Seeing shit like this reminds me of how superhuman these dudes are. It is not just that that technique is flawless, I am perhaps more impressed by the mental aspect of his riding.
Pierron is bombing down a track full of trees at 40-50 miles per hour (in which a head on crash would be catastrophic), and you can tell that his body is relaxed, muscles free from parasitic fear and tension....wow just wow!
That is the thing about watching someone who's in the top 2 of a sport on a global level (and in terms of going flat out balls to the wall I still thing he's the number 1). A guy like him is an outlier on every level
I 100% agree. Everything looks so tension-free is almost hypnotic. Delightful for sure. The crazy thing is that in some frames you see him pumping and smashing that front wheel setting up for the next move and he's crushing that suspension all the way in. Bravo!
Most people can ride faster when filming because you can hike up and take multiple shots. What impresses me most is how consistent they can ride at such an intense speed, regardless of the conditions or style of the trail. I'll always be blown away by how fast he was on the flat grassy section in Les Gets.
@Arierep: So true. He may have finished #2 overall last year, but he is hands down the fastest DH rider in the world. When he wants to he can turn it up higher than anyone on the planet. While other riders look sketchy and past their reasonable limit, he looks like a giro-stabilized blur as he wills his way into the green. Just insane.
@grizzlyatom: this is obviously couch coaching at it's best and highly debatable, but I feel like Bruni may be a little more precise and consistent, while Pierron seems to be crazier and maybe a little stronger physically. With Bruni he looks ultra composed and calm, never moving too much on the bike, and then it's green green green to the bottom. With Amaury Pierron you can absolutely tell on video that he's going mach 5 and on the absolute limit
@Arierep: I'm no DH doctor or anything either, but here are my observations: It may be physiological, but Bruni just doesn't have the same body freedom on the bike. He is strong and has a good center of gravity, as well as the best suspension support and technology in the world. However, I don't think that his ceiling (especially mentally) is as high as Pierron's. Amaury seems to take himself extremely seriously while at the same time keeping things light and not putting too much pressure on himself - a very difficult balance to achieve.
The race results from the past two seasons seem mostly tied to start order. If Pierron has a good quali and is the last man down the hill, he simply doesn't seem to lose. He can set the bar as high as he needs to in his head, but that's usually based off the guys that ride before him. That is somewhat true for Bruni, but his results haven't been as consistent in relation to start order.
Hopefully we will actually get to see these two face each other again this year. My prediction is that Pierron surpasses Bruni for good and never looks back. (until some of his young Commencal teammates storm the circuit in a few years). Gwin will probably have a win or two thrown in there as well. I don't really mind either way, as long as we get to see some races this year!
@Arierep & @grizzlyatom : I always think of a famous quote my The Alien at Nevegal Worlds. He said matter of factly: "I can feel a heavier rider passing me on those open, windy sections."
All the World Cup racers are absurdly equal in so many ways but there are outliers in terms of body mass. Pierron, Bruni, etc all get up to virtually the same max speed, but most with a keen eye can notice sections where Pierron's mass is pulling him down the mountain more.
The Alien even at one point strapped weights to his downtube to test it. I don't remember the results, but he always rode a heavier bike than most on big World Cups. Peaty too.
To you guys saying how Bruni ceiling isn’t as high as amuary’s. If you saw his interview with rob he racing in his comfort zone. That is all that’s all I have to say
@scott-townes: well, my comments, like I said, are merely subjective and based on watching a god number of their runs. First, I wouldn't go as far to say that any them are "built like bulldogs", they're still fairly slender athletes by most sports standards. Second, my comment is just based on a perception you get when watching their rides, with Pierron you always see huge g-outs, huge impacts on the bike, lots of dust and dirt flying around and his body language says the same
@scott-townes: what does Pierron weigh? I thought Bruni was heavier and stronger to be honest. As for people saying Pierron is better than Bruni... didn’t Bruni win the double last year? You can’t argue with the stats!
@markcorrigan: he made a mistake and clipped out his pedal before the last section. Don't forget they don't know the split times when they ride, they just try to go as fast as possible without making mistakes. In Maribor Pierron did a good run with no mistake and was in fact slower and he didn't really understand it on the moment.
@blowmyfuse: I had to search for the stats. Just from watching I was under the impression Bruni was well under 6' and Pierron was well over, but I also thought Bruni was heavier. For some reason I had Bruni down as 86kg. It turns out they are almost the exact same size. Wow. Big surprise.
I've come to understand that there is a hierarchy of schralps.
At the bottom of the hierarchy is brake-assisted schralps. They don't even count. In the middle of the hierarchy is "bike park dude purposely squaring off the corner to look steezy." They're fine. At the top of the hierarchy are the schralps like the ones in this video at 0:29-0:35. Those are where a legitimately fast rider is going so fast and attacking a corner so hard that the schralp isn't forced but can't be contained. These are gorgeous works of performance art.
Agreed! Fearon is a legend at those schralps at the top. Just rails corners so smooth and with such fluidity but is riding is soooooooo hard that he’s he roostin and tearing them up.
