The conditions for this year's elite downhill races have been challenging, to say the least – it turns out that sunny days are a little harder to come by in mid-October. From the axle-deep peanut butter at Leogang to the slimy roots and tricky, slippery, wide open turn at the start of the track in Maribor, racers have had to use all of their bike handling and line choice skill just to make it to the bottom without crashing.
We've seen some of the expected names end up on the podium at World Champs and the first World Cup races, but there have also been some relative surprises, riders who excel when the conditions take a turn for the worse.
Remi Thirion is one rider who comes to mind – whenever the track is extra greasy and technical he seems to thrive, while other riders, especially ones who spend most of their time training in dry, sunny conditions, fall back into the middle of the pack.
Wet weather riding isn't for everyone – plenty of riders prefer to stay inside and enjoy the comforts of home until the sun decides to shine again. And there are those who don't mind donning waterproof everything and heading out to splash around in the woods for a couple hours.
There's also the fact the not all riding areas can (or should) be ridden when it's wet out – soil with a high clay content can turn to an ugly mess in the wet, leading to an unrideable bike and unnsessary trail damage.
For the purposes of this poll, take any trail-related concerns out of the equation and put yourself in the shoes of a downhill or enduro racer, even if you don't have any plans of ever competing in real life. Race day is fast approaching, and the weather could go either way. Would you rather race in the rain and mud, or would you prefer it to be dry and dusty?
Muddy riding is way easier on the bike compared to mud racing. Tracks get annihilated.
Washing your bike is like washing your car ... twice a year just to get some wax on the paint
@YTIndustries part of the horrible creak is on you and the crack in the rear chainstay from the hole you drilled in my bike. Get your poop in a group. 3.5 months and counting!
Step one: Always finish the seat wipe with a flushable wet nap,
Step two: clean your bike
Step three: fix all the broken stuff
Step four: go ride
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Ride On!
Some place warm, a place where the beer flows like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a little place called Aspen.” “I don't know Lloyd, the French are a*sholes
Yep. Rode there last year and it poured all day!
I went for a nice and small 2 hour, 25km trail ride today and even my underwear was fully soaked afterwards.
Not because the trails were that gnarly but because of the water that came from above and below me.
Of course I wore waterproof clothing (Platzangst Pants, Jersey and Jacket - a really nice small german clothing manufacturer which I can’t recommend enough! Their slogan is „progressive freeride“ since the mid 2000s) but the water crept up my legs, arms, down my neck and through every zipper on my clothes.
Oh and the former black color of my ridewear turned to a nice stooly brown after the first few kilometers.
So if you want to have a taste of how wet and muddy Mountainbiking can get, let me introduce you to autumn/winter time in the beautiful Harz mountains of Germany!
Maybe after that you could show me how to eat dust in the chilean desert!
Also prefer watching riders race in the wet!
Living in Pittsburgh, we rarely see truly dry conditions. Most of the year is mud. As a result, i've got great wet weather skills but am useless when it gets dry and dusty. No clue how to corner on ball bearings and baby power. Give me teflon peanut butter and i'm good to go.
I do love XC racing, but not XC riding. I love DH riding, but not DH racing.
I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toooes
Love is all around me
And so the feeling grows ...
Reece Wilson , ( 2020 Champion du mondo mofo )
Then one day I kinda just reset my brain(we are all racing in same conditions etc... plus a bit of wet race coaching) and boom, racing became fun in the rain and i rocked it, from back of the pack to front.
Literally riding mud doughnuts.
I rode across that bridge long ago. Besides if you go slower, you can see more. insert pic of 'Two Turtles having sex on the trail'> It's not something I was looking for and it's not something you can unsee.
Just sayin,
Me
Loose or wet would be my preference as a spectator...not sloppy like last week though.
As a racer...all i know is dry and loose, so I guess I'll take that.
We talking Leogang mud like last week or Maribor mud?
If Leogang.... f*ck right off that's a hard no!
Maribor, yeah give it a go mate!
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