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Which ever movie it was on, it looked glorious
Rat breaking his foot
Sam at VDS worlds
Luca Shaw at Leogang, he was up up at the split before crashing
Gwin Flatting at Lenzerhied, I think he would have won that race
Gwin again at Champery, I don't think he would have beat Danny but I think he would have been closer than anyone else
Peaty's crash at Windham, they names that chute after him (Peaty's Plunge)
Sam's run at Champery is already legendary, even without the win.
Was a big "what could have been" since se was racing on home soil and would have been a pretty sweet win, was really gutted for her when she crashed...
I've never gotten to ask him if it's true. But was interesting to hear. But I'll always stand by it that Kovarik is the single fastest overall DH racer I've ever seen and I've gotten to see every generation.
Stik would be the only person I'd defer to on that one though.
I am late to this party and all you guys spit out the classic, making it a great thread.
It's been said above, but Sam at Vallnord in 2009 was a jaw dropper too, especially if you knew the terrain he crashed in; it's mind boggling. There's also the famous photo in Dirt Mag, shot by Victor Lucas (I think) with him being devastated in the finish line, head down, with one perfect drop of water dripping off his D2, drop that was snow less than 1 km above.
Another one that I remember, although I can't recall a specific incident about it, is Peaty coming in second in Kaprun 2002 on that super light, silver Orange 223. Everybody really wanted Peaty to win, you could feel it in the crowd, Kovarik was having a career year and in top shape and Nico, just as usual, ice flowing through his veins. Then, 2 years later, the huge heartbreaker in Les Gets. I was actually in a crowd of Brits, next to Pagey, who is the nicest guy ever, and the ”oooooohhh” in the moments of the crash sent me shivers down the spine. I wanted to cry and so was everyone else, I think.
And then there's Laurie Greenland's run in 2016 at Val di Sole, which is probably the loosest riding I ever witnessed. If you look at the times, there are some good seconds between him and Danny, but the pace and how it looked... damn! I was actually in The Hell, shooting my crappy pictures, and when Laurie came, I almost shat my pants, because he was super loose and I honestly thought for a second I blinded him with my silly flash, but when I looked away from the viewfinder, he didn't fall and just continued his mayhem run.
Thinking about all of these, I came to a conclusion: Peaty was probably the most LOVED racer throughout his career. People really WANTED him to succeed and they were genuinely happy about him. 2009 was such a celebration year in that regard, it was like when the hero gets the girl and they kiss at the end of the movie and everything has a happy end. Man!
Mx
L.E. Of course, I am biased about the above, because I was lucky to see them in person and that was fucking huge to me and still is. Every World Cup or World Championship I got to see in the sport that I love most and became my life was a dream come true. Every. Single. Time. And I'm sure people on this thread especially get it. I probably sound cheesy, but I honestly don't care.
Sam's '03 Lugano World Junior Champs winning run. A crash denying him fastest time of the day.
I think Kovarik's superpower was a complete lack of fear combined with amazing skill.
Another random one, but I remember Moir had a crash in Leogang in 2017 and I think still got 9th place. Given the tight times on that track in those days, it would be interesting to see where he would’ve ended up if he stayed on.
Riding it in pouring rain, crashing and still getting a podium, best ride ever hand down goes to Sam Hill!
Somebody once wrote a nice comment about how that race changed the DH racing for good with new safety protocols, introduction of qualifying points etc...
Although have to agree the best what could have been run was Sam Hill VDS 2008, literally the perfect run, until the last corner
So stoked, man! :D
Mx
Wins the 2019 Overall with multiple round wins
Who had the brain injury here bro?
Another that came to mind is Gwin In Norway at Worlds when his brakes failed. Gwin on the Trek was hard to bet against so who knows how that run would have finished had his brakes not failed.
Post a reply to: The best “what could have been” race runs in WC DH history.