It's often the case that two people looking at the same thing see it in a vastly different light. It's all a matter of perspective, as the old saying goes, and, depending on your vantage point, the glass might be half-full or it might be half-empty. Likewise, do you believe you'll have the speed to easily clear that gap, or will you be lucky to get your front wheel over it? And how fast can you go down that steep rock roll without being swallowed by the four-foot deep bomb hole at the bottom?
For Pinkbike's Mike Levy and Gee Atherton, the perspectives - and the answers - are entirely different. Gee's vantage point is one that includes multiple World Cup wins, countless hours spent in the gym, and the kind of courage that comes from being one of the quickest descenders in the world for the last fifteen years. On the bike, he's certainly a glass half-full kinda guy. Levy? He doesn't win anything and prefers to spend countless hours at the closest Tim Hortons, neither of which do anything for his courage. His glass might be half-empty, but he probably doesn't realize it.
Humbled #1 - Brendan Fairclough VS Mike Levy at Whistler Humbled #2 - Richie Rude VS Mike Levy in the Gym
193 Comments
Cool video so, I remember visiting my first World Cup in 2012, standing there with my brother, discussing lines and then the pros would come in and just fly over the roots I virtually navigated around.
Video also shows, that Gee has a good sense of humor ...
Levy is a madman. Absolute madman!
With an upcoming purchase of a Pole, I'm stoked to see they seem to have an inbuilt ability to save crazy antics from sure fire death.
Gee is on another level. That 'gap' to clear the roots and rocks?! Holy s&$t.
Great fun video to watch. Thanks Mike.
Which bike did you take there @mikelevy:
"I felt like... I was Levy-tating over my own body, watching myself ride..."
Levy: ....No...
'High bravery.....low control' …...perfectly sums up my riding
I used to race against them 20 years ago in local races around Devon and Somerset. This was back when I think they were riding for Muddy Fox. I remember a race at a venue in Devon called Ashcombe and was run by NACC in Newton Abbott. Short tracks and not that steep and during the morning practise we were scoping out a few technical bits and there was this one section that was a flattish rooty run into a rooty bombhole then more roots out the otherside.
We were there for ages trying to get a line into it and through the bombhole and out the other side without losing too much time. Dan and Gee (this was when Dan was the quickest and Gee had mad crazy hair) came along to check it out too – had a quick look at the bombhole, pushed their bikes back up for a run in and then rode flat out, hit some tiny root that I still don’t think existed, that gave them enough air to clear the whole bombhole and land the other side without even losing any speed.
We all looked at each other with a “what the xxxx” expression – they are both brilliant riders
Awesome video.
Funny thing about Gee....he's not podium level any more but his experience is almost unrivalled in world cup now, he has as lot to offer i think. I've not been much of a fan of his as he is comes across as being a bit surly and clearly puts himself under a LOT of pressure/expectation in the world cup but this is good PR for him. he needs so smile and laugh more :-)
BUT YEAH FIND SOMEONE GEE LIKES ENOUGH TO BOW TO IF YOU WANT YOUR SETUP--DOUBTFUL THO, AS ATHERTON'S AN ULTRA MOTIVATED ALL-CAPS RACER (MAKE IT BOLD SINCE WE'RE ALREADY ALLCAPPIN) WHO HAS NO QUALMS ABOUT TRYING HIS HARDEST TO WIN HIS OWN EVENT.
GEE IS A SICK NAME.
"The queen called" i laughed at that Levy, bloody funny. Gee is a machine but we all know that.
This was really good! Thanks Gee
You might could get that gap he does at the end (even if you were as fit in the gym) cause it's a single hit, but then you aren't making the corner after or trailing off line cause you can't handle the rapid fire roots and rocks after you land. Ellie travers reaction times are their #1 skill & can't be "learned".
I wanted to accept a pro license when USAC offered the upgrade, but felt I wasn't deserving of it cause at my fittest & fastest, I was hoping for the cleanest of runs to even stay close to the national & now international pros I raced against at the time. In person, trying to do the stuff like that one hit...normal folks can do, but not rapid fire, non stop over a 3-4 minute course... heck even react to 30 seconds of that craziness
Also,to your point...hurt alot
Hah.
Heck, first time I saw Lopes up close at Helen, GA National Champs, pretty sure I saw the fastest human cyclist ever. Still yet to see anyone faster...
- Gee
Gee is a legend! Loved all the WTFs!! lol
Love to see Gee getting the media attention he deserves. Settling into his mature career years well.
You didn’t manage it, though, did you?
I don’t think mad steeze and dime a dozen go together there pal...ask Levy, he can explain that concept to you.