BM Epic
Eats Squid
Ahh thats what he was referring to, when i wastched it for the 2nd time this arvo i thought i heard him say something about 2 crashes in practice?
UCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2013: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- Thread starter indica
- Start date
Brooksy007
Likes Dirt
Grave 3rd on Enduro
Is it just me or does anyone else think it is stupid that someone can do so well on an Enduro set-up?
Don't get me wrong - I think it is awesome we had 2nd and 3rd - but DH bikes have 200mm+ travel for a reason: because it makes getting through really rough sh!t much easier... If you have basically no rough stuff on a DH trail, to me it is not a downhill trail.
Going as fast as those guys would be f'n awesome and damn scary, but to me it is a very long, single 4X track, with a couple of piss-weak 1-3 sec rock gardens thrown in (which most of the guys completely gapped anyway...).
Bring back Real DH tracks! Bring on Cairns (I hope...)!
Is it just me or does anyone else think it is stupid that someone can do so well on an Enduro set-up?
Don't get me wrong - I think it is awesome we had 2nd and 3rd - but DH bikes have 200mm+ travel for a reason: because it makes getting through really rough sh!t much easier... If you have basically no rough stuff on a DH trail, to me it is not a downhill trail.
Going as fast as those guys would be f'n awesome and damn scary, but to me it is a very long, single 4X track, with a couple of piss-weak 1-3 sec rock gardens thrown in (which most of the guys completely gapped anyway...).
Bring back Real DH tracks! Bring on Cairns (I hope...)!
MARKL
Eats Squid
I love watching Champery, Andora and Val Di Sol so I was all prepared to whinge about the track but it was a fun race to watch, the track flowed well and the fast section with the big jumps was just insane. Stoked for Gravy and Mick and you have to take your hat of Greg. Any news on Sam? Hopefully nothing serious.
thecat
NSWMTB, Central Tableland MBC
Choosing the right equipment for the track is all part of the challenge. The big question would be how would Graves had gone is he had ran a DH bike with his mad skills and ballistic fitness?
BLAKE-2234
Likes Bikes and Dirt
hardly considerable if you've seen the top section (which caught out many riders) it wasn't easy and definitely DH stuff
graves only rode his endure bike as he didn't want to have to get used to his DH bike all over again hes been riding gnarly stuff all year on his endure bike he was comfortable on it so felt he should stick to it, he admitted it wouldn't be the best for the top of the track but knew would gain in the bottom sections
he also said that he never felt comfortable on his DH bike when he rode ft bill at the start of the season he switched out parts on the endure to make it more DH worthy bigger forks tougher wheels etc props to him for doing it and proving his rider capabilities I expect to see sooo much more from gravesy in the coming years
flamshmizer
Likes Dirt
Whatever happened to "It's the rider not the bike"? Grave's has always placed well here, but he's just silly fit now and has been getting loads of experience with enduro. It gets tossed around a lot at the moment but he really is on the form of his life, he could probably win 4x next week if he entered.
I'm so amazingly stoked for graves, what a weapon to ride such a high speed track on a 6" bike. Gotta be one of the longest stretches in a hot seat that I can remember. I thought he'd be solidly in the top ten but 3rd is one of his best results ever.
Gutted for Mick, soooo close. I don't mind Minaar but Aussie pride, plus he's always been knocking at the door and never quite made it.
We had two Aussies in the top 5 for Mens Elite, Womens Elite, Womens Juniors and 1 in the top 5 for Men's Juniors. That is a hell of an acheivement. For some reason Aussie's seem to be good at high speed flat dusty tracks. Whodathunkit.
(Admittedly womens juniors only had 5 riders but we got 2nd and 3rd so we'll count it anyway)
e/ and Blenki in 5th! The little bugger pedalling up with the big boys is pretty impressive.
Dene Dweller
Likes Dirt
I'm freaked out by Graveys calves he is a beast, they make Kovarik look like he has chicken legs.
cruxpitch
Likes Dirt
hahah I'm with you, always happens. Iv spoken about troy and sams double gold a few years back with no coverage.
I'm learning to get over it though.
We also got a silver and bronze in jnr women
I strongly feel dh is one of the most difficult and involved sports we have in today's age. At first I was pissed because its not getting recognition, but at the end of the day I figured we love our sport for what it is, we shouldn't be out to get attention or fame but just love our sport. Albeit It is wrong to not speak about world champs and still talk talk about golfers and rowers who qualify or something really minor. The riders still deserve respect and recognition. That still flames me.
BLAKE-2234
Likes Bikes and Dirt
spot on these guys are putting in the hard yards not only for them but for their country aswell it would be nice to see a clip or 2 on mainstream news could get it out there a little more and promote our sport after all more riders more money more events right?
Beej1
Senior Member
I totally agree that our MTB riders should be getting more news coverage. I was having the same conversation with my wife sitting in front of the TV the other day. For 6+ months the "did they?" "didn't they?" Essendon saga was ever-present in local sports news. For months before that it was Lance Armstrong doping. It just seems like the celebration of achievement is no longer satisfying news. That is ... I could start a news channel today that did nothing but provide reports on sporting events and list results etc, and it would be off the air in a few weeks since nobody would watch it, since everybody is so obsessed with scandal and hype and bullshit these days.
