EWS Round Four, La Thuile, Italy - Final Results

 Sam Hill has become the dark horse in this competition.

 Woot, wait to go Hill!!! Maybe we can start seeing all these lycra wearing strava nuts wearing flats and 5.10s

 Or maybe he would of won if he was clipped in?

 What will 2017 bring for Sam Hill? More EWS? Less DH.

That approach worked well for Rude.

 I can feel the disruptions of the force, James Wilson must be already writing a blog post about it Flat pedal renaissance!

 Also Page (sam's team manager) getting the same results in his category!

 Sam. Fking. Hill. What a boss.

 Sam I say this with respect, but I think a slight career change may be in order.

 I reckon he should move to enduro. Why not? He's obviously great at it and maybe he'd be less injury plagued. Viva la Hill. Good seeing Curtis Keene do well also, he seems a nice chap.

 Alu frame that's not a size too big
Alu wheels with narrow profile
Last year's wheel size anyway
Flat pedals

No way you'd podium with that set up Love it!

 @enrico650: the ''Iron'' Horse

 @sicmoto: totally. that's why I suggested a change. he seems to be quite the natural at enduro style racing.

 if sam is looking to step more on a podium he should go full enduro ... ( i said IF )... Looks like he slowly begins to be outdated in downhill ... look how fast he was in 2008 ....

 @Ryanrobinson1984: it would appear it is you sir who are the muppet. In the bin you go.

 @alwayslivingthedream: would have

 Yep. Lots of people have poked the stick at him for not clipping in for dh and now hes killin em on flats in Enduro! 5.10 probably wouldnt be the company they are without him! Awsome to see.

 @alwayslivingthedream: he didn't win because he crashed.

 @sicmoto: Never count out Hill in the DH WC, he is a legend for reason.

 @inter71: yup, that will get you every time. I would of liked to see he win. But not sure he could of pulled back 1:35 even if he did not crash.

 @FranzMuhr: I mentioned that in another post and got neg propped to death by the PB troll sackriders.

 @alwayslivingthedream: not sure he could HAVE pulled back.

 Makes sense for redbull with the terrain open and plenty of scope for cam angles, and a chance to grab racers around the chairlifts.

 @enduroFactory: NO Red bull tv!!!! Have someone proper cover the EWS live.

 it is what it is for DH live feed do you think that is possible for live coverage in enduro? well , possible it is, just would be a astronomical bill for it

not even in whistler, in crankwork's do they do a live coverage, only the last one, would they be doing it here with 6 special's and 8+ long with 400 riders

 @brandaneisma: and that would be?

 @WAKIdesigns: To be honest, I am not sure. I actually do not think live streaming the EWS is the right thing to do. Lets say if they wanted to live stream every stage that would mean less venues could host because some of the stages are WAY in the backcountry, and stages could not be high in the alpine due to connection issues.

 WRC doesn't have live streaming. They have live timing and recaps. Just like EWS. Waaaay too much area to cover. They have only a few cameras on DH for Fox sake

 I actually really like the highlight packages that Richard Cunynghame produces and presents, now on Pinkbike (firstly on Dirt) and don't mind waiting the day or two he takes to edit and put them up (FREE!). Television quality, great interviews and rider made, just like the EWS itself and MTBing in general. And, thankfully, put out on a decent player and the videos are downloadable so I can watch them at my leisure in internet backward Australia... Seriously don't want effing f*&$ing redf*ckingbullshit corporate bollocks getting their greasy slimy filthy stinking hands all over the EWS when it is the epitome of MTB riding and racing. RedBull? They sorta f*cked up DH, don't want that to happen to EWS! p.s. btw, bit disrespectful to PinkBike to bang on about Redbull when you consider the above.... oh, huge props to Mr Samuel Hill, so glad he's found his groove in enduro!

