World Champs FINALS - 2014 - Hafjell Photo Epic- Day 5

 Well said. It's a risky business, and to finish first, first you have to finish. Gee was the winner because he best rode the line between winning and binning. He too could have gone faster but he too may have binned it if he did. Perfect race for him I'd say. Shame about it being flat at the end though. You deserve all the applause if you win.

 So true. Been following Sam Hill for 10 years. Yes Sam would have won if he did fall off. But he did, so happy that he is ok. Hope that ratboy heals up and is ok. But Gee won fair and square because he got to the bottom quickest. It's a race. Hates are going to hate. Gee is going to be Gee. Good win Gee you were against the world and you got down quickest. If your not first you last. And always check that your chain is on tight.

 @jops, you are completely right about Gee, but Hill and Ratty had an absolutely amazing runs and we all feel that they deserved more even if Ratty took the silver in fact. These could be one of the best runs ever and especially Ratty's run sitting relaxed on the saddle in the middle of his race run, jumping over the whole final jump, hucking to flat. That was insane. Hill lines were insane. Saying all this Gee also had fantastic run, taking the win almost crashing and he deserved his win, no doubt about that. But Ratty was phenomenal this year and deserved a double, especially with a run like that. He was the man in 2014. And Hill was pretty close.
I don't feel sorry only for Niko. Why? Of course with a chain he could go for a medal, but that chainless run made him a real legend. People will not remember Gee's run after years, but they will do remember how Ratty jumped almost to the finish line and mostly they will remember what Niko did with no chain. Just like people won't forget the mad no tire run of Gwin in Leogang.

 Its incredible how media is hiding Gee´s win... Only 2 pictures of him on the bike in this article... no headlines... pinkbike I don´t know what you are doing...

 Exactly, not falling off is part of putting together a perfect race run. As much as I like Ratboy and Hill, they both made mistakes and crashed, and that's what cost them the title. Gee absolutely deserves the win.

 Exactly, Ratboy's mistake cost more than Gee's mistake both in time and pain, that's just racing and Gee deserves the win for making the lesser mistake of the two. Shit I'm happy Ratboy though blowing up his foot still got Silver! Awesome!

 Definitely spot on here. I annoys me when people play the whole "what if" and "luck" game especially when it comes to crashes.

Crashes have nothing to do with luck. They mean you messed up. Hill and Ratboy were not were not simply unlucky as people would make it sound. They crashed because they messed up their runs, plain and simple. They did not deserve to win. Everyone points to the splits and says how they were on good runs, but then ignores the reason they were on such good runs, which is that they were pushing very hard. But when you crash, that means you pushed to hard and when you do that, you crash and don't win, nor do you deserve too.

Gee on the other hand was not 'lucky', he was great. He was the one who found the proper balance between speed and staying on the bike and for that he deserved the win.

 This is exactly what I am talking about when people consider a crash bad luck. You are correct, he did catch that rock in just the wrong way. And you are correct he likely didn't get off his line. But with that said, he crashed, meaning he messed up his run, thus he didn't deserve to win. Staying on your bike is the most important part of winning a race. Just because he messed up the line he wanted to be on, doesn't mean he didn't mess up.

 There are 9 photos in that story with Gee so not sure what you are getting on about.

 on vital interview sam mentions he went off his line a tiny bit going into that section and that caused him to hit that rock. with times SO close any tiny mistake would cost anyone to lose. gee simply was able to manage his for the win. hell, the guy goes to rampage! this is elite next level athletes. for me, it'd be hard to really comprehend what is going on at those speeds for them. i know i f'n can't.

 grog how can you think that Sam didn't make a mistake? He crashed. sucks but that's how it went. his tire was off line or he didn't pick it up enough. good news is that Sam is on it as as so many others, especially Sam, Ratty and now Neko.

 Josh grabbed too much air and over shot the landing - Josh went crazy fast and paid terrible consequences. Sam's tire got off line. You can go down the list.... To quote Pink Bike, "Downhill mountain biking will continue to forever be about risk and reward, luck and losses." Gee did everything right in the end to win.

