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4 Minute Video Clip of DH Race at Long Gully, New Zealand

T

Tama

Chimp
Mar 21, 2002
13
0
Welly - NZ
Here's a 4 minute video clip showing some DH action and spills from a round of the New Zealand Downhill Nationals held at Long Gully earlier this year. The wind stopped the riders from really launching, but there's still some damn fine action.

Video Clip => http://www.vorb.org.nz/ftopict-23548.html

A feature of the course is the "Pig Chute" which has bitten many riders hard - like this:

Pig Chute Crash => http://www.vorb.org.nz/ftopict-19904.html

Cheers
Tama
 
T

Tama

Chimp
Mar 21, 2002
13
0
Welly - NZ
Drop In came and sessioned Long Gully for Season 4 - Steve Romaniuk sprained his hand on entry to the "Pig Chute" and Randy Spangler needed 15 stitches after he overshot the transistion. That section bites quite a few people - you need the nads to keep the speed tapped down the chute, but not go out of control, and then you need to hit the kicker with enough speed to boost over the ridge onto a blind landing. Scary stuff.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,699
1,750
chez moi
Long gully is an awesome course. All I could think while riding it was how we should have more courses like it in the US.

The 'pig chute' claimed me 2-3 times before I found the right line to enter it. Once you've got the line, you just point, hold the brakes for a bit, then let go and let it take you down to the bottom and back up to the stepup.

And there's a parallel 'freeride' course, too...for the hucksters and groms.

The Christchurch nationals course was awesome, too...long and brutal, with no open sections or 'rest' sections...hammers you the whole way down.

End section of the Long Gully course:

Freeride course:
 
Superdeft

Superdeft

Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
863
0
East Coast
I really like how the racers are just floating 10 feet up over the top, and the spectators can be standing there watching them fly up and over. Awesome.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,699
1,750
chez moi
Oh, hey, Tama, I think a description of gorse is in order...the course's hidden danger. (well, the hidden danger of riding in NZ anywhere, really). Doesn't come out so well in the vid.

And why do Rammstein lyrics always sound like they were written by Mr. Hammermeister's freshman German class?

MD
 
K

Kram

Chimp
Oct 5, 2001
49
0
New Zealand
Yep the gorse (the pretty looking yellow flower) is in fact EVIL. It is just covered in millions of sharp needles. The good thing is that the bush yeilds so if you crash hard it can save your ass but you'll be picking needles out of yourself for the next 3 days.

John Kirkcaldie is the guy clearing the stepup better than anyone else and he went on to win that race.

MikeD I think I met you at Long Gully. I was the dude with the broken leg digging.
 
Percy

Percy

Monkey
May 2, 2005
426
0
Christchurch NZ
Gorse is great stuff..........NOT!
I hit 2 gorse bushes when I raced that course in 04,in fact the 2 right at the top just after the start!

The Pig chute is scary as hell,its so fast and so rough its just point and hang on!
 
K

kicknitLivE

Monkey
Jul 12, 2004
152
0
Boulder
Looks like the guy on the turner was the only one to truly ace the step up.. by clearing the mound altogether and riding away smooth!! Well done mate.
 
Percy

Percy

Monkey
May 2, 2005
426
0
Christchurch NZ
kicknitLivE said:
Looks like the guy on the turner was the only one to truly ace the step up.. by clearing the mound altogether and riding away smooth!! Well done mate.
Click to expand...
It was John Kirkaldie,and its his own track! :thumb:
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,699
1,750
chez moi
Kram said:
MikeD I think I met you at Long Gully. I was the dude with the broken leg digging.
Click to expand...
Yis (that's my fake New Zealand accent...), I remember you. How's the leg coming along?

Had a blast riding that day...just wish my bike hadn't been falling apart at the time! Would've been even better to have my DH machine, armor, and fullface...perfect for the course.

MD
 
mack

mack

Turbo Monkey
Feb 26, 2003
3,674
0
Colorado
Wow, how that one person made it down the chute in the middle of the cliff i have no idea. His rear wheel was all over the place and he still stuck it...


I see you guys also have the infamous bush bike thiefs as well.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,699
1,750
chez moi
OGRipper said:
That is so tight. That step up looks so much fun. Sweet vid for sure, makes me want to ride there. Cept the gorse, of course. :thumb:
Click to expand...
Gorse doesn't mess with your ride, per se...it messes with your crash!
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,699
1,750
chez moi
Percy said:
It sure messed with my crash!

Actually it caused the crash as well,damn tough stuff when it catches your handelbars!
Click to expand...

And even when you don't crash, it's great fun to pick the little broken-off tips out of your arms 4 days after you brushed against it. The pus is a handy indicator of its presence.

I thought of gorse the other day, when I got the spine from the tip of a yucca leaf (think inch-long iron hard needle) embedded so deeply in my calf we couldn't pull it or cut it out on the trail. It was making my skin stick up about a centimeter...we tried using a leatherman tool (borrowed from a trailside boy scout) and a razor blade (in the car after I pedalled a few miles with this thing working its way deeper in) to no avail...just too deep. Ended up needing a doctor, a scalpel, and a local anaesthetic to recover it that night. Lodged between my muscle and my skin. Eugh.

MD
 
Percy

Percy

Monkey
May 2, 2005
426
0
Christchurch NZ
MikeD said:
And even when you don't crash, it's great fun to pick the little broken-off tips out of your arms 4 days after you brushed against it. The pus is a handy indicator of its presence.

I thought of gorse the other day, when I got the spine from the tip of a yucca leaf (think inch-long iron hard needle) embedded so deeply in my calf we couldn't pull it or cut it out on the trail. It was making my skin stick up about a centimeter...we tried using a leatherman tool (borrowed from a trailside boy scout) and a razor blade (in the car after I pedalled a few miles with this thing working its way deeper in) to no avail...just too deep. Ended up needing a doctor, a scalpel, and a local anaesthetic to recover it that night. Lodged between my muscle and my skin. Eugh.

MD
Click to expand...
Yukky!

Ive never hit gorse hard enough to do anything like that!
 
K

Kram

Chimp
Oct 5, 2001
49
0
New Zealand
How's the leg coming along?
Click to expand...
Pretty slowly. Looks like summer before I'll be hitting Long Gully up proper. Can ride down the nana lines ok.

what is this mythical gorse you speak of??
Click to expand...
It's the yellow flower that's everywhere like in the pic on page one. In England they use it as hedges. Way back when New Zealand started getting colonized by the English someone decide it would be a great plant to use here for hedges. Well the gorse really liked NZ and it took over half the country. We HATE it.

3500 downloads!!! I think I'm in the wrong job :D
 
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