Warning: Spoilers below.
The results of the judged portion of the X Games Real Mountain Bike video competition were announced today in an hour-long segment aired on ABC after last week's release of six edits from DJ Brandt, Danny MacAskill, Veronique Sandler, Brandon Semenuk, Brage Vestavik, and Cam Zink.
The results are as follows:
1. Brandon Semenuk
2. Brage Vestavik
3. Cam Zink
Congratulations to Brandon, Brage, and Cam. Also, don't miss the other edits from Vero Sandler, Danny MacAskill, and DJ Brandt.
 | What does it take to win X Games gold in Real Mountain Bike? For the six athletes competing in the inaugural: it’s the power of the massive step down. Taking home the inaugural gold medal in Real Mountain Bike is Canada’s Brandon Semenuk, followed by the biking Viking, Brage Vestavik, in the silver medal slot, and veteran freeride royalty Cam Zink in the bronze medal position. All six athletes threw down in true MTB freeride fashion, but there was no getting around the collective step down power of Semenuk, Vestavik and Zink. For Semenuk, it was the corked barspin 720. For Vestavik, it was the Norwegian gap of death. And for Zink, it was the world’s heaviest backflip roof drop. |
While the first part of the competition is settled, voting is still open for the fan favorite portion of the competition until the night of April 25 at xgames.com.
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370 Comments
Why would a Wookiee, an 8-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor with a bunch of 2-foot-tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: "What does this have to do with this case?" Nothing.
He puts the work in for sure, but no one can ride like he does. Gotta give someone else some shine.
WAKIdesigns (Feb 21, 2020 at 8:01)
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I would love that with Chinese accent... Maxxis taya wong way on the weaw of dat owenge
April 2, 2020 "You only get a few voices of sympathy from SJW lunatic camp. Who are also a-holes!"
WAKIdesigns (May 20, 2020 at 2:19)
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@mitochris: because that would go so well with principles of journalism. Like mentioning source of information. Typical stupid liberitarian leftists, social justice warriors approach to "freedom of speech" - paranoia caused by treating yourself as woke enlightened, and seeing general population as bunch of idiots who could get corrupted by a right wing propaganda, and could put you and your convenient set of values in question. Fkng bike site, fkg simple string of information and some fkng idiots needed to politicize it. Get fkd. Get fkd, you are as stupid as those two grannies, this is what you will become. Sour old pricks believing in greater order of the universe, seeing world as place invaded by awful people stopping you from reaching your Elysium. GET FKD.
WAKIdesigns (Feb 22, 2020 at 2:2
@adhd: I strongly recommend you to learn the difference between joking at Wong Adwess and saying that “Nigs are Apes and should be kept in cages” followed by “just kidding” stuff I heard on the gym from an Arab guy getting annoyed with Somalians being loud when doing bench press - Good night in your comfy world. There’s nothing that is more contemporary white than whites virtue signalling about racism.
WAKIdesigns (Feb 22, 2020 at 5:55)
@ButtermilkBar: Asian minorities hahahha - you are so progressive and getting so far ahead you went around the globe and ended up in your own a*shole. We’re not buying it. You feel in minority, it is called minority complex and you are projecting it. You are not an awareness warrior. You are not getting any medals from anyone. Find me the offended people and I will apologize to them. Bye mr moral supremacist.
WAKIdesigns (Jun 5, 2020 at 15:05)
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Ok, can someone at Pinkbike please pull the plug? I am almost 40 damn it. Gets creepy. I’m like Jennifer Aniston or Mike Levy pretending they are 25
@brianpark @sarahmoore - come on
But now you are back again, pretending nothing ever happened. Not feeling so creepy anymore? I'll be documenting more of your posts in an upcoming blog I'm working on, and publishing it soon. Including the posts where you suggest that other Pinkbike users commit suicide because they are concerned about global warming.
Funny you tell me to seek help when I found another post from your past where you admit to taking a psychological medication for a psychological condition you claimed to have. Still taking it?
No. Just, no on that Waki.
: (
The guy is a beast, but I just don’t see the Kool-Aid everyone is drinking with Brage’s edit. At least not to the overwhelming extent it’s been drunk.
Judges seem to like it on the other hand....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@brianpark please ban this person and block their IP. Their constant flogging of other PB members is inappropriate. Whatever the reason, it is no place for a public forum such as PB. This behavior should be dealt with in private DMs not here. Literally every post is a Manipulation to try and make whoever or whatever sound sensitive, racist, or homophobic.
They have already had their account frozen for this behavior.
It needs to stop now.
Thank you.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@brianpark sorry, that was supposed to say sexist not sensitive.
