Video: Australian National Round - Mount Buller by scottsecco

116 Comments

56 1

fantaman (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:08)

Sam is back in full buisness,fresh new start with a win on a new bike.

36 30

scott-townes (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:23)

Don't forget Kovarik finishing only a half-second behind Hill.... so sick!

89 6

t1000 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:30)

Go back to school mate...

50 2

uglyguy (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:36)

Longest half second ever...

20 0

Kristo (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:47)

nice! but um, where is troy?

13 0

glory-wannabe (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:00)

Troy is still recovering from surgery after his crash at worlds. he is back on the XC bike but he didnt want to risk it at this race. Hopefully he is back next race!

Dlongb13 (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:02)

Still nursing his shoulder. At least that's what his said via Instagram the other day.

14 0

t-rick FL (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:22)

Flat pedal riders gettin in done!

12 5

scott-townes (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:53)

I was high, screw you guys haha.

larryssman7 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:39) (Below Threshold)

pretty sure it was fantamans grammar and spelling.

1 10

Jack-Richter (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:26) (Below Threshold)

Am I the only one that noticed every one forgot all about this aaron gwin drama with trek and lance armstrong took over the scene?

BeerGuzlinFool (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:37)

I think most of the drama with Gwin and TWC are over.. There won't be any legal actions taken. So both sides have pretty much put it behind them.

11 0

Waldon83 (Jan 21, 2013 at 0:10)

YEAH Caroline Buchanan! Welcome back to DH

arapp14 (Jan 21, 2013 at 20:21)

Anyone remeber watching the video of Connor Fearon when he was like 14 or something a few years back? Nice to see he's still a ripper. Well..more than that if he's placing third.

33 1

dytrdr6 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:47)

anybody else think a song called broken leg is slightly inappropriate for this website.

mjp-Photography (Jan 22, 2013 at 10:37)

would make a good recovery vid

18 0

TomDownhill (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:17)

Mount Buller*

14 0

steve-815 (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:18)

Anyone else think the CRC TLD kit looks like a tesco supermarket own brand kit?

Like this for all overseas users: juliandickinson.myzen.co.uk/hotscamp/2009/tecfan/tecfan-flat-final.jpg

GRIEVE99 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:59)

Theres something about the kit that looks kind of good but he should get it with the TLD midnight jersey

14 1

oriion (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:09)

Very stoked for Kovarik. Hope he gets some good results this year.

loganjensen (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:17)

he's back!!!

nialle17 (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:00)

Good start for Sam he is on the hunt this year I wish him all the best!. And to the dreamers above saying only 5th in the worlds I would be happy just to ride in a world cup let alone be as successful as hill! .

TheGoatman (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:55)

Must get myself to Mt Butler one of these days.

jpwilbur9 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:43)

Troy, stop getting injured!!!! I want you to win! I know you've got it bro!

hollowing2000 (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:56)

OHHHH YEEEAAAHHHH!!! I think last year or 2 years ago, Kovarik won this one and Sam was just out of the picture. Now it's go time!! To everyone talking about "New Breed", Sam was the "New Breed" protorype before all the young guns started to crop up. He took a lot of A listers to school back then. Then he started crashing a lot on that freakin Demo.. Stay healthy Sam!! Good luck

GRIEVE99 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:47)

Wasn't last year because Troy I think won every race

BeerGuzlinFool (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:25)

You are right hollowing2000. Sam "was" the new breed, but not anymore.. The new riders out ther have the skills and the endurance. And as far as him crashing on the Demo.. Just remember he had alot to do with the geometry changes on that bike.. So if you are saying that he failed because of the bike then he would have no one to blame but himself.. How Sam does this year has less to do with the bike he rides and more about his preparation.

hollowing2000 (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:46)

He crashed a lot on his early days (YEARS!) with the demo. Before any of his geometry changes were applied. Last year was his only "solid season" on the bike, after so much fine tuning for it to suit him.. Maybe he was to blame- because he charged so much hoping his bike could cope up under him..Also at this level of competition, where these athletes are at the top of their game (both mentally and physically), there is only a small difference between the top riders - and that is exactly the time when equipment choice matters.

