The 20 Greatest Downhill Race Runs of the Decade

Dec 8, 2019
by Ed Spratt  
Lat years winner Steve Smith is oh so close but still has a little work to do in order to be back on top. With a 6 week break before the next round you can be sure the chainsaw will be firing on a cylinders in Mont-Ste-Anne.



From the strong British riders in the first half of the decade to the French domination in recent years plenty has changed in downhill racing since 2010. Whether it is mastering the sloppy mess that was the 2011 Champery World Championships or the thick dust of the Black Snake in Val di Sole the tracks have offered a variety of challenges to the riders. But the racers have consistently met these challenges with incredible runs.

In no particular order, here are some of the best race runs from the past decade.



1. Aaron Gwin - Leogang DH World Cup 2015

Let's start off with one of the biggest runs of the decade, Gwin's chainless run. The now-legendary ride at the 2015 Leogang DH World Cup would have seemed impossible beforehand as Gwin overcame a whole load of difficulties to take the win. Dropping his chain right out of the start gate and with a strong headwind through the pedal and jump sections, the odds were stacked against Gwin but he kept building speed as he continued down the course to victory. In the end, just 0.045 seconds separated him from Connor Fearon but it was enough to cement this run as one of the greatest ever.



2. Danny Hart - Champery DH World Champs 2011

Another equally legendary run from the last 10 years was Danny Hart's first Elite World Champs title. The race in Champery back in 2011 was a bloodbath for the top riders with an almost unrideable course taking all but a few riders out of contention for a top spot. This run from Hart demonstrates his prowess on a bike and his ability to stay upright in the toughest conditions by taking some crazy lines that none of the other riders were attempting in the wet. He even ends the run with a huge whip on one of the final jumps to really prove just how composed he was in the slop.



3. Josh Bryceland - Hafjell DH World Champs 2014

Josh Bryceland was one of the most exciting riders to watch while he was on the World circuit and 2014 was the year it all came together with the World Cup overall win. Coming into the World Championships he was the strong favourite to back it up with the rainbow stripes too. On race day, he was green all the way to the bottom despite sitting and pedalling through the flatter sections but he came too hot into the final jump, landed to flat and shattered his foot. Despite his injury, he still managed to cross the line only 0.407 seconds behind Atherton.



4. Amaury Pierron - Les Gets DH World Cup 2019

The French have definitely had a big resurgence on the latter half of the decade with Loic Bruni, Amaury Pierron and Loris Vergier all winning World Cups. With the French at the forefront of the sport and a race being held in France on Bastille weekend, it was almost inevitable we would see them take the win this year. But Pierron's run at Les Gets is mind-bending with almost unbelievable levels of speed and control. He may not have managed to secure a back to back overall win this year but his race run in Les Gets will be remembered for years to come.



5. Rachel Atherton - Fort William DH World Cup 2016

Rachel Atherton has taken 35 wins this past decade but one of the most impressive has to be her win at the Fort William World Cup in 2016. This was the biggest World Cup winning margin of the decade at more than 12 seconds and Rachel's 9th win on the bounce in her golden run through the mid part of the decade. Rachel Atherton has been comfortably the rider of the decade and, as this video shows, for large parts of it she was simply untouchable.



6. Steve Smith - Mont Sainte Anne/ Leogang DH World Cups 2013


Steve Smith gets a double-dip thanks to his title-winning, late-season charge in 2013. Gee Atherton seemed to have the season under wraps but a trio of wins from the Canadian legend dethroned the Brit and secured history. In Mont Sainte Anne, with a wet track and a fast time set by overall title rival Gee Atherton, Smith needed a fast run to support his race for season win. At the first split, he was back by 0.213 seconds but by the time he crossed the finish line he had somehow found 0.9 seconds on Gee's time. Everyone else had struggled to find time at the bottom of the track but Smith gapped rocks and went fully pinned to the finish to take the victory.

In Leogang, the train rolled on and Smith took wins in qualifying and the race to secure the overall title. The bike spin across the line is iconic as Smith stormed to victory in one of the most intense title races ever.



