). I'm not sure if you saw his latest "Timeless" episode, but he had a busy year and managed to squeeze in some quality downtime that, under normal circumstances, would not have happened. He seems to have struck the work-life balance gold this year in my opinion.

 @Trudeez: waIt, did Brendog and Ksrr best Gwin or something? Even the Goat has only done a few enduros. LOIc ever done it? Donn did it for crankworzx points but adnitred he knew nothing about it (hell, he used a trail bike, not an enduro bike to race them)Brosnan hates it and has vowed he will not do it. So, while it may work for you perosnally, many of the fastest riders in the world think taining on DH tracks is much more valuable tat keeping skills sharp for WCDH.

 @leon-forfar: @rubberelli you guys are both completely missing the point of what I'm saying. My original rebuttal was to this quote and this quote alone, "I think it has more to do with not getting the chance all year to ride different conditions at race pace. He mentioned in one of the Wyn TVs that the European racers still had a fair chunk of "local" races through the season, and were maybe a bit more up to speed come time to world cups." I'm simply arguing the statement that Gwin didn't have a "chance" to race smaller local events. It is simply not true. There were, in fact, smaller local events happening that Gwin could have been a part of but he wasn't. Gwin's last race was March 8th. There is nothing, and I mean nothing that replicates actually being in the start gate, even if it's a smaller series with only a quarter the field of a major event. Just look at how dialed literally EVERY Frenchie and the entire Syndicate + Nina were when racing started. Yes I am aware that Gwin doesn't race enduro, just using them as an example to show that there were opportunities out there had he decided to show up.....which again.....he did not. And it showed. Guess what.....Bernard said he absolutely hated enduro and never wanted to race another one in his life, but he did it because he wanted the experience, the adrenaline, the rush of being between the gates. And, to answer your question, yes Bernard beat Gwin in three of the five races we had this fall (World Champs plus four World Cup events), including a podium and Worlds. He was clearly the sharper rider. And if you extrapolate that further and consider that historically, Gwin is the far better pure racer than Bernard, it proves the gap is even larger. Furthermore, Martin Maes and Cecile Ravanel are both on camera saying something to the likes of, the two weeks they took off from EWS to race DH Worlds and World Cup events (2018 when Martin won the World Cup at La Bresse and got second at worlds). They claim they had lost so much conditioning and fitness that the next enduro they entered they couldn't keep up. And research how many times Sam Hill has said that EWS is way harder the WCDH these days. So, making a blanket statement like, "many of the fastest riders in the world think taining on DH tracks is much more valuable tat keeping skills sharp for WCDH," simply does not hold up. Yeah, troy may hate enduro and will probably never ride in one....and thats perfectly fine.....for him. For other guys they appreciate the experience of racing their bikes. Hell, even Bulldog and Wyn race road races and cyclocross events in the off season to stay sharp and have that race mentality come race season. I am not saying that Gwin had to be at those races. It's his life and his to live the way he chooses, and if that meant enjoying a more relaxed summer or whatever it means, fine. You do you AG. What is fairly obvious, to me, is that many many other racers took their initiative to enter smaller field local events with less than star studded entry lists or went way out on a limb and raced an enduro when they hated it, and their results speak for themselves. Gwin didn't do the local events and looked very un-Gwin like.

 @Trudeez: dog I’m not even going to read this comment but I feel like you should probably relax and realize this is the internet.

 @Trudeez: im not trashing enduro racing by any menas. Just saying that Gwin and other top DH racers do not use it to warm up for DH season. Gwin routinely races the local races around these parts to get ready, but not the enduro races, just DH. Of which, there was only a couple this summer. The French DH series this summer got the european riders ready and they performed well.

 Couldn’t *

 I dunno, racing at WC level for almost 20 years, and getting a win and 2nd place this season, and 3rd place overall - I don't think "any other racer for that matter" can maintain that level of focus and determination, all well avoiding career ending injuries; that's why his record is so impressive - cause no one else has competed for so long - and is still winning after 19 years. Look at Lindsey Vonn in alpine ski racing - she was set to break every record, including Ingemar Stenmark's, but as she the competition got better, she pushed harder, got injured, then again, and again, and then she had to quit. Lots of people shine for a while, but to continue to compete on the WC circuit for nearly 20 years, and for Minaar - not just compete, but win almost 20 years in, that is truly rare and exceptional, which is why he is GOAT. Don't try to diminish his achievements.

