Video: Flat Out Winning POV from the Fort William DH World Cup

May 23, 2022 at 1:14
by Ed Spratt  

bigquotesIt was another peerless Amaury Pierron performance in the men's race as the Frenchman took his third consecutive win on the Fort William track following his victories in 2018 and 2019 in Scotland. Pierron again showed his knack of being a race-day-player with a pin-point accurate run that saw him make a mockery of deteriorating course conditions for the last ten riders down the hill. He finished just +0.469s ahead of his Commencal team-mate Thibaut Dapréla, who had started outside of the top 10, and had been sitting pretty in the hotseat for some time.— Red Bull


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58 Comments
  • 165 2
 Whoever edited that video is going to be so embarrassed when they realise they did the whole thing at 2x speed.
  • 74 0
 Looking at the time and speed you'd think he rides like a mad man but he's actually so clean, precise, smart with lines and in control the whole time on a long and super rough track like this... unbelievable.
  • 14 1
 yeah I heard a couple ppl say that Amaury wasn't their pick since his style is usually so on the edge, and fort william is difficult to recover from if you make a mistake on track, since it is so flat and you have to carry speed. But yeah, you said it, clean run. One sideways slip up top that you can't even see in the gopro, but it didn't phase him.
  • 23 0
 @swenzowski: Thibaut's run was more balls to the wall than this one.. he was bouncing like a pinball in some sections.. Amaury's is today's more controlled than 2 years ago..
  • 10 0
 @swenzowski: and yet , people don’t pick him while he won like 3 times in a row there ?!
  • 7 0
 @swenzowski: betting against Amaury is a bad choice. If he doesn't make a big mistake or crash, there's a good chance this man will win. So damn fast.
  • 3 2
 Whoever rides strong and "big" wins the race. Nothing on the course phases him.
  • 4 0
 These are conditions where you really have to trust your tyres. God bless Magic Mary's, Holy Mary!!!
  • 2 0
 @swenzowski: that shit did not look flat :S
  • 39 1
 you know you're fast when your run sounds more like a wingsuite fall then a downhill run
  • 28 0
 Absolutely in-sane in those conditions
  • 21 0
 Interesting both Amaury and Nina said it's better at Fort William like that. If it's dry and loose it's actually more dangerous. I get it but it still boggles my mind how you can stay hooked up for over 4 minutes on that track in those conditions.
  • 6 0
 @swellhunter: a lot of riders said that (e.g. Greenland) so it's probably just a fact
  • 8 0
 @swellhunter: Yes the mud is very gritty, hence how works better when wet!
But they still make it look easier than is, to judge level of grip
  • 6 5
 @swellhunter: most of the UK is like that, after or during rain there's just more grip and it's more predictable. It could be because we're not used to dry and dusty, but my local trails feel so sketchy when they're bone dry.
  • 3 0
 Yeah, here is the fastest submarine in Scotland so far Smile
  • 2 7
flag SHEESHKAH (May 23, 2022 at 16:59) (Below Threshold)
 @rad-but-also-sad: Dry and dusty is much faster. Build speed quicker and braking distances are longer in the dry. Obviously, mud can be slippery, but in general it seems this is the case.
  • 3 0
 @SHEESHKAH: not on the Fort William top section. We have a few of these 'armoured' trails where they've laid crushed rocks to stop everything turning to slop in the wet. In the dry it's actually more sketchy because you get 'marbles', loose gravel just off the main line that can be super easy to skid on. It's a very on-off thing - you have grip until you don't.

In the wet this loose gravel kind of gets compacted or washed away and since the ground's a bit softer your tyres sink in a bit more, giving more grip instead of skating over the top
  • 2 2
 @mattg95: Right… that’s what I’m saying
  • 27 2
 enfoiré ! lol
  • 1 2
 You sure we're watching the same footage?
  • 8 0
 @ceecee: ya i usually watch from start to end Smile
  • 2 0
 The word is strong, but Thibaut's smile says it all. This is true brotherlove. I'm so glad for them, they deserve it after last year's struggles.
  • 17 1
 The video is excellent but it really doesn't do justice as to how rough that track is in reality. When you walk the track and see the speed that the riders can go through the rock gardens it is actually unbelievable. The consequences for crashing are enormous so huge props to all the racers who sent it down that track in horrible conditions.
  • 11 2
 I have to say I find this run more under control than Amaury's run in Lourdes which was absolutely insane. Crazy is also how stack was the race.7 racers within 4 sec. on a 4.40 racetime!
  • 11 0
 F*ck. That. Sh*t. My jaw was on the floor that entire video.
  • 9 0
 Good lord that was fast. I felt tense the whole way
  • 8 0
 No other sport makes me lean on the edge of my chair like this! Hot damn I love mountain biking!
  • 4 1
 I honestly think DH racing takes one of the highest skill levels of any professional sport. The physicality mixed with the insane amount of concentration necessary is next level.
  • 2 0
 Thanks for the POV , From top to bottom that run is magnifique and almost unreal to see it unfold, La grande Classe. given the conditions and the length of the track, that is commitment to ride full gas, attack and precision and take it to victory. WOW, What a Run !!
  • 5 0
 Even time starts bending at 2:03.
  • 5 0
 Amazing riding, he almost makes it look easy when it's anything but that.
  • 3 0
 Whoa. Scary sliding moment around the 3:30 mark it seems he alllllmost lost it via fork hitting the side bank or something...
  • 4 1
 That fast and in those conditions. Just, wow. I’m deleting all of my GoPro footage from ever. Just because. Reasons. Nothing related to this, of course. For a friend.
  • 5 2
 Not a lover of the guy personally but you will not find a better rider to stick your GoPro onto,absolutely amazing rider to watch!
  • 1 0
 Well I got 2 out of 3 on my mens fantasy podium, I chose Amaury Pierron for the win, and Laurie Greenland second, Minnar 3rd. Thibaut Daprela 4th ,and Matt Walker 5th. Good show on all of the racers, Tough conditions on a very tough track. You could see where the time was gained and lost and how energy management is KEY for this track!
  • 5 0
 Scary fast
  • 5 1
 The bridges look super sketchy in the wet.
  • 4 0
 best stuff in three years.
  • 3 0
 This run will stay in history
  • 4 1
 Could well be brakeless at this point.
  • 3 0
 Daprela and Pierron on Synthesis carb rims
  • 4 0
 Commencal
  • 4 2
 Those wet boards up top gave me a jolt of panic... and then he reached the mud and I let out an audible whimper.
  • 2 0
 Its crazy to think that Greenland was a second up on this insanity, the skill of these guys is otherworldly.
  • 2 0
 this run is so sick and fast
  • 1 1
 i know!!!
  • 1 1
 oo
  • 1 0
 @mole-rat-lover: ok
  • 3 0
 Damn
  • 3 0
 incredible!
  • 2 0
 incredible ! wow
  • 2 0
 Insane
  • 2 1
 Why it looks like he is pressing rear breake on last jumps?
  • 1 2
 I would also like to know. Plus, I thought FrenchMen did "moto brakes"?
  • 7 0
 Pressing the rear brake brings the front end down. It's a motocross technique, they prefer to use the rear as they can spin it back up mid-air if they've overdone it. No idea if he rides moto or if it's technique he's developed just with mtb
  • 2 0
 @HankHank: yup its just physics, must have payed attention in that class in school!
  • 2 0
 damn. that was fast!







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