SAM HILL WINS - EWS Chile Race Action and Interviews

Curious question about wheel failures for this round. We're they all carbon or is there a few aluminum rims in the mix?

Mix of both. Alloy wheels are sometimes easier to fix, hammer and bend back with pliers if need be to continue. I would say it wasn’t the material of rim causing failure at this round rather the random rough nature and sniper rocks combined with long runs high speed lots of elevation and rider fatigue at altitude like never before

Thank-you to Sven for capturing the atmosphere and vibe of these far-away places. Great stuff!
That crash sequence was nasty stuff...

Again awesome, awesome coverage Sven. So good to be back into the season.

Worse when it's happening to a friend. Or anyone for that matter. The camera was put down between the crash sequence and portraits BTW. I scrambled to help until medic arrived (in seconds)
What made it better to stomach, one of the many great race doctors Dr. Nico Thumbb (real name) - Chile’s best hand surgeon was right there and cleaned and stitched Anita up on site. All the doctors getting around the tracks on bikes. Legends.

Sven is such a boss!!

That photo of Ed Masters looks so good. Style for miles.

***It was just a few meters before the start of stage four, so maybe a few style points than usual thrown in for the camera out of stage, although he was equally sideways and roosting in Saturdays in stage Stg. 1 shot on vital - and he got third then

good thing i bet all my bitcoin on Sam

What happened to Rude and Graves on day two?

Graves wheel gave up on the last stage, he did great to nurse it that far pulling great times along the way. The most DNF’s and flats in any EWS thus far. It’s wild out there, most DNF’s were wheel and it body related, but some great stories out there, McKay Vezina running the Kidson on Sunday and Kiwi Charley riding ALL of day one with only a front brake just so he could be allowed to race Sunday. True grit.

Insane how awesome these pieces are quality-wise. So much respect for you guys!

That last picture is just amazing, such a crowd that gathered!

Not a single word of what happened to Adrien... That's a shame! It's not like he is the current Vice champion! Same for Graves.

Adrian’s flat is mentioned in a Sam Hill photo from stage four. He retitred then and was never seen again hence no photo.

Hello Sven! Thanks for the update! Looks like a pretty bad flat for dnf right? Rim damaged? That's strange when you compare it to the same kind misadventure Rude faced but yet he managed to finish the race.

Somethings can be fixed and some can’t. Not every flat is the same, some are more tire related and a tube or plug can save the day, others are more severe or rim related and can not be ridden down flat. Once a rider looses a certain amount of time and thus positions they won’t receive any rankings points for that round, so to risk injury in a crash riding non functioning equipment for no points makes no sense. If adrien could have fought on he would have. Oton lost a minute the day before - he was able to plug and reinflate tire and carry on fighting back up to 11th and in the points, so in closing there’s a lot happening out there in these vast stages (not all can be covered or even seen, so info is murky at first) - none of the top guys are unprepared these days - they all want it bad, no one wants to pull out.

Thanks Sven! your inside view is a real plus! Did not think about it but yeah if it was undoable for him to get points, indeed he better stay safe for the next round. This EWS seems to be really brutal on the bikes and bodies. Did not see so much DNF before! Mega props to every one that did manage to finish this one and thanks for the covering Sven, the shots are stunning!