Photo Recap: Pietermaritzburg XC World Cup

Apr 13, 2014 at 16:04
by Matthew DeLorme  
XC is a game of attrition. It's pushing one's body to the brink of imploding, and then shoving over the edge. The XC World Cup started of with a bang this weekend in Pietermaritzburg, and while it looked like Nino Schurter might run away with the first win, luck would not be with him. Julien Absalon and Jolanda Neff took the first win on the redesigned track at round one. Conditions were hot and dry, and riders fought to keep from getting too over heated so they could make it to the end.

Absalon and Schurter went out as they usually do shelling each other trying to see who will break first on this day Julien Absalon emerged victorious.
  Absalon and Schurter went out as they usually do, shelling each other trying to see who will break first, on this day Julien Absalon emerged victorious.

Nino Schrter styling it up PMB South Africa.
  World Champion Nino Schurter is well known for riding with a bit of style as he whips the infield jumps. Unfortunately, style wouldn't help him get the win today as he flatted on the second to last lap. He did how ever have a remarkable ride back to a sixth place finish.

Nino Schurter leads out the charge in the mens race. The race consisted of six hot dry and dirty laps on one of the most demanding courses of the year.
  Nino Schurter leads out the charge in the mens race. The race consisted of six hot, dry,and dirty laps on one of the most demanding courses of the year.

Jolanda Neff took the lead early in the race and ran away with it finishing first. Liv Pro XC team had a great day thing first and third place.
  Jolanda Neff took the lead early in the race and ran away with it, finishing first. Liv Pro XC team had a great day thing first and third place.

Nino and Julien

Julien Absalon
  Julian Absalon taking away the win.

The cork screw is a fast tight berm descent about mid course it feeds into a rocky downhill that terminates to a road climb. The Course at Pietermaritzburg is long 5.7 kilometers to be exact. It was redesigned this year with added climbing and much more technical terrain.
  The corkscrew is a fast tight berm descent about mid course, it feeds into a rocky downhill that terminates to a road climb. The course at Pietermaritzburg is long, 5.7 kilometers to be exact. It was redesigned this year, with added climbing and much more technical terrain.

Sergio Mantico maneuvers around Shlomi Haimy in the section technical section of the course. The middle line consisted of two gap jumps that were shut down Friday after one too many mishaps. Luckily there were plenty of mattresses in place for when things went wrong.
  Sergio Mantico maneuvers around Shlomi Haimy in the section technical section of the course. The middle line consisted of two gap jumps that were shut down Friday after one too many mishaps. Luckily, there were plenty of mattresses in place for when things went wrong.

PMB s course is rough it caught more than one rider out today and some more serious that others. Some of the sections of this track most riders wouldn t want to tackle without five inches of suspension much less a carbon hard tail with a fully extended rigid seat post.
  PMB's course is rough, it caught more than one rider out today, and some more serious that others. Some of the sections of this track most riders wouldn't want to tackle without five inches of suspension, much less a carbon hard tail with a fully extended rigid seat post.

Maja Wloszczowska
  Maja Wloszczowska weaves her way through the corkscrew. Maja pulled lap times in the nineteen minute range out on the 5.7 kilometer course, and finished in third place.

Marco Fontana had a strong start to todays race but he slowly started sliding backwards to finish in twenty sixth place.
  Marco Fontana had a strong start to today's race, but he slowly started sliding backwards to finish in twenty sixth place.

Dust ball as the men start their race.
  It was dusty out there today. Most of the riders will still be hacking up PMB dirt in Cairns.

It just wasn t 2013 World Cup Champion Tanja Zakelj day here in Pietermaritzburg. It could have been the heat that held her back.
  It just wasn't 2013 World Cup Champion Tanja Zakelj day here in Pietermaritzburg. It could have been the heat that held her back.

The dirt stained purple with discarded energy gels.
  The dirt stained purple with discarded energy gels.

Just one of the many steep energy sucking climbs on the course in PMB. Pain face was literally about the only face to be seen out there in the heat.
  Just one of the many steep energy sucking climbs on the course in PMB. Pain face was literally about the only face to be seen out there in the heat.