 I got sht for free, but it sucks so I demand change, preferably from a tiny, organic company that doesn't earn any money on streaming. Redbull sucks , they are one single company that invested more in gravity disciplines of MTB than any other, they sponsor and support more athletes than any other company, and their drink tastes crap and kills adolescents. Oooooh if MTB was so pure with 26" wheels, flat pedals, riding on pot and drinking until you vomit your bollocks out. Win or looze, we're on ze boooze

 @ColquhounerHooner: Boooooring!

 It would be enough to cover even 2-3 places on each stage. I think the problem is not the area, but the fact that stages are long and unlike in DH, you cannot follow one rider from start to finish. So you end up with kind of a mess, probably hard to follow and confusing.

 @dro-cfr: as Lousis CK says: we created a culture of whiny pussies: They made us wait 30 minutes on the runway! And then it was too hot as if they couldn't turn the AC up, food was crap, earphones didn't work, and then we waited 30 min for the luggage! - Heeey you are in the seat, in the sky! It took you 5 hours door to door from NY to LA, and 200 years ago it took all your life and you'd probably get killed by a fkng bear before you got there

 PB coverage is more than enough! But if its possible, a live timing would be nice.
or more of this, www.facebook.com/endurotribemag/videos/10157222756620204

 @WAKIdesigns: Agree. Red Bull = 70's - 90's Marlboro.

 Live coverage would work out the best for event type like megavalanche. now we only have to convince redbull and all the pros to be there... best show guaranteed.

 Yeah man! Is Jessie's 6th the best placing for a Canadian male in an EWS so far?

 @triptex: hopefully he has a killer day two.

 Go get some Jesse, do it for Stevie!

 It really does not matter, those guys are not humans anyway. But the fact is the there is a clipless myth and lots of people are going clipless because they think this is a better, proper and pro way. But the truth is that it is not, at least for the majority.

 At least flat pedal riders have some validation of their choice - I can include myself too. How many of the EWS racers are running flats anyways? The "wins by a 14 guys on clipless" would have some meaning if it would be 50:50 but it's not bad if the only flat rider is on the podium...

 Looks like Rude its super consistent all the way down in these super long stages, just not like Sam who is training for downhill racing...but hard to say about other riders ;o

 Did you watch his red bull raw 100?

 There is a video here which shows him overtaking Oton (3rd today) in a climb, absolutely mental! www.endurotribe.com/2016/07/ews-thuile-2016-richie-rude-ecrase-premier-jour-de-course

 @Mugen: thanks for the link, Rude overtaking while pedalling uphill is impressive

 @Mugen: Jaw dropped. He is insane

 @Mugen: agree, thank you for the link to that vid.

Wow. Think RR has horsepower? He's roosting... up the hill! All out sprinting to get ahead before going down again, on a section of climbing track where the pain is palpable. There is massive time to be made on those sections of track and RR has the fitness and drive to take advantage of them. Very impressive and a great glimpse of the rounded package needed to win an EWS event. What stage was this?

 You guys should watch XC. There's loads of overtaking on climbs.

 @WAKIdesigns: completely wrong approach to racing. you put the most effort in to go fastest on the slowest sections. look at ratboy! it's a well known approach to timetrialling. when everyone else is going 10mph you go 12 you're doing 20% faster than everyone else and you make considerably more time. when they go 30mph, putting in the same effort may still only get you 2-5mph, nowhere near the same benefit. effort on the fastest sections is marginal gains, effort on the slowest sections is money in the bank.

 @Mugen: for anyone wanting to see rude overtake.. It's not till the very end of the video

 @blitz66: what has DH to do with that where pedalling is limited as hell and energy management has completely differnt principles? In XC and often in Enduro you rest on downhills. In up&down sports you win by keeping the speed as high as possible through the longest possible period of time. It's basics of space time. Since your max power output can last for limited amount of time and it can lower your power output until you regenerate, you must focus on acceleration, on keeping that speed up. And I'm not an author of this strategy. I can drop names if I must

 @westrm: wish I saw your post before watching 6 minutes of dudes riding up a road.

