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We could be watching the overall decided in qualifying and it’s UNTELEVISED ☠️☠️☠️

the new forum lore, all racing threads will digress to tape chat eventually

We shouldn't be looking for ways to still give some participation trophies to riders who disobey the rules and go off course. We should be looking to punish them just enough that they're going to make a huge effort to stay on course. Is that an immediate disqualification with zero points? I don't think so. I'd like to reward qualifying for the finals. That's 30th place points. At the end of the day, a person who goes VERY slow in a section in an effort to stay on course - even going so far as to come to a stop...

I don’t think we would be talking about this if his run wasn’t broadcast, initially accepted as legitimate, and then DSQ’d from the hot seat live. How many DSQs have happened to other well liked riders in non-broadcast portions of the race weekend (Q1/Q2) or were otherwise anonymous runs (Dak DQ’d from worlds) that have just gone largely uncontested? I think people only care because of how visible this was, and how obviously heart breaking this was for Lachie, but reinvent the wheel on course limits? I don’t think that’s a measured reaction at all. I can’t think of another...

Part of the issue with sharing these photos is the context is completely missed and then you end up with a parade of people saying things like "Orbeas aren't safe". I had an athlete send a picture of a development frame snapped exactly like the Orbea (top tube and downtube snapped clean through) and immediately we started panicking about testing and strength issues. The rider basically said "this ones on me". He hit a tree head on so hard the handlebars were bent backwards and the bike went flying down the hill and fully snapped when it landed 10m away...

I’ve gotten used to the poles now. There’s still details to get worked out (I think they should be fluorescent orange). Tape has its own set of problems. If someone crashes into it, the tape breaks or gets stretched out and can get blown in the wind and can end up on the course. Riders can get tangled in it and have their runs ruined because the rider in front of them broke the tape. I didn’t like the poles at first, but I’m ok with it now.

lol intent??? We’re asking for WBD and volunteer judges and weirdo commisaires (I don’t even know what that is!) to get more involved now? Are you insane? What if a cool guy didn’t intend to crash—does he get a little time shaved off? lots of emotional decision making here. And all this for racing the clock only. You guys are a mess!

The safest best and easiest thing to do is stay on the marked course

MX and F1 penalties are subjective and inconsistent, whether it's the AMA or race director making decisions. I'd much rather have objective rules that are harsh to avoid DH becoming a political clown* show every race where results are litigated for weeks and teams with more money have more resources to figure out how to exploit the system. *more of a clown show than the UCI's already made it

I like Lachie. I want him to have his 2nd place result. Part of racing is being in control enough to stay inside the course. Lachie's left knee barely grazes the pole as he goes around it on the right side. The left side is "in" and the right side is "out." We're not talking a couple inches. We're talking a foot outside the course.

I personally loved watching the people ready to hammer that "flat" section. Man...this sport has gotten so far away from the pedaling aspect, that when you folks see it on video it bums you. Not even BMX can rival the attention to detail & commitment to excellence that is a powerful, commited DH bike sprint across shallow ground. I can still HEAR the creak of bottom brackets as raw horsepower is laid to bear on a set of cranks in person & the moan the gear makes as a powerful set of legs pushes the chain into the teeth! #powerispassion

You can see the dust from the rock strike that damaged the chain. For some reason he wasn't running a bashguard, or maybe it broke off from the same rock strike. No surprise that the chain broke.

another +1 for never ever bringing back protected status. everyone has the same poles to ride in between. stay on course, go fast, make a result. keep human judgement out of it. (still absolutely gutted for lachie)

"the Motul-lubed Flight Attendant fork on that Scott sure seems to be working well!" Just rolls off the tongue.

Henri Kiefer with an update.

Must have been the brakes

Aletha!!!!

Oh my gosh there are some negative Nancies in here. I’d rather pay even $22 and know it’s helping to pay athletes than throw money at WB and MAYBE get to see race runs that aren’t interrupted by literally anything else they think has higher ROI. I bet every single person reading this thread spends more than $11 every time they go to a coffee shop. That stupid (delicious) cardamom latte could help pay for high quality DH racing. I know I’ll be paying for this, come join me on the virtual couch.

Based on that, I would have expected Q2 women to be faster than the Juniors then. Aletha is going to kick butt next year.