DH WORLD CUP 2015 - follow the season here with predictions, laments and discussion!
- Thread starter Dene Dweller
- Start date
Gotcha. :llama:
I like Gee. I've been around the guy for a few hours riding on a non race weekend and he was nothing but fun times. He cops a bit of shit which comes from the band wagon I reckon; many people put together an image of him based on the dribble other people talk.
indica
Serial flasher
I just base it on what I have seen of him regarding interviews and races, he appears to display particularly poor attitude.
Irrelevant really.
Good to see a proper big and nasty track used for a champs.
I wonder if Sam will keep going or chuck it?
Pity Ragot was broken, she would have bee good to see on this one.
hazza6542
Eats Squid
One bad season of injuries isn't enough for him to leave, read interviews and it comes across as he enjoys just riding a bike as much as racing, he's just another bloke loving bikes. Why leave the world level to keep riding at home anyway. He'll be back next year, just praying that crash didn't do his shoulder in again.
ajay
^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
He looked fine, just an ejection into the nets. Going by recent interviews, he's hungry to come back next year and have at it.
indica
Serial flasher
Just watched a few again. How was Mick's exit from that last corner? Almost jumped across the finish line.
Troy looked like he was going to suck into the crowd off that last jump.
And props to Loic, everyone jumped on him, even that mad blonde woman from the Syndicate team.
Mental.
Troy looked like he was going to suck into the crowd off that last jump.
And props to Loic, everyone jumped on him, even that mad blonde woman from the Syndicate team.
Mental.
ajay
^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
Haha yeah there was some mega loose entries/exits into the finishing area. There was a girl early on in the piece that hit it flat out with no feet, had massive over-steer moment in the berm and somehow kept it upright! :hail:
Definitely had a little patch on his elbow.
Was a pretty hard off that he had, made worse that he wasn't expecting it. I had a night time pedal clip a few months back, rib busted in 3 places. One minute upright and powering on, next minute on my back going "PHOOOooooooo....... fuck". They hurt.
Was a pretty hard off that he had, made worse that he wasn't expecting it. I had a night time pedal clip a few months back, rib busted in 3 places. One minute upright and powering on, next minute on my back going "PHOOOooooooo....... fuck". They hurt.
shake_rattle_and_ roll
Pumpin'
Ouch ouch ouch. Nothing worse than instant go-to-whoa moments. Super lucky to come out of it the way he did.
For those of you on Facebook here's a great little clip from the Frenchies & how both Nico & Fabien reacted to the news of Loic's win.
https://www.facebook.com/genepiFILM/videos/10152971318922245/?fref=nf
Last edited:
ajay
^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
That was awesome. Between Nico, Fabien, Anne-carro and now possibly Loic, the french really have the world champs recipe sorted.
shake_rattle_and_ roll
Pumpin'
Yep, hard to dispute that as far as Champs are concerned the French know how to lay their chips down.
Last edited:
Am I not alone finding it hard to rate Gwin as a top rider/complete champion? Sure he smashes it in World Cups but can't deliver at World Champs time!
Bruni deserved to win! Really good World Cup season with wins beckoning but I'm sure he'd rank the World Champs win as more important overall! I reckon the confidence will do him good and he'll go on with it!
Wyn and Eddie Masters crack me up, both mucking around at the start gate before each of their runs!
Bruni deserved to win! Really good World Cup season with wins beckoning but I'm sure he'd rank the World Champs win as more important overall! I reckon the confidence will do him good and he'll go on with it!
Wyn and Eddie Masters crack me up, both mucking around at the start gate before each of their runs!
Beej1
Senior Member
Depends on your view I guess.
The way I look at it, the difference between a World Cup round, and the World Championships, is fuck all.
Same track (with a little maintenance work). Same bike (with different paint). Unless things have changed since Canberra, they mostly hang out with their professional teammates as opposed to fellow country-folk.
The only difference seems to be a different country-themed outfit on race day, and the added hype that it's supposedly more important than a season's worth of consistent performance.
Having said all that, if DH made it into the Olympics, that'd totally be more important. Because Olympics.
Given that sports funding in Australia is driven by the likelihood of future gold medals, you are correct - it would be a shitload more important, because currently MTB gets the least funding of any type of cycling due to there only being two medals on offer, as opposed to 4 in road, two in BMX which we have a really good chance at winning, and 50 billion in track.
Plus, you're world cup leader for a race, world champion for a year, and Olympic champion for four years. Most riders would be lucky to be selected, let alone relevant at two Olympics.
scblack
Leucocholic
I think very similar to you. Gwin has an ability to win World Cups and is an amazing rider no doubt. But in the full on pressure of the biggest race of the year he has consistently crashed out.
Sam Hill, Greg Minnaar and Gee Atherton have each won world cups but also World Championships multiple times. I'd say they each have an ability to raise the level of their riding beyond World Cup standards - possibly Gwin is peaking his standard at the World Cups and overstretching for World Championships.
I had a conversation with a pommie mate a few years back, which is on the same theme. In English soccer they do not have grand finals, or at least didn't when he was over there. He felt the best side possible was the one who topped the table at the end of the season, like the Minor Premiership. In Australia we've always had the finals series culminating in the Grand Final, and the winner on the day is the real Premiers. My argument was that the best side had the ability on the day of the Grand Final to lift their game for the biggest win of the year. As is always analysed, Grand Final football is different to the grind of standard round games.
Gwin has failed to lift his game that way, and I agree with you Richie. Gwin has (so far) not managed that top step.