7. Neko Mulally - Hafjell DH World Champs 2014

With Neko dropping his chain over the first jump it looked like his hopes at securing the rainbow jersey were over before it had even started. But somehow the American rider managed to stay in touch and put just under one second into the current leader Brook MacDonald at the first split. Even the commentators had written off Neko's run and it's pretty funny how quickly they 180 in tone when they realise it could be a winning run. Amazingly even as he crosses the finish line he was still in the green against Brook's time and managed to finish the day with a very impressive 4th place.



8. Greg Minnaar - Fort William DH World Cup 2017

Minnaar is by far the most successful rider at Fort William with 7 wins at the venue since it was introduced in 2001. 2017 saw nearly every rider struggle to find flow on the adjusted course with a freshly cut wood section causing havoc for the riders. With deep ruts cut into a boggy wood, it caught out plenty of riders throughout the weekend. Greg Minnaar was one of the few to master the woods and saw himself gaining plenty of time through the tough middle section of the track. By race day the results were pretty shaken up and when it came to Greg Minnaar rain had started to fall but that wouldn't slow down the master of Fort William who managed to put an almost clean run down to take his 7th victory at the Fort.



9. Aaron Gwin - Val di Sole DH World Cup 2012

7.850 seconds ahead of Greg Minnaar meant that Aaron Gwin would hold the title of the biggest winning margin in elite men's racing this decade. The run from the 2012 season is amazing to watch now with every line ridden to perfect on a bike with suspension that hardly seems to be moving. Gwin is known for his harder than usual suspension but in this instance, it is more visible than ever and it definitely seems to help him from getting bogged down in every compression.



10. Vali Höll - Mont Sainte Anne 2018
Vali Holl dropping and rolling towards her biggest winning margin so far 45 seconds.

As we enter into a new decade of mountain biking one name we are going to hear plenty about in the next ten years will be Vali Höll. Her 2018 season was perfection, seven wins from seven and a display of unbelievable composure from such a young rider. In Mont Sainte Anne she recorded her sixth straight victory and in some style. Her final winning margin was 45 seconds with a time that would have seen her one step off the podium in the elite ranks. It was time for some legends of the sport to start looking over their shoulders.



11. Martin Maes - La Bresse DH World Cup 2018

Martin Maes may not have been able to match his 2018 DH results at the Mont Sainte Anne World Championships this year but his win in the extremely wet conditions in La Bresse in 2018 will be remembered for years to come. The rest of the race would be an exercise in frustration for the other racers as rider after rider couldn't match the crazy run laid down by enduro-specialist Maes.



12. Aaron Gwin - Mont Sainte Anne DH World Cup 2017

Coming into Mont Sainte Anne in 2017 Aaron Gwin was on the back foot in the title race against Greg Minnaar and needed a great finish to try and regain some ground on the South African. But as the race developed rain swept through the venue, making it very hard for the riders to keep up with the time set by Dean Lucas. When it was Gwin's time to hit the track it was a full-on mud bath with the rain still falling. Gwin then laid down every ounce of skill to put on one of the best-wet weather runs we have ever seen. In the near-perfect ride, he managed to stay green the whole way down and win by a margin of over a second on Lucas.



13. Kaos Seagrave - Red Bull Hardline 2019

What a run! Kaos Seagrave definitely left a lasting impression at his first time racing Hardline. He may not have completed a final run but with a backflip on the step up and an attempt at another huge flip further down the course, you couldn't take your eyes away from the screen. With a crash and a rear flat his run ended early but we are sure he will be back there next year with hopefully a full run down the crazy course.



14. Jared Graves - Pietermaritzburg DH World Champs 2013

Just a month after winning the Whistler EWS, Jared Graves turned up to Pietermaritzburg on the exact same bike and put the World Cup field to the sword, beating all but two riders. Graves made a few changes to his set up including a Fox Float 36 180mm fork up front, Shimano Saint brakes and cranks and a Shimano Ultegra 11-23 road cassette, he also took the dropper post off as he believed: "you should be standing up giving it all you have, not sitting on your bum". The set up suffered up top and Jared was 24th through the techy top sector but then he was able to unleash his power and was fastest through the middle pedal and swoopy bottom section to end up rounding out the podium.



