Watching track vids, always end up hearing "cant win the race in this section, but you can lose it"... Which has seemingly been over-used to the...
Watching track vids, always end up hearing "cant win the race in this section, but you can lose it"... Which has seemingly been over-used to the point I'm not quite sure what it means. Obviously you can throw the race away anywhere, but I assume places where you 'cant' win are typically straight sections that are one line... And sections that ARE critical to winning (but not always mentioned as such?) are usually anything with a corner where exit speed is critical and potentially even changes whether or not you can make a line or gap.
What is your opinion on it? Is it a valid sound bite every weekend? Or is it as annoying as the 'climbs like a goat, descends like a mini DH' cliche of bike reviews of yore (or not so long ago depending on the reviewer).
As someone who's won and lost bike races, I think there's something to be said for that old saying. When I was racing, I always kept...
As someone who's won and lost bike races, I think there's something to be said for that old saying. When I was racing, I always kept that phrase in mind when I was processing my nerves about a high risk section, especially the gnarly gaps that only the gnarliest riders were doing in practice. Hitting all the gnarly lines is a great way to win practice, but at Andorra, for instance, Jackson Goldstone was the only rider that I saw doing that super gnarly gap in the bottom third of the track (same rock section where Amaury ate shit and deployed his airbag), and doing that gnarly gap didn't automatically win the race for Jackson. That section ended multiple people's runs (like Amaury's), but Jordan won the race by smoothly riding the main line through those rocks, doing a much smaller little hop, and getting good backside to pump and setup for the corner early. He won by executing on the fundamentals instead of hucking for glory.
Now, sending a big gap in a race run can be really helpful mental motivation for some riders, and maybe that's why Jackson likes them so much. But Jordan won by over two seconds so I'd say the saying holds up: the race wasn't won on that section but it may have been lost on it.
Jordan is the man of "boring lines, hit to perfection" it's mesmerizing to watch him!!
Other than that: That mental boost you get from sending something well is enormous.
I only race national enduros, but one thing that has helped me a lot is picking one section on every stage and executing it exactly how I want. Nothing crazy and no hero moves. Just something I know I can do if I stay focused.
It could be opening up a corner perfectly, hitting the exact braking point, or greasing a small gap. Just one small thing.
It does a few things:
Keeps you focused.
Builds confidence through execution.
Gives you a mental boost and racerun confidence because: "Damn, that felt good."
I usually do this near the top of the stage because that confidence needs to help me all the way down :D
Suspension has always been plush vs stiff. It's the rider, their mentality & that's all there is to it. If you're a guy who raced moto or BMX transitioning into DH...rigid is what you lean toward. MTB suspension is "boingy" & "mushy" until your riding style changes over a long time. You can keep the travel stiff when that's your background cause the DH bike just seems easier. But if you come from a DH background & it's all you know...your comfort zone on the DH bike can be all over the place.
Jordi's not being an old grump when he always implies...maybe ride it and get confident riding it.
I've ridden every kind of suspension from day 1 to modern. None of it could hold me back if I felt good. All of it f***ed with me when I felt off. Best example for me & those who know the time period was Sanjay smoking Cat 1 at Big Bear National by 30 seconds on a HARDTAIL. Makes the track sound easy or the competition nothing to mention.
But damn...if you're confident, you can smoke everyone even if your suspension is a disadvantage.
Random thoughts / observations: I watched jr's this weekend. I normally don't have time and maybe just watch the highlights of them if anything. The jr women are fucking flying and its not just Aletha either. They are all tapped and riding really active on the bike. It would be interesting to see where the majority of them slotted in vs the elites. I think the Elite womans field is going to get detonated next year and they are going to need to expand the number of finals.
Maybe other riders like different setup. Remember when every rider said Gwin had poor suspension setup all while he was winning like crazy? What is...
Maybe other riders like different setup. Remember when every rider said Gwin had poor suspension setup all while he was winning like crazy? What is one person preferred setup may not be another person preferred setup.