Manuel Fumic had a strong ride to second place today the Grerman rider looked more excited than Julian Absalon when he crossed the line.
  Manuel Fumic had a strong ride to second place today, the Grerman rider looked more excited than Julian Absalon when he crossed the line.

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa
  Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa going big in the woods.

Mathias Fluckiger charging his way to ninth place on the second to last lap.
  Mathias Fluckiger charging his way to into the sunset on the second to last lap.

The exit to the tree house rock garden where riders breathe easy until the next lap when they enter the tree house again.
  The exit to the tree house rock garden, where riders breathe easy until the next lap when they enter the tree house again.

High heat and lots of dust were the conditions today. For most riders it was a battle from within out on the track today.Trek Factory Racing s Dan McConnell finished ninth look for the Big Diesel to do some real damage out there this season.
  High heat, and lots of dust were the conditions today. For most riders it was a battle from within out on the track today.Trek Factory Racing's Dan McConnell finished ninth, look for the Big Diesel to do some real damage out there this season.

Womens podium
  Women's Podium: Jolanda Neff, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flessja, Maja Wloszczowska, Annika Langvad, Alexandra Engen.

Jolanda Neff congratulates Liv Pro team mate Maja Wloszczowska after she came across the line in third place.
  Jolanda Neff congratulates Liv Pro team mate Maja Wloszczowska after she came across the line in third place.

Mens podium.
  Men's Podium: Julien Absalon, Manuel Fumic, Maxime Marotte, Ondrej Cink, Jose Hermida


Author Info:
mdelorme avatar

Member since May 11, 2011
186 articles
Must Read This Week
Pole Bicycles Has Filed for Bankruptcy
57380 views
First Ride: The Sub-$600 RockShox Domain and Psylo Forks
43203 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
42299 views
Tree Root Pierces Harriet Harnden's Foot at Round 1 of the British National Downhill Series
40090 views
Pinkbike's DH Fantasy League: Get Your Team On The Line - Fort William is in TWO WEEKS!
35529 views
Review: Race Face's Era Chainring Uses Steel, Carbon, & Aluminum
28575 views
First Ride: Fox's New Transfer Dropper Post - Adjustable Travel, Up to 240mm of Drop
27223 views
Industry Digest: Crowd Funding 36" eBikes, Canfield Bikes' Relocation, Recalls & More
26949 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

137 Comments
  • 178 10
 Manuel Fumic doesn't need to wear plum smugglers to be fast.
  • 19 4
 I agree with you 100%
  • 6 4
 yep
  • 88 14
 What are you guys afraid of?

That in lycra there will be a bulge visible? Or is it that there will be no bulge visible?
  • 22 43
flag slc-ripper (Apr 13, 2014 at 21:07) (Below Threshold)
 @iamamodel No just that for those of us who actually have testicles that they wish to utilize do not want them to be squished into plum pudding.
  • 47 2
 . You let us know how your balls feel after letting them swing free while ripping a rockgarden with your seat up.
  • 8 7
 Maybe Fumic and Fontana with "normal" shorts would had win and did it better!? How many times those baggy shorts might had got snagged on the saddle??
  • 40 3
 Wait, people actually go on a 2h+ ride (XC/AM/enduro/etc.) in baggys and what, ordinary underpants? I can not imagine not having lycra shorts under ma baggies.
  • 34 2
 Maybe this is why pinkbike shouldnt have another "xc photo recap"....just a bunch of dudes talkin bout bulges...
  • 3 3
 What are those plums you are talking about?
  • 9 39
flag azonicjake (Apr 14, 2014 at 0:07) (Below Threshold)
 This guys a tank for not wearing budgie smugglers. Lycra just looks plain gay, if you wanna go to a downhill track or a skatepark in lycra; then don't blame me
  • 17 6
 By all means, wear Lycra under your baggies. Just don't show it and you won't look like a lost roadie!
  • 27 6
 I will ride whereever I want in lycra, unless I need knee and thigh pads, and I do not give a flying f.ck what insecure punks may think. My wife loves how I look.
  • 25 1
 You guys seem to really focus on the phallic part of cycling, rather than just the racing. Why are these guys' balls on your minds so much?
  • 4 3
 i m sure that he wear lucra under his shorts
  • 1 0
 Simply a comment that I can't remember the last time I saw a photo of an XC WC podium with anything but lycra visible.
  • 5 0
 Manuel Fumic and Marco Fontana... baggy's and knobbly tyres. Keeping it real, and fast.
  • 13 4
 Guys, seriously.. You're not a lost roadie because you're wearing lycras for XC. I'm 20 years old and wear some white lycras too, and skinny jerseys, and I really don't give a f*ck about it.. Look at Nino Schurter with his tight lycras, he's probably a better rider than all of us when it comes to technical riding.. So, who do you think you are by judging bikers for what kind of pants they wear? Get grown up and if you don't like it, ignor it.
  • 8 2
 LOL....
"Look at Nino Schurter with his tight lycras, he's probably a better rider than all of us when it comes to technical riding.. "
Nino Schurter with just One Hand is better than anybody here...

