I bet his strategy is to ride near race pace for qualifying, and depending on how he stacks, he knows how much to risk or take different/sketchy lines in the race. In this scenario, he shouldn't have to try too hard, assuming everyone one else doesn't hide their cards during qualies. Gwin may be the only guy able to qualify at his relaxed speed, and still have more in the tank.
Go brayton. All the hard work and sticking in through the hard times is paying off. I totally admire what he's done to get to where he's at. He hasnt had it easy at all but he's backed himself and he's punching with the top dogs. Go boy!
True, Brayton is the working class guy who got to the World Cup elite. He represents most of us, normal mountain bikers that have to work a lot to have a decent equipment and have not as much time do ride as we would like. Wish him luck!
Hell yeah! Seriously, somebody put her on a factory squad, less than 0.3 seconds off of a former world cup/world champ!! Rachel's on another planet, but c'mon, Miranda's crushing it!!
@stacykohut: wholy agree that we need more factory sponsored ladies out there.Someone has to take Rach down sooner or later.But they're going to have to have some support to do so.
Yes, Hill seems not having fun at all in downhill anymore. Heยดs as burocratic there as a civil servant stamping forms...But when he races enduro he looks genuinely happy.
@endurojoe: Agree with that - seems publicly critical of current DH tracks and a happy bunny racing the enduros.
Could it be due to the fact that enduro tracks are more like DH tracks from 10 years ago?, rough, natural and allowing creative lines etc rather than the man-made / bikepark type tracks we are seeing now.
Having said that when Sam Hill was on top DH form he would have been right in the mix if not leading the way at this track, even if a lot of the turns are gone.
@Racer951: Right, but in 2007, Hillยดs best year, the races were in Vigo, Champery, Mount St. Anne, Schladming, Maribor and Fort William. Not that different from current venues. And he was in top downhill just two years ago, winning two events! My guess is that heยดs tired of injuries. DH is too risky, moreover if you want to beat outrageously fast guys like Aaron Gwin, Danny Hart, Loic Bruni andTroy Brosnan. And he is now married with children. Enduro racing is not so dangerous, but still very enjoyable.
@endurojoe: Agree with a lot of that, especially the family and risk side of things, the top guys really are hauling now and a big mistake could cost you.
I do stand by tracks being less technical / natural now though. I dont think you are right thinking that Champery, Schladming and Maribor are similar to this seasons venues, I dont think they could be more different! They are far and away more techy / gnarly / natural / steep than most of this seasons tracks and even MSA has been made more straightforward.
@endurojoe: I don't think this season is easier than most when he was in his prime. I just don't think he is as competitive. If you think this isn't a track he would like then lol. And Lourdes, ft William, Andorra etc
Bullshit, its qualifying and the games are played and the results mean nothing to the day, weather considerations et al. have a look at 90+, the names of rides and those that did not quali #keyboardwriters
@Racer951: "They are far and away more techy / gnarly / natural / steep than most of this seasons tracks "
But if you look at this year's calendar what about Andorra, Lourdes and Val di Sole? We can all wish that all the gnarliest tracks were being raced every year but the world's never going to work like that, and tbh the calendar seems pretty well balanced right now.
During the EWS round prior to Aspen, where Hill finished 2nd overall to Rude, the article mentioned that he crashed in many of the stages (but still ending up 2nd which is quite a feat).. I dont know why he crashes more frequently than before.
All props to Rachel...she is an animal. However, the 2nd place woman is 12+ seconds down. 12!! And this happens often throughout the season. The women's side of DH is just not really competitive at all. Sad the field is so shallow.
One could argue that Rachel's support ($, training, etc) is far and above that given to the other women riders. If the support was more equal, perhaps the speed would be as well. Hard to be competitive with someone with full-time trainers, coaches, nutritionists, etc. while you're working part-time, going to school, or operating out of a van.
@C9H13NO3: hmmm. I'm not sure about that. How many of the top 5 women (even top 10) work part time, or don't have access to trainers etc...? The fact is that Rachel has won 11 World Cups on the bounce, only the great Anne Caroline Chausson comes close in terms of wins. You simply cannot do that (or be 12 seconds faster than second fastest qualifier) without have the natural ability to be that much better than the competition. Rachel makes very few errors either, she has the mindset of a champion too. Yes, Trek World Racing/Atherton Racing have an envious infrastructure, but thats because sponsors invest in the Atherton machine known they will consistently get results.
@C9H13NO3: True, but that can be said of almost any individual sport. True, she trains like crazy and has a ton of natural talent as well. Are there no other women with the same drive and/or talent? The top ten of the men's field could all win at any moment. Apart from the odd race or two, Rachel wins everything and usually by a large margin. After the top 3-5 women, the field is almost embarrassingly way behind.
@CJlawson: There was a year (2013?) Rachel was the only full time World Cup racer. Every other female was either working part time or a student. I'm not sure if that's still true. But it makes a huge difference!
@CJSelig: Tahnee and Mannon are full time riders too, I doubt they have the absolute support Rachel does as they run probably one of the most tight / business like teams on the circuit but it wouldnt account for 12 seconds of handicap thats for sure.
What happened to Tahnee here? This seems like her kind of track, for a girl she has balls! ;-)
@CJlawson: Absolutely - I did not intend to take anything away from Rachel's talent and ability, she's incredible! I was responding to @bman33 calling the women's field shallow. There is one privateer in the top 5 today and several more if you count top 10. I think most people would be surprised at the lack of support for women's gravity racing, especially relative to the comparable results range for the men (i.e. top 10, 20, 30). Lack of support and splitting focus with school/work can really hold a racer back.
