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Ooo. Tell more. Where there is Witek there is often conflict. 🤣
So on the Jackson deal, rooting for him this year has been the coolest since rooting for Gwin ten years ago. I can't hate on Bruni for trying to get in his head but Goldstone responded the Canadian/midwest way and let his riding do all of his talking. Couldn't be more stoked for him, I can show his vids to friends kids when he was shredding little bikes and then blow their minds by showing him winning world Champs, it's great for the sport.
I'm not sure how you do that without eliminating all spectators pre race.
extended b zone and golf rules: quiet please!
So you're saying Witek & I should not hang out togehter near the nuclear facility in Oak Ridge? Got it.
I love Witek. He’s super talented and always been great to me. But that feeling isn’t always shared by others and he doesn’t handle BS real well,,, and a lot of clients are full of BS. I think he’s probably say the same.
Loic’s dad is 10x masters champ. You don’t think he has been grooming Loic since a kid?
I take it as Jackson had a passion early on and his parents supported it.
I find it odd that this forum is about how riders celebrate after the win. I want to see hype, emotion and psych after they cross the line. Everyone who finishes a run at this level deserves to celebrate regardless of how they end up.
Henri was showing disbelief and respect, but Jordan wasn’t even able to fake the golf clap right next to him.
Not a Huge fan of golden boy, more of a humble underdog kinda guy. He sure can ride a bike though.
Frankly no I don’t think even Bruni was groomed to the same level as Jackson. Jackson was putting out edits with the likes of Stevie Smith since he was 10 years old. He probably doesn’t even remember a time in his life when he wasn’t a sponsored athlete.
If you go back and watch any of the early Lapierre team videos you can see young Bruni was completely star struck as a junior. He couldn’t believe he was on a team with his idol Blenkinsopp. Very different vibe to Jackson.
As for finish line celebrations, nobody wants to see bitter, unsporting behaviour but some of Jackson’s performances are a bit over the top, almost patronising. I’d rather see genuine disappointment than fake “stoke”.
So I’m on the “hard to root for Jackson” team. Not because of his winning streak, and definitely not because of his talent—on the contrary, his riding style and speed are incredible.
I just don’t vibe with the loud jocks who feel the need to push themselves into the spotlight at every opportunity.
I always found Gracia super annoying, think BK is cringe, and Thanee also gets on my nerves. Meanwhile, the more reserved riders like Vouilloz, Chausson, or Sam Hill—who were just as talented and fast in their time—I find extremely likable.
That’s also why I get along better with the Alrans and Asa.
I can confirm Jackson was genuinely happy to win the World Championship
I'm not sure the "#kryptonite" comment on the post about Bruni pre-Andorra and calling riders like Bruni "old cunts" in the Theo/Monster video is necessarily "letting his riding do all of his talking".
How sad. Since when did this forum become some kind of gossip column, bitching about pro riders who you don’t know personally and have probably never met?
Stop this nonsense and just enjoy the spectacle. This season is becoming another classic. Hope it goes to the final round.
You can't mention the Commencal 101 team and leave out Ava Chaumet Lagrange, her most recent result was 3rd woman overall at the French cup/Continental Series race in Les Menuires She's been coached by the Ravanels for quite a while already and also places high in XC races.
Nano Lavergne previously with Gen-S joined the X1 Racing team at the beginning of this season, which when you look at past team members is a fairly good indicator for a bright future: The Alrans. They also have Tya Surel, who we'll be talking about soon enough. She's the current U15 girls European champ.
I think it happened When wbd took over, it was like a plague of negativity sweeping the land.
Add me to the list of people interested in seeing some behind the scenes from the Lake Placid course build
I need to see this clip. Have you a link?
I have. Not sure if the time stamp will work, but 1:22:
I think @Ron_Goldstone & company have heard/seen it all typed out in the public sector. He's probably heard way worse in a lift line (where I'd be swinging on people if they negative nancy my lil athlete). 🙃
Nobody here is saying Jackson is a bad human being. We all gravitate toward different personalities.
And I wasn't taking a shot at the kid. Just pointing the possible moment of fame when he podiumed a World Cup w/ cameras focused & the internet lit up with positive/negative commentary. The home school joke was genuinely hilarious cause it fit the moment's behavior.
DISCLAIMER: No knowledge of a young man's educational background, nor do I care for it's role in his upbringing
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Everyone will have individual preferences for the athletes they are drawn to as fans.
But I also think it’s comical that there is so much discussion about who to root for/against.
How lucky are we as a sport that our two titans at the moment are Bruni and Jackson. Both seem like incredibly rad humans who are humble and genuine. Hell, nearly everyone in our sport seems awesome (I can only think of one egregious potential bad apple and a second sour one).
Have a personal favorite, but acknowledge they are all pretty damn awesome.
I agree that our athletes and "stars" are awesome, but I also think it's a healthy sign of maturation of the sport that people are looking for these distinctions in personalities and looking to root for specific athletes and create narratives and stories around those athletes.
anyone who pays attention beyond one liners taken out of context as some kind of 'proof' of being unsportsmanlike hasn't noticed how different DH is from other sports in how much the racers support one another. While sometimes frustrated with their own performance, they all seem genuinely stoked for one another and as a whole generally show great support and sportsmanship across the categories. It's pretty heartening to see in a world where everyone wants to be offended and see grievance or hold misplaced grudges.
We're so P.C. now,
Meanwhile, my generation WORSHIPS Shaun 'Napalm" Palmer 2 finger flipping off The Alien at Big Bear in a gold suit.
If you have no enemies...make some! 😁
I think everyone should have a favorite rider. And they can have that rider for whatever reason their heart fancies.
I also feel like there is a distinct difference between rooting for your guy/gal to win (encouraged) vs. rooting for someone who isn’t your person to lose (for any reason).
Some previous comments felt like they jumped that rubicon.
I don't think I've seen anything to indicate "fake" stoke. For the most part, most riders seem to be excited for each other.
Except Jordan Williams. I don't think I've ever seen him look happy, even if he's on the podium.
Missy giove uses her middle finger to brake
I fully get that it's banter. My point was more that I don't buy into the whole "it's not phasing him/he's just letting his riding do the talking." You can see from those clips and the random bits in the 'Bruni Files' video from Andorra that it's personal, which is natural.
For the record, I'm here for it. I've followed downhill for over 20 years and have seen the various rivalries come and go. As a fan, they add another layer of interest and intrigue to things, plus they help push the sport on. Bruni's been open that Jackson is making him up his game, and I imagine the feeling is mutual.
Even if Jackson and Bruni have a bit of a rivalry going, I think it comes from wanting to be the best and having an incredibly high level of competition. I don't think it comes from anything personal.
On the other hand, I kinda think Vali is having a hard time not being the fastest woman on the track this year. I'm sure part of the frustration is not performing the way she wants, but she's also been so dominant over the past few years I think it's maybe been a bit jarring for some others to come along and beat her on every track (except Worlds) this season.
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