15. Rachel Atherton - Fort William DH World Cup 2018

They say the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fires and that's certainly true of Rachel Atherton's race run at Fort William in 2018. Snapping her chain out of the gate, Rachel trucked on, tucking and pumping her way down the course. Then she hit the paved woods section and, unable to use the tension of her chain to hop over a rock, crashed. Despite all the adversity and in an amazing display of mental fortitude, she rolled across the line third. It was a turning point that season for Atherton who went on to win 3 of the next 5 World Cups and the World Championships.

16. Remi Thirion - Vallnord DH World Cup 2013

The World Cup circuit returned to Vallnord after a four-year hiatus in 2013 and this time it was on the other side of the mountain and a frighteningly different proposition. Instead of a-two minute, wide-open sprint, it was now a four and a half minute monster with a fearsome, relentlessly steep bottom section that still tests riders to this day. One rider stood head and shoulders above that day, Remi Thirion. It may be the Frenchman's only win but it remains historic for the creativity he exhibited, forging his own lines to dodge the deep Andorran ruts. In particular, he wallrode down the bottom chute to turn it into a straight line and save seconds. This was a sublime run.

17. Myriam Nicole - Mont Sainte Anne DH World Championships 2019

Fabien Barel's fabled comeback from a broken foot to a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Fort William has gone down in mountain biking folklore but this year Myriam Nicole did the same thing but better - she won it.

In April, Nicole broke her foot in a training crash, forcing her to sit out almost an entire season. She returned at World Champs into the middle of one of the most competitive title races in history with Tracey Hannah and Marine Cabirou pushing each other to new heights at each round. With her foot still hurting by the bottom of the track, she had to go around the bottom jump but still secured the victory and her first-ever Rainbow Stripes.

18. Gee Atherton Cairns DH World Cup 2014

A monsoon swept through Cairns during the 2014 World Cup and left the track covered in a layer of treacle-like sticky mud. Bikes got to the bottom with tyre treads turned slick and up to 3kg of slop having to be scraped off. In a last-minute decision on his way to the start hut, Gee swapped out his clips for flats. There was just one problem though, he didn't have any flat shoes. Step up Sam the spectator who gave up his own shoes to help out Gee. The gamble paid off and Gee waded to a win after dabbing on "80-percent of the turns".

Flat pedals win medals. Gee made a last-minute decision to ride flats and won the race in borrowed shoes.

19. Nina Hoffmann - Vallnord DH World Cup 2019

Gee may have done a race run in someone else's shoes, but how about one shoe? That was the choice Nina Hoffmann made after a yard sale crash in the Vallnord woods saw her shoe still clipped to her pedal as she attempted to climb back on to her bike. She opted to keep it there and instead balance on her sock for the rest of the run down one fo the hardest sections of the hardest tracks in World Cup history. She held it together until the finish and picked up some valuable World Cup points then went otb in the finish area attempting a half heel clicker to show off her shoe-less foot.

20. Loic Bruni - Cairns DH World Cup 2016
On fire and in the green. Loic Bruni leaves it all out on the track.

Loic Bruni had never won a World Cup coming into Cairns in 2016 but he had one special trick up his sleeve, a semi-slick Specialized Butcher rear tyre. He recognised how much time could be made on the flat, bottom sprint and specced his bike accordingly, knowing that he would sacrifice speed it the rougher sections of the course but be able to gain it back by the bottom. The race run proved his World Champs success was no fluke and paved the path towards becoming a World Cup title winner by the end of the decade.



What is your favourite downhill race run of the past decade?



What did we miss? We're sure you'll let us know in the comments below.

Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
3,006 articles

219 Comments
  • 244 7
 How could you not put in Danny's run from WV this year!!! He decides the outcome and wins the race! And it's criminal not to have Sam Hill in there either. Actually, there's a few more that could go in going further back in time.
  • 30 0
 That race/run was my all time favorite as a viewer. Just amazing watching the overall go back and forth as he gained/lost time through the splits.
  • 5 0
 Good one ! It was a very tense run loved every bit of it
  • 13 0
 Is there a way to make these a continuous loop? I could watch these forever
  • 12 0
 This!!! When else would Loic ever Thank Danny for winning. Hahah
  • 17 0
 They should just put the whole 2019 season in this. I can’t recall an entire season where every race had me on the edge of my seat.
  • 12 0
 Not only was Danny’s run dramatic because of what was at stake, but the time he pulled back in the bottom section was absolutely absurd
  • 1 0
 Yeah the suspense with Allison the different outcomes made that one worth being here
  • 3 0
 Hmm never had 'all' correct to Allison but there you go
  • 5 3
 Steve Peat in 2009, finally getting his rainbow jersey!
  • 9 0
 @Vudu74: 2009 was not this decade
  • 10 9
 They must have a crazy night down at Pinkbike HQ to forget about Sam Hill Champery and Val di Sole race run. That's the fucking history of Downhill Racing!
  • 26 0
 @niccogaz: 2007 and 2008 were not in the last decade. And that makes me feel old.
  • 12 7
 No Sam Hill run, I think I might take a break from pink bike for a while...
  • 3 0
 @brianpark: Oh you are right!! that make me feel old too!! :-(
  • 1 0
 Hi No Chain is Gwin's new rap game. 2 chains got to put in work.
  • 1 0
 @treggs: yeah, I came here to vote for his Meribel run, it was simply stunning.
  • 1 0
 @brianpark: Lol. The minute I saw the title of this article I knew this was going to happen. Probably because for the first split second I thought the same thing. "No Sam! No Way! Oh...wait..."
  • 2 10
flag pakleni (Dec 9, 2019 at 0:45) (Below Threshold)
 No Sam Hill?
For example. Val di Sole 2008

youtu.be/wVwvXKhQvkE
  • 8 1
 @pakleni: decade buddy, decade
  • 7 1
 @ybsurf: oops!
  • 4 0
 From this decade broskie THIS DECADE
  • 9 0
 Plenty of good Sam Hill runs in the last decade:
MSA 2011 World Champs win comeback after season of injury
Meribel 2014 World Cup win
Carins 2017 World Champs 4th place on enduro bike
  • 84 1
 Rob Warner nearly having a baby when Danny won in Champéry does it for me.

Does anyone know a link for the replay of 16 world champs in Cairns? Never seen one.
  • 40 0
 Rob was on top form that day. There's a longer clip which shows Gee's run straight after Danny. Gee gets into trouble, crashes. Rob: "That was uglier than a bag of mashed up arseholes!"
  • 7 0
 check this video and you'll understand how amazing that was!!!

youtu.be/LSqj8c8LaBQ
  • 8 0
 That was the easiest PB poll to predict how ever...
  • 15 1
 “How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big!!”
  • 3 0
 They're all insane runs. All of them. Danny's was the most action packed. But Thirion burying his wheels in all that mulch, freshly cut death dirt for his only win ever is still the craziest inspiration to all privateers!!!
  • 23 0
 Hart’s ride was legendary, but the commentary on his run pushes it into the beyond.

Rob Warner should get at least partial credit Wink
  • 6 0
 If you can find the replay of the whole race its worth a watch just to see how much the other riders struggled with the wet conditions, really puts it into perspective how composed Danny was on the day.
  • 1 0
 @wilsondaj: I’m with you! The commentary is what puts this run head and shoulders above the rest!
  • 1 0
 @Thustlewhumber:

That’s even better then the original!
  • 2 0
 @panchocampbell:

More specifically, go to 4:12 for the mashed arseholes
  • 1 0
 @johnnyboy11000: Do you think he's not allowed to talk like that anymore since the whole operation is run by Red Bull? When it was still freecaster TV he used to say some rough (but hilarious) stuff.
  • 1 0
 @GeeHad: He was also proper drunk most of the time. Think one of the first things, RB did was not allowing beer in the commentator box. Vital had him on the podcast a while a go where he elaborated a bit on his "transformation".
  • 1 0
 @P3N54: Ah ok - will look it up. Thanks!
  • 1 0
 @wilsondaj: Warner should get a Knighthood.
  • 1 0
 @Thustlewhumber:
Legend!!!
  • 49 0
 Lets quote this here: Ratboy "I didn't want to brake for that jump" Greg Minnaar "I noticed"...." Words to carve in granite or at least to get tattooed on the back
  • 42 0
 I also enjoyed how benign their following exchange was, given the situation of the GOAT talking to the world's most on-form rider, who lost the World Championships due to a foot that now has several more bones than factory spec:

Bryceland: "Did you brake?"
Minnaar: "I had a puncture."
Bryceland: "Oh, wank."
  • 7 0
 I'm glad others appreciated that exchange
  • 1 0
 Best part hands down. That entire conversation lol
  • 43 0
 PB - put together a compilation of Rob Warner's 25 best race comments. Freecaster, here we come! It would be Gold!
  • 25 0
 La Bresse 2019 - Pierron goes down “like an old lady on the deck of a cruise ship”
  • 1 0
 *La Bresse 2018
  • 3 0
 Who remembers the app?
  • 3 0
 @neimbc I was watching the 2011 Freecaster DVD recently and Warner was constantly cracking one liners. Bloody hilarious!