I do wear baggies in the summer... however anyone thinking lycra is "not cool" should go on a diet...
ha.... kids...
  • 1 1
 TBH lately people are starting to ride tight tops and te pants are getting less and less baggy. Which is the normal progression of the sport, first it needed to be cool, now it got it's own style that is more functional.
  • 11 0
 Some people should remember what DH racing looked like without todays dress code
  • 5 0
 hey great pictures, but "how ever", does anybody edit these captions? and yeah, don't forget gentlemen, we've got DH and Freeride folk casually commentating on XC gear.....it's about FUNCTION children, not looks. image is NOT everything
  • 3 7
flag willer (Apr 14, 2014 at 12:54) (Below Threshold)
 Image IS everything! sorry mate you got it wrong but it's ok!!!!!
  • 4 0
 I race XC, and it'all cool to wear baggies on a regular training day, but race day, when every single detail matters, it's lycra what I wear, because of obvious reasons that I don't have to explain. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy got second place instead of first because of the baggies holding him back, and getting on the way, and all over the place....
  • 8 0
 ^ you are right willer buddy, modern DH it is all about image.
They should remove the timing and make it a jury decision. Like figure skate.
It is just a commercial exhibition to attract kids and sell them stuff.

The internet generation.
you see it online, you buy it.

But I warn you! There are no chicks around cycling! It is all well edited.
If you want to get some tail I recommend getting into Arts and Music, that is where is at.
  • 4 0
 They already made it a jury decision - called Red Bull Rampage. Probably more known to the general public than WC DH. I do not think the most skilled rider wins there, but sure sells caffeinated drinks to adolescents.
  • 3 0
 linford christie has the greatest package in sporting history, all other packages are void.
  • 113 1
 This racing is way more badass then a lot of Pinkbikers give it credit for. Imagine going as hard as you possibly can up a steep, gnarly climb, chasing/getting chased by a hundred similar riders packed together, then getting to the top completely beat and semi-delirious, only to pin it down what qualifies as a legitimately very technical and steep downhill on a 20 pound hardtail with a 70+ head angle... then to do it again another five times in a row. This racing takes just as much balls as dh, but with a shitload of fitness.
  • 20 80
flag christianown242 (Apr 13, 2014 at 21:19) (Below Threshold)
 i bet you also think that tandem 29ers are cool
  • 11 5
 I will agree that this type of racing is intense. But, it's a different type of intensity. I would feel a lot more comfortable jockeying for position among a couple hundred XC riders than going balls out on the limit at 70kph. I like riding dh. I'm half way decent at it. But to do what the world cup guys do on those tracks takes either an enormous amount of confidence and skill, or a good dose of insanity. I'm staring straight at you Josh Bryceland.
  • 5 1
 This is seriously hardcore, especially the downhill. Gnarly... Probably attracts scary riders from cyclecross
  • 4 0
 Neff is hotter.
  • 6 1
 Agreed Matt, seriously hard work, the descending is as dangerous as it gets. It's a much more accessible form of racing that is really enjoyable to join in, but most people are too cool, especially Christianown242.
  • 13 3
 take it this way...
a top XC racer may end up in the top 1/3 of a downhill/enduro race.
a top DH/enduro racer would end up in the top 1/3 of an XC race... if he raced with women. maybe maybe maybe.