 @groghunter - You have an odd way of quantifying a mistake. "He got caught by that rock in just the wrong way"? What? Unless the rock came to life and scuttled in front of him, then he made a mistake, and went down because of it. The track was exactly as it was when he walked it beforehand,and exactly as it was in practice and qualifying.

If Sam was taken out by a falling tree or prancing deer, then it'd be easier for you to argue this point.

 Apparently, I'm on the wrong side of popular opinion on this, but part of my point that you're not picking up on, is that you hit that rock the same way he did, & probably 99 times out of 100, you get thrown off line, not chucked over the bars. it's fairly apparent, at least in my opinion from the pics & video, that his front wheel just BARELY crossed the line from deflection into full on, getting caught in the hole. How dare I express commiseration for him, & for ratboy, getting taken out in such nasty ways?

That's racing. Never said it wasn't.

Also, if you think that track hadn't changed massively after all the juniors, all the women, & half the men going down it at race speed, you're an idiot.

 Yeah saying that someone else should have won, all bar a timing error, is ridiculous. Staying on the bike is part of the game. It's like saying 'that shoulda been a goal if.. '. It woulda if it shoulda.

 Crashing is part of racing, sam is my favourite rider but it's his fault for going off line. If someone takes a bad line and loses time we don't say the winner doesn't deserve it, it's all part of racing. Gee has done so much for our sport and deserves more credit.

 I agree with your first point, inasmuch as rock gardens are notoriously unpredictable. It may well be true that it's far more likely to be thrown off line rather than crash as he did, but it's still because of rider error - not being able to hold your line, misjudging your speed, or distributing your weight wrongly -that leads to this. He wouldn't have been thrown off line OR have binned it hard if he'd not misjudged something. He clearly didn't ride it faultlessly. Neither did Gee. He just hit it better, judged the course better, and won fairly.

Your second point, about the course having changed significantly enough to unseat Sam, is laughable. Watch the footage again. Large, immovable rocks and tree roots embedded in hard packed earth. Irrespective of the amount of riders, how much is that likely to change? And, if it did, why was it a problem for Sam and not others? Likely answer is - Sam went too fast, distributed his weight wrong, or made one of a multitude of possible mistakes, which other riders did not. Simple as that, really.

Also, no need to call anyone an idiot - this is a discussion, not a fight. You can express whatever sentiment you want - for what it's worth, I wanted Ratboy to win, and am chuffed to see Sam back up there again. No need to get snippy, chum.

 all this makes neko's run even crazier in retrospect. plenty could've gone wrong when and after that chain broke

 Hard packed dirt? are you insane? did you not see all the dust?

Literally every world cup broadcast they talk about how much the course changes over the week. Do you somehow think that doesn't apply to raceday? Regardless, the point is moot: While that may have looked like a line Sam could have ridden, & done so fast enough to win, he apparently said it wasn't the line he was trying to ride.

 I'm sure Gee could have ridden much faster and crashed like those that didn't win.

 @groghunter,
Watch the vital slideshow.
www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/SLIDESHOW-Wildest-World-Champs-Ever-Victory-and-Carnage-from-DH-Finals-Photos-in-Hafjell,8104/Slideshow,0/sspomer,2
Sam himself says he was slightly off line. Being off line is a mistake, therefore, Sam Hill truly did make a mistake and crashed because of it. Please stop blaming the ground.

 Man I bet Gee had a good &#**@*! moment when he had his little hiccup in the same spot he had trouble in last year, but he managed to recover and prevail over that Hafjell beast this time!!!

 To finish first, first you have to finish.

 I'm not so sure Josh would have had it anyway. That jump is not far from the finish line on an open section where everyone is motoring on. He was almost half a second back. Sure he couldn't pedal, but look at what Neko did without pedalling. Gee's win is fair and square if you ask me.

