[rockwool]

how is making an ass of your self a step backward?

sponsors are likely to be happy with their logos not flapping about in the wind! as well as a more professional attitude towards racing shown by the rider/team

Team MOJO, Team Suspension Center and Tracey selected the correct tool to get the job done, given the course conditions.

How about banning some of the less aesthetically pleasing MX gear. (steve smith springs to mind)
Why stop there, what say we start to ban deemax wheels because they clash with the kits/bikes??

Do you mean that it's because of the lack of speed in todays DH that the sponsors haven't come back?

Sponsors obvoiusly have other sports where thay can show their logos just fine and don't need DH. Did they leave because of the appearance of the MX suits or because of it being an unpoplular sport among those riding?

How the F are all those dirt jumping kids that are everywhere going to swap their styles with baggy jeans hanging down their asses, when all DHers look gay?

It won't happen. Never.


Don't be silly with the banning ****, you reason like a teenager.

 

[stiksandstones]

Fraser (since I know you are there and buddies with the kid)
Whats the deal with Steve Smith? out for?

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

^^^ And Matti too? Sucks if he's hurt again.

On a positive note, great to see Bryceland back and riding strong so quickly.

 

[ride_fast]

Anybody have the whole list of qualifying times??

 

[rockwool]

-You said 'extreme sports', 1997 called and wants their term back.

-There are plenty of kids out there that want to be elite racers and would wear whatever the neccesary gear is. I think there is a kid or 2 that ski race.

-Someone posted a thread in here of a fontucky podium session, not a skinsuit in there but it was the most ridiculous looking series of gear I have EVER seen.

I do not care what people wear, point is if someone wants to wear one-more power to them and the endless bashing about it grows old quickly. These mojo guys did well with them, they did not look horrible, it brought chatter in on if it helps speed, etc and this is always good discussion (how to go faster....not just sick hucks).
Dont want this to turn into another gay fashion thread.....so, YAY SYNDICATE

I blame it on the language barrior. Anyways, it's how ordinary people look at DH.

Obvioulsy there are too few kids out there that are into DH compared to jumping and flipping.

Your personal preference. I could bet my 3$ fortune that most guys riding wouldn't agree.

It's not hard to gain better placment when doing what they did, infact it's the easiest way. It's a no brainer that skinsuits would be a lot quicker today. What thyey did was show lack of style.

If they had been wrestlers they could have played it all defence and only gone for the easy moves, thus shown a really boring side of the sport. While their antagonist would try to show the best side of the sport by being offensive and technical. If the offensive guy was to loose on such a thing all competitors would know who the real winner was, and the sponsors would soon move on to a better show.

So it's not about fashion.

One can win, sure, but winning with style is only done by the greatest of athletes.

 

[Acadian]

Watching the first 3 world cups live........I am still in shock on the coolness of it all.

I missed all 3 because it's during my "riding time" - oh well, still nice to come back, sit down and watch all the replays on Freecaster and MTBcut.tv

with that said, I'm SUPER stoked for Minnaar! I knew this track had his name all over it! Sweet victory for a super cool guy. Atta-boy!

EDIT: Holy crap....and he won by 3+ seconds!!!! wow!!!

 

[ZoRo]

Fraser (since I know you are there and buddies with the kid)
Whats the deal with Steve Smith? out for?

Yep, what's up with our great canadian hope?? I hope he didn't blow an ACL... (it's the suxxor, believe me, I know from experience!)

By the way here are my observations on the racing weekend (which I got to see all live, 4x and Dh, thanks FreeCaster)

- As much as I love 4x, it needs a change. Biggers jumps, more DH style and more guys on the gate. OR, some kind of dual slalom. Right now, like somebody else said, it's pretty much follow the leader and it gets boring fast.

- Skinsuits are good for people who choose to wear them, but maybe not the best looking outfit ever. The point will always be, in DH racing, what time can you rock? If you perceive that skinsuits are an advantage, go for it. And for all that "betrayal" thing with the "non-written" agreement, I think it's b***sh*t. Like Stikman said, other issues are more of concern right now in DH racing to get bogged down with fashion issues.

- I liked Cedric's run. He seemed to have fun, and he also got a good result too. Good to see he's back in *almost* full form.

- Rough and burly tracks are a good thing for the sport, you get too see who trained hard and is fit. Bromont won't be a very long track, but the one in Ste-Anne should run from the top of the mountain.

- Kyle Strait looked good and stylish. I hope he gets faster and it's also good to see some freeriders jumping seriously into racing.

- Hill will be back, although I would have liked too see him in the woods section, 'cause he looked fast and dialed in the upper section.

- Looking forward to the Worlds, my picks are, for the 4x, Graves and for the DH, Barel.

