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Best guess is that it’s a UCI sanctioned race so riders would have to be at least junior age.

I thought the race was fantastic. I agree it's a weird mix of people talented enough to do the course and people talented enough to race the course and the former category is wildly small. However, the course is so hard, I found every run entertaining and then I was awe-struck whenever one of the racers were able to properly attack it. It really shows how on another level Asa, Jackson (before he fell!), Lachie, and Bernard (basically the only one trying to hang on with the young'uns) are.

Millie just posted a clip of Gracey and Tayte hitting the final jump together with a comment that it unlocked the full course for both of them.

I'm pretty sure Tayte Proulx-Royds is a privateer (rode a Polygon this year). She improved all season while racing Jr's, earned an invitation to Project 17, and is riding hardline this weekend. At just 17, she could be an excellent lower-cost pickup for some teams with lots of upside.

They didn't give us any instruction on that in training. I didn't even shout at them, partly because I was farther away than some spectators and it would have been a lot of yelling. Also, everything just happens faster than you think. This happened just below the grass flat right hander after you come out of the skinny woods. A lot of riders were blowing the rut and hitting poles. The marshals were spaced such that they couldn't see which side of the poles the riders were on, so as sector manager, I walked up there and specifically watched that...

Marshals can also call it in. I marshaled and sector managed in Lake Placid and in one of the qualifiers I had to call in a privateer rider who missed, similar to Asa's Loudenvielle mishap. They missed a pole, pushed back up, but reentered the track a pole lower than where they exited. I didn't feel too bad, because they were not in position to qualify anyway, and there were no points for qualis. It would have weighed a little heavier if it were a higher ranked rider that was on pace, but it's a good thing that at least...

@mnp6 no, you've not missed an episode like that from me. I'll keep that in mind for when I get to speak to marketing leads at that scale.

With all the Asa talk, just props to Neko to making it happen. I know most people, myself included, were stoked when he showed up on his own frame out of the blue, especially after all the weird bikes he built with intense and Scott in the last fews years, but it was never a sure thing. Dude built a world cup winning bike in 5 race seasons starting with him showing up solo from scratch, hope and experience and had more wins than any other bike this season save for Vali's Supreme this season. Absolutely wild. Hoping Asa and...

Mullaly has said that nobody offered Vermette more money than they did. I’d imagine that trend will continue. Frameworks has massive partners in Fox and Red Bull…Specialized is proud to give them eebs, they’re in the wind tunnel as much as Syndicate…Aaron Gwin is a player / line coach…three elite wins and an overall, they’re big time!

Neko has hinted at this before - the team's sponsors certainly recognise Asa's value, and that of the project in general.

Don't sleep on Rosa Zierl. It's not just Aletha who is going to drop a bomb on elites next year. Gonna be good racing!

Hope he is having a cracking time.

Bode Burke spotted testing a orbea in Whistler today