 Neko increased his speed on landing the jump. Josh lost his speed on the flat landing, so obviously you can't compare both. If Ratty could pedal to the finish that would definitely be a gold medal for him IMO. Of course that doesn't mean Gee win isn't fair. Of course it is. Just lets be honest here. If the jump wasn't too small for the Ratty's skills we would have a different winner now.

 If Ratty´s skills managed to jump a jump lower than his skills, he would have the skills to kill the under skilled jump...

 Hard packed dirt? are you insane? did you not see all the dust?"

Dust = dry conditions.
Dry conditions = hard ground.

Lots of dust, yeah, but unless the race was in the f*cking Sahara instead of Norway, the ground underneath is going to be solid. The effect the dust may impart is negligible to say the least - it certainly didn't cause Sam's bike to end up over his head. A god damned rock did, dude.

 www.pinkbike.com/photo/11395879 Team Rumors for the upcoming season, who will ride for which team!

 One way or another, Gee wins World Cups, he Wins World Champions, he is runner up in two Rampages, he wins numerous city downhills before it comes right now. Well that's one hell of curriculum vitae for an elite level racer. He deserve every title for every training regime he's done.

 downhill, because soccer and golf only require one ball.

 That..^^^ is utter genius.

 I always root for Gee but it's been amazing to see the breakthrough of Ratboy smoking everything. This season is a tough act to follow but with the return of Steve Smith, Loic Bruni getting closer, Hill pushing like mad, Ratboy knowing the taste of victory and Gee not going anywhere... next year's racing will be worth the wait!!! Best racing event on the planet. Just keep up with the raw and nasty tracks please

 And the emergence of Neko to boot!

 I have too, it was awfull to see him end the season that way... but yeah, Gee is always to see on the podium to, he is a good sportsman!

 All eyes on Neko! Yes, this was one hell of a season.

 And then there's poor Connor who was really starting to get up to pace. A broken face in a rock garden.. Hopefully he can get over it and improve even more for next season

 Shimano stopping Trek and Americans winning world champs since 2012 haha

 @heavyp good one!

I'm going to have to say I think Hill is back with a vengeance, hell be happy with Andorra next year.

As for Bryce... you're a fookin rockstar buddy! I'm a dead set convert. I'm going to be fully on the Jesus Bryceland bandwagon from now on. The future has arrived, and it's got a broken ankle from sheer coolness.

 Bit random but would it be possible that Neko's bike would of been reacting/working differently because he had no chain there for maybe benefiting him over some areas of the course ?

 It was a flat out meatgrinder. I don't think I've ever felt so maggotted after watching a race...

 Couldn't agree mmore with Bigburd, poor josh tho i saw some pictures of that foot and that looked damn messed up :/ get well soon Rat!

 If Im up in Brevard riding and I see Neko....he's getting a beer on me....insane chainless riding!!!

 My take on the Neko run is could it be that because he did not have to pedal at any point, he was fresh throughout most of the track and was able to focus better through all the rough stuff? That run was insane and I was rootin so hard for him to win even though I'm a Gee fan.

 My take is that he is an awesome bike handler, the track is pretty steep, and he just had a totally perfect no pressure run because he believed he was done before he even got going. I think the freshness would have played a part too. I often feel like that myself in races. I'm so knackered from sprinting that by the time I reach the bottom I'm making all kinds of rough movements that I wouldn't make if I wasn't trying so hard. I know he's a pro, he's fit but I bet it still makes a difference. Sometimes you get ragged from trying so hard, pedalling so hard you end up too fast going into corners and then losing time during and on the way out. It just goes to show that being smooth and having great flow can send you down the hill in a very good time.

 yep just that! also I beleive Gee is the man who has come closest to the Gispot...almost even hit it twice... ;-)

 Exactly what I've been wanting to say but couldn't be assed to type it out

 It'll be really cool to see the DH World Champ at rampage. Stoked for Gee!

 I didn't watch it from the beginning, what was with the Slovenians?

