Quantcast

Val di Sole 2012 - Official Thread?

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
Ratboys crash was a bit tragic.
What's tragic to me is a flat pedal rider at the level of Bryceland wearing some garbage shoes and costing him results where he would do well. Sad.

It was a fantastic race though and super exciting to watch. Really wish CG hadn't had the catastrophe of a wreck that jacked him up so badly.
 

epic

Turbo Monkey
Sep 15, 2008
1,041
21
Yeah, sick riding indeed. That track was so rough, that the flat pedal riders were struggling keeping their feet on the pedals...
Ratboys crash was a bit tragic.
Maybe he will clip back in now. If I'm not mistaken he had a 2nd and a 3rd last year while clipped in. When he isn't, he mostly just crashes. How many times does he need to do this?
 

Mo(n)arch

Turbo Monkey
Dec 27, 2010
4,441
1,422
Italy/south Tyrol
Maybe he will clip back in now. If I'm not mistaken he had a 2nd and a 3rd last year while clipped in. When he isn't, he mostly just crashes. How many times does he need to do this?
Yeah, he was pretty fast until he wrecked. Pretty much like in France last year were he lost it all 30 metres before the finish line.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
Is Fort Bill this weekend? If so, I'm bummed for Stevie, caus' I doubt his hand can heal in time for him to be 100% at the race. Sucks to wait 11 weeks between rounds, and then have them back to back weekends.

What an amazing display of race-poise by Gwin. In the Dirt TV interview after the race, Minnaar said he wasn't willing to let it all hang out on that course, so it cost him. I hope he lets it all hang out the rest of the year. As amazing as Gwin's runaway season was last year, it doesn't make for very interesting spectating (for me at least). I hope Greg will keep the points race alive and keep the racing interesting... And that Smith heals up quick. Like bionic quick!

edited to add:

What's tragic to me is a flat pedal rider at the level of Bryceland wearing some garbage shoes and costing him results where he would do well. Sad.
what do you mean garbage shoes. In this pic from http://www.mtb-news.de/ it sure looks to me like he's running 5.10 rubber


though I tend to agree with the others that say that on really rough tracks, clipless pedals can keep your feet on the pedals much better than flats...
 
Last edited:

rayhaan

Monkey
Oct 18, 2007
522
0
ireland
What's tragic to me is a flat pedal rider at the level of Bryceland wearing some garbage shoes and costing him results where he would do well. Sad.

It was a fantastic race though and super exciting to watch. Really wish CG hadn't had the catastrophe of a wreck that jacked him up so badly.
The race was just epic, Gwin is incredible, there are no other words for the way he rides that bike, mind blowing!

Regarding Bryceland, I also do not get why he races on flats when he either always slips a pedal, or crashes...makes no sense really.

Devastated for CG, he was riding well in all the other races he has been competing in so far. It is such a horrible injury he has, I do hope he has a speedy recovery.

I saw one photo of his shoes that he was using, it looked they had been re-soled with stealth rubber, I could be wrong though.
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
edited to add:
what do you mean garbage shoes. In this pic it sure looks to me like he's running 5.10 rubber


though I tend to agree with the others that say that on really rough tracks, clipless pedals can keep your feet on the pedals much better than flats...
there's a pic from practice on one of the big sites (Tri-ride maybe?) it clearly showed Rat Boy racing with some kind of hightop Fox shoes, but if you look closely you could see they were resoled with Stealth Rubber. Regardless, there doesn't seem to be another rider that talented that has so many pedal/shoe issues as him.
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
edited to add:



what do you mean garbage shoes. In this pic it sure looks to me like he's running 5.10 rubber.
I mean, re-soled with Stealth rubber or not, he always seems to be wearing some floppy, skate-style shoe from one of his sponsors rather than a proper flat-pedal DH shoe.
 

dbnickles

Chimp
Apr 21, 2009
11
2
I hope he lets it all hang out the rest of the year. As amazing as Gwin's runaway season was last year, it doesn't make for very interesting spectating (for me at least). I hope Greg will keep the points race alive and keep the racing interesting... And that Smith heals up quick. Like bionic quick!
Yeah as much as it is nice to see Gwin's down right speed, he is just boring to watch as a spectator..mechanic's (skill) wise he has it all there, i would like to see a little showmanship out of him. Hope for him to win it all again but would like to see him pushed by Steve S. an Greg to keep it fun...
 