@AntN: Not really, in my opinion, drifting is skidding the back wheel, by taking your foot off it transfers some of the rider's weight away from the rear wheel, allowing it to drift across the ground.
A schralp is entirely the opposite, a schralp is where the rider is railing a corner so hard, his weight is multiplied by the g force, and that force is transferred into to the tyre being almost ripped off the rim.
If only we could watch a WC DH race like this. No spectators on course, no whistles, no chainsaws, no yelling. Just the sound of tires on dirt with Rob and Claudio commenting like it's a golf tournament. "LOOK AT THE TIME" Shhhhh Rob keep it down.
Claudio " He's definitely lost some speed through that section" *Split time shows he's gained over a second* Warner "LOOK AT THE TIME.." *repeat ad inifitum*
I wish for no spectators in sports.
Granted.
A worldwide pandemic grips every nation killing millions.
A limited number of sports continue but without any spectators.
Please tell me tou mean Rob Riggle. He's the greatest sports announcer of all time. I've watched his expertise announcing for Holey Moley and would love to see him cover mountain biking.
Something that I just couldnt get over watching that video is the way he instantly has traction the moment he touches the ground when jumping or skipping along the trail is like nothing I've ever seen. Its like hes being pulled to the ground by magnets. Just lands and immediately stuck to the ground. It blows my mind. He might not be my favorite rider to watch ride, but he is definitely my favorite rider to watch go as fast as they possibly can.
@rbarbier12: agreed incredible technique - a thoroughbred racer technique I would say. Most of us would be going about half the speed and booting off the kickers but he seems to be deliberately keeping the bike planted to the ground for max grip and control.
@jamesbrant: I am nowhere near the level rider he is but I can at least testify to the superb grip Ultra Soft Magic Mary tires have. Especially in the type of terrain and dirt he was riding.
@jamesbrant: If I had a sponsorship, I would run nothing but Magic Mary's in the hella soft compound. Unfortunately, as a privateer I need my tires to last more than three rides.
If he catches one edge or root in the tree section at that speed, are we not talking pretty serious injury, or worse? It's easy to forget as Amaury makes it look almost low-risk - his riding is unreal.
I'm surprised Commencal is going mullet with the Supreme after having so much success on the 29 in version. Maybe we're seeing a swing back to smaller wheels or proof that 29 in wheels are the limit of wheelsize. Their decision must be based on extensive testing and timing for Pierron to switch sizes after absolutely dominating on 29s. The thought of an even faster Pierron scares me.
But he is not switching to full 27.5. They keep the advantage of 29 upfront while adding advantage of 27.5" (acceleration, nimbleness and partly more room for rider) to back. It's best racing setup.
@kusa: Yes, I understand that, he's going from a full 29 to a 29 front 27.5 rear. It's still a top WC racer switching to a smaller wheel in the rear after incredible success on full 29.
I have a theory I haven't had The time to test, but it's that injuries have increased with the switch to 29" dh bikes. There just seems to be more riders out hurt since the change, and I could see the increased speed and decreased stability playing a part. Maybe mullets are more stable.
I kinda want to know what the trail builder did to his mother, sister, and grandmother to beat that trail the way he did. Like a red headed, rented mule. Jaysus.
Definitely my favourite part of the video. The speed and accuracy you need to pump that section so as to completely gap over that last big tree root. Incredible.
For those who are interested, the spot is les 7 laux near Grenoble, one of the best bike parks in France while it is not well known. The part in the trees is really steeper in real life than it looks on the video, the speed is absolutely unhuman.
If any body at Whistlers first day shoot is looking for guidance, look no further than the pic above, with rider and bike on purple background. The bike to body ratio is spot on , compared to your pic..most of you have too big/too small, especially bigger men on too small bikes, and smaller women on too big bikes..
With all the success he's had on the full 29er, he was the last person I thought I'd see go back to the smaller rear wheel. Hopefully they race this year so we can see how he gets on with it.
@BunnyR10: You sure about that? "in November 2019 we offered a new version of SUPREME DH 27/29 to the COMMENCAL / Muc-Off team riders.
This time, the first feedback was encouraging; the bike was more stable and faster than a 27-inch, and more agile and dynamic than a 29-inch. Several months of lap times and data acquisition on a multitude of different tracks later, we came to the conclusion that this platform (even if it is perhaps not suitable for all sizes of rider) seems to be the ideal bike for many of our pro racers.
@COMMENCALbicycles Are your the geo charts are a bit off on the US site? Is the chain stay length for the 29/27 really 456mm, and then 430mm for the 29/29 ?
When you can ride a blue trail that literally anyone could ride in a way that makes people's jaw hang open... Talk about being on a completely different level.
Curious there. The complete bike is spec'd with a lower chain guide. Which makes sense to me especially with the high pivot, to keep chain growth at bay. Amaury doesn't seem to have it on his bike though. Would there be a reason to do that, other than saving weight? My thoughts would be that he now needs a longer cage rear mech to take up the slack and the rear mech spring and clutch might affect the suspension action, though don't know how noticeable that is.