I actually ignore alot of other inappropriate things on here, and insults directed at me. Direct insults at myself don't bother me much, but I'm not going to ignore them when they are directed towards minorities. Anybody who ever tells another pinkbike user they should commit suicide is the person who should be banned permanantly. Do you disagree?
OK kids, take it to PMs, we don't care about your childish bickering.
-The Norse Asian
(Oh, and PB is totally the wrong platform for your semi-political mumbojumbo blog.)
Your attitude and malice is against all principles of free speech and general human interaction, even in online environment. You don't even have basic dignity to even introduce yourself, post a picture of yourself, firing shots for others to dodge and then fix the mess you made from the comfort of your anonymity. You don't even classify as a troll. As I wrote to you a year ago, I belive you are some of the lowest forms of online activity
There is nothing more I have to tell you.
Then you just justify it by saying 'free speech', and 'humor'. Your attitude represents some of the lowest forms of human behavior, you truly are a coward.
Let me give you the benefit of my perspective.
I have been in (very) irregular contact with Waki for very nearly a decade here.
1) Yes, Waki uses language SJWs will not appreciate and use as ammunition to attempt to "cancel" his voice. You are doing that are you not.
2) Yes, Waki will annoy a lot of people with his choice of language. However, if one looks hard enough and avoids the oh-so-easy knee jerk reactions, you may see Waki holding up a mirror to the BS that masquerades here as "considered opinion". Some people see it and get it. Others don't and never will.
3) as a result of 2), Waki has been known to go too far, and now the older Waki says he (and I quote), "is not proud of many things I wrote that you mention".
However, not all and everything he has written, he says some he will never take back.
It is my opinion that if those things are the times he was holding up the mirror to the shit that gets thrown around here, then no, absolutely, he has nothing to take back in those cases.
4) Yes, I wrote to him in a PM in 2018 about his representation of Asians (as a white dude who has live in Japan for 25 years). I just re-read it.
Waki and I had a civil exchange of ideas about that. We have discussed many things over the years from religion, science, pseudo-science, environmentalism, family, children, growing up.
And in absolutely EVERY case, Waki has been a fantastic conversation partner with genuine insight into a wide variety of issues.
And then you turn up and somehow manage to get yourself banned for your choice of words in interactions with many people here including Waki, yet somehow expect him to respond positively to your abrasive interactions on these boards with him?
Might I suggest you could benefit from some suggestions in how to interact with people who you wish to convince of something.
Here, try this. It'll help you no end.
youtu.be/gQNf97GZjuA?t=1358
Otherwise, I for one, am tired of reading what emanates from your end of the WWW, and have no reservation in letting you know that I - by far - prefer Waki's contributions here to yours where you attempt to ridicule and reproach anyone and everything that does not confirm to your personal view of what is 'right'.
If you wish that to change that for me and others like me, you could consider changing your approach.
You are free to hold your opinion.
You are free to act in any way you wish.
I note you are continuing to abuse other users here.
I note you are resorting to calling another user here a "scumbag human being".
I also note that it is my opinion that you are acting like a particularly nasty piece of work that PB would be better off without.
@brianpark
projecting much..?
Your behavior on these forums is no better than the peoples you've call out. You have been warned several times about your behavior, and have been asked kindly by countless other to stop. Your voice falls upon young ears here. While I respect what you claim to be supporting, your immature actions on this website are proof enough that you are just as much part of the problem.
This forum is no place for your crusade. I'm sorry, but the persistent requests by many many other rule abiding members for you to cease and decist continue to go unheard. I believe the only solution is a permanent ban, and an IP block, as you seem to lack serious impulse control.
@brianpark
You are a cancer on this site. You are again doing exactly what recently got you suspended. I find it sadly amusing, but how much more patience do you expect PB to indulge you with?
I will retract my ban request, on the condition you please follow the code of conduct. As I stated, you are entitled to your opinions here as we all are, that being said, I must remind you we have a large audience of many ages, and I ask you refrain from public belittlement and flogging. Thank you.
Oh, yeah. Brage just won the fan fsvourite by a landslide! 56% of the votes!
At least you know #youcantwin
I'm a Social Justice Beast Mode Warrior Battle Rapper some of the time
Confronting hateful and rude behavior like what I've seen from WAKIdesigns
I'm not meaning to offend anybody or make them hate me
I just want a world with not social justice harmony
Attacks on Asian Americans have been on the rise
This dangerous trend should not be disguised
It started with Trump calling COVID-19 the China Virus
Trying to manipulate his followers and continue to divide us
We can't let this continue, Trump even called it the Wuhan flu
This leads to racist behavior against innocent people, which is not new
But we shouldn't add fuel to the fire we should confront and stop it
Now I've run out of rhymes so I guess I will drop it
An addict of crown, "Double" he said.
