finally fort bill
- Thread starter jstuhlman
- Start date
I thought it was just must?
u mad, girl? track not groomed enough?
sounds like it was kaos in there!
https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/tahnee-seagrave-racing-not-entertainment-joke-viewers.html
sounds like it was kaos in there!
https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/tahnee-seagrave-racing-not-entertainment-joke-viewers.html
I'm all for those tricky sections. Some riders completely ate in there and others stomped it.
Perhaps even if it wasn't the best or most fun section to ride, if they practiced, qualified and then practiced again on that section, then I agree that it shouldn't be changed for finals. It is what it is.
The only input I have on that is that perhaps they should have held more races on it before bringing the WC to the hill with that change in place. Was there only one race on that section of track? Is that section closed for the rest of the year? That'd give more time to iron out the molasses and have it ready to go for the steamroll of racers.
Perhaps even if it wasn't the best or most fun section to ride, if they practiced, qualified and then practiced again on that section, then I agree that it shouldn't be changed for finals. It is what it is.
The only input I have on that is that perhaps they should have held more races on it before bringing the WC to the hill with that change in place. Was there only one race on that section of track? Is that section closed for the rest of the year? That'd give more time to iron out the molasses and have it ready to go for the steamroll of racers.
I thought it was a nice change of pace to have a section of track that the top riders in the world didn't make look easy.
I can see how it would be frustrating for the women as they were actually racing to win for once with Atherton out. Carpenter walking her bike through that section was disgraceful.
I can see how it would be frustrating for the women as they were actually racing to win for once with Atherton out. Carpenter walking her bike through that section was disgraceful.
It's one thing to go full-enduro but why you gotta hurt our friendship like this?
I thought it was sweet, some people handled it really well. I only watched the mens though.
If anything I think tracks need more of that stuff, it's awesome to watch.
Motorways are boring.
See @canadmos quote below:
For the girlz it was absolute carnage. BB deep mud in a twisted section. I saw a French rider fall down three times in ~10ft. The boyz had it better, and the top ones even more, since the previous racers were consolidating the mud into dirt with each run.
I guess you could call this the opposite situation of what they all had in Lourdes.
All this debate about the slough of despond is missing the point. If manufacturers would've just got their shit in pile and made 58" wheeled bikes, riders would not have even been aware there was a bombed out morass on the track.
#rolloverz
#progression
#DHserenity
#rolloverz
#progression
#DHserenity
I'm waiting for Gary to tell us how back in his day, it was a gentleman's privilege to race a penny farthing through a peat bogAll this debate about the slough of despond is missing the point. If manufacturers would've just got their shit in pile and made 58" wheeled bikes, riders would not have even been aware there was a bombed out morass on the track.
#rolloverz
#progression
#DHserenity
Btw, does anyone have the updated points standings? Unsurprisingly, the uci site is either broke and/or can't be bothered to post up mountain bike info.
anyone have a video of Mick Hannah's race run? (it is not on the redbull site 
)
)
Yeah.. There was a sweet suicide in there somewhere, as highlighted at the very end of the replay.anyone have a video of Mick Hannah's race run? (it is not on the redbull site
There's a great pic of it in the vital slideshow
That's racing.
The original Champery WC track in 2007 (before they dumbed it down in 2010) made a mockery of most riders, even incredibly good ones. One man got the benefit of racing it in the worst possible conditions (thanks to qualifying 1st by a modest 14 seconds) and proved his skill still exceeded the difficulty level.
I'll just leave this here:
I enjoyed the terribly tough tree section. As a spectator. If I were racing, probably not so much. But I have a full time job. It's not racing bikes. These are pros. They should be able to take it. TBH this has been one of the more memorably exciting races to watch. Mostly due to that one section.
No, it's not too hard. You're just not hard enough.
No, it's not too hard. You're just not hard enough.
Wow, shows you what I know about how the points are awarded. I would've bet kidwoo's paycheck that Neko would've been ahead of Minnaar since Neko has two 7th place finishes and GM has a 1st and a 59th. Likewise, he's only 5 points ahead of Gwin who was DQ'd at Lourdes. I guess maybe the quali points count more than I thought.
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All i know is a muddy shithole like that doesnt make riding that track any more enjoyable to ride or to watch.
Sure a few riders will make a difference there by luck or by skill, but i dont know if thats what racing dh should be about.
Sure a few riders will make a difference there by luck or by skill, but i dont know if thats what racing dh should be about.
... or rear suspension, for the scarce movement you'd see in that Earthed segment
.
Or fucking 29er dh bikes
The woods and the drop aren't ever open to the public at all.
SDA (Scottish National Series) and BDS (British national series) generally hold one race each at Ft Bill each year and that's it. At those races a small section of the woods is often in but not the drop. so No that exact section won't have been raced on prior to the WC and only ridden by a select few (Nevis range track builders etc.). This years WC track went into the woods earlier than it ever has before so it was a little longer too.
@jonKranked it was a hardtail right enough but both wheels were 26" #4LYF n aw that.
. Sadly it wasn't fixed and had a fork that was supposed to move up n down 80mm (it didn't).See that section straight after the wooden drop? Where they have the nice groomed hardpack berms, jumps made from garden rockery and the FUCK OFF WHITE BILLBOARD sorry wallride! Yeah?
I raced Ft William in '96 at a national when that entire section of the hill was still peat/mud and the track was freshly cut into the natural(ish) shape of the hill... sort of a shady bench cut with a drop to your right if you fucked it up.. during practice it was challenging but a hell of a lot of fun when you got it right... then that night and the next morning it rained (as it always does there)... throughout morning practice it got progressively worse and by race runs it was bat shit mental. not many made it through clean. many face planted... some had Tantrums... Oh.. .I do love to see a DH rider have a good tantrum! but you know what? it was awesome to watch and more than that. seeing some guys power through it feet up only made you want to step up your game.... or maybe that was me... But if it made you want to go home. Good! Fucking go home!
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Eh? WTF else should it be about?
Really? I don't think it was too hard, I just think a walking pace section of boghole shouldn't decide a WC. But whatever, its racing - every course is different. From the interviews I've seen, all the riders hated it and reckoned it needed to have been bedded in before racing. But they're probably all just whinging because they can't ride DH like us.
I should rephrase that.
Ive raced dh for years and ive come across shitty mud sections enough to know nobody likes riding them and i know i certainly dont enjoy watching people trying to wrestle through them.
Dh racing should be fast and technical, not slow and sucking the life out of your pace.
But like said before, what do pro riders know...
Broooooooooo have you even tried the Specialized 29er EnduRRo -- two R's for Rapid Recovery(TM) -- energy drink?
fuck that. racing should be about dealing with whatever track and conditions present themselves, on whatever self-propelled bike you want. faster on a 20" bmx bike? rock it. faster on a proto 32" bike with 12" travel? good on you. wanna wear a skinsuit? white t and baggies? clip in or not? if you're powering it, race it. isn't that what all the rest of us do, racing or not?
That section was basically the equivalent of trying pedal on a skinny with turns and a teeter totter.
Watch the body English, and certainly watch the riding speeds (sic). Pretty much the same thing.
And yeah no problem with the section. It just should have been ridden a little in the off season to tack that mess down a little. Hub deep ruts aren't mountainbiking for anyone. (except for chico because ruts).