What has lower chain guide to do with chain growth? He is also running sram drivetrain so his clutch is always acting the same. At his level maybe he thinks that extra drag from lower guide is difference between 1st and 2nd place, and Loic is not running one either.
@Mondbiker: Correct me if I'm wrong, but the further the lower section of the chain is from the main pivot the more the length will vary as the suspension moves. The lower guide pulls it back up bringing it closer to the main pivot. So even though this actually takes a longer chain, the length of this lower section will actually vary less. Agreed this goes for nearly all suspension designs (except for those with a bb centered main pivot like a DMR Bolt) but as this bike has a particularly high main pivot, the effect is more extreme and (I think) a lower guide makes even more sense.
@vinay: Lower guide makes "free chainlength" shorter (as you mention it works that way on any bike regardless of suspension design), but it doesn´t do anything to the amount of chain growth as it´s static part.
My god....even the trees looked scared...the dictionary should just add the video link to explain what it is....he corners so good. I love how the range has different suspicion platforms to choose from....
Problem: people over 5 feet tall balk at the Supreme DH 29 having the same minuscule stack height regardless of size. Solution: Commencal doesn't publish stack numbers on new bike.
was thinking the same thing. most aggressive scrub down ever? its like he super slammed all of his weight into sticking it to the ground and not letting it float off that lip, i had to watch it a few times. so good.
Webster Dictionary defines FAST: //Adjective// Moving at Amaury Pierron.
Pierron is bombing down a track full of trees at 40-50 miles per hour (in which a head on crash would be catastrophic), and you can tell that his body is relaxed, muscles free from parasitic fear and tension....wow just wow!
The race results from the past two seasons seem mostly tied to start order. If Pierron has a good quali and is the last man down the hill, he simply doesn't seem to lose. He can set the bar as high as he needs to in his head, but that's usually based off the guys that ride before him. That is somewhat true for Bruni, but his results haven't been as consistent in relation to start order.
Hopefully we will actually get to see these two face each other again this year. My prediction is that Pierron surpasses Bruni for good and never looks back. (until some of his young Commencal teammates storm the circuit in a few years). Gwin will probably have a win or two thrown in there as well. I don't really mind either way, as long as we get to see some races this year!
All the World Cup racers are absurdly equal in so many ways but there are outliers in terms of body mass. Pierron, Bruni, etc all get up to virtually the same max speed, but most with a keen eye can notice sections where Pierron's mass is pulling him down the mountain more.
The Alien even at one point strapped weights to his downtube to test it. I don't remember the results, but he always rode a heavier bike than most on big World Cups. Peaty too.
As for people saying Pierron is better than Bruni... didn’t Bruni win the double last year? You can’t argue with the stats!
Bruni is 180cm/80kg
Pierron is 180cm/81kg
That shoots my theory. Amaury looks big even in person
At the bottom of the hierarchy is brake-assisted schralps. They don't even count.
In the middle of the hierarchy is "bike park dude purposely squaring off the corner to look steezy." They're fine.
At the top of the hierarchy are the schralps like the ones in this video at 0:29-0:35. Those are where a legitimately fast rider is going so fast and attacking a corner so hard that the schralp isn't forced but can't be contained. These are gorgeous works of performance art.
A schralp is entirely the opposite, a schralp is where the rider is railing a corner so hard, his weight is multiplied by the g force, and that force is transferred into to the tyre being almost ripped off the rim.
Different species. Bigger balls. Fastest skills.
Homo down hillus. The next level of human kind. :-0
No spectators on course, no whistles, no chainsaws, no yelling. Just the sound of tires on dirt with Rob and Claudio commenting like it's a golf tournament.
"LOOK AT THE TIME" Shhhhh Rob keep it down.
*Split time shows he's gained over a second*
Warner "LOOK AT THE TIME.."
*repeat ad inifitum*
c) incredible technique
d) enormous cojones
So if one wheel out of two is rehabilitated, can we actually say that 650B`s half dead.... or half alive?
The first one who finds the good answer wins a free half haircut.
The fact they’re making it despite his success of a full 29er isn’t surprising at all. They gotta sell what’s hot after all
Unreal focus and reflexes to be able to react as quickly as he does.
"in November 2019 we offered a new version of SUPREME DH 27/29 to the COMMENCAL / Muc-Off team riders.
This time, the first feedback was encouraging;
the bike was more stable and faster than a 27-inch,
and more agile and dynamic than a 29-inch.
Several months of lap times and data acquisition on a multitude of different tracks later,
we came to the conclusion that this platform (even if it is perhaps not suitable for all sizes of rider) seems to be the ideal bike for many of our pro racers.
Amaury Pierron tops the list!"
@COMMENCALbicycles Are your the geo charts are a bit off on the US site? Is the chain stay length for the 29/27 really 456mm, and then 430mm for the 29/29 ?
Trees look way scarier in this one.
Now:
0:48-0-50 WTF?
Tubeless ready DH tires - Super DH!
Wonder when they will be available.??
... and dude, he is soooooo smooth, holy!
Never thought that our trails could be ridden so fast ????
“And that is why no one will remember your name”
youtu.be/6VBfV2oUvAE?t=46