I was going to make a broader compilation vid, but can't seem to find any of the old Freecaster stuff anywhere online.

Maybe @pinkbike have the resources to make this happen?
  • 1 0
 'He needs a check up from the neck up'
  • 2 0
 "and he's off like a jewish foreskin!!" my favourite
  • 37 7
 Sam Hill - Champéry 2007
  • 24 0
 My bad, 2007 is not 'the decade'
  • 4 0
 @szandras: what a run that was, so sick
  • 5 0
 @Number29: Absolutely! Every time I watch that segment from 'F1rst' I get goosebumps from the run itself and I am close to tears from watching that humble guy covered in mud from head to toe. For me Sam is one of the nicest personalities in this sport.
  • 17 3
 Not of this decade but his Champery run as well as ValDiSole with crash at the end go into top20 of all times. Easily.
  • 3 0
 @szandras: If we're going beyond the decade, Steve Peat's World Champ run!
  • 4 0
 His post-run interview is the gold standard of humble professionalism
  • 2 0
 I remember hearing about sams mega run & waiting for Earthed 5 to come out with the video footage.
  • 3 0
 @Ironmonsoon602: It's not even a conscious professionalism. It's just Sam being Sam.
  • 1 0
 @cmrn: amen.
  • 28 1
 The 20 Greatest Downh...DANNY STAY ON YER BIKE !!
  • 21 1
 Danny's run in Champery is incredible. Other great riders were crashing out and then Danny just weaves a line of perfection through all the mud and rivers. Rob Warner and Nigel Page excitement in the commentary booth still give me goose bumps everytime I watch the run back.
"that is the most insane bicycle riding I've ever seen"
tup
  • 2 0
 He’s smashing this poll too!
  • 19 1
 There is zero competition here, let's be honest Danny's run was one of the smoothest, technically adept displays of bicycle riding by a long, long margin.
  • 4 0
 I’ve been following DH for just about a decade now so this pole fits right into what I have seen. I’ve watched just about every race, including all that are on this list, as they happened and for he it’s Danny Hart 2011 hands down.
  • 15 1
 I never got bored of watching that Danny Hart`s hysterical run in Champery.
I had read once that he was using Dirty Dan tyres on that run.
But the story didn`t say if those tyres were called like this before or after his run.
Does somebody know?
  • 14 1
 They were already called that. Just a beautiful coincidence!
  • 3 1
 @jaame: a beautiful coincidence, like you say ;-)
  • 16 3
 I stood in the middle of the last steep in Val Di Sole in 2012 when Gwin got his 7sec margin over Minnaar. That section was perfection from Minnaar, despite he crashed just 100m before it, but Gwin was on another track, we just saw his hologram in this universe.
  • 2 1
 Fuck I mistaken VDS 2014 with 2011... Time flies by quickly.
  • 15 1
 Danny. Don’t even need to know what else is in the list. The boy DESTROYED!
  • 16 1
 Aaron's rain win at mount St Anne on dry tires. That was cray.
  • 5 0
 I agree. That should easily be top 5. He beat everyone's dry time in the wet! Mind boggling
  • 2 0
 That run! Some of my favourite minutes of DH. Just impossible to wrap your head around what you’re witnessing.
  • 2 0
 @whiteboarder: ...And he really needed the win to get points for the overall vs. Minnar.
  • 1 0
 @panzer103: Onza Aquila, dry tyres? No Sir. They are not mud tyres either, also Gwin is smart enough not to use dry tyres in such conditions, and beside his extraordinary skills, that day Gwin proved the efficiency of his signature tyres . BikeRumor made a prettty good article about those tyres; you`d better check that: bikerumor.com/2019/12/06/review-onza-aquila-enduro-mountain-bike-tires-tackle-anything-everything
  • 13 0
 I just watched 20 of the greatest runs in DH history, Gwin chainless, Steve Smith Leogang, and 18x Danny Hart 2011! This list is definitely missing Sam Hill though.
  • 1 0
 Yeah Smith’s was for the win!!
  • 7 1
 13. Kaos Seagrave's Hardline Run. I think Dan Atherton took some pride in having his course widely labelled the hardest downhill event, anywhere. After watching riders backflip the jumps and trick the gaps this year, i'm hoping he's decided it's gotten too easy and makes it even more ridiculous next year. Saw a dude get clotheslined mid-air by a tree branch in the Hardline a few years ago! I really hope nobody gets injured in these events, but my goodness it does make for good telly. Can't wait for next year.
  • 9 1
 What? Where is Aaron gwin's tyreless run? It didn't get him a placing but was great viewing!
  • 5 0
 One race run I think deserves to be here is Steve Smith at Hafjell in 2013 taking the win in a full mud race on 26" wheels, absolutely mental race run, he HAD to win the race to stay in the points with Gee, I remember watching it live back then and shouting so loud.
  • 9 0
 I hope somebody has Aaron’s chain mounted on a wall somewhere..
  • 7 9
 Not on my wall, but i have it. Willing to sell for the right price...
  • 2 3
 @IntoTheEverflow: Bro don't be that guy! Either keep in & display it, or give it to someone who will appreciate it!
  • 6 6
 You tell me I should just give it away?
I bought the thing, complete with the authenticity paperwork and now the time has come to make big money.
  • 1 0
 @IntoTheEverflow: how much you want for it?
  • 1 0
 "the suspension works good with no chain.."
  • 8 0
 Although Danny Hart is amazing I gotta give it to the man Steve Smith!! #LongLiveChainsaw
  • 1 1
 So much of this
  • 9 1
 Is no one going to mention Laurie Greenland 2016 Val di Sol?!? Watching him & Danny on that track had me in bits!
  • 1 0
 Exactly my thinking
  • 2 0
 Damn, i totally forgot about that one. That run was mental and i´ve been rooting for Greenland ever since then.
  • 4 0
 And now to greatest finish line conversations on that runs:
1. Ratboy:"I didn't wanna brake for that jump." - GM:"I noticed."
2.TB:"When did you break the chain?" - Gwin: "Right out of the start gate." TB: You Motherf.... "
Tbc...
  • 4 0
 “7.850 seconds ahead of Greg Minnaar meant that Aaron Gwin would hold the title of the biggest winning margin in elite men's racing this decade”

