17 Seconds of Sam Hill Getting Rowdy in Chile - Video

 DH World Cup: we need to make smooth, grippy and short tracks with few corners to make it better for television. Possibly as close to big cities as possible. Then we’ll give them giant bikes with lots of travel and big wheels.

Enduro World Series: we need to take riders to 3200m above Sea Level in one of the most remote locations on Earth and make them ride unprepared tracks half blind on little bikes. We’ll also make them pedal a lot.

You: Enduro is gay and they have fanny packs. Meanwhile Downhillers use air shocks and carbon wheels.

Sounds about right

 @WAKIdesigns: bang on.

 @WAKIdesigns: Who is the 'you' in this story?

 @WAKIdesigns: EWS needs drones filming.

 @jayacheess: Probably typical pb comment guy

 @vid1998: yes. Montgomery Pricewhiner, Harry Gotrobbertson, Hugh Standards, Sam Knowallovich, Goway Waki, Wong Fuk Hing Axle, Big Will Saiz, Ebenezer Protour, Nicoli Shouldhavewon, Percy Sixer, Yanis Negpropolous, Juan Ricardo el Motor, Johannes Redalp and many more.

 @WAKIdesigns: Riders are voting with registration too. Our regional Enduro series sells out months in advance. The DH series isn't in any danger of folding, but there are certainly fewer riders.

The same things is happening in motorsports. Local MX races can't fill the gates, while off-road draws hundreds.

Enduro and off-road have a lot in common. The races take place in one day, maybe two. You get a lot of riding time for your registration - most of your time is spent riding, not waiting for your session. The racing is lower risk; with limited opportunity to pre-ride the course there isn't as much pressure to push yourself to hit high consequence features. Either you're at a level where you'll be able to hit it just fine, or you probably won't even see it.

These things appeal to riders who have to show up to work on Monday and have responsibilities that preclude taking huge risks. Enduro is providing a competitive environment with a low barrier to entry. No wonder they are so successful!

 @CaptainBLT: Yeah I get it. And there's one more thing. You don't feel judged all the time. On a DH comp there's eyes on you everywhere, you're exposed. I personally find it hard to show up on a DH comp and not feel like a loser after it's done. It's hard to mentally go through the practice on Saturday, at least for people who race rarely. On Enduro, you can take your time but then you can go for it anytime. Sure it is also humiliating to be passed, sure there are hecklers around as well but I think, it's only the good kind of pressure. In DH, it's easy to get psyched out. A bit similar to an XC competition but oriented on thrills of downhill not mashing it up the hill, having people around you.

DH seems to be transferring into being an elite sport, possibly in Olympics some day in the future. For good and bad. Off course such pressure creates diamonds like Sam Hill or Graves or Rude. No doubt about it. I think it's a natural progression of specialized sports, nothing to cry about. I wrote it just as an observational joke, I wasn't saying one is better than another.

 @False read WAKI's comment

 @WAKIdesigns: also Enduro you can turn up on whatever bike you want and have a laugh.

When I did the Mega back in 2010 there was a guy on a rigid single speed (and he still probably beat me).

Enduro is back to the original spirit of mtb - "turn up, ride bikes and have a laugh - maybe with beer or weed on the side".

 @fartymarty: And in a way it is also lower risk in terms of, if you rock up at a race you can at least get some proper riding in. If you compete in DH racing you may travel halfway the world, get a tiny time slot for a practice session, qualification and if you don't qualify for the main event, you're done. With enduro, no matter if you're good or bad (and what gear you're riding) you can at least get some proper lot of riding in. If you love riding your bike, this is the kind of even you want to be doing. If it puts of people, it may only because it might be too technical and/or dangerous for some with other responsibilities (or other reasons). I can see maybe some alternative multi stage XC type races develop over the years. A bit like the Trans Provence, but maybe with shorter stages and more stages on a day.

Basically go back to the reason people get into mountainbiking in the first place, to ride their mountainbikes. Competition can take the back seat, still be grinning finishing dead last.

 @vinay: @Wakidesigns: We're on the same page. I race DH, Enduro, MX, and Off-Road; at the end of the day most people race for fun. Organizers who make fun events will fill their registrations and grow the sport, hopefully resulting in more opportunities to ride. I would like to see DH and MX imitate the success of their counterparts by catering more to the everyday riders.