 @trillot: nail on the head. It’s the thing that is overlooked by so many when Minnaar’s name comes up: he has consistently stood on the podium for almost 20 years - a period where other greats have come and gone from the sport entirely. Minnaar has defeated the best of the best over several generations of WC racers, which has taken not just insane skill, fitness and mental strength but also the ability to stay healthy and injury-free. Anyone who has watched WC for long enough knows it’s a rare day when GM crashes out. This combination of talents is as you say, truly rare and exceptional.

@thats-joe if there’s no reason why others couldn’t do it, then we should have a fair handful of 20-year vets still winning WC DH. But we don’t. That’s pretty damn solid proof how hard staying at the top for 2 decades actually must be. If anyone else ever comes close, they deserve the same respect. Until then, there’s only one GOAT.

 I don't know. Look at Gee. That guy is an absolute animal and I don't believe for a second that he is taking it easy. Still he's a bit further back these days. So it may just get harder and harder as you get older and have more injuries behind you.

 @trillot: In my Opinion a good Athlet to compare Minaar to would be Graham Jarvis. The Guy is 45 and is still competing (at Extrem Enduro) and winning against Guys 15+ Years Younger then him.

 @SintraFreeride: Yes, in the XC discipline, Nino is the man, but with all due respect, he's been at it for only about 1/2 the time as Greg (impressive in a different way to win what he has in that period), and the risk of injury riding XC isn't quite the same... at all. So, you're kind of comparing apples and oranges.

 @trillot: I was comparing Greg to Nicolas Vouilloz but we can also compare him to Gwin who has more Overall titles or to Rachel won has more wins and more overalls or THE REAL GOAT Anne Caroline Chausson who has more EVERYTHING. Again I think Greg is a great rider and I who gutted he didn't win the second Lousã race but he isn't the GOAT and will never be the GOAT.

 @SintraFreeride:
Gwin never won the WC. That should count for something. Once he starts winning one or more of those, he would have serious GOAT status.

Personally I don't like to compare the men's and women's categories. The opposition is completely different as are the race times. Each should be respected separately from each other.

 @cvoc: Gwin has won the overall 5 times which is WAY more impressive than WC.

 @SintraFreeride:
Sure, but that wasn’t my point. How can you be considered the absolute greatest of all times, if you were never World Champion? Answer: you can’t...

 @cvoc: True. So how can you be called that absolute greatest of all times when you don't have the most world titles nor the most world championship titles? Thus Greg Minnaar is not nor never will be (due to age) the GOAT.

 @g123: not just that, but its the old boxing maxim: it not just winning the title, its holding on to it. MINNAAR Has been GOAT how long? 6 or 7 years now?it would fues deacades fom now, he will still be seen as the greatest the sport has ever produced

 @SintraFreeride: neither younor any reader of PB decided to have separate mens and womens fields so if one is saying Greg or ACC is the GOAT, it is assumed you are speaking of their respective gender's field. Much the same there has to be an adaptive DH GOAT, i assume.

 @Rubberelli: He isn't even the GOAT of Mens DH! NOT EVEN CLOSE!

 @SintraFreeride: umm.. He's won more world cups than anyone.

 @Rubberelli: But not titles! He has won the most obviously because he is good but also because he has been around longer than anyone else. Gwin has done more in a shorter period of time!

 @SintraFreeride: Defending his GOAT title is what will make him continu to be GOAT long after some young gun get more wins (probably when they add more races to a season).

 @Rubberelli: He can't defend what he has never achieved, sheesh.

 @SintraFreeride: yourehigh. he achieved the GOAT in 2017 with his 20th WC win and hasstooped GWin from stelaing it by winning even more WCs.

 @Rubberelli: lol. I suggest you get out a dictionary. If Gwin gets back to winning ways he will soon overtake Minnaar total number of wins. He then has to win another worldcup overall to beat Voullioz's record. Now as for worldchamp gold medals I don't see that happening.

 So, Gwin has won 19 times in his 12 yeaes of racing and needs 4 more to beat Minnaar(while minnar would have to not win any more). Math doesn't look good For Z GWin to achieve that Any time soon. IF HE LASTS LIKE minnaar has, sure its possible. but to argue gwin is the goat,no t minnaaar aa you are, is far too premature.

 @Rubberelli: I am not arguing that Gwin is the GOAT. I am saying Gwin is the closest to the GOAT of the current riders. In the Mens category Nicolas Voullioz is the GOAT by a mile!