One for both me and the phallus on my head.
"everyone shut up" while I spit my rhymes,
I'll accuse anybody of The Most hateful crimes.
Bad words on gender, shit about race, You even told one "they should leave this place."
I know you all feel me,
Y'all get where I'm at...
So remember my name...
The Social Justice Twat.
#Badrhymesfightcrimes
Thanks to DCA I look back and remember some stuff I wrote, and I regret a lot of horrific things I’ve said. How I acted as a lunatic. I guess of all, I regret what sort of a lunatic I’ve been when talking to deeeight about 27.5” wheels. History has shown that I was a bit more right about it than he was but boy I was wrong about many things too. Now I did use phrase “kill yourself”, he is totally right that it’s a shitty thing to say because you know, you never know... off course DCA misrepresents it, actually encouraging suicide would be an extremely awkward situation in real life, you can’t really do this in a middle of a stormy conversation. In fact I took this phrase straight from blogger Team Robot whoch Iassume is a malicious dishusting form of: come on, get a grip. Assuming that somebody would actually demand someone to kill himself is plain ridiculous. It is equally easy/hard to force somebody to like you or dislike you. Hate me now! Well.. no can do how. Anyhoo, my bad.
I’ve been rude to others on many occasions, I am sorry, I meant to be rude to others on many occasions, this is what sucks inside. But what’s worse is that it was utterly unnecessary from a rational point of view. Sometimes ethocs are unnecessary, sometimes someone just does something everyone in the world and they themselves could be far better off without. Like a wifi pressure sensor inside a tube for the Love of God....
And this is where I can’t stand DCAs behavior here. because he does just that. Cherrypicking and spinning an agenda, whatever it is, only to keep his ego entertained and growing, bulldozing blindly through all social norms only to keep feeding the demon. In every human activity there is a point where the agenda starts to live its own life, where as we can see in his threats, end justifies the means. The narrative of the demons speech is simple: find enemy, destroy the enemy. Paint the image, burn the image. Feed blood and ashes to the demon. Find more enemies and if you have found the arch enemy, you found source of energy and motivation only genuine love to family and erotic passion, actual gastric hunger can rival this. DCA blood thirst is extremely graphical, every single one of us goes there sometimes, you just see it manifested here. And it’s all a lie, artificial dark reality filled with twisted truth, symmetrical to everything that nationalists say about minorities. He even says Asians are a minority that needs defending, he went this far to paint his picture that he forgot that there are billions of them and they may not necessarily need his protection or pity... as if putting them all to same bag wasn’t awful enough, he belittles them thinking he can protect them, he can be their hero.
I wish we could be better at this communication thing. I guess we all wish that. I wish DCA will look at this in 5 years and come to some more isnigntful, soft conclusions... At least communicating with our inner selves... it’s not easy. Peace to all of you folks. Mushroom Gods say good night. I won’t stay too long. Just two more weeks of this experiment.
I didn’t apologize to you if you haven’t noticed. I owe you nothing and you don’t own a tiniest bit of me. Sort yourself out for Gods sake. I can delete this account any moment and not open Pinkbike for months. Come back in a year or never. And what do you have? A cause worth shit and everywhere you go mtbr, vital, nsmb most people will think you are out of your mind. I am just hanging around talking to folks I used to talk. Friends in a way. And you come around feeling important on a mission with your pseudo care.
So let’s see if you are troubled or actually crazy and require psychiatric help. I am not sure. Dead serious BTW. Not trying to insult you just worries about myself and state of humanity. Hard to convey through internet.
@brianpark - i am off again. Please clean this mess though. Can’t believe you allow it on this otherwise decent site. Awesome contest and comment board ruined by two old twats.
@jomacba said it better than I can put it..(quotes from @jomacba )
"Your behavior on these forums is no better than the peoples you've call out."
Regardless of the fact that I agree with the ends you are pursuing, the means do not justify the ends and "your immature actions on this website are proof enough that you are just as much part of the problem".
"The persistent requests by many many other rule abiding members for you to cease and desist continue to go unheard."
Somewhere within you, you have the ability it appears judging by your response to my question about the persuasion video link, to refrain from falling back to personal attacks as a means to the ends you are pursuing. However, you seem unwilling to maintain such a position in the vast majority of your interactions here.
As a result, I, for the first time in my decade here, herein publicly ask @brianpark to raise the issue of someone's (your) continued membership here in any upcoming relevant PB administrative meetings and would politely suggest to the staff that PB without your participation would be a far more pleasant place to hang out.