Mo(n)arch

Turbo Monkey
Dec 27, 2010
4,441
1,422
Italy/south Tyrol
Yep. maybe he should put some roosting, whipping and scrubbing in his riding. And start to gap half the mountain with the speed he has to use a bit more than half the travel of his fork.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
there's a pic from practice on one of the big sites (Tri-ride maybe?) it clearly showed Rat Boy racing with some kind of hightop Fox shoes, but if you look closely you could see they were resoled with Stealth Rubber. Regardless, there doesn't seem to be another rider that talented that has so many pedal/shoe issues as him.
That is a http://www.mtb-news.de/ picture. I thought they had their watermark on it, and linked to it. I'm not trying to steal their images or anything... hope that's ok. I'll go and edit my post to reflect where the image comes from...
 

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
Yeah as much as it is nice to see Gwin's down right speed, he is just boring to watch as a spectator..mechanic's (skill) wise he has it all there, i would like to see a little showmanship out of him. Hope for him to win it all again but would like to see him pushed by Steve S. an Greg to keep it fun...
I kind of think the only ones who could push him is a 100% Gee and maybe Sam Hill as the season progresses.

Saw Gwin the other week at Pkill. At end of practice he was sessioning and doing a photo shoot. One section there was a really awkward natural double. I was standing 3 feet from him, he pulled up so hard on the bars trying to hit this thing it looked like he was deadlifting. Then other times Him and Leov seemed to have comparable speed in the short bursts while sessioning but Gwin looked like it required loads less effort....
 

Grisha

Chimp
Jan 5, 2011
29
0
Germany
I kind of think the only ones who could push him is a 100% Gee and maybe Sam Hill as the season progresses.
I think right now Minaar is pushing him quite hard, if he gives 100% he is able to beat Gwin (as he showed in SA), even though he doesn't look as fascinating as Hill or as strong as Gee Atherton!

Does anyone know how Troy Brosnan is doing? I heard about some internal injuries and that he'll be out for a long time, but nothing specific! I really hope he's back on the bike soon!
 

dbnickles

Chimp
Apr 21, 2009
11
2
I think right now Minaar is pushing him quite hard, if he gives 100% he is able to beat Gwin (as he showed in SA), even though he doesn't look as fascinating as Hill or as strong as Gee Atherton
Gee looked really good yesterday...an hill is just plain fun to watch, that's an awesome top 5
 

aaronjb

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2010
1,105
659
Does anyone know how Troy Brosnan is doing? I heard about some internal injuries and that he'll be out for a long time, but nothing specific! I really hope he's back on the bike soon!
Yeah, when they started talking "spleen" with reference to Brosnan, it didn't sound good.
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
gwin is at that point sam hill was a few years ago - if he doesn't crash, he's got the race wrapped up.

lets talk about the fight for 2nd! Is anybody else impressed that minnaar managed to turn his reputation around so hard when it comes to the steep gnarly trails? I'm not really, but it seemed like a few years ago, nobody would ever have pegged him for a top result on a trail like that.