 @CaptainBLT: Well yeah, in a way they do. I think the EWS does have the regional series and I think if you're not front of the pack, you end up happily riding at your own pace. Almost a decade ago I went to the Megavalance Alpe d'Huez. To just even get there was a tough trip with several trains, busses etc with a big unstable bag with bike, gear, tools etc. I soon realized that there was no way I was going to make it back home if I were injured. And i would just be there for the ride. A full week riding for 84 euro (I think it was) including uplifts in the area, quali and race seemed like a fun deal. Back in the days not qualifying implied that was the end of your competition. But this time (not sure if they still do it) you could qualify for the main event (Megavalanche), miss that and you'd end up in the Mega Challenger and if you were in the bottom half of your qualification round you ended up in the Mega Affinity. Which was the same course, but without the mass start. I started my qualification from the second row and it was like I entered the first corner fourth (also probably because I was "lucky" to have the inside position but not too inside to be squeezed. Of course I would never be able to stay ahead of the pack for that long and I didn't want to either. So the second corner which was a right hander I went really wide and let loads of them pass. See, some have this competitive gene, I don't. Even at races, if there is someone slower in front of me on a fun descend, I stop and wait so that I can go at a fun pace instead of annoy myself that I can't pass the slower rider.

The only thing I like about races is the event itself. Going places etc. Back in the days my friends and I organized a small fun competition. Estafette, hill climb (where we dragged obstacles onto them until there was only one rider who could tackle it), trials, a puzzle trail even. Nothing too serious, just good fun. I had long realized it doesn't work for me to set my goals dependent on others (finish in the top three, stuff like that). But yeah, wanting to climb that particular log littered climb, that made sense to me.

 WAKIdesigns said something that makes sense. The end is near

 @CaptainBLT: This is all very sensible stuff and WAKI has somehow won the internet today, but DH doesn't need to be more accessible. That's exactly what everyone has been fearing for the last few seasons (whether justifiably or not). I want to watch people racing stuff I and the masses you speak of would hesitate to climb down. Only DH does this. And I've never DHed. Professionalization means more people going at batshit speeds at the WC, preferably on batshit courses.
Enduro (i.e., normal riding) is beautiful, DH is beautiful. Let's hug.

 @BenPea: I'm still trying to parse what WAKI was even saying.

 @BenPea: No worries, I have a certain degree of elitist genes within me...

 @jayacheess: don't read all the other stuff, stick to Yanis Negpropolous, et al. I've seen both waki and tippie peak today in the face of massive adversity.

 @BenPea: Fair point. I am not an advocate for sanitizing trails to accommodate riders ability level, and I would love to see tracks be more technical. I was thinking more about the time commitment required to participate vs the amount of riding time you actually get.

I actually think the smoothing out of race course is making them more dangerous, while simultaneously making the racing less interesting. There is less to separate out the riders technical skill and the speeds are consistently higher, which means greater consequence in the event of a crash.

We're all reading this article because the track design allowed the brilliance of one of the best in the sport to shine through. This corner would be completely unremarkable if it had a berm.

 @CaptainBLT: your last sentence. BOOM! Nobody has said it better. I mean it’s the best critique of overmade tracks. So, wouldn’t it be a good idea for a DH version of Fest series to make an invitational DH comp to Welsh woods to slide in mud to eat British Pie?

@dr-airtime - I spattered all over myself laughing hahaha

 @WAKIdesigns: Sometimes I so agree with you!

 @WAKIdesigns: You nailed this one alrigth, and they question why enduro has the hype...

 @vinay: I'm resonating with your non-competitive gene. That last bit about surpassing yourself especially. Enduro and stuff like the Mega is more in line with this idea, but it's more fun to take part in than to watch. DH is all about the show for me. I don't see much to complain about, other than the lack of rounds.

 @BenPea: the issue with being competitive is that it is a skill. You have to set your standards right. No point racing against people you have no way to put a good fight with. The fun with this starts where you can identfiy folks who are close to your level, both in terms of being slightly slower and slightly faster. Then competing is a skill on it's own as well, it's just hard to ride to your own potential, it takes practice. Then having an office job, not a single one of us can show up in the start hut on Sunday and put down a killer run - within our ability off course. We need 3-4 training runs to get the body used to riding a bike down the hill. A pro rider can almost wake up, put his clothes on, put his thoughts together on the lift up and bomb it down with a rather great result. It's all complex as fk. Most of us just don't have time for this

 What I mean is that I don't believe there competitive gene plays any bigger role. You just haven't put yourself in a position where you are able to make competing meaningful, thus worth deeper consideration around risk VS reward ratio. If I feel like there's no way for me to win a particular game why should I risk? So the question comes, how does one set intermediate goals to get to a certain level where meaningful competition can take place? In such case "all or nothing" is the worst possible strategy. Whenever I do something where I know I can win, or make a change, I just go in and bulldoze over stuff. But if I'm way out of my comfort zone, I try to chill out, but sometimes I can get nearly paralyzed. It's like that at work or when playing computer games. After certain tipping point, performing, like resignation, are self propelling mechanisms.

