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Which sport? Maybe not racing, but MTB, definately.
It is literally seeing how big and how far it is possible to go on a mountain bike.
It's the equivalent of snowsports and big chutes, and rampage, but judged by a clock, not a score-card
Just saying …
At least the French brigade and their trash-stache's aren't here and making this really inappropriate for children's eyes.
Opinions aside though, and going off some of your stats: Jackson Goldstone is the youngest winner, the first non-Brit, and the first person to win on their first go (if you don’t count Danny, who won the first ever). Also, and I didn’t look this one up, is that not also the fastest time down that hill? Can an Atherton or someone Atherton-adjacent confirm this?
In conclusion, I think it safe to assume Goldstone is officially a threat to all. SEVEN SECONDS. That is a statement.
Jackson. Wow. Crazy how easy he made it look. Even if Bernard and others had put down a perfect run, I don't see anyone getting close to him. That was master-class.
Can't wait for DH racing next year. (guess they've found one guy who'll pay for the livestream)
That’s not a vibe I’ve ever gotten from hardline where it’s a rider founded and operated event. I’ve never been to hardline, but I attended rampage 8 years straight as a digger for 5yr and media 2yr. Poached my first year in 2010. The vibe there changed immensely in 2016. I personally feel calmer and more confident at the venue during the week, than at home watching on TV where you only see the end result of everybody’s time. The calmness and comradery throughout the week is real. Hardline gives me the same impression personally. Nobody is forced to ride either of the events, they are there on their own accord. You think Kolb is gonna lose sponsors or get some asterisk next to his name for dropping out? His career sky rocketed this year, stepping down from hardline isn’t going to affect his career one bit. Just as riding it wouldn’t have elevated it any more. Jackson may gain some more clout for winning, but it’s not something his career needed. He’s already proven to everyone how solid of a rider he is and the potential threat he’ll be coming into the next few years, he was there for fun and gets to end the race season with a statement.
Jackson's win shows he was ready for the Hardline, but if it did go wrong, what are the implications for his future? He has a hell of a career ahead of him, that was a bit early to get into this.
As said by someone else here, no one push anyone to get into it and Dan Atherton has enough experience in racing and shaping to try to limit the risk as low as possible. The difference between pushing the limits and getting beyond them is very narrow, Youngsters could maybe not have the maturity to get the level of difficulty and involvement Hardline request.
world cup dh and rampage are way more entertaining for me tbh
Rampage is slightly different because there is no bigger event for the Freeride guys/ladies and I would bet a lot of their sponsorship dollars are based on them showing up to Rampage and going as big as possible.
Edit. I should also note that these are grown adults (for the most part) showing up to these events and they are the ones making their own decisions and are well aware of the negative outcomes. Just because we are not comfortable with the level of risk they take doesn't mean they should be restricted.
One thing I liked seeing was that airbag on the on/off feature in practice. And a lot of crash pads on rocks etc. Seems like that type of thing is something that could be expanded/improved upon for wcdh.
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