GRIEVE99 (Jan 22, 2013 at 15:46)

hollowing2000 Sam Hill did pretty damn good and on the demo and Troy got a top 10 finish in his first elite world cup last year and what did he ride? I bike with the same components and geometry. And I bet Gwin will do amazing on the Demo this year

Sinbin (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:18)

Woo hoo! Go Caroline! Good to see her airborne rig is working out for her!

jimeg (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:42)

KOVARIK RACING!

cubeboy321 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:28)

Nice to see the big man on top !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IllestT (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:23)

A cynic may notice that Sam's crash intense years coincide with his Demo years?
Hopefully the Nuke Proof will stay rubber side don a bit more

hollowing2000 (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:52)

That's how i see it also..

hayden19 (Jan 22, 2013 at 9:16)

World watch out, Maxxie is coming and he wants your soul! ps He is the nicest, most modest kid ever, boosts bigger, gets more sideways than anyone else all day and has the skill and time to kill it.

jackdirtjumping7 (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:51)

yeaa booooiiii!

miff (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:59)

poor CK scraping the barrel there for words

Snozz (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:56)

I thought where's Butler? It's Buller hahah

Paking (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:46)

Good, all the best for Sam on the WC Circuit this year.. He deserves it..

patrickcampbell28 (Jan 20, 2013 at 21:19)

I think he can take Worlds this year. He looks faster than I've seen him in a while.

lennoxrider (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:59)

Worlds is at PMB. I know he brings out the good stuff for worlds and has talked about going to clips to win, but i just dont see him winning there due to the pedal fest of the course. He did get 4th in 09 though...

jpdhecua (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:09)

SAM is back

Checkup (Jan 20, 2013 at 20:22)

Sick to see Caroline taking the win

grahamh7 (Jan 20, 2013 at 20:48)

i wish there wasnt 2 feet of snow where i live and that i could go ride the montains

miff (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:23)

An 8 month season in Canada still destroys a 12 month season in Australia so don't get too down on it.

grahamh7 (Jan 25, 2013 at 10:33)

True

chrisc777 (Jan 21, 2013 at 13:41)

is that luke ball at 00:28?

dez69 FL (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:56)

Great start for Sam! No troy?

calistogamtbr (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:23)

hope that they have a good race season!

groghunter (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:19)

awesome edit. song reminded me of old school bike videos (like plush 2, for instance.)

JoshJeffrey (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:26)

Caroline Buchanan, BMX isn't she? Not bad at all.

GRIEVE99 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:50)

Shes taking a break from BMX to get ready for the Rio Olympics. She has won two world championships but for 4X I think .

JoshJeffrey (Jan 20, 2013 at 21:00)

She is amazing. Hopefully she takes gold at Rio. I obviously know nothing about her.

dougmartin (Jan 20, 2013 at 21:39)

Caroline is fast on a BMX bike too...I got to see her race in Abbotsford,BC at the BMX world chamionships. She'll rip it up on the downhill circuit.

JoshJeffrey (Jan 21, 2013 at 18:20)

I have seen video of her, must seem way faster in person though. She should do world cup races in dh.

GRIEVE99 (Jan 22, 2013 at 15:51)

JoshJeffrey, she is going to do world cups shes also trying to go to worlds

CheryBomb (Jan 21, 2013 at 8:07)

Such an awesome weather there, in Australia! Can't believe that somewhere in the world the summer never ends, such a good conditions for riding :3

CheryBomb (Jan 21, 2013 at 8:09)

And yeah let's congratulate Sam with this victory but this is in 99% his achievement, not his new bike.

alazamanza (Jan 21, 2013 at 16:59)

just noticed kovarik rocking 40's, does any world topping team other than ms mondraker run 888s now??

Bowcott (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:59)

Nice

bradz1997 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:00)

Nursing shoulder injury I think should be racing next month

Garrethdavis (Jan 21, 2013 at 15:01)

dusty trails. oh come on Summer!

skierdud89 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:10)

I bet someone smashed into that tree they kept showing people dodging!

ktmman143 (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:34)

sure its been answered already, but is Sam not running TLD gear anymore?

ktmman143 (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:37)

let me rephrase that, is he not wearing good looking TLD stuff, they have to get more creative with his gear than that

13 0

stiksandstones (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:48)

Sam is currently wearing Troy Lee Designs GP AIR 'Whiteout' white jersey, and White Ruckus shorts. He asked me for something fresh and clean, white, rebirth of sorts for these first few rounds. We are developing some special kits for Sam, patience mate!!

ktmman143 (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:13)

Good deal man, I was just wondering, not necessarily putting down the current gear, but I think we all like to see him in some cool stuff but whatever the TLD crew puts together I'm sure will be done right..i should have put a question mark at the end of my last statement, it wasn't a bashing but merely a question to people that know more. either way glad to see him get a win and hope he has more in him

Enduro27 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:40)

YES SAM WON!!!!!