Anyway ... I say this because I would honestly be interested to know how much each rider is really riding 'for their country'? And how much is it for their team, or indeed, for themselves? For an Australian MTB rider ... where you don't even get a 10sec newsbyte if you win ... are they really thinking "Go Aussie" while they pin it toward the finish line?
* though I did see Caro Buchanan and Jared Graves next to each other for a 4X champions photo shoot.
^ This made me remember something - I remember walking around the main event centre at the 2009 worlds and noticing that hardly anyone on the Australian team would talk to each other, or be seen together*, or seem to act like a 'team'. It was pretty much just like the World Cup the year previously, only different uniforms on race day. I guess I was expecting it to be different - where there was an Australian tent, a French one, a Canadian one etc. But then it dawned on me that Australia wasn't paying them to be there and race - their professional teams & sponsors were. So of course they didn't hang out with their countrymen & women, they hung out with their teammates.
Anyway ... I say this because I would honestly be interested to know how much each rider is really riding 'for their country'? And how much is it for their team, or indeed, for themselves? For an Australian MTB rider ... where you don't even get a 10sec newsbyte if you win ... are they really thinking "Go Aussie" while they pin it toward the finish line?
* though I did see Caro Buchanan and Jared Graves next to each other for a 4X champions photo shoot.
I think more recognition for Mountain Biking, in-particular Downhill, could only cripple the sport, even more.
What positive outcomes does recognition really have? You'd get more people (potentially riding bikes), meaning that environmentalists would be going bat shit berzerk. Outside non-biking related companies (this is already happening) would start getting interested for purely MONEY purposes and change the sport. It's influence on young people would somehow incur changes in the sport to make it more user-friendly. Same thing happened to AFL. There are many more as well.... but, another time.
If rider's or the athletes feel they need more appreciation from a wider audience for what they do, then they genuinely don't appreciate the supporters they have now.
What positive outcomes does recognition really have? You'd get more people (potentially riding bikes), meaning that environmentalists would be going bat shit berzerk. Outside non-biking related companies (this is already happening) would start getting interested for purely MONEY purposes and change the sport. It's influence on young people would somehow incur changes in the sport to make it more user-friendly. Same thing happened to AFL. There are many more as well.... but, another time.
If rider's or the athletes feel they need more appreciation from a wider audience for what they do, then they genuinely don't appreciate the supporters they have now.
I would suggest you look at places like canada and the US who have more exposure of the sport, with more riders and more support it may bring up environmental probles but that also brings up the push for more legal trails, it brings to the tabel more reason to build proper riding trails or for ski mountains to expanding into the summer sport. NZ has great support from the government and they have dh trails built which are legal and signed for riders to give way, its developing over there to be a genuine sport and recreational activity.
Its fairly in the shadows here in australia with those out of the riding circles having no idea what it is.
Its not so much of wanting recognition but been recognized. Its one thing to want something and to deserve something. Riders are probably happy with the recognition they get at the end of the day we don't ride for recognition but for love of the sport but they still deserve recognition for been the best in the world and achieving what they have. if we can recognize golfer who make a top 70 cut and swimmers who won their heat and virtually every other form of world champ qualifiers and final im sure we can give some respect for world competitors and the journey they take in the sport.
I will bluntly say right now riding takes more skill than running 100meters or other sports, they both take 100% dedication for the athlete but riding encompasses so many more factors that the athlete needs to be highly trained and skilled in where others tend to have very few focuses. Riding also has the external uncontrollable variables which makes it even more difficult to adapt to the unknown on your run and come out victorious.
I 100% believe its on par with the best of those like f1 (some how these guys managed to control like 50 sub settings on that steering wheel while doing 300km/h I wonder how much more dangerous that is than texting aha.)
Passion aside its not about flaunting the sport its just about giving recognition where its due to the athlete.
Why is mainstream TV a frontier for recognition? Hardly any fuckers watch TV anymore, being on the internet is more important, more people use it, and more often. We (in a moronic generalisation way) associate getting onto Channel 10s play of the day, as making it to the masses, yeahhhhhh right, maybe in 1990.
You just sit back and watch as Downhill get's consumed by money and loses it's Integrity (which it already is), just like every other sport.
You just sit back and watch as Downhill get's consumed by money and loses it's Integrity (which it already is), just like every other sport.
chinski
Likes Bikes
I don't turn on my TV anymore except to plug in my laptop for DH & MotoGP races which I stream online, who gives 2 fucks what goes on the "news" anyway best thing you can do is turn the idiot box off, watch only what you want to with no Ads.
Great riding there, especially Graves & Hannah too was awesome to watch !
Great riding there, especially Graves & Hannah too was awesome to watch !
slamer
Likes Dirt
I am selfishly annoyed there aren't many team videos out yet. I thought id'e post some here since its the World Champs thread. Please correct me if I've missed any
Lapierre http://mpora.com/videos/AAdkkiei5dab
Santa Cruz http://vimeo.com/73765526
bonus trek helmetcam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkpKc3H9Oh0
Lapierre http://mpora.com/videos/AAdkkiei5dab
Santa Cruz http://vimeo.com/73765526
bonus trek helmetcam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkpKc3H9Oh0
That's the way to do it, unfortunately I can't stream due to the exchange been so far away my speed is too slow. So I just live with my f1 as breaks every 7laps and continue to get annoyed at channel 10