 @WAKIdesigns: It might not be a gene, but it's a character trait that develops for whatever reason. You dig racing or you don't. Based on a few enduros organised locally, I'm pretty sure "I coulda been a contender" (what film was that?), but I'm just not that bothered about hanging around with and measuring myself against biker crowds and have rarely done so. Maybe it's about how invested you are in the culture and how much of your identity depends on it.

 @BenPea: that's what i meant. Competitive spirit is there, it's a program you have in your head, it's just that it may not be running when racing on a bicycle. I know people who supress it as well as those who blow it out of proportion. I am sure both are unhappy with themselves. I see it in people: "nah I am just having fun, I try to chill out" - then why are your eyes going sideways? Why do you look like you just died inside a bit after you said it to me. like a little boy, who said: No I don't need to sit in the digging machine dad, it's fine. It's something to cherish and nurture, just like it is about keeping it on the chain. It keeps us vital. At least that's the way I see it.

I must say, for me one of the most vivid expressions of comptetitive spirit in biking was Sam Hills wet run in Champery. He came across the line, everyone was completely mind blown, but you can see on his face that he is pissed off he didn't win.

 @WAKIdesigns: Yes, we're asking the top racers to act like they don't care when they lose, while also being the best. Some find it harder to pretend than others. Hence the hate Gee used to get and Bruni is close to receiving. Personality shouldn't be supressed cos people are scared of a frown.

 @BenPea: that's a whole another can of worms, it's other people. But when it comes to competing, there's always this one thing that burns me out. That dude that is slightly faster than me. It gets into me... if I see him nail something, or look confident, I can't put myself together. "what am I doing wrooong, I should be able to win with that guy" - I can't get it out of my head. I guess it is the complex of Nemesis, yet another demon to manage. But then, if I do manage to beat him, that just feels like an explosion of joy Off course that may be just an afternoon ride with the guys. Stay on the arse of that guy or leave him behind a bit - this is exactly what I mean with positive side of competition - it makes us better and happier if we put it together. One time I repteatedly chased down a dude who used to be faster than me, then I managed to stay on the tail of much faster guy. All in one day of riding. I was almost crying from joy, feeling "I fkng learned something, i fkng learned! I am better than my former self!" - and that turned me a bit into an a*shole pushing on slower friend, I just wanted blood, and then i almost crashed, because I focused so much on following him.

Let's end it here hahaha

 @WAKIdesigns: oh dude...in general you are kinda nerve killing...but with this comment you hit bulls eye! I like!

 Still not convinced, sorry. Not feeling the point to compete isn't the same as not wanting to become a better rider. I just don't see the point of judging my performance relative to how what others are doing. The example @WAKIdesigns gave here is striking. The other rider isn't a "constant". One day he may be testing himself and actually ride fairly quick. The other day he may be tapering towards a race that weekend or instead recovering from a race. He's actually showing discipline to hold back and save it for race day. So on a regular ride, "competition" is pointless without knowing the mindset of the other rider. Am I not testing myself then. Sure, I'm timing my laps. And yeah if I see a rider who appears fairly fast, I take a fair distance and see if I can get any closer. A fair distance not only to not be annoying (being tight on someones tail is typical road cyclist behavior in my opinion), but also because I want to see where I'm gaining terrain and where I'm falling behind. Am I climbing faster, descending, cornering... But it is not to feel better in any way. It is to get an idea of which areas might have most room for improvement. And whether I care for improving in that area. If he's sprinting away from me on a level straight section, I don't care much. So much for competing on a regular training ride. Of course on a (big) race you expect your competitors to bring their A-game so that might be fairer comparison. Then still the simple goal of "being the one who is quickest between start and finish" is much too limiting to me for the diverse sport mountainbiking is. Even after that 2007 Champery race mentioned, Matti (who won with a dry run) was clear to admit he "played the tactics right, but Sam is the king of the day, no question". Sam got most respect that day and it is the run that will be remembered well over a decade later, not sure how many remember Matti actually won the race (and had a great season too). And in my experience some of the greats (like Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar) have shown to be quite happy with a good run even if it didn't get them on the podium. The set their goals (on how to ride that run), pulled it off and are happy with that. That, to me, is the right mindset of a top athlete. If you set your goals (on how to ride) and meet them, you can be happy. They may just have a tougher time explaining to the media (and their associated keyboard heroes) that they are actually happy with their run. A mental coach once taught me "If you raced well and lost, you raced well. If you messed up and won, you still messed up."