To all the kids that think DH is "real mtb"... you should study the story of the sport... ooopsss... forgot DH is just a lifestyle nowadays...

If you want to be a tough and dangerous sign up for a road bike race....
or just borrow a road bike and go ride with some weekend road riders for 4-6 hours.
Then let us know what you think is tough and dangerous.
  • 7 1
 Agree 100%. XC racing is tough and you end up riding technical trail with a bike not suited for it. It takes skill and insane fitness level.
  • 1 1
 @mojo: Dh is not Enduro.Taking a XC bike down a decent dh-track is a waste of opportunity and downright dangerous. Those things wear and break and lycra,eggshell are hardly protective. Seen that many times. After beeing used to protective gear and great handling dh-bikes and still doing occasional time in ER - using a road bike definitely makes you feel like you are doing a stupid stunt. Nevertheless I enjoy street riding.
  • 4 3
 wakaba: there are xc racers that occasionally race enduro and dh and place within the top 20 or so. A DH rider would place very last in the women XC field. Riding each course with the proper bike... That is what i meant....
  • 4 0
 There are two types of XC racer's though, road guys who are racing in the dirt, and guys who also get rowdy in their free time. Not every XC rider could even make it down a proper WC DH course.....but by the same token not every XC guy couldn't
  • 3 1
 People underestimate the technical skills of top XC racers just as much as they underestimate the fitness level of top DH racers. The technical skills and fitness also tend to be sport specific. Nino can probably out descend any DH racer, if the DH racer is on a hardtail with the seat up, and Gwin has the fitness to probably out pedal any XC racer on descent.
  • 1 2
 you are talking about XC Women Racers right?
I agree with that.
  • 1 1
 @MojoMaujer - Jared Graves is an excellent downhiller and enduro racer, and he would probably do fine in a XC race.

@DARKSTAR63 - doesn't it seem like a silly idea to ride technical trail with a bike not suited for it? Each to their own, just not my idea of having fun on a bike.
  • 1 4
 Graves would place last in the junior women race.
You kids just dont get what mtb is all about... You missed the boat. Dont know how to handle the bike except for cheesy "airtime"... You are just consumers of prepackaged goods. What is your idea of having fun on a bike? Go-pro, beer, $100 to ride park and dh/whatever bike to do 4 ft drops? Lol
  • 1 0
 @si618, it's racing. You are on that bike to win. It can't be squishy or you will lose to guys willing to deal. I actually enjoy riding tech trails on my xc bike and I race xc on occasion too. It's good practice, sharpens skills and makes you a more versatile well rounded rider. It can't be big bikes all the time. Crushing a technical climb can be as fun as a technical descent.
  • 2 0
 @MojoMaujer Jared Graves is excellent at XC. proof: www.cyclingnews.com/races/australian-mountain-bike-series-adelaide-2014/cross-country/results#null
  • 3 0
 Actually Graves won the 1st Australian XCO Series in Adelaide last January.. with a blown-out fork.
www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/WINNING-BIKE-Jared-Graves-Yeti-Arc-Carbon,6954/WINNING-BIKE-Jared-Graves-Yeti-ARC-Carbon,70440/sspomer,2

Yes, he won't be a contender in a World Cup like this, but he won't come last either if he race against the women

DH racers have different aim on their training, more muscle to sprint and control their bikes on the descent. I don't think we can compare them straight away. Specific training for specific result.
  • 1 0
 @FunRunner, yeah that was a great result for him, I'm on his fb page and he was stoked about it. MojoMaujer just seems butthurt that some of us don't follow his ethos for what mtb should be.