 @WAKIdesigns: your second comment is just making my point for me?! you keep a higher average speed by making the slowest sections as fast as possible, and not wasting energy trying to push hard on the faster section. not to mention here he makes a place up - giving him a clear run to hit the next (presumably DH) section. accelerating out of corners will be fractions of a second here and there, hammering a mid length climb like this could be 10s. it's a principal in TT riding, make the slowest corners fast as possible, push hardest on the climbs as its more effort for less reward to increase the speed proportionally when you're already close to the limit. slow down less, don't speed up more.

 @WAKIdesigns: LOL dude you're so wrong. So, so wrong. It's not about speed, it's about time - and you can win more time on slow sections than fast sections. You do not spend your max effort on the flat unless you're completely brain dead. You spend it on the climb.

 @WAKIdesigns: No, maxing into and out of climbs is not faster. Sprinting into a climb and then easing off is one of the single stupidest things I have ever heard in my adult life. For the same increase in physical effort you will shave more time from a steep section than a flat section, fact.

Please do drop some names so I can find out which top level riders are dumbasses!

 @WAKIdesigns: Then you should explain several things to Maes - first, air resistance and rolling resistance increase with the square of speed. So to go twice as fast on the flat is four times as hard. Working purely against gravity going twice as fast is only twice as hard. So the steeper the climb the bigger the difference you make to your average speed for a given increase in power.

Second, maxing your heart rate and filling your body with lactic acid just before a hard climb is no-one's idea of a good time, and is a recipe for blowing up before you summit and losing huge chunks of time.

Third, I didn't say anything about your family. They may or may not be prostitutes, I have no way of knowing. I said that your statement was stupid, because it is. Now stop trolling for once!

 You're actually both kind of right and both missing some key points. A - you do not go at 100% for all of a climb, you tap out a consistent cadence if you can that is hopefully higher than the other guys and maybe throw in efforts for the bits that require it. That is how you get those 1 sec gaps. Sorry Waki, but trying to do that on the flat is a bad idea. On the flat your leg power advantage is can be negated by possible leg speed and gearing choice by the other guy. You may get an advantage, but it will be smaller (point of proof - no one ever wins the tour in the flats - it is won in the mountains and hills, always has been. They don't accelerate and then slow, they tap it out, attack on the steeps, tap it out again, attack... But they also do use end of climb spurts to lead into dh sections... But they are group starting so this is for a whole different reason.
B - I can't believe none of you picked up the real reason this kind of attack works... It kills the other competitor/s mentally. I can still remember doing a selection course twenty odd years ago in the army and lugging a pack up a hill for km after km and then the DS goes trotting past you like you are standing still... That shit hurts. Same here. Climbing is 50% mental. Always has been. You are hurting and your body is telling you that you're at 100%. You're not, but the mental game is not giving in. My guess is Rude saw the chance to hurt someone and took it (probably busting a gut to do it). Funny thing is Sam used to do this in DH at his peak. He'd ride behind competitors in training and obviously break and shit behind them to let them know they were slowing him down...

 @gavind: TDF has nothing to do with Enduro or DH. I am speaking of 20sec to 1 minute climbs, with no team dynamics, virtually no opponent interaction, completely different time spans. This is just straight ridiculous. Wind resistance? What? If you pedal hard into a climb, then you carry momentum into it, it's speed and energy almost for free, then when you accelerate over the crest you get to max pedallable speed quickly and that period of high speed that is time in distance, gets short until the time comes to hit the brakes which stops the whole operation. The average speed goes up. Saving for a climb and resting after it is bollocks. if you have one minute of max effort when you go 10km/h instead of 8km/h, then how is that effective against a minute of 30km/h instead of 20 km/h? Especially that once you get to some good speed in Enduro, gravity maintains it for you (hence your wind resistance argument goes down the drain) - All that happens above 140BPM going all the way to max pulse, so in reality that power modulation is little, on a race you pedal the sht out of the track and those sprints are super precious or you die after 3 stages... I can't believe I even need to explain this.

 @WAKIdesigns: "if you have one minute of max effort when you go 10km/h instead of 8km/h, then how is that effective against a minute of 30km/h instead of 20 km/h?"

