Pinkbike Awards: Downhill Race of the Year Nominees
We've said it before and we're more than happy to say it again.... 2014 was a momentous year for downhill bicycle racing on the world stage. A season so packed with action it was bursting at the seams, it's certainly no easy task to pinpoint which single event should take the crown as Pinkbike's downhill race of the year. Each contest seemed slightly more furious than the last, as things were blown wide open in a battle that continued to unravel all the way to the final stop in Meribel. To top it off, it was all quickly followed by one of the most thrilling World Champs since stormy Champery 2011.
There's an awful lot that goes into the bidding, planning and execution of hosting a World Cup and those processes have received a lot of attention and prompted a lot of discussion this year. While most argue it would be most exciting, from a spectator standpoint, to see as many rounds, in as many far flung countries on original race tracks, its currently not possible for our relatively young and relatively impoverished sport. Something we should not miss is the chance to take stock of the venues that we are lucky to have, all putting on fantastic shows and giving our heroes the stage on which to do battle. So without further a-do here are the three races that we at Pinkbike believe to have been the very best of the best.
• UCI World Cup #7, Meribel - France
There was talk about the all-new French venue and there was expectation. All of which was thoroughly exceeded when the DH World Cup circus finally came to pitch its tents in the heart of the 3 valleys. The course was a delight to behold, with somewhat uncharacteristic ear to ear grins featuring on the likes of Fairclough and Hill early on track walk. It was rugged, it was steep and it was mighty wide in places. For the first time in some years, the best riders in the world felt they were looking at a track that was truly the way Mother Nature intended a downhill race to be, certain 2014 would be going out with a bang. The atmosphere was nothing but electric as Bryceland and Carpenter rode to season overall victories with the tremendous crowd of superfans who made the pilgrimage building throughout the weekend, encircling the mighty finish arena below the final jump. Mon dieu, c'etait super!
There was talk about the all-new French venue and there was expectation. All of which was thoroughly exceeded when the DH World Cup circus finally came to pitch its tents in the heart of the 3 valleys. The course was a delight to behold, with somewhat uncharacteristic ear to ear grins featuring on the likes of Fairclough and Hill early on track walk. It was rugged, it was steep and it was mighty wide in places. For the first time in some years, the best riders in the world felt they were looking at a track that was truly the way Mother Nature intended a downhill race to be, certain 2014 would be going out with a bang. The atmosphere was nothing but electric as Bryceland and Carpenter rode to season overall victories with the tremendous crowd of superfans who made the pilgrimage building throughout the weekend, encircling the mighty finish arena below the final jump. Mon dieu, c'etait super!
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• UCI World Cup #6, Windham - USA
Windham, you say? But the track was so short, smooth and boring. The racing was far too easy. In the end, all very valid points in the sarcastic realm of 'opposite land'. The widespread internet and even trackside negativity following course inspection got thoroughly blasted out the window by the time practice got underway. It became quickly clear that the sheer speed, commitment and precision it would take to do well in the crucial stateside round would have to be nothing short of other-worldly. By the time chips were down for qualifying we had tens of riders on the very same second and handfuls of well-proven racers not making the cut. Finals came and we were treated to a second Ratboy schooling as he took down the home favorite on the 'big S' in style. The icing on the cake for Windham was really the stand-out race day atmosphere... With the beer flowing and swathes of stars and stripes lining the entire race course; air horns and spectator screams deafened every passing rider to create one of the best events in 2014.
Windham, you say? But the track was so short, smooth and boring. The racing was far too easy. In the end, all very valid points in the sarcastic realm of 'opposite land'. The widespread internet and even trackside negativity following course inspection got thoroughly blasted out the window by the time practice got underway. It became quickly clear that the sheer speed, commitment and precision it would take to do well in the crucial stateside round would have to be nothing short of other-worldly. By the time chips were down for qualifying we had tens of riders on the very same second and handfuls of well-proven racers not making the cut. Finals came and we were treated to a second Ratboy schooling as he took down the home favorite on the 'big S' in style. The icing on the cake for Windham was really the stand-out race day atmosphere... With the beer flowing and swathes of stars and stripes lining the entire race course; air horns and spectator screams deafened every passing rider to create one of the best events in 2014.