@Karve: As said below, her splits after the crash are in touch with with those from Rach, if Tahnee cangt beat her she looks to be a lot closer than 12 seconds at least.
Not disagreeing with anyone here. And yes, support helps a ton. However, Rachel wasnt always sponsored...she had to earn her way to where she is. Tahnee is definitely showing a spark..hopefully she can step it up.
@C9H13NO3: "One could argue that Rachel's support ($, training, etc) is far and above that given to the other women riders."
Not given, earned. You don't get to have that level of support without being shit-hot in the first place, and you still need the commitment and drive to follow through with it. Look at how she's changed physically even since she was first winning World champs and the overall. She looks far stronger now than she was then because she identified that even though she was winning a lot she was getting injured too much so she worked and worked and worked until she fixed it. No-one else is going to get close until they hit the same level of off the bike commitment as she does, no matter how talented they are.
@CJSelig: @C9H13NO3 Dang.. we got some heavy hitter privateers joining in here! The Pinkbike boys oughtta take a look at who they are talking to! Nice work in recent races, CJ and Anne!
I remember him talking about racing dh... He said that putting a run together is a big challenge for him, it requires a lot of other skills than just riding bike... line choice and above all concentration.
DAY-UM! Over three-and-a-half-seconds to SECOND PLACE! I wonder how Specialized feels about AG hopping off their bike, and onto an un-proven, never-have-been-raced-before, 'stock' bike, and not skipping a beat..? Especially when you consider what happened when he hopped onto THEIR bike, after winning the WC on-board a Trek. The man could quite-frankly run this course backwards-on a tricycle-and still kick the asses of 99.9% of DH bike riders.
Does anyone know the point scenarios for the championship right now? When I check UCI it still shows points prior to the last race when Troy was still in second.
Well Gee came across a guy on track just after the gondola step-down on his quali run, was wearing a high-vis so assume a Marshall. Footage over on Vital
Thanks, luv! Noggin's gonna be okay; the docs and officials just wanted to be sure that everything was on the up and up, especially wth my TBI history, so they red carded me for the weekend. Super bummed about it (especially as I've been training just for this track), but that's the name of the game sometimes, and one race just isn't worth the risk of a potentially life-ending injury, no matter how badly or how much I wanted to race MSA right now. There's always next year for it, and there are other tracks in other spots to focus on this season, so we'll come back in fighting form. It's also really important to be a willing part of this critical precedence in head-trauma treatment with the UCI -- red carding an athlete for concussions isn't something they do often enough, but hopefully, it'll happen more often to mitigate second impact syndrome and the PCS associated with continued stress of an impacted brain.
Lots to think on here, but thank you so much for the love and support! Tune in for the CWX DH races... I'll be there and fit for fighting!
@ambatt: Smart approach. Best wishes for a speedy and COMPLETE recovery and back to fighting form. Side note - I feel horrible for the girl who went OTB in the Olympics road race. That looked nasty.
Rachel's on another planet, but c'mon, Miranda's crushing it!!
ahead of some factory girls in qualies....
no sponsor, no nothin'....
come on north american bike industry peeps...
how about giving some north american girls a chance at a factory ride?
too many euro chicks wiith factory support.
Could it be due to the fact that enduro tracks are more like DH tracks from 10 years ago?, rough, natural and allowing creative lines etc rather than the man-made / bikepark type tracks we are seeing now.
Having said that when Sam Hill was on top DH form he would have been right in the mix if not leading the way at this track, even if a lot of the turns are gone.
I do stand by tracks being less technical / natural now though. I dont think you are right thinking that Champery, Schladming and Maribor are similar to this seasons venues, I dont think they could be more different! They are far and away more techy / gnarly / natural / steep than most of this seasons tracks and even MSA has been made more straightforward.
But if you look at this year's calendar what about Andorra, Lourdes and Val di Sole? We can all wish that all the gnarliest tracks were being raced every year but the world's never going to work like that, and tbh the calendar seems pretty well balanced right now.
Nevertheless, Legend. I hold him in higher regard than steve and greg because of the runs he threw down.
Yes, Trek World Racing/Atherton Racing have an envious infrastructure, but thats because sponsors invest in the Atherton machine known they will consistently get results.
What happened to Tahnee here? This seems like her kind of track, for a girl she has balls! ;-)
12 Seconds is an absolute mullering!
Not given, earned. You don't get to have that level of support without being shit-hot in the first place, and you still need the commitment and drive to follow through with it. Look at how she's changed physically even since she was first winning World champs and the overall. She looks far stronger now than she was then because she identified that even though she was winning a lot she was getting injured too much so she worked and worked and worked until she fixed it. No-one else is going to get close until they hit the same level of off the bike commitment as she does, no matter how talented they are.
#longlivechainsaw
he's done.
an amazing career!!
www.tissottiming.com/File/Download?id=00030D0107010102FFFFFFFFFFFFFF03
Over three-and-a-half-seconds to SECOND PLACE!
I wonder how Specialized feels about AG hopping off their bike, and onto an un-proven, never-have-been-raced-before, 'stock' bike, and not skipping a beat..?
Especially when you consider what happened when he hopped onto THEIR bike, after winning the WC on-board a Trek.
The man could quite-frankly run this course backwards-on a tricycle-and still kick the asses of 99.9% of DH bike riders.
Pompon out with ankle injury
Good rides by the Radon guys!
www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/events/1331756003059/uci-mtb-world-cup-2016-round-8-mont-sainte-anne-canada
Lots to think on here, but thank you so much for the love and support! Tune in for the CWX DH races... I'll be there and fit for fighting!