August: Good Month or Bad Month?

This isn't the first time Aaron Gwin has made it into the 'Good Month' section this year, and if his winning streak continues at World Champs, it won't be the last. The American racer started off the month with an incredible win at World Cup round 6 in Windham, somehow figuring out how to get down the sub-three minute course 3.5 seconds faster than second-place finisher Greg Minnaar.

A few weeks later, when race day arrived at Val di Sole Gwin just needed to place in the top 30 to cement his spot as the World Cup overall champion. He could have eased up and ridden a little more conservatively to ensure that he took the title, but he elected to let it all hang out and go for the win, a tactic that garnered him yet a victory on the steep and wild course.





Fans of Missy Giove were able to witness to the DH legend in all her foul-mouthed, unfiltered glory after she showed up at the Windham World Cup to (in her own words), “put on a show, to pin it, and to have a f*cking good time.” That's exactly what she did, and even a crash during qualifying wasn't enough to keep her from the finals, where she finished in 16th place. Her wild and at times reckless riding style was still there, although years of barely touching a bike had her well off the pace of the top women. All the same, it was a treat to see that Missy's punk rock, no f*cks given attitude hasn't diminished, and hopefully we'll see a few more appearances from her on the circuit next season. Just imagine what an uncensored course preview with Missy at the helm would look like.... One can only hope.





Eurobike is the biggest cycling trade show of the year, offering up a glimpse of the next wave of new bikes and products that are coming down the line. Highlights this year included Magura's electronic dropper post, SRAM's wireless electronic road bike drivetrain, and new carbon rides from the likes of Yeti, Evil, Knolly, and Intense, among others The biggest takeaway from the show was that it's a great time to be a mountain biker, no matter your income bracket. Technology has trickled down far enough that 1x drivetrains have become more affordable, dropper posts are now standard issue on most trail and all-mountain bikes, and even entry level bikes are equipped with disc brakes and suspension that actually works.




August started with the release of Revel In the Chaos, a film that demonstrated the depth of Brandon Semenuk's skills in a 15-minute exhibition of mountain bike wizardry. When Crankworx Whistler came around, the pressure was on – Brett Rheeder had already won at both Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Les Deux Alps, and Semenuk needed to lay down a solid hand if he was going to garner another hometown victory. That's exactly what he did, in a flawless run that was capped off by a corked-720 off the final drop. That run earned him his fourth Crankworx Whistler slopestyle win, and further cemented his place in the history books as one of the most talented mountain bikers on the planet.












Justin Leov saw his chances of taking home the Enduro World Series overall title dashed by a slick wood bridge on the first stage of racing in Whistler. A hard crash and the resulting dislocated shoulder ended his day and season – surgery and the 3-6 months of recovery time will unfortunately eliminate any chance of a comeback before the series concludes. Up until his crash Leov had been having a stellar year, starting off with a fourth place finish in Rotorua, followed by a second place finish in Ireland and a win in Scotland. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and a quick return to form for the Trek World Racing athlete.





August began on a somber note with the death of Will Olson at EWS 4 in Crested Butte, Colorado, after he succumbed to injuries suffered from a crash during the race. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the sad news – two weeks later 55-year-old Scott Ellis passed away due to an apparent heart attack partway through the Leadville 100, also in Colorado. The deaths highlight what we all know, but don't like to think about – mountain biking is inherently dangerous, and life is absurdly short. There aren't any words powerful enough to truly ease the pain that the passing of a loved one brings, especially when it happens unexpectedly, but our thoughts are with the families and friends affected by these and any other tragic accidents.






So, you thought you were hot stuff after finally mustering up the courage to ride Whistler's infamous Crabapple Hits aboard that cushy DH rig? Think again. Lars Sternberg served up a Transition Klunker-sized serving of humble pie at this year's Whip-Off Worlds, clearing the massive jumps aboard a rigid singlespeed, effectively eliminating any possible bike-related excuses for not giving them a try. All other excuses are still valid, though, since there's no denying that the jumps are seriously large, with serious consequences for coming up short.



Giant's Yoann Barelli took things even further, riding Dirt Merchant and A-Line aboard a cyclocross bike, drop bars and all. I doubt we're going to see a sudden influx of rigid bikes in the lift line, but it does show that a big 'ol DH bike isn't necessary to have good time in the bike park, at least on the smoother jump trails. Tackling a rocky, technical DH trail, something like Goat's Gully, on a cross bike or a klunker seems like a recipe for disaster, but who knows - there's probably someone out there nutty enough to try it.