As I am sure the moderating staff do not need me to tell them, the continued participation of users who are more 'vocal' in online communities, such as you DCA, runs the risk of users who prefer a more harmonious environment deciding to take their time elsewhere. That leads to the all too familiar road of those at the extremities drowning out the voices of the (mostly) moral majority to the point of their elimination.
Be my guest @DoubleCrownAddict to preempt any upcoming disciplinary action from the site's moderating staff.
Have a good day and I sincerely hope you can look back on this part of your life in the future and come to the conclusion that ends rarely if ever justify debatable means.
Take care Sir. Be good to others wherever and whenever possible.
Let's not forget what unites us, rather than focus on what divides us.
This thread is officially dead beyond anything unrelated to the original post of "Brage got robbed"
Thank you.
A lesson in there somewhere, I think.
Alright, that's all I've got to say on it. Take care.
Also DCA usually has his heart in the right place (except on the topic of e-bikes, where he is plain evil), but he ran out of feet to shoot himself in a long time ago and now risks turning people into fascists just to spite him. It's hardly a measured and nuanced approach. Self-awareness is a beautiful thing (or so I'm told).
I'm more Wheezy Wee than Chuck D.
Sure, one could see it that way if one wishes, and you do, fine, you do that.
I don't see it like that.
From an alternative perspective, it is someone trying to take a (very small) role in trying to improve the ways in which people interact with each other online by pointing out ways in which things could improve. If that is pathetic, well.....
So you go ahead and see it as you wish, and I'll go ahead and see it as I wish. No worries there.
Anyways, have a good day and enjoy whatever riding you get to do on your next weekend.
waki has gone btw, deleted his account again.
At least he’s the front runner for the 2021 Pinkbike video of the year...
But...we have to consider X games, it's style, and it's risk / reward judging system in competition. Let's look at these videos, and the tricks within them like contest runs, who would win in that format? Semenuk. Let's look at the film / editing quality like a run, who would win that? Probably Semenuk.
Brandon is the Garret Reynolds of MTB.
Brag's was my favorite, hands down. But at the end of the day, it's X games. If this was a Pinkbike's real Mtb video contest. I think we would see a totally different outcome, so lets see that!!!
That said all 6 vids blew my mind, I really loved this event in general, and Semenuk suffers from what all the goats suffer from in every sport ever and it's domination fatigue. Dude is drowning in medals but even he is not immune from being robbed. Could easily have another rampage gold or two. Throw down long enough in this sport and you'll get robbed blind.
Wish Brage would've taken it, but gonna do a dirt dance until October in hopes that Rampage happens and Brage v the world goes down.
Imo his edit had way too much slow mo, didnt have many impressive or unique features and just a lot of tricks, which most people don't really relate to as the average rider doesn't do many, if any, tricks.
Semenuks video was almost identical to ANY of his RB Raw 100 edits, just with an added barspin/nac/can/tuck/any quick snappy trick added in there someone. His edit was all slope.
Brages run? Was riding we DONT really see all to often anymore. It was riding that all entries grew up watching and trying to emulate (except Zink, dude should have bagged 2nd behind Brage because well, its the OG Cam F'n Zink). Building skinnies. Riding big, dodgy drops and gaps in the woods, all while laughing his A$$ off because he is having fun!
Brage stuff smells sweat and blood, and show something different.
Hollywood vs North euro independent...
Yes, yes it is, especially for people who know what's going on. It's like any other sport: when you recognize what it takes to do very small things incredibly well you appreciate the atheletes even more.
Example: watch Remy Metailler break down his big moves and he acts like an insurance adjuster vs. his highlight reels with charging soundtracks.
On that day if you asked me who was most spectacular: I'd say Nils. Who was "better"? Emil J.
Same here: Brage was most spectacular, and he deserves tons of respect for this, he may have deserved the win just for that. But then again... Brandon is better at tricks. It's no riders fault that contest organizers use "real mountain biking" catch phrase. It's on organizers to make it hard to reconcile real MTB with slope style edits... One would also be mistaken if they believed Brandon wouldn't be able to throw down a hell of a downhill edit on actual DH track full of chunky rocks and offcamber corners on roots. He can ride a "real" mountain bike exceptionally well. Then I don't think it is fair to put his amazing skill at trail building against him. I'd say that, if in some perfect world, "slopestylers" were involved in building jumps in bike parks we'd have safer and more enjoyable jump lines.
That's the way I see it and I'm happy to see so many well stated opinions. It's been a great contest. It puts to question those huge festivals...