Have I missed something here? How is this the case?
  • 1 1
 Nope haven’t missed anything
  • 7 0
 @freeridejerk888: pretty sure the world champs is still ‘elite men’s racing’? Isn’t it?
  • 3 0
 funny to see in rachels pov runs how gopro has evolved and devolved at the same time: the rolling shutter wobbliness is gone and hyper(too)smooth helps as well - but the image compression makes it look like a verrrry badly mastered dvdnfrom the early 2000.. (which is probably linked to the hypersmooth and the roling shutter improvements...)
  • 3 0
 Stevie beating Gee to take the overall was amazing and the reaction was perfect but i don't think i've ever rewatched a run as much as Danny in Champery. What a run and Warner was on top form too. Danny was pinned and looked controlled throughout.
  • 6 0
 troy Brosnan 2015 Val di sole, only 3rd but a mad run
  • 2 0
 serious question why do people seem to think danny harts run of champery is amazing its on a changed track to make it safer for rider but sams seems to get passed which is 1000 times better than dannys run regardless of position finishing
  • 1 0
 Rob Warner flipping his shit really makes it
  • 5 0
 Ahhh Tracey Hannah's 3rd place run at the 2017 World Champs WITH a CRASH and a NAP?!?!
  • 2 0
 Awesome, thanks P B! I watched Minnaar 1st because, well for me he is The Man. Then watched Stevie Smiths two and I got a kick out of how little Stevie's 26" bike looked under him. Taking into account how tall Greg is, and still that 2013 bike looks so small under the smaller man.
  • 1 0
 We're talking about the Gwin run at Mont Ste-Anne under the rain, but Danny Hart was also on the podium that day, Jack Moir was the first one to gain some time under the rain...I was there...Memorable ! Was there also when Smith won.
  • 1 0
 the chainless is epic but Danny's world champs run all ways makes me jump out of my seat when he does that one of the best whips ever out of that wood section, I watched that race run over and over the past few years, I get the same excitement each time... I guess I'm not alone
  • 2 0
 @TomShark