 Moar Lousa and more new tracks!!!

 Being born in the same year as Finn, I think the hype around Finn often disguised just how good Matt was. He was trading wins with Finn throughout their junior years and always up there, it’s so cool to see him really announce himself now. His racecraft is looking really dialled. It’ll be interesting to watch their two careers side by side. There’s no doubting that Finn has plenty of raw pace, but for whatever reason, he’s yet to find that consistency...

 Matt who? So little coverage seems odd. Nothing on BBC, UCI has nothing but features other racers and not much elsewhere. Saracen should be doing a better job getting him out there.

 @Gazbaz: The Beeb and british news in general seems care very little about mtb. Matt also has the great misfortune of winning the dh world cup just after another young brit won the Giro d'Italia out of nowhere (and Geraint Thomas broke his hip).

 Underhyped is a good term. People throw around the term underrated all the time but never say who is doing the rating. Hype seems somehow both more quantifiable and a better descriptor of media froth rather than opinions that matter. It's particularly wrong when people are described as underrated who on a major team. Some flinty eyed team manager with a cheque book evidently did not underrate them.

 @Fix-the-Spade: Very true. Considering how much the nation and media get super hyped for the most of obsucure of sports/athletes whenever GB are up for a medal in the olympics; it amazes me that there is such a lack of interest in GB successes the rest of the time.

I took an interest in MTB after Rachel Atherton dominated with her perfect season. When i found out about it, i was amazed that i'd never heard of her before.

When you have an athlete who is able to succeed and dominate in their sport in that rare Michael Jordan-esque fashion, it's such a shame that the home media don't celebrate them. Sure the general public might not have an interest in MTB racing. But they might want take notice when they're shown a home-nation talent like Rachel Atherton who, at times, was untouchable by ANYONE IN THE WORLD!

I assume that not everyone in Italy likes watching motorbike racing. But i can't imagine there's many Italians who have never heard of Valentino Rossi.

 @Fix-the-Spade: @Fix-the-Spade: Damn right. If you believe the BBC, the only person from the UK who's ever ridden a bike off road is Rachel Atherton, and the only race in existence is the world champs...

 @brownies: let the riding do the talking

 White shoes should be reserved for Wimbledon only.

 Race one the back to back was really awesome because of different track conditions. Race two with the differences in the track hardly being shown in the feed I can see how it would get pretty boring watching the same sections twice for every World Cup stop.

 Yeah pb is delving hard into bro-journalism

 Insanity.

 Yep surprising to see as much flats in lousa! Almost wondered if there wasn't a track sabotage sunday!

 I think it was the 2 day older thing. I had to do a double read on it too.

 https://www.pinkbike.com/news/what-was-loic-bruni-adjusting-on-his-fork-in-lousa.html

 Spoiler alert: it was a baguette adjuster/dispenser.

 with all the wireless gear available he was probably gramming his split times

 @sarahmoore: oh, thanks Sarah

 And all of them ride all of those conditions better than you or I could ever dream of. Margins are super small at the top though, and that's why you see people have differential success across specific situations across lots of sports (e.g. Nadal and clay vs. Federer on grass).

 Lol I never said he rides better than me. Maybe he should just say his offseason was brutal like everyone else's was with Covid, and getting up to speed has been tough. Not blame his local weather at home and the fact he doesn't ride mud often. He won MSA in the pissing rain. @MarcusBrody:

 @Fektor: he did say nearly exactly that multiple times. Everyone else is bringing up the wet. Gwin said he had a weird off season, got married, didn’t do any races before the WC and showed up and new he wasn’t up to speed like many of the Europeans.

 And number four is a contradiction of everything that was said at the beginning of the year I. e do not ride, do not go outside, do not have events, do not live life

 @Madfella: Is the UK going into a four week lockdown a contradiction of number 4?

 @TobiasHandcock: not sure

 Because Rachel wasn't there... Let's see if Vali can take over that role.

 @cvoc: theres definitely so truth in that statement. The racing is soooooo boring when you already know who's gonna win every race by eight seconds. I hope Vali has a prosperous career - which I think she very much will - but I hope that its more competetive that the Rachel/Tracy/Anne-Caro/Sabrina generations again just because of the snore factor.

 he was in my fantasy team last season.. but in the first race I messed up and got confused with the other matt walker

 Definite maybe..

 Possibly for sure

 Way to early to say that!

 Bruni.