Blackhat

@Rudy2455: That’s not what fest said at the time. Instead they were nasty and implied dark fest had betrayed free ride by being popular. The fact that such a graceful exit was right there and they refused to take it tells us just how bitter the divorce was. They hurt themselves severely just to throw some shade at someone outshining them.

@priest55: come on dude. The rest of us have no problem figuring out if the video posted after the race is finished and labeled as “story of the race” is about the race or qualifying. Surely you’re taking the piss. Also, why does it matter? The content is great. Every damn time. Just click it and watch. You’ll figure it out soon enough.

@trouble: curious that you took the time to reply despite not caring.

Mona strikes me as a Very Serious Person. She’s obviously a great rider and she obviously has something driving her along, but from the outside it’s hard to see where joy or passion play into her formula for success. Like the speech she gave at the dinner table. She talked later about how the team felt like a second family, but the way she formally stood up and gave a speech thanking everyone in platitudes just seemed off. And then they politely applauded. That doesn’t seem like a family dinner to me. Of course this could be an English skill thing, or it could have been staged for the cameras but it fits with the impression she has given elsewhere. Like the podium photo of Bec pouring champaign into a shoe. Mona was in the background staring at the act in utter, visceral shock and horror. I won’t speculate on what was actually going through her head, but it suggests she’s never really out of Very Serious Person mode. This isn’t a criticism or a problem necessarily. Mainly it’s an observation. We all have our own personalities and formulas for success. Maybe hers is being a Very Serious Person 24/7. But I find it hard to really view her as a person instead of some kind of racing machine. And I have to believe it’s a huge burnout risk in her career.

I have a hard time understanding how 3 of these pictures even get submitted. One looks like a “behind the scenes” at a photo shoot- you know the ones where they zoom out to show the fan that blows the models hair and all the lighting umbrellas? Another just didn’t get the execution on the pan. No shame in that, but either get it right or find another concept to submit. And I guess Drew did well as art front but the MTB part leaves a lot to be desired. You can’t see the trail, can barely locate the rider and definitely can’t tell what they were doing. All amidst a snowy backdrop that makes me think of the worst parts of MTB - winter desperation, trail damage, cold wet rides, and worn out bearings. None of these are shots to be ashamed of, but their inclusion here illustrates the quantity over quality direction photography is taking in the digital age. Mortiz’s shot was awesome from an action perspective. The way the trail is framed with the rider let’s me feel the g’s and sudden weightlessness. Awesome work. But Lindsay… wow. That is masterful. It took either insane preparation or insane instincts to be there at that exact moment with that lighting. And the execution is just perfect. It may not be the type of riding crankworks focuses on, and I’m not sure if the skills to get this shot will transfer to a live format. But damn that shot just makes me want to ride!

You might want to just read his statements to the police. He’s a (probably) cheating POS with the terrible judgement to buy someone a murder weapon, and his statement certainly has some head scratchers, but most of it fits together well enough and answers your questions.

No. Just the right amount.

Contracts aren’t slavery. If Discovery wanted him badly enough they could buy out his contract. And if they made a genuine effort to get him but RB really put their foot down everyone would understand and hope it worked out down the line. As it stands though Discovery has not given the slightest indication they understand his importance or have any desire to have him announce their events. It would be so easy to say “obviously Rob would be our first choice if he’s available but we need a second option since he’s under contract with Redbull.” The fact that they can’t say this very simple thing strongly suggests that he would not be their first choice, which the MTB community is right to react to.

Thanks for the great roundup! If you could increase the frequency that would be great. I always look forward to commenters too hung up on themselves to browse past an article. Especially the ones who pretend to know what PB used to be but don't know these summaries were posting well before Outside took over.

Oh you poor baby. Pitty they didn't offer some kind of trigger warning. Like, I don't know, naming the article "Road Cycling Digest" or something.