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THIS. and it was kind of an underlying narrative in the recent B line podcast, where Dak just barely missed the inside pole or whatever... and chose to pull off and hike up. but if this is the officiating we can expect... and pulling off is probly guaranteed 0 or close to 0 points... the UCI has just plastered a banner to all riders that says 'send it and let god sort em out'. typically, integrity should be enough of a reward to stay inside the poles. but if cheaters get rewarded, then you've ruined the delicate balance of doing...

Assuming that Cathro's speaking the truth, the UCI basically just proved that racers should keep going if they go out of the course. They might not get penalized if they even get caught.

So is this the thing now because of the internet? Sports betting EVERYWHERE you look? Can't watch a damn hockey game without seeing betting ads every 90 seconds. I miss when it was basically just Carls Jr ads..........

Ribbed for her pleasure!

i just want to make one last comment re: deleting pics, community etc then i'll be quiet. over the last few years, i've become very aware of how much of a privilege it is to be a part of a community that is supported by some of the best brands in our game. but the key word here is community...YOU all are the community. without you and your sleuthing, your knowledge, your stoke for the sport and its equipment, or your informed opinions, vital wouldn't be very special. with that said, if all vital does is bow down to brands...

have 15 beers in the garage night before ride bars 15 degrees out of alignment dealwithit.gif

Hey guys, I just came across this. Not a new product but an ingenious way to get handlebars perfectly aligned.

We FINALLY got another B Practice recorded. Talked a lot about Dak's return to riding and racing next month. Plus all the usual drama around the first World Cup - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/all-drama-poland-daks-triumphant-retu… To listen - https://www.buzzsprout.com/78237/episodes/17228329-dakotah-norton-s-tri… To watch - https://youtu.be/nKQo845FEcQ

What's extra sick about that Andorra video is that these guys are fierce competitors...but they have no issue riding together, pushing each other on, and in doing so, potentially "giving up" some of their own advantage. I realize it's not that cut and dry, and that they are still just cruising here, but regardless...there are not that many elite level sports where you'd see this. Mountain biking rules.

does race course talk count?

In ski racing, the wand is the primary start device. As discussed when Slavik did it in the recent urban DH, for ski racing there are definite rules about how to stand to ensure you don't get an unfair advantage: legs behind the wand, poles in front of the wand, standing still; if you lift your poles you have to pause again before you can start. This makes sure everyone starts in the same spot, and you can't get a running start from back farther. I also want to mention that the want is pretty sensitive, and it is easy...

As a trail builder who likes clean forests, f*** course tape, that plastic ribbon has a way of sticking around forever. I'm talking in generalities here, not necessarily WCDH, but I'd like to see tape completely go away (same with tear-offs). Poles are a better solution, just need to use a wee bit of common sense. Stripe them if they're a caution/jump marker vs course marker. Works for color blind riders and can be done with a handy roll of gaff tape instead of having a separate inventory of markers. Just put 3 black stripes on markers that won't DQ...

1. it was addressed in this forum hours after it happened with the link to the carlson trackwalk video saying the b zone is around the jump in track and the timing banner being the course limit. 2. countless number of podcasts and people you just mentioned above talked about it after it was sorted here. the answers were out there days ago. doesn't change the fact course labeling was bush-league, but it's done and gone. all we can do is see how loudenvielle is laid out.

Don't fret, B PRACTICE IS HAPPENING THS YEAR! It might sound ridiculous, but I've had laryngitis for over a month, which makes it pretty hard to podcast haha Also Dak is in full training/recovery mode and returns texts/calls on average in 7-10 business days. Dak just got to Europe, so we are planning to podcast later this week after he wraps up some testing.

Neko talked about it on the new Downtime. Fox got it from one of the MXGP teams and don’t use it that much so he asked if he could and they said yes

Except there was at least one other jump on the track where the B line and main lines were split by a pole. Having inconsistent course markings is a recipe for misinterpretation and ambiguity.

stoked on this vid where lawlor follows jackson, troy and reece for the weekend in poland b practice will be back too!

Gwin just posted on IG they are flagging the final race course at Lake Placid today. He said one pedal out of the gate, turn and straight into the woods. he’s point to where the start will be.

stoked for this one! lawlor followed jackson, troy and reece for the weekend and here's the tale!

Amazing investigatory journalism again from our beloved forum nerds. Here's a brief interview with the Fox marketing team to see how they're feeling right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CVDFksacsY&t=81s