2011 world champs Champéry - Switzerland

[Dozer]

Time to pick the winner folks! The event will be run on Sunday 4th September at the Champery course in Switzerland. We've seen some epic runs in the past and this will be no different.
Sam Hill is back for this event, can he back up his title?
Can Gwin smoke the field again?
Can Minaar pedal to the win?
Can Barel retire in style?
Can Brosnan win the junior crown with a time quicker than the elite guys?
What an event it will be!

 

[flamshmizer]

I'm going to go for Danny Hart, I think he's shown that when he's on he's on and this track will suit his style. Podium for Brosnan again though.

 

[ajay]

Sam... Hmm i think there's more to this story. It doesn't seem right that he would be racing so soon from being out of a sling, I reckon he's been keeping his cards very close to his chest, if he has only just gotten out of a sling, he won't last half the course... It's rough! I think he has something tucked up his sleeve

As for the rest, Gwin is a good bet, he just wins on everything. Definitely a few young guns in the top 10 and a podium not too different from the final round.

I would love to see Barel take the win, fairytail ending.

 

[shhhteve]

sorry i dont see sam doing anything spectacular.... to soon after surgery and not enough time spent on the bike
i would like to see hart and macdonald on the podium.... but you just cant go past gwin atm

 

[Hard and fast]

Sam... Hmm i think there's more to this story. It doesn't seem right that he would be racing so soon from being out of a sling, I reckon he's been keeping his cards very close to his chest, if he has only just gotten out of a sling, he won't last half the course... It's rough! I think he has something tucked up his sleeve

As for the rest, Gwin is a good bet, he just wins on everything. Definitely a few young guns in the top 10 and a podium not too different from the final round.

Definatley think it should be interested to see how sam goes, if it is true and he's just come out of his sling, he wont stand a chance on the Champery track, it loooks super gnarly, and really rough! But as said, he might be holding his cards.

Gwin, master of dry tracks like in Cali, so should be interesting to see if it rains like it did on 07 how he stands up in crank deep mud...
Could be the best world champs in a while.. Brosnan on podium in the elite.. I've picked it.. hahaha

1. Gee
2. Gwin
3. Brosnan
4. Minnaar
5. Hart

 

[J@se]

I reckon old Sam is being cagey. Leaving himself an excuse if he's off the pace.:single_eye:

Here's a helmet cam of the track, it looks awesome!

[video]http://video.mpora.com/watch/cdE9nMdPX/hd/[/video]

My pics are Brosnan and Fearon 1 and 2 on the Junior Podium. With Brosnan putting in a time that would see him on the Elite Podium.

For Elite Men I'm tipping,

1. Gwinja,
2. Hart,
3. Minaar.

Wildcards are Hill, MacDonald and Cole.

For the Ladiez,

1. Pugin,
2. Ragot,
3. Atherton.

 

[Staunch]

Danny Hart can definitely take it if he holds his run together, wouldn't be surprised to see him go full out and bin it though

 

[russthedog]

Gwin is such a boring dick, i choose:

1. Gee
2. Hart
3. Minaar
4. Cole
5. Barel
6. Hill


Hopefully it rains and Gwin loses his mind.

Pugin will smash the womens and Ragot will podium if she doesnt rag-doll herself.

Surprise facts:
Needles will do well again.
Matthew Scoles will Top 20.
Noone will know where Ben Reid or Adam Brayton finish, despite being mad dogs.
Blenki will finally pull a great result.
Myriam Nicole will be crazy

 

[scblack]

I'll join this contest:

1. Minnaar
2. Blenkinsop
3. Gee
4. Hill
5. Cole

Graves gets another 4X World Championship.

I agree with Sam, Gwin is dull. Boring as batshit.

Interesting facts:
Mitch Delfs will crash out (as usual :single_eye: ).
Troy Brosnan's time would podium on elite.
Hart crashes.
Gwin crashes.
I will be drunk when watching this event!:very_drunk:

 

[J@se]

Smiths not racing the Champs cause he fractured something at Val De Sol

 

[dunndog]

Gwin has won in wet too, why do you think mud doesn't suit him? Gwin, Hart, Minaar.