Honest opinion he is talking shit maybe trying to get in people’s heads. He knows his days are numbered and needs any advantage he can get.
I remember watching Gwin through the rock gardens at Windham during practice, his suspension was noticeably stiffer than anyone else. In one of the straight line...
I remember watching Gwin through the rock gardens at Windham during practice, his suspension was noticeably stiffer than anyone else. In one of the straight line rock gardens in the middle of the course, it looked like he was only using 30-40% of his fork travel while other riders were using 70-80%. I remember him saying in an interview that he wanted the suspension to skip over gaps between rocks and in the trail, rather than track the ground and drop into holes. That seemed to work for him back then because he won the race, along with a many others. Maybe that style of suspension setup doesn’t work with the bikes/equipment/courses anymore, or, the riders that prefer that style of setup are aging and losing outright pace. Perhaps some of the younger riders coming up saw Bruni’s style winning races and that’s what they are used to now.
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that if those two have historically had similar suspension travel, they certainly have a different style! Even if Jackson isn't winning, his line choices and gaps sure are fun to watch. Gwin has always been one of the most "straighten-the-course" riders I've seen. Really minimizing turning, and also rarely showy in the air. But they both have won a ton of races!
i think the sentiment is that the v10 hasn't changed much in years (not a bad thing) and is a "simple" design (also not a bad...
i think the sentiment is that the v10 hasn't changed much in years (not a bad thing) and is a "simple" design (also not a bad thing). the demo is basically a new-this-year freak bike of a contraption that is holding its own, so it's kind of exciting.
It's all very strange. When Loïc (or Finn in 2022) was winning on different proto versions of this now production bike, it was always the suspension that was the key part. Now suddenly they win 4 in a row on give or take the same bike Jordan and Finn raced last year and the bike is the key? Strange, cos Finn struggled to qualify on it last year if my memory serves me.
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that...
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that if those two have historically had similar suspension travel, they certainly have a different style! Even if Jackson isn't winning, his line choices and gaps sure are fun to watch. Gwin has always been one of the most "straighten-the-course" riders I've seen. Really minimizing turning, and also rarely showy in the air. But they both have won a ton of races!
Every time I've been trackside for Gwin, his cornering speed is crazy. Hits ruts w/ very little body language & just slot cars it. Hard to explain his style b/c on video b/c he doesn't waste movement. But man...when the guy changes directions, it's forceful & intentional.
Seen the races he wins be won in all the sharp edge turns. But he makes them look...straight.
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that...
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that if those two have historically had similar suspension travel, they certainly have a different style! Even if Jackson isn't winning, his line choices and gaps sure are fun to watch. Gwin has always been one of the most "straighten-the-course" riders I've seen. Really minimizing turning, and also rarely showy in the air. But they both have won a ton of races!
Every time I've been trackside for Gwin, his cornering speed is crazy. Hits ruts w/ very little body language & just slot cars it. Hard to...
Every time I've been trackside for Gwin, his cornering speed is crazy. Hits ruts w/ very little body language & just slot cars it. Hard to explain his style b/c on video b/c he doesn't waste movement. But man...when the guy changes directions, it's forceful & intentional.
Seen the races he wins be won in all the sharp edge turns. But he makes them look...straight.
Yes, I've seen Gwin race several times, in-person. Aside from ridiculous speed and precision, he's just a master of not using any more effort than needed. People used to call him boring, say, compared to Bryceland, or later (early) Pierron, etc., but to me racing is about results, and few have compared with him on that. I mean, going from training alone in June to Qualifying and putting down a run, at today's level, at 38 years old a month later, the guy just knows how to deliver.
Unfortunately, I've never seen Jackson race, except on HBO. He should come to TN Nationals next year!
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to be the highest flat pedal DH result in years.
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to...
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to be the highest flat pedal DH result in years.
Martin Maes was 2nd with flats at Les Gets last year.
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to...
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to be the highest flat pedal DH result in years.
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to...
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to be the highest flat pedal DH result in years.