 One rider crashed about 4 times I think and when he got to the bottom jumps he did suicide no-handers over them.

 what was his name?, I'm his fan now

 Lukas Splichal is his name and he's actually Czech not Slovenian. His run starts at 1:56:45 on the replay: www.redbull.com/uk/en/bike/stories/1331674779387/replay-uci-world-championships-downhill?items=1331674779387

 Rob Warner mentioned Cedric Gracia because of that dudes run, and I can't really think of a bigger compliment to receive on your world champs run.

 But Dave, he doesn't smile on the podium. He's clearly an asshole.

 It's funny how people judge athletes based on what they see on camera. Some people, although genuine good-hearted people, just aren't very outgoing or animated and are thus, labeled 'assholes.' Doesn't make sense to me. Gee seems like a dedicated athlete who puts a lot of time and effort into his sport and although he's competing with all those around him, he doesn't seem like an asshole in the slightest! Congrats to the World Champ for the fastest time down the mountain in what was the most exciting DH event I've ever seen! True class act IMO.

 @lobohusky - just for the record, my comment was a joke. I like Gee.

 @sino428 Dang it, I thought it may have been. Wasn't sure since I've seen so many comments about Gee like this in the past. This was aimed at those comments/ideals in general, not just yours.

 haha he could hardly look at him when he took the hot seat haha!

 So stoked for Neko! Really hope that gives him a sh@t ton of confidence for next season!

 and an evidently concerned Gee in the background

 Those pictures stir the emotions for sure, but it was great to see the Syndicate family close ranks around Josh to make sure he got the care he needed. There's definitely a lot of love in that team.

 Apparently the Santa Cruz team is more of a family then a Syndicate. And call me crazy, but I think the team also really profits from Kathy Sessler. She isn't just a team manager but more of a mum and cares so much about the whole team.

 Watch the last episode of This is Peaty. You're definitely not crazy.

 Yeah, she goes absolutely nuts when one of her boys wins.

 I was yelling at my tv telling him to pedal with one leg. I guess the pain overwhelmed the adrenaline. So sucky though as he was on a near perfect run. Hats off to Gee. He made the least mistakes and won.

 I noticed that about Troy. Dude is genuinely happy anytime anyone does anything. Hell of an attitude to have

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 That was awesome. Instant 180 degree attitude change. Sad to excited.

 That's what I've loved most about the last couple races. You can really see the different styles of all the riders in the decisions and line choices they make; in some races the glory goes to the guy with the biggest balls and the boldest moves, but in others it's the guys who can calculate the right decisions on the fly in their head. Rat made the wrong choice today, but good god what a competitor he is!!!! Like you said, he coulda scrubbed, but he was going for gold and that wasn't the choice he made. Outstanding finish to the season!!!!! Next season should be even more outrageous with all these guys in top form.

 His character was stolen. Groomed out of him by the big money. Can't have him.saying anything real now can we?

 agreed. great season. always counting down the days between october and sea otter classic. time to dust off the skis once again.

 It's par for the course these days - proof reading seems to be a dying art. The photos are great, though.

 Neko's run was great because of the time he finished with, but I think Gwins tireless run was more impressive. Riding that course chainless really isn't that difficult as there isn't that much pedaling anyway. But getting down a WC track on only a rim and somehow staying upright is ridiculous.

 Thanks Buzz Killington, the pictures are worth a million words! Are you an english professor, is this school? NO..

 yeah he didnt look on form. he didnt even crash, just looked a bit off or uncomfortable, took slow lines etc. shame. i was rooting for him, hill, hart, and minnaar. they all crashed other than gwin who just had an off day.

 This!!! Need more pictures.

 his hand slipped of the bars and he went down. he posted a photo on Instagram saying as much

 Her Atherton Racing teammate and Jr rider Taylor Vernon.

 ich mechanik jest polakiem...

 The photo of the Jr Podium was taken during the playing of the French National Anthem. That is always a time of straight faces, and out of respect the podium and crowd are usually silent. Believe me those guys were all smiles the rest of the time.... try no to take everything so seriously or look for negative things to say, it's super LAME.

 Thanks, I had know idea, positive from now on.