Chaindriven (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:28)

Not much room for error on that course.

ajayflex (Jan 23, 2013 at 4:06)

Spot on! Its tight, fast and rocky, for most of the track.... plenty of helmet splitting branches to duck under too!

blackdawg (Jan 20, 2013 at 23:33)

Fearon two seconds back, awesome!

reverend (Jan 21, 2013 at 18:11)

I wouldn't mind seeing some dust in person these days.

MmmBones (Jan 21, 2013 at 22:49)

"f*cking Gwin, heha" to start 'er off? Don't think twice, it's alright.

samajhay1 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:00)

At 0.19 are those shorts just undertow pants cut into shorts ?

ol751 (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:50)

wut?

mnorris122 (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:57)

Wheres troy at?

JaseZ (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:04)

Still recovering from a shoulder injury, he's back on the XC bike though as far as i know!

cubeboy321 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:28)

Is he still injured from worlds ? Maybe

GRIEVE99 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:50)

Troy might not be racing any of the Australian races

skippy888 (Jan 20, 2013 at 21:30)

He was there, just hanging out in the tents and doing a bit of xc.

ENZ-Downunder (Jan 24, 2013 at 0:48)

skippy888 is correct, Troy was up there dong some XC riding. He will not be rushing back to racing. Probably wont see him race until the Oceana Championship is Tasmania.

bigburd (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:54)

. .

slag-society (Jan 21, 2013 at 22:03)

Racing is fun

giant11 (Jan 22, 2013 at 14:01)

where is mick?

e-cekic (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:01)

Great to finally see some technical DH tails in Australia

miff (Jan 21, 2013 at 6:30)

There's lots of tech tracks, some which are honestly world class and some which will tingle your balls like nothing else. The problem is you rarely see them ridden let alone raced on because of the logistics. Some tracks are on private property and thus we have to play by their rules, some don't meet safety requirements for holding a race event, some have terrible access etc the list goes on. What we're left with for widespread racing that Pinkbike sees is usually not the cream of our crop. For example, and some old SE Qld riders will know what I'm talking about, the original Brookfield track in Brisbane was fast, super steep, super sketchy and ultra fun. The main problem with it is getting to the top. You need good 4wd's with good drivers. The track up was as sketchy and steep as the ride back down on your bike.

hayden19 (Jan 22, 2013 at 9:41)

Finally? Buller has been raced every year for the past 10 years I think dude.
Oh i loved brooky track bro, ps its still running and being riden at the moment so its not dead. Maybe being raced again soon

Below threshold threads are hidden

Kapricorn (Jan 21, 2013 at 7:57)

last year's times for comparison (assuming it's exactly the same course, excluding conditions):
Elite Male
1 Troy Brosnan SA 3:14.14
2 Sam Hill WA 3:19.49
3 Bryn Atkinson NSW 3:20.36
4 Rick Boyer NSW 3:22.31
5 Rhys Atkinson NSW 3:22.99
6 Tim Eaton 3:24.14
7 Ben Cory ACT 3:25.62
8 Todd Madsen WA 3:25.96
9 Cillian Kennedy 3:26.11
10 Graeme Mudd 3:27.30

Elite Female
1 Tracey Hannah 3:48.04
2 Jill Kintner NSW 3:55.69
3 Shelly Flood 4:06.91

Under 19 Male
1 Connor Fearon 3:20.68
2 Thomas Crimmins 3:24.59
3 Jack Moir 3:24.69

quite slow this year in comparison. Not sure if that was actual race-run footage, but Sam looks to be cruising. I wonder when he is going to remove that leash from his neck...

atrokz (Jan 21, 2013 at 11:01)

When has a course every been 'exactly the same' with 'exactly the same conditions'?