 

[Nerf Herder]

[video]http://video.mpora.com/watch/cdE9nMdPX/hd/[/video]

we all know video doesn't capture the full degree of steepness, so fark, how steep did it look in that head cam.

I don't care about the men's ... I just want Myriam to win :ear:

 

[scblack]

we all know video doesn't capture the full degree of steepness, so fark, how steep did it look in that head cam.

I don't care about the men's ... I just want Myriam to win :ear:

Holy crap! Steep!

 

[thecat]

1. Hannah. Finally Sik Mik gets a good clean run, everything goes his way and he takes out the champs. After which he retires, becomes a recluse and is only spoken about in legend as the ghost mtber living in the hills.

2. Hill. Sam is foxing with his shoulder. He's been in secret training and is fitter than ever. He tears the course apart but stacks 4/5 of the way down. Ripping his arm right out of his shoulder and finishing one handed to take second in another spectacular ride that becomes more revered than the winning run.

3.Gwin. Gwin has another blinder but is left wondering where Mick and Sam came from and who the hell is that Brosnan kid in juniors who scored a better time too.

4. Minnaar. Big Air goes real big off the top jump and doesn't touch the ground again until just after the half way mark. He makes up a heap of time in the air but furrows a hole 3 feet deep with his BB as he bottoms out, loosing all he gained.

5. Atherton. Gee manages to scrape into the podium after a crash sees him loose a bit of time in the rock garden. He climbs onto the podium nude with the words "All suits are gay" textaed on his arm. The UCI respondes by banning clothes in DH racing

 

[driftking]

1.Hart
2.Gee
3.Hill
4.Minnaar
5.Gwin

Unfortunately I have not been able to watch the races this year or keep as upto date as I would like but they are my picks either way,what has been happening with Brendan? Is he injured or just having bad luck? On a track like champery he is a deffinate wildcard.

 

[Ruys]

Brendan has been racing with no ACL in one of his knees. If I learnt anything about anatomy in high school PE, it's that it's important to have 2 functioning ACL's in order to be competitive at physically demanding sports. Brendan seems to disagree and has been doing well considering.

Scheduled for a reco a week after the world champs I think.

 

[needaride]

looks crazy steep in that video..

1. Gwin (can't argue with results this year)
2. Hart
3. Gee
4. Brook
5. Minnaar

 

[driftking]

looks crazy steep in that video..

Iv got some awesome photos of the track that shows how steep it is, they can all be found with some good googling. track is insane steep, I also tens to take note of the tree angle to the track decent helps show the gradient.

 

[spinner]

I would love to see Barel take the win, fairytail ending.

So would I but it's doubtful he'll race. He broke 3 ribs at Champery a few weeks ago training. That's why he didn't race VDS.

It's a shame , pretty crap way to end such an amazing career. Lets hope I'm wrong and he is in fact some kind or pre production cyborg prototype.:eyebrows:

 

[nskz]

Gwin is such a boring dick, i choose:
*snip*

There's a fair bit of hate on Gwin because he doesn't go out and party like a mad dog every race, I guess it's seen as sort of 'against the culture'? But lets get real, he one of the nicest, certainly most modest dudes in the field and he just re wrote the record books. Consider that if he hadn't crashed at Ft.Bill he would have won 6/7 rounds in dominating fashion. In one season he won more world cups than Gee has won in his entire career. Sure call the dude boring, but a dick? The dude has just taken DH to another lever, imo that earns respect. No?

Jr's I think Brosnan should walk it in barring a crash and as said above I reckon his time will be top 5 in elite, the track plays to his strengths.

Elite

1. Gwin
2. Gee
3. Hart
4. Brook
5. Minnaar

Wildcards; Blenki - he's been a bit out of form of late but could pull out a flyer, Cam Cole - probably a chance for a podium, S. Hill - who really knows where he is at fitness wise but I don't think he can play at the top level at the moment. If he's being cagey it will be like last year, way out of left field.

I hope it's dry though.