And gee was pretty wild as well, riding so well after so many big injuries and offs.
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
lets talk about the fight for 2nd! Is anybody else impressed that minnaar managed to turn his reputation around so hard when it comes to the steep gnarly trails? I'm not really, but it seemed like a few years ago, nobody would ever have pegged him for a top result on a trail like that.
I thought the exact same thing, he's stepped up his game for sure.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
Yeah as much as it is nice to see Gwin's down right speed, he is just boring to watch as a spectator..mechanic's (skill) wise he has it all there, i would like to see a little showmanship out of him. Hope for him to win it all again but would like to see him pushed by Steve S. an Greg to keep it fun...
World Cup overall with 5 wins and winning Val Di Sole by 8 seconds isn't enough showmanship for you? Maybe you should check out a different sport than downhill mountain bike racing.
 

batts65

Monkey
Aug 27, 2002
182
0
Upstate NY
Just watched the Dirt video for the finals and it did not even hit me until they said it. Fox swept the podium. When was the last time there was not a single Boxxer in the top 5??? Ever??? (modern times, since 2000)
 
Last edited:

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
There was one single steep chute just before or after the visible time split that pops on screen where the angle is from almost directly behind the rider. Straight chute with a tree on riders right at the bottom of it, then the next section is visible to riders right.

It was blown out holes and most all hit it tentative, but aggressive, with Cole getting a little squirrely at the bottom dodging the tree. That little bit, when watched on Gwin's run is very telling of his speed versus all others.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
lets talk about the fight for 2nd! Is anybody else impressed that minnaar managed to turn his reputation around so hard when it comes to the steep gnarly trails? I'm not really, but it seemed like a few years ago, nobody would ever have pegged him for a top result on a trail like that.
I never really understood why Greg had that reputation. He's always performed well at MSA and Fort Bill, and I've alsways undertood those to be gnarly and technical. I've always thought of Greg as a master of smooth, making technical courses look easy, and therefore less exciting to watch. Kinda the same thing people are saying about Gwin now.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
Just watched the Dirt video for the finals and it did not even hit me until they said it. Fox swept the podium. When was the last time there was not a single Boxxer in the top 5??? Ever??? (modern times, since 2000)
and on a brand new product no less. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first WC race those things were used on. (Unless Gwin had prototype versions of them but they weren't public about them)
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
and on a brand new product no less. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first WC race those things were used on. (Unless Gwin had prototype versions of them but they weren't public about them)
they were semi public about them, he was running them from leogang on last year i think. I think this is the all new product, he was running the proto in the old fork. They also said they had an all new damper.
 

livanh

Chimp
Jun 17, 2011
20
3
I think right now Minaar is pushing him quite hard, if he gives 100% he is able to beat Gwin (as he showed in SA), even though he doesn't look as fascinating as Hill or as strong as Gee Atherton!
Minaar surely did give 100%. what he meant i think was hes not willing to risk his health on a track like that. meaning if you push it past 100% and lose that gamble you will get hurt, probably badly.

i somehow think Hill is right now thinking somewhat along those lines given his injuries in the past 2 seasons.
thought he did exceptionally well in the aussie nationals. hope he can up his game right to his edge and not over it again too soon.

despite Gwins huge lead in val di sole, i dont think this season will be quite as clear as last year. on less risky
tracks Minaar will be closer. fully healed gee and some of the younger riders will risk everything on the gnarly tracks.
 

dublindh

Chimp
Jun 22, 2008
94
0
Its not his bike or its setup. Its not even his training. Some things really do not need analyzing.
The sky is blue, water is wet, and Aaron Gwinn is the fastest mother****er on the planet on a bicycle.
you could not be more incorrect.....

gwin is a package.......he has the bike,the prototype gear,the mechanic,the physique,the superhard forks,the money,the support,the mx friends,the red bull helmet, all of that **** equates to this beast of a racer he has developed into.
he knows he can win pretty much any race and to be honest i wasnt even surprised when i saw that first split...fair dues to him though i hated him all last year then i watched i think the dirttv post p.m.b race interviews and he came accross very well and conveyed a good attitude towards racing these days....he is in form and he knows it i reckon he'll be at least 4 secs up at the first split next weekend....