Mate. You can't just pluck nonsense numbers out of thin air and pretend they validate your argument. You've grabbed those numbers from through the looking glass in f*ckin' Wonderland. They're bollocks, everyone knows they're bollocks and you know they're bollocks. So why are you still here trolling the board?

 I love how everyone suddenly became fucking experts at racing like none of you have won a EWS so shut up honestly.

 @brandaneisma: SWEARING MAKES MY POINT BETTER, so do caps.

 @blitz66: I was thinking of swearing and doing all caps but that would have been too much dont you think?

 @brandaneisma: I just ducked out when the debate became an argument...didn't want to feed the trolls

 Yeah. He is definitely in form but sth doesn't work ;/

 I think you are definitely onto something here. Bring back that big chunky Pulse from 2014!

 @mrgonzo: So please explain how he is almost a minute up on Troy Brosnan? Almost 2 minutes up on Joe Smith. Troy is a one of the 5 best DH riders in the world on current form. Joe is also beating Sam easily in the DH at the moment. There is something not working for Hill on the DH scene.

 @humoroususername: sams getting older, has a family etc, the huge risks and price of making a mistake on a WC DH track are probably making him ride more reserved than in the old days.
the longer more consistency based nature of the EWS races is probably just suiting his mindset better.

 Reach wise the Mega is a lot longer than the same size Pulse frame.

 Didn't he have an AC separation early in the season?
I had a level 3 AC separation and my shoulder didn't feel strong until almost a year. A rough DH track could really beat the hell out of you at full speed. With the level of WC DH riders, it might take a full season before he can hang with 100% healthy racers.
However, I have a shorter top tube on my trail bike than my last one and I find that it suits me better. There are different body types and there is not one perfect geo for everyone.
I'm happy for him to get this good result over some world class competition.

 @humoroususername: have you raced DH and raced Enduro? the tipe of aproch is totaly diferent, as in DH you go ball's out the full run taking all the risk, in enduro you have to passe yourself, only atacking and risking where you ar really going to gain.

to this, you can probably add that in enduro he can do whatever result he does, no pressure, so he rides loose, on DH he as all the pressure and the expectations from the public team and HIM SELF that probably are blocking him!

 wow!

 skip down to the last 30 secs

 hell yeah! he would be third in elite!!

 agreed. look at triathlon vs iron man, the silverbacks have the years of training and experience in metering effort, the youth have the power output. Enduro has to value experience and risk management over risk taking and power output. obviously there are going to be exceptions! Rude is a monster, who seems to have learned from his elders and manages his risk better now. his first seasons though he either won the stage or crashed! seems to be a fair example

 Also, 2nd through 11th separated by 40 seconds, then Rude, 50 seconds ahead of all of them!

 Rude is just demolishing the field...on a whole different level it seems...

Just noticed...where's Jey C? Thought this track would suit him more than Graves

 Clementz is 18th, he had a crash

 Graves is having a rough season

 Is it just me or does this statement sound kinda weird?

 And seeing how fast they are RACING in comparison to the ELITES.

 @AVulgarDisplayOfPower: Good recovery right there.

 @ulissesportela: Meh, you might want to take a look at the gaps between Rude and Hill and between Hill and Ferrero.

Rude is "Rachel Athertoning" the hell out of EWS o.O

 But then if I'd have been born with an innie instead of an outie, I'd be a woman. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

 I hope she keeps on entering wc and enduro races. She's totally killing it part time.

 8th

 He's in Italy.

 Yeah im also wondering why he's not in the top 10 final results. I dunno if i needglasses but i cant find his name anywhere in those results. Anyone know what happened to him in italy?

 Just saw his name. Seems something happened to him in stage 4. Hope pb lets us know whats up with graves , maes etc

 Injuried at Megavalanche

www.facebook.com/108002185976788/videos/889607674482898

 @Adrianos: ouch! Thanks (I think...) for posting the link. Any idea of the extent of his injuries? I can't find anything on Google about this crash.