Jordan is the man of "boring lines, hit to perfection" it's mesmerizing to watch him!!
Other than that: That mental boost you get from sending something well is enormous.
I only race national enduros, but one thing that has helped me a lot is picking one section on every stage and executing it exactly how I want. Nothing crazy and no hero moves. Just something I know I can do if I stay focused.
It could be opening up a corner perfectly, hitting the exact braking point, or greasing a small gap. Just one small thing.
It does a few things:
I usually do this near the top of the stage because that confidence needs to help me all the way down :D
Suspension has always been plush vs stiff. It's the rider, their mentality & that's all there is to it.
If you're a guy who raced moto or BMX transitioning into DH...rigid is what you lean toward. MTB suspension is "boingy" & "mushy" until your riding style changes over a long time.
You can keep the travel stiff when that's your background cause the DH bike just seems easier.
But if you come from a DH background & it's all you know...your comfort zone on the DH bike can be all over the place.
Jordi's not being an old grump when he always implies...maybe ride it and get confident riding it.
I've ridden every kind of suspension from day 1 to modern. None of it could hold me back if I felt good. All of it f***ed with me when I felt off.
Best example for me & those who know the time period was Sanjay smoking Cat 1 at Big Bear National by 30 seconds on a HARDTAIL.
Makes the track sound easy or the competition nothing to mention.
But damn...if you're confident, you can smoke everyone even if your suspension is a disadvantage.
Random thoughts / observations: I watched jr's this weekend. I normally don't have time and maybe just watch the highlights of them if anything. The jr women are fucking flying and its not just Aletha either. They are all tapped and riding really active on the bike. It would be interesting to see where the majority of them slotted in vs the elites. I think the Elite womans field is going to get detonated next year and they are going to need to expand the number of finals.
Go watch the Jr's!
I've heard the same said about Jackson's suspension, ie. part of the reason he can do so many double and triples. It's a little weird, that if those two have historically had similar suspension travel, they certainly have a different style! Even if Jackson isn't winning, his line choices and gaps sure are fun to watch. Gwin has always been one of the most "straighten-the-course" riders I've seen. Really minimizing turning, and also rarely showy in the air. But they both have won a ton of races!
On the La Thuile post race downtime podcast Neko talked about how they finally got Gwin to try different suspension settings
Nothing brings you quite as close to the energy of a World Cup weekend as a Sleeper shreddit does - here's the Andorra edition for proof!
It's all very strange. When Loïc (or Finn in 2022) was winning on different proto versions of this now production bike, it was always the suspension that was the key part. Now suddenly they win 4 in a row on give or take the same bike Jordan and Finn raced last year and the bike is the key? Strange, cos Finn struggled to qualify on it last year if my memory serves me.
Every time I've been trackside for Gwin, his cornering speed is crazy. Hits ruts w/ very little body language & just slot cars it. Hard to explain his style b/c on video b/c he doesn't waste movement. But man...when the guy changes directions, it's forceful & intentional.
Seen the races he wins be won in all the sharp edge turns. But he makes them look...straight.
Yes, I've seen Gwin race several times, in-person. Aside from ridiculous speed and precision, he's just a master of not using any more effort than needed. People used to call him boring, say, compared to Bryceland, or later (early) Pierron, etc., but to me racing is about results, and few have compared with him on that. I mean, going from training alone in June to Qualifying and putting down a run, at today's level, at 38 years old a month later, the guy just knows how to deliver.
Unfortunately, I've never seen Jackson race, except on HBO. He should come to TN Nationals next year!
Random question: was Reese on flats for this podium? I know early on in the season he was running them. If he was, this has to be the highest flat pedal DH result in years.
Martin Maes was 2nd with flats at Les Gets last year.
Looks like CB Mallets in the pics.
Really? I didn't realize he's been going back to the dark side on DH bikes.
Editor's note: Sure enough, flat pedals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLUTpr1iXr0
Putting on flat pedals for a mud race is one thing. Running flats in good weather is another.
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