Brage’s edit was suuuuuper sick, left me suuuuuper stoked (as did Veronique’s in a different way), and probably my fave of the bunch, with maybe the exception of Danny Mac (because of the pure), and it really showcased some super ballsy raw stuff. However, looking at the class of the moves, consequences of the terrain, and size of the features in Semenuk’s edit, it’s really tough to call this a robbery. They were both deserving. Semenuk won it. Brage won the people’s hearts. There is olenty of room for both of them-
I love your conclusion about lots of space for all types of winners, especially in a showcase-style event like this. It's not really a contest; the medals are so we can argue in the commetns section. When you think about objectively judging this is silly (but we still got an entire suite of rad film projects).
EDIT: Brandons video was expected. Brages was surprising and creative and those are qualities that should be rewarded (and I think it will be in the peoples vote).
That's what made his video the best.
Yes Semenuk did more techy tricks, but this was supposed to be "real mtb" not "real slopestyle"
Try not to spill your juice out of your sippy cup.
Also if we're criticizing lack of certain aspects of MTB in the videos: Where are the XC, Enduro, DH parts in the videos? Arguably these disciplines are among the 'most MTB' of them all, bc they are a clear cut away from BMX or others. Freeride, SS and DJ are heavily influenced by BMX or Moto disciplines, whereas former styles are more original. X Games is about sending huge jumps and technical tricks, not timed disciplines. If the contest was named 'RealFreeride', Brage would've easily won. Brage sent bigger, but Semenuk was way cleaner while more techy. As Brage is about to win the people's choice anyway, I'm happy both of them got something out of it.
What I will say though is that Brandon Semenuks edit is being way overlooked. Most people watching (whether that's your average mountain biker or someone just being introduced to the sport through these videos) are just seeing a bunch of tricks and spins but don't realize that he's done a handful of worlds firsts in his part.
That being:
-oppo whip drop
-flip whip to nac. Both done on trail bikes (or what appears to be a session with a zeb?)
- cannonball caveman drop in. Both of his hands started on the seat vs. when this trick is usually done it's with one hand on the bar and one on the seat.
- cork 7 barspin on a stepdown. not to mention a very big and gnarly one at that.
- double bar to manual to whip off.
- 540 flair (these last two could have been done before but i'm not completely sure. nonetheless, still crazy)
Yes you can argue some of these have been done on BMX, but to do them on MTB on much gnarlier features is another story.
All of these topped off with insane style and perfect execution. The cinematography was off the charts as well.
I personally think his gold medal is well deserved. That being said, I do not want to discount Brage and the others. My jaw dropped at all of the edits.
Also doing a oppo whip (as an example) down a 20 stair to flat with no suspension is less gnarly than down a drop to steep landing with suspension...?
Brandon is so precise and you rarely get to see him miss or get loose (hell you never even hear him yell out in excitement) that it ends up looking and feeling like he isn't pushing his limits and you can't even tell if he's having fun.
Brag on the other hand, they included a glimpse of his failures at the skinny half cab, then showing us him landing it with a rough AF impact and all the stoked cries of joy from everyone there... that felt way more *real* and relatable.
Imagine we’ve all seen dozens of rad edits from Brage over the last decade, similar to this one. Then out of nowhere this new kid named Brandon Semenuk throws down the edit he just produced for X-games. Would anyone be surprised he won?
go clean your room son
Or a "realmtb" award?
That landing looked nicely manicured. As did most of them in every video.
@freeridejerk888: building it at night with 2 friends has nothing to do with the features being perfectly manicured.
People seem to be applying 2 different definitions of “manicured” to Semenuk & Barge. That is all.
Brandon is, as usual, off the charts and has a sick edit but it just felt like watching a slopestyle run. And if this is what wins, did any of the other riders ever stand a chance at all?
My reaction to Brage's vid: holy shit! Woaaaah! I need to go ride my bike!
Brage won as far as I'm concerned.
May they be condemned to ride road bikes for a year
look at yout own poll votes!
www.pinkbike.com/news/poll-which-x-games-real-mtb-edit-is-your-favorite.html
Brandon Semenuk 2534 votes
Brage Vestavik 12556
This seems more like a what Style of riding do ya like contest
They should’ve broke it down into different winning categories
Best tricks? Best editing? Best this or Best that etc.
Brage seemed to put in the most work They’re all bad ass riders in my book
#bragegotrobbed
Robbed is a understatement.
m.pinkbike.com/news/poll-which-x-games-real-mtb-edit-is-your-favorite.html
But his video was so uninteresting compared to Brage’s.
Brage totally got robbed and now he will go down in history with Norbs.
somthing like that
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiuqjVk0UGQ
2nd : Dylan Stark
3rs : Semenuk
This is the legit results no cap