@Darkstar, sure, and the price you inevitably pay for not wearing any protection other than a flimsy helmet is obviously worth it to xc racers. But as I said, it's not my idea of having fun on a bike, but I've got friends who love it. I commute each day and am lucky enough to ride a few trails to work, so I enjoy my 100mm hardtail as it's a great compromise between trails and tarmac, and I agree it keeps you honest, but I have more fun on my 150mm dual suspension bike. To each their own!
  • 1 0
 We can agree on that, my favorite bike is a 150mm trail bike. But if I lived somewhere less rocky it would be an xc bike. I don't like being over-gunned!
  • 42 1
 Where are the Emily Batty photos?
  • 12 27
flag glenno (Apr 13, 2014 at 21:26) (Below Threshold)
 And the camel toes ...
  • 2 0
 Classy
  • 27 2
 great photos, thanks for the recap. its good to see the xc courses are getting more challenging with more jumps and drops! im guess we will see some dropper post coming through the field in the next few years as the courses get tougher
  • 23 2
 I highly doubt it, droppers are heavy and un-needed for a large amount of the time. And the courses are generally a lot harder than most pinkbikers like to think, this looks similar to PMB courses of the past to me. And most all droppers have at least some side to side play, which isn't ideal for a pedaling platform... But I have been wrong before and wouldn't be surprised if I was again!
  • 2 0
 @dvp8 I agree with you, I have seen at least one dropper post desingne for XC, with less travel than the AM ones and also ligther.
  • 2 1
 an example of a XC bike with one of those dropper post www.leelikesbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/090512JudyWisconsin.jpg
  • 1 0
 ya im just saying it because i found that a dropper post was really helpful. also a lot of pro xc racers are running them on their training bikes. The play side to side is not noticeable when riding rough terrain which is what mountain biking is. The only thing they will need work on is weight but i can totally see the weight dropping in the next few years
  • 1 0
 Yea I could see them getting a following on some of the really really technical tracks like this one, but I have a hard time seeing someone like Nico take his 17 pound bike and then strap a HEAVY seatpost on it. But then again some of the tracks where everybody goes to full squish bikes maybe they would put on a dropper.
  • 9 1
 The high seatpost isn't hard to get used to... the first time down the difficult nsmba trails on seymour (north shore) was eye opening but you do get used to it. The bike is just a lot harder to save when you lose control on it, xc crashes are scarier than dh crashes imo because you're wearing zero padding and the bike catapults you so much harder than a dh bike would.
  • 1 0
 Reliability is also a concern. A malfunctioning dropper will cost the rider the race. It's got to offer enough of an advantage over that and the weight penalty to justify use.
  • 2 7
flag PauRexs FL (Apr 14, 2014 at 4:09) (Below Threshold)
 If UCI would be clever just once aplying rules and make droper post mandatories for XC and XCE:
1. We would be talking from a completely new show more accorded with nowadays gravity face of Mtbiking...
2. Circuits competely redesigned to the new posibilites far way more spectacular
3. Less ultradangerous overdebars -smash face crashes and far way mor whips!
4. XC false mtbikers would go back to the place where they never should left... the road and ciclocross.
  • 6 1
 You can ride anything on an XC course with your post all the way up. Its just something you have to get used to.
  • 3 1
 I've seen them break carbon posts or saddles in races before. I know it happened to someone in the 2012 XC race, and in on of the World Cup XCO races last year so dropper reliability might not be any different.
  • 5 3
 OMG... are people really so clueless? dropper post on XC racing bike? do you actually ride bikes? if you do you would know why they do not use it.
  • 3 1
 ^ thats funny because i do ride xc with a dropper and i do know some of the best xc races in canada run dropper post on their training bikes and have even contemplating running it on their race bikes. it makes a way bigger difference then you think, you can be a lot more relaxed and potential run the downhills faster
  • 2 2
 ^^ that is because you are still learning how to handle a bike. and maybe the "pros" you have seen are ex road riders.
when (if) you ll get good enough w handling, you'll understand that a dropper on xc bikes is a disadvantage. you need to push with your leg on the seat to control the bike.