however he is not the fastest mother****er on the planet on a bicycle...HILL is and always will be the fastest man on a bike,and yes i ride a demo and a hill d3,hopefully he finds some form and starts putting the fear back into those clipping in......

here i enclose a link containing a informational video regarding above topic
 

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,596
5,894
in a single wide, cooking meth...
you could not be more incorrect.....

gwin is a package.......he has the bike,the prototype gear,the mechanic,the physique,the superhard forks,the money,the support,the mx friends,the red bull helmet, all of that **** equates to this beast of a racer he has developed into.
he knows he can win pretty much any race and to be honest i wasnt even surprised when i saw that first split...fair dues to him though i hated him all last year then i watched i think the dirttv post p.m.b race interviews and he came accross very well and conveyed a good attitude towards racing these days....he is in form and he knows it i reckon he'll be at least 4 secs up at the first split next weekend....

however he is not the fastest mother****er on the planet on a bicycle...HILL is and always will be the fastest man on a bike,and yes i ride a demo and a hill d3,hopefully he finds some form and starts putting the fear back into those clipping in......

here i enclose a link containing a informational video regarding above topic


I know it's only June, but we may have the turbo fan boi post of the year. Many, many, lulz...
 
Last edited:

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
I was just looking at Gee's bike check (on NSMB.com), and noticed his rims. They're un-badged. Does anyone know if they are still working with Stans on a tubeless DH-specific rim? they look like they could be Stans given that there's no eyelets... and the shape is reminiscent of a Flow... but honestly, I'm not that good at spotting stuff from a few pictures. So I'm putting it to the forum!

If they are the Stans DH rims, then I'd say this weekend was a good testing/proving ground for them... If they're good enough for Gee at Val di Sol, then they're good enough for me!

Stan, make 'em public and bring 'em out, please!!!
 

Bedlam

Monkey
Feb 13, 2010
240
0
Under ground
fully healed gee and some of the younger riders will risk everything on the gnarly tracks.
Damn, this made me realize that a friend of my gf broke her leg in a car accident this winter in a similar way that Gee broke his. She's fairly athletic, rides a lot of road and cross country skiing, and her doctor told her not to expect to be in 100% strength within a year or so. Gee making that run this early really makes me excited for the rest of the season!

Also on that topic, Stevie Smith... That hand looked plain nasty!
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
Minaar surely did give 100%. what he meant i think was hes not willing to risk his health on a track like that. meaning if you push it past 100% and lose that gamble you will get hurt, probably badly.
Can we talk about the Christianity aspect again?
I think there may be some correlation there - this is just my opinion. Minnaar is a smart guy and he wants to win, but he realizes that gambling on a track like Val di Sole can cost him a lot more than just a single race. If Gwin feels like he is "protected" or that his belief will prevent anything terrible from happening to him, then he is going to be a lot more willing to let it all hang out. Again, this is just speculation on my part. I will say that watching Gwin's run yesterday and the discussion about his suspension setup, I thought "he must be one seriously strong mofo".
 

MFrider

Monkey
Jul 10, 2009
138
0
The East
Who says Gwin went out of his comfort zone??
Maybe he is really that quick and did not take chances like Minnaar.
The only thing we do know is the man crushed it and not once did he look like he was out of control. Neither did Minnaar, but 7+ seconds shows that there is a difference between the two of them riding within their limits on a nasty track.
Sounds like Gwin is ready for FB too, states last year it was his best run of the season and it was his worst finish because of a crash.
 

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
Who says Gwin went out of his comfort zone??
Maybe he is really that quick and did not take chances like Minnaar.
The only thing we do know is the man crushed it and not once did he look like he was out of control. Neither did Minnaar, but 7+ seconds shows that there is a difference between the two of them riding within their limits on a nasty track.
Sounds like Gwin is ready for FB too, states last year it was his best run of the season and it was his worst finish because of a crash.
Minnaar is monster on the motorway at the end.

Those long limbs and excellent cardio really carry him strong to the finishline.