B: "when did that break?"
G: "start gate.."
B: "aww f**k off!...yoouu m**herf**ker"
G: "sounded like a shotgun....suspension works good without the chain"

best I can make of it
  • 1 0
 Rachel's run at Fort William was something else, and one of the few I hadn't seen. The other chainless runs in the list are already legendary, but for her to do that at FW...she crashed only because of having no chain, then painful seconds soaked up from having to scoot down with her foot and wait on gravity to regain her momentum...and still THIRD? No question she would have blitzed the field.
  • 1 0
 Gee's Cairn's run is being sold short here. The conditions were so terrible that it turned an otherwise boring track into a really exciting watch. Conditions were so bad that most other riders were eating shit that day, but Gee pulled it out of the bag in similar style to Danny Hearts Champery run.
  • 4 0
 Danny Hart, Snowshoe 2019
  • 5 5
 i think watching bryceland's and pierron's runs back-to-back demonstrates one of the reasons ratboy doesn't race anymore: bring back tracks like hafjell! nothing against pierron, both racers' speed and control are insane - their footage look like warp speed - but the tracks are miles apart in tech and gnar. les gets looked like a walk in the park compared to hafjell.
  • 3 2
 I disagree in the sense that speed is so much higher in Les Gets. Not taking anything from Ratboy, but Pierron's performance in Les Gets is Marc Marquez/Freddie Spencer like, in the sense Pierron masters his front wheel and front wheel drift at high speed like no one else does. And like Marquez his level of agression and dedication in his race, is like no one else.
Plus those tracks could not be much different from each other. I like them both, but for a world cup, Les Gets was a real threat to watch this year.
  • 4 0
 there are plenty of technical/gnar tracks on the circuit and les gets stands out as a unique venue of super wide open high speed off camber racing - it lead to some exciting and tight racing and i hope they keep it.
  • 1 0
 Great compilation! Thanks for putting these together PB. Gotta say though, Gwin's Windham 2015 run is up there with the greats! Minnaar was at a total loss, and Lord Warner lost his sh*t. Again.

youtu.be/ikxQc_GPfF4
  • 3 0
 Been at MSA finish line when Smith win is first race in Canadian soil and it was surreal! Best memories at the track
  • 1 0
 A huge reminder of how Warner used to be in commentary compared with now!

Dulled him down to an almost boring level to ‘be professional’

Bad times ????????????‍♂️
  • 5 0
 Ratboy. F#cking nails.
  • 4 0
 Where the F..K is Sam Hills DH run on a trail bike?
  • 1 0
 How do you not put in Danny's run from World Champs at Snowshoe?
Best DH run EVER, period.

Unless you want to add Winning to the title of this article; otherwise, it doesn't compute.
  • 3 0
 Chainless win - still unbelievable
  • 3 0
 Bless GoPro’s hypersmooth
  • 2 0
 I think Danny's Champery run was the best, but I really like Stevie's title clincher at Leogang.
  • 2 0
 The way Amaury and Greg get mobbed at the finish line is a testament to the sport.
  • 2 0
 What what did we all learn from Champery?