Never.

ajayflex (Jan 23, 2013 at 4:03)

The course is slightly different from last year. The track conditions also change a lot from year to year, and there's a couple of extra turns. So, not a good comparison!

flymcg (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:57)

Is this raced one won one for sam?

25 0

dingus (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:25)

Punctuation is not your enemy.

flymcg (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:34)

Ahh the punctuation police are out tonight.

DhAYaTEi (Jan 20, 2013 at 20:09)

Yep, the police are out and you're a total heat score dude.

SuperBock (Jan 20, 2013 at 14:50)

kutdotufvylukj

TomShark (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:28)

I agree.

7 13

Massini64 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:00)

Bet Specialized are kicking themselves!

29 3

kind0fimportant (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:10)

doubt it.

8 16

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:12) (Below Threshold)

He raced Australia well last year too, and only then placed 5th overall on the WC, I doubt Specialized is loosing any sleep. I don't think this was a dominating performance. Not that he doesn't have the ability.

31 3

mnorris122 (Jan 20, 2013 at 15:15)

ONLY fifth? You go and try coming 5th on the WC circut.....

2 10

BeerGuzlinFool (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:12) (Below Threshold)

Fifth place overall is good but it's a far cry from the top 3..I think Sam will most likely be in the top 10 this year, but I do not see him getting in the top 3.. The new Bread of riders are just a step above.

11 1

finnrambo (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:43)

yea the new bread is whole grain raisin toast @ beerguzlinfool

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:46)

-4 and I am below threshold! WTF PB? @ mnorris I am not saying I could do better or even knocking him I am saying his performance in Australia last year was great and then he could only deliver 5th on the WC circuit. So the small win margin here doesn't warrant specialized to say "gee wiz... We got Aaron Gwin, when we should have kept and paid more to an injury troubled rider who said he was faster and stronger than before and then only finished 5th this season".

If he had won by 9 seconds or some tremendous amount I could see Massini64's comment being sensible.

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 16:56) (Below Threshold)

7 year age difference between 1st and 2nd place place yet only half second. Food for thought.

GoRideYoBike (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:00)

3:23.68 - 3:22.02 = 1.66 seconds.

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:04)

My bad 1.66 is all he could beat the badass Kovarik.

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:07)

I bet Nigel is wishing he had the Karver on the WC team.

ElOzwaldo (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:18)

Especially the wholegrain ones.

scriz (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:22)

The new breed is awesome, but so is Hill... his splits were really good last season, especially on the tech. stuff. I think he's probably at a disadvantage on flats on some tracks, but way more fun to watch IMHO. Really anyone in the top 10 ( or even top 80 ) in the WC is really fast. Also don't forget that w/ Troy out early Sam had to carry the Specialized flag solo all season, which has got to be tough.

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:39)

Rope-A-Dope was there too and he is pretty darn fast. Sam is at a huge disadvantage when we are talking time on clock and line choice. Compared to the new breed of rider Sam created that ride clipped in and un-weight their bikes over nasty lines with the ride style Sam made popular. Steve Smith. Enough said.

NoSkidMarks (Jan 20, 2013 at 17:41)

Sam Schooled the "New Breed". Fair call on specy not being upset, but credit where credit's due. Hill and Kovarik have more skills than any "New Breed", even if they don't beat them.

jayriley (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:13)

? The guy on the top of the podium has the most skills. Reputation doesn't win races. Go ahead negative props. I 3 Haters.

stepupcycles (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:18)

Most races the top 5 are split by only a couple of seconds so saying its a far cry from the top 3 is a bit off. Any of the top 10 riders in the wc's can win any race they enter if they are having a good day and in the right mindset. We will just have to wait and see but my money is on these three killing it this year: Steve smith, Sam hill and Danny hart.

GRIEVE99 (Jan 20, 2013 at 18:54)

Love BeerGuzlinFool's comment the new bread of riders

BeerGuzlinFool (Jan 20, 2013 at 19:10)

Breed of riders! Damn auto spell check.

NoSkidMarks (Jan 22, 2013 at 16:37)

Fastest on the day doesn't mean most skilled. It's a combination of lots of things, including luck of the run. Top of the podium every race shows skill. With age, injury and experience comes hesitation, doesn't mean you lack skill.