–MojoMaujer
  • 4 1
 this is pointless, agree to disagree
  • 3 0
 Marco Fontana mentioned a low seatpost upsetting the feel of an xc bike, it's completely true. I wasn't any faster with the low post, it's not the same as an enduro or downhill bike, you can't really lean back and use the sag (if that makes sense, maybe lean back and let the bike do the work type of thing?) with an xc bike. When I first started with the xc bike I felt the seatpost, now I put a dropper on just to test and it just bugged me more then anything because I never used it and trust me I went down some steep crap. There's a different cornering style on an xc bike and having a dropper would just be a pain, it would be like running a dropper on a 'cross bike... I won't go high seatpost in dh or enduro but for xc it's necessary.
  • 2 0
 ....anyway, as I and others have said already, you can ride anything on the gnarliest WC XC track with your seat jacked up. Its a non issue. There is a learning curve for sure, but actual XC racing is the best learning tool (duh). You can get behind the seat and if need be get your chest hovering just over the seat.

I am no XC racer by any means but I have put in a lot of XC miles and helped train my wife for WC's and such. I once raced the North Shore triple crown (Seymour, Fromme, Cypress in one day) on my wife's Trek Fuel with the seat jacked the whole time. I walked one section that I would have walked anyway with the seat down. Those top level XC dudes have very good technical descending skills and can cope with a seat raised.
  • 20 2
 Those rocks are gnarlier then some of the DH courses they set up recently. Now they need to set a whole course of them..
  • 18 0
 holy damn those pics are intense
  • 15 2
 Great to see XC getting great coverage. Now this is mountain biking! I've raced both Downhill and XC at the highest level in the UK and both have there place but XC riders have "All" the skills. Up and down! Just ask Tracey Moseley!
  • 4 16
flag MtHuttHucker (Apr 14, 2014 at 1:51) (Below Threshold)
 sorry, but no
  • 3 0
 Then ask Jared Graves. XC beast mode, Enduro Beast Mode, DH Beast mode.
Where do you start your riding platform from?
  • 1 0
 MtHutt, you obviously know the inside line on the WC scene! Share the knowledge.
  • 2 3
 i have got nothing against xc racing, and yes Jared Graves is an insanely skilled rider, but i strongly disagree with slamman's comment. SOME xc riders have an incredibly high skill level, but definitely not all the skills. They will be faster/better in some areas, and worse in others, i do not think that even up or down they are not the skilldest.
  • 3 0
 ^^ Skilldest isn't a word. Just saying.
  • 1 0
 how else do i say it?
  • 1 0
 'most skilled' Hutt, finish school. No joke.
  • 1 0
 cheers
  • 12 0
 ide really like to see these xc pros in person. i bet pinning a sub 20lb bike with no suspension down the steeps and through the rocks is pretty wild. takes a lot of skill. no pads either...
  • 3 0
 you will be surprised on how fast they actually go and how skinny the riders are.
  • 1 0
 Yeah, these dudes are tiny...and not as tall as they look haha.
  • 11 0
 It is always nice to see some aggressive flare on the XC courses. Sweet recap!
  • 8 0
 Well done for showing this Pinkbike. I never would have paid any attention otherwise. Tonight I'm going to go watch the replay on Redbull TV. Looks sick!
  • 8 0
 Looks a harder course than the dh!! Im starting to think the xc boys are at the hard end of the sport
  • 2 0
 From the pics on pinkbike, it certainly was last year. Was glad to see some added rocks on the DH for this year.
  • 8 0
 perfect photos! is good to see that xc world is getting better and better!
  • 6 0
 1. Gunn-Rita Dahl Flessja is older than Methusalah in MTB terms (41). 2. That air kicks ass on a 29er. 3. Feeling comparatively weak right now as racing season begins. Sigh.
  • 6 0
 You could almost say that Gunn-Rita is the Peaty of XC.
  • 7 1
 During the womens race, I heard the announcer mention rumors of a 28.3" wheel size. please tell me he was joking
  • 6 0
 28.25, halfway between 27.5 and 29, so bike industry logic means it's perfect
  • 7 4
 XC racing is way tougher than DH...
look at the riders bodies...
just like comparing a hockey player with a baseball player.

DH is so sanitized... nothing like original DH...