 @WAKIdesigns: little bikes vs giant don't know about that. Also air shocks and carbon wheels? What are you on about. Big wheels are used in both disciplines as are smaller ones. Typical waki comment half right and strongly opinionated.

 HE LOOKS SPEEDED UP!

 @Boardlife69: LOOK HOW FAST HE'S GOING! OH LOOK HOW FAST HE'S GOING!

 WICKED! I'VE GOT A CAPS LOCK KEY TOO. MAY I JOIN THE CONVERSATION? I WOULD VERY MUCH ENJOY THAT. THANK YOU. CUPPA TEA ANYONE?

 Wrong... sam hill is best on tight techy tracks with lots of line choice something the uci dh lacks now... just a motorway coz its great for viewing

 Seems the pea gravel (you can picture it, right) around Western Au trails is the perfect training for this

 Not related to Sam, but to the price! Seriously, RS is not much pricier than Capra (taking components in account).
P. S. just rode my new toy a couple of days back, this bike is fun!

 there was a tornado after he went by in the second video ahah

 Did Sam catch up those 2 riders up front in the 1st video? he got a massive speed up there. what an animal he is.

 Thank you for the link. Great view.

 He knows how to setup a bike.

 Well yeah, just like every motorbike ever made

 How many fasters would I get if I swapped my brakes? I am already riding flats for most of the time but the results just aren’t coming... I also setup my Lyrik according to Sam’s setup but I felt like I broke my wrist after I hit the first larger rock, so I removed one token and dropped 15 PSI. I’m out of your league guys

 @WAKIdesigns: If you haven't learnt from day one, it's too late to switch. Just deal with your sub-optimal braking.

 thanks for downvoting but mods changed the video already. i think they did that on purpose to discredit me. bastards.

 @nikifor88: Im confused. I saw another like comment in the final results post about his helmet as well. Whats going on?

 @chillrider199: they put this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQEDa5RNkUo showing that nukeproof doesn't recognise their own riders XD

 Is that you Rob?

 Just spit out my coffee, now I need to shit.

 Good general advice doesn't always apply to specific situations. GMBN's target audience for skills videos probably isn't elite riders who have qualified for EWS events. Master the rules so that you can learn when they apply and when they can be broken.

 Well in cases like this where the trails is just loose mountain side dirt with no berms, a foot out is more safety than going fast. These racers no how to go fast regardless. It is faster to keep both feet on the pedals. But crashing is also not fast. If it was walled berms youd never see a pro drop a foot unless if they are trying to get loose and make a edit or some hooligan shit. Does that make sense? I probably did a shit job explaining.

 Foot out means softer suspension on really horrid loose corners. 1 leg has more give than 2. And the other one can save your bacon if the shit hits the fan. See Hart at the 2011 World Champs.

 Just as in most things (whatever the skill is you're trying to learn) rules of technique are for beginners, novices, amateurs to follow to a T. Once you truly understand them, theoretically and physically, you may pick and choose when and how you break them.

Breaking a rule when you haven't mastered it yet is a recipe for disaster, in anything.

 @chillrider199: idk man, hill was up 11 seconds on that stage. Pretty sure he does it to go fast, but I'm no pro.

 @ibishreddin: Thats why I said that the racers know how to go fast regardless. Yeah he does it to go fast. Put the foot out. Put the weight on that one pedal, lean the bike, and let the brake go. Youll haul ass. He knows what he is doing. But having a foot out like he is, its a safe thing to do. That terrain is loose!

 Foot out = Flat out.

 "If any of you boys out there are contemplating getting clips, dont bother, dont even bother getting clips"

 Its the Worrrlds.

 I certainly agree. He’s the reason a lot of us started watching downhill. It’s also exciting to see the rivalries between Hill and that handful of contenders that could unseat the champ. The women’s pro class is another good reason to to tune in. My money is on my soul sister from Scotland - Miss Winton. Class acts all around, this EWS tribe.

 Right.....Enduro is for washed out riders that can no longer keep up with the party!