That Danny can certainly stay on his bike haha
  • 4 1
 Bring back freecaster with a drunk rob warner.
  • 4 0
 Aaron Gwin Windham 2015
  • 3 0
 nah, don't see Sam Hill. please start again
  • 2 0
 Not one Sam hill race or even 2014 WC when he was so far ahead and crashed... BOOO
  • 3 1
 Not on this list –– Chris Kovarik, Fort William, 2002 – 14.02 Seconds
  • 2 0
 That run in Hajsfell!! And the conversation between Bryceland and Minaar at the end is priceless
  • 3 0
 2:43 in Aaron Gwinn's chainless run. Standard Aussie compliment.
  • 2 0
 Awesome. Let’s see ews, ds/4x, and slopestyle !
  • 1 0
 Sorry!!! 20 of the past decade, no of the past 20 years... I feel old.... Still missing HILL and Peaty! To say the least!
  • 1 0
 It’s an article about the best runs of the last decade...
  • 1 0
 Danny's run was the reason I started watching downhill, so easy pick for me ????
  • 2 0
 Brosnan's reaction when Gwin tells him when the chain broke is classic!
  • 3 0
 Freecaster... (sigh...)
  • 1 0
 Not from this decade but.... Does anybody know where I could see Canberra World Champs 2009 replay?
Thanks!!!
  • 2 0
 Some great memories there, Danny Fuckin' Hart though.
  • 1 0
 Minnaar won Ft William in 2017 but the hero of the day for me was Jack Moir.
  • 5 4
 Remi Thirion won on Formula brakes in wet, that may be more impressive than Gwinny without chain...
  • 5 1
 My bike came with formula cura 4, rocksolid brake with stable breakpoint, way better than shimanos. Not the hardest lever feel but pretty good modulation. I have k 18s in a bin somewhere, but nothing but impressed by current formula forks and brakes.
  • 2 0
 Love Vali Holl but come on she’s not even racing elite.
  • 2 0
 This is a bit too current. Like where is Steve peat?
  • 2 2
 Myriam nicole's world champs run from this year deserves to be on there. To come back after so long from injury and win world champs is seriously impressive
  • 1 0
 Isn’t that number 17?
  • 1 0
 uhhhh.... DANNY AT SNOWSHOE!!! BEST RACE RUN, BEST FINALE, BEST TWIST IN THE OUTCOME. AWESOME.
  • 1 0
 I kind of miss Ratboy in DH, his talents, his personnality... he could have done so many great things on those 29ers V10
  • 2 1
 "How does he sit down with balls that big??!!"
  • 1 0
 Thanks for compiling this, can't wait for next Season
  • 1 0
 FAIL.... nothing from psychosis....
  • 1 0
 Most don’t even know what that race is. Saw many great racers race in the Psychosis race. Such a great track
  • 4 2
 where is SAM HILL??????
  • 1 0
 Seagraves? Pfffffffffffffffff!
  • 1 0
 Chris Kovarik, Fort William, 2002
  • 1 0
 Any run is better when Warner is half in the bag!
  • 1 0
 "How does danny hart sit down with balls that big?" - Rob lmfao
  • 1 1
 Missy Giove in the 2009 DEA Invitational was most surely the furthest any downhill racer has pushed the sport
  • 1 0
 Gwins MSA run takes it for me
  • 1 0
 Ratboy
I didn’t want to brake for that jump.
Yea I noticed.
  • 1 0
 missing some SH miracles...
  • 2 0
 Do you have to ask?
  • 2 2
 Ermagherd! How can you miss out Miles Rockwell’s 95 kamikaze winning run!!!!111one!!
  • 1 0
 All of the runs are totally awesome, but Stevie...
  • 2 0
 Stay on your bike Danny
  • 1 0
 I wish we still had the "Freecaster" version of Rob Warner ... LOL
  • 1 0
 #Samgotrobbed

What a kick in the nuts. Fvckin Pinkbike
  • 1 0
 How are Sam Hill and Steve Peat not on this list?
  • 1 0
 That announcer needs to stop screaming.
  • 1 2
 HOW WRONG IS NOT TO INCLUDE SAM HILL CHAMPERY OR VAL DI SOLE. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????
  • 1 0
 Not from this decade. Try again
  • 1 0
 SAM HILL - 21Smile
  • 1 0
 ..
  • 1 1
 Nevermind I see it's there.
  • 1 0
 Ooop
  • 5 4
 Sam Hill no Sam Hill?
  • 2 0
 Alright got it finally - so this Amaury Pierron run was really on the edge
  • 1 0
 This is great PB!
  • 1 2
 For me, it's the Big Hit. 24 out back. Shivers. Iconic. You can't beat it.
  • 1 3
 Sam Hill in Champery, so much more impresive than Dany's run ! What a day ! He was the winner in the end for everybody.
  • 2 0
 not in this decade however
  • 3 4
 You forgot Sam Hill???!
  • 3 5
 where the fook is Sam Hill run at Champery?
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