Dropper seatpost are not an option for XC, you need the post between your tights to control the bike. XC bikes are short w seep angles.
And the only reason people complain about lycra is bc kids nowadays are all fatties... i do prefer baggies in the summer and bib tights in the winter... lycra is very tin and gets caught in the saddle nose----

–MojoMujer
  • 5 0
 I don't care if it's WC or not, but if you litter during a race you ought to get a 1 minute penalty for each item. Pretty sure they all have pockets.
  • 8 2
 Jesus on a bike! They are made of steel!
  • 30 0
 Steel is way to heavy… they are made of carbon.
  • 1 13
flag benizzle (Apr 13, 2014 at 18:57) (Below Threshold)
 hes talking about the men and women riding the bikes.
  • 10 0
 And Hammm is making a joke
  • 2 0
 Sharing one's strong opinion that lycra pants are gay , check. Frequent requests for Emily Batty photos , check . Users thanking PB for one of it's 5-6 mentions of xc per year , check. Everything seems to be ok, we're ready for the biking season.
  • 2 0
 You have to be seriously insecured to be worried about SOMEONE else's choice of shorts on race day. I knew while reading the article the first comment would be about the clothes. Weak sauce bros...this same thing happend to snowboarding in the mid 90s. I blame the rich kids.
  • 3 0
 Say FU to the pain your body is telling, try not to throw-up, don't cramp and try not to crash with little safety gear..........welcome to xc racing with the big dogs.
  • 5 0
 Amazing stuff Matt! What a brutal day for those guys...
  • 3 1
 i find it hard to believe the ignorance of some people that post on PB, anyone that thinks DH is harder than XC should give it a try, you'll probably end up pissing and shitting yourself and puking with exhaustion
  • 3 0
 ok, I do both, but you are comparing cardio to fast/jumping trail shredding skills. its like comparing streetbikes to dirtbikes. I'd like to see xc guys bomb hills super fast and jump big doubles. Sure there are riders that do both, but your claim is retarded. Who would be more scared, the dh rider trying to ride xc or the xc rider trying to ride dh? I do both sports and they are different in what you a person considers hard
  • 1 5
flag MojoMaujer (Apr 14, 2014 at 16:18) (Below Threshold)
 you are comparing a sport/race to an exhibition. not sure what kind of special skills you need on a DH bike... maybe if you were riding DH in the 80's... nowadays is just like seating on a sofa. The hardest part is to push the bike up the hill.
  • 2 1
 Mojo, you are so wrong. So I guess riding dirtbikes takes no skill from what you say? Cause you don't have to pedal?
  • 1 2
 Right.... i pedal 30 sec out of 3 min... it does takes skills.... but all the courses are man made... it is like learning a videogame. the new bikes require very little skills to go down the course... you won't get supra airtime (lol) but you can ez go down.
90% of the people i see on a dh or endure or whatever bikes they are just riding what you can easily do w hardtail. You don't need a motorcycle to do 4 ft drop!
  • 3 0
 what an awesome coverage. Really great work on this one. I'm not a fan of XC very much but photos are very engaging.
  • 3 0
 Props to the photographers for the awesome pictures and props to Fumic for dressing like a man!
  • 1 0
 The race looks brutal and bad ass though. I hope some of the technical stuff trickles down to amature XC stuff, many courses here in Oregon are mostly fire road climbs and slippery descents.
  • 3 0
 Thanks for the photos. It's always nice to see XC in Pinkbike.
  • 2 0
 Awesome, very glad to see these pictures posted up. Looks like some of them really got put through the wringer...
  • 3 0
 Great pictures and coverage!
  • 2 0
 i was wondering what happened to spez rider yaroslav kulhavy if he's still around?

nice coverage pinkbike. keep it coming!
  • 4 0
 Kulhavy is still healing from a damaged knee, earlier this year.
  • 3 0
 awesome to see them get some airtime
  • 3 1
 I'm thinking it won't be long before there's a really light short travel seat dropper for xc racing
  • 3 0
 Julien is back !
  • 3 1
 These really are great pics. Also I agree, dropper posts just make sense.
  • 2 1
 better luck next time mr.fontana.
  • 2 0
 great photo recap.
  • 3 1
 Sergio Mantico? Yeah!!!
  • 1 0
 His real name is Sergio Mantecón
  • 1 1
 Lo se!
  • 1 0
 wow he Nino took 3rd with a flat.........tubular?
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.049977
Mobile Version of Website