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• UCI World Champs - Hafjell - Norway
With the stakes set to 'all or nothing' we saw the biggest names roll the dice, the fireworks fly and our minds get blown by one of the most topsy-turvy races in just about ever. Hafjell was an event that somehow took a brutal race season up another gear, featuring the kind of breathtaking high and lows that are simply never forgotten. The Norwegian race course has a bike park core, but a wild side that is all too capable of biting back. Perhaps it's the short but gnarly technical areas interspersed with particularly rapid connecting sections that see more riders than usual going for balls-to-the-wall, 'hit and hope' or 'do or die' tactics. Combined with the nature of Worlds, when all else is said and done for the season, you have a recipe for bicycle brilliance and good dose of carnage. Topping the bill in Norway had to be Hill's untimely dismount, Mulally's chainless masterclass and naturally Bryceland's bridge too far. Although it may have ended as something of an anti-climax for champs Gee and Manon, the drama alone surely makes it one of the best, if not the best, downhill races of the year.
With the stakes set to 'all or nothing' we saw the biggest names roll the dice, the fireworks fly and our minds get blown by one of the most topsy-turvy races in just about ever. Hafjell was an event that somehow took a brutal race season up another gear, featuring the kind of breathtaking high and lows that are simply never forgotten. The Norwegian race course has a bike park core, but a wild side that is all too capable of biting back. Perhaps it's the short but gnarly technical areas interspersed with particularly rapid connecting sections that see more riders than usual going for balls-to-the-wall, 'hit and hope' or 'do or die' tactics. Combined with the nature of Worlds, when all else is said and done for the season, you have a recipe for bicycle brilliance and good dose of carnage. Topping the bill in Norway had to be Hill's untimely dismount, Mulally's chainless masterclass and naturally Bryceland's bridge too far. Although it may have ended as something of an anti-climax for champs Gee and Manon, the drama alone surely makes it one of the best, if not the best, downhill races of the year.
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Stay tuned for more PB MTB Awards nominees all month.
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The whole event had my heart rate up !
I'm glad someone else notices that he's always in a bad mood. That makes him pretty hard to like.
Everyone assumes so much from a photo or video; just understand that it's one moment of billions over the course of someone's life and seeing their face in what, 100 moments and assuming that person is 'always in a bad mood' or 'not very sociable' or 'always grumpy' is just asinine. But hey -- this is the internet, and god forbid anyone use actual common sense!
ugh.. didn't read @ambatt post yet. Nice work!
I think my sam hill eye brows don't really help
super shady steezy
It's more of a case of knowing when to use style and not , he is a RACER , he knows how to win races , style is for when he's at his home trails having fun !
This might get me some hate but w/e
...Most of the riders people consider stylish in race situations are not winners , Brendog , Hart and such.
Let's look at some winners , Gee , Minaar , Gwin , do they throw down amazing whips every time they leave the ground , no but they win the races , to me fast controlled aggression is style !
The guys above have all nailed it on the head, if you wanna watch Gee with steeze dont go traipsing through all the races his done, why dont you watch his Quarry bombing? how about Four by Three? dont forget the GT promos! Not to mention the odd videos where they werent training or racing in The Atherton Project and of course, the aforementioned Red Bull Rampage!!
Gee does have steeze, but he just spends a lot of his time reaping what he has sown in season and off season
Steeze on dooodes!
Assuming that you've never seen Gee ride in person or stood trackside as he skips through a rock garden, yes, I am calling you a keyboard jockey, which is what you are -- someone who spews shit online that they know nothing about. Having been trackside and watching any of the top ten guys (or hell, top 60!) ride, I can tell you that any of those boys have steeze, style, and skill -- just look at the body English! Pretending to have some secret, elusive 'steeze' definition is just nonsense. Does steeze exist? Absolutely. Does Gee have it? Most definitely. Does it come through in his racing? Of course. Maybe you're just not understanding the broader range of 'steeze' or that different folks have different styles of 'steeze' -- it's not all about Pinkbike arms and corner manuals, kid.
Yes, Hafjell was rad, but I'd rather watch a fair race where everyone gets down with their best run, instead of seeing multiple riders corpse who would've won.
For the three reasons listed in the article.
Nekos run
Hills crash
Ratboys overshoot.
The three most talked about events of the season, all in one race. Gwins run at Leogang. That was good too, but not a lot else memorable happened.
But then Meribel was clearly the best track of the season, so surely that should count a lot towards best race. Argh, this is actually quite a hard choice.
Not Windham tho. That was rubbish. As the article says "tens of riders on the same second" tells you everything you need to know. The track was dull. Not even sure why it made the top 3 here, is the amount of beer the spectators drunk really a reason?
Though I fully agree that World Champs by far had the most memorable moments of the season.
That track has everything. Brutal top section, flat out bottom section and everything else in between. Gaps/drops/trees/roots and big jumps.
It also boasts the best (drunkest) crowd in the world!
I can only assume it got marked down because of the dreaded highland midges! Lol
He may have run on a flat but that's long forgotten when you compare it to worlds.
The 2014 world's can ONLY be described in one word:
EPIC