 

[Cult Hero]

Whats the deal with Riffle. Did he not qualify?
What happened to Barel? Tech problem?

Stoked to see a solid podium mix.

 

[Cult Hero]

funny how a week ago people were questioning whether the SC's were a curse and then they deliver.

 

[stiksandstones]

funny how a week ago people were questioning whether the SC's were a curse and then they deliver.

I think it was just one yahoo on here.

 

[tlproject7]

why are u guys talking about skin suits? why is that such a touchy subject? who cares. any way. congrats to greg

 

[LMC]

Do you mean that it's because of the lack of speed in todays DH that the sponsors haven't come back?

Sponsors obvoiusly have other sports where thay can show their logos just fine and don't need DH. Did they leave because of the appearance of the MX suits or because of it being an unpoplular sport among those riding?

How the F are all those dirt jumping kids that are everywhere going to swap their styles with baggy jeans hanging down their asses, when all DHers look gay?

It won't happen. Never.


Don't be silly with the banning ****, you reason like a teenager.

there is no 'lack of speed' in todays DH, riders are faster than 10 years ago, skinsuit or not so im not too sure what you are asking.. the point is they can go faster still and push the boundaries of what is possible on a bike.

Noone but the sponsors in question really has the answer to that. The most logical answer is that they were not seeing a return on their investment.

DH being an unpopular sport among those riding?? as far as im aware DH isnt unpopular among those riding :huh: or they wouldnt be 'those riding' would they?

i actually wasnt the one calling for bans of any sort, just putting the point across that if folk call for faster equipment to be not used because it looks 'gay' then where do you draw the line. What looks bad to one person looks tech to another. Its always going to come down to a matter of opinion.

anyway, this type of debate always clogs up threads so ill say no more on the subject

 

[Inclag]

The funny thing is that if it wasn't for Dirt Mag and Warner people wouldn't probably give as much a flying F about skinsuits or flat pedals. The guy gets a little too excited about some weird things.

If your getting your panties in a bunch about panties then surely you must be blowing a fuse about Greg's "Borat/Snuff-a-luffagas" garb.

 

[LMC]

why are u guys talking about skin suits? why is that such a touchy subject? who cares. any way. congrats to greg

i know you guys, tut tut :biggrin:

its good to see 3 different winners so far, same in the womens event.

personally i hoped Gee or Steve would do it, but im happy with the result..

has Sam suffered a knock to that bulletproof confidence???

 

[Kanye West]

Kyle Strait still top American, wow. What happened to Bangert and Warren? DNS and a DNF? No Riffle?

 

[bizutch]

....why is the freecaster vid of Minnarrs run edited down? I'd like to see more of the track when they bring his run and the other video's up since I miseed it live.

Oh..and here's a thought. Until Palmer was "Intense", not one DHer wore baggies. And the whole time Palmer rode MX gear...he had 1 or 2 logos on him at best.

Logos on a stupid jersey are not what sponsors pay for. They pay for the image and perception of the talent they are hiring. They market the athlete who promotes their image. They could care less if the jersey sports their logo on a skinsuit or a moto kit.

They want winners, personalities, dominators, badasses or saints.

 

[LMC]

i think thats all we saw live of Greg too... because the top 5 riders were coming down in quick succession over such a long track there was 3 top riders on the track at the one time

 

[CRoss]

This sport is racing, it is all about being the fastest one to the finish line within the rules. Not doing something that will make you faster because of style is stupid.

Ski racing has no problems with big sponsors and the athletes wearing skinsuits. Skiing even has the same issue as mountain biking with freeriders wearing the baggy clothes. I see more coverage of ski racing on the news than the freestyle comps.

Sponsors want to sponsor the top athletes. Other riders want to be the top athletes. If the top guys start winning in skinsuits, the other riders will follow. Would you enter a race with a disadvantage from the start over a fashion concern?

I know several kids here in CO that ski race in the winter and do not think twice about wearing a skin suit for that. It is sad that some riders would rather hold the sport back because they want to look cool. Those riders sound more like weekend warriors and not true competitors or racers. There are sacrifices(some as minor as fashion) you have to make to be on top in your sport.

 

[pelo]

Skinsuits in DH are like marketing your chocolate-bar by wrapping it up in toilette-paper. Totally waste of time.

 

[Fonzie18]

Anybody have the whole list of qualifying times??

Dudde, walk over to the Media center!

 

[Transcend]

Fraser (since I know you are there and buddies with the kid)
Whats the deal with Steve Smith? out for?

Seeing sports doctor in Italy this week set up by the CCA as he is our best hope for a good performance. Not looking good though. Doctor here said nothing is torn, but nor MRI or anything so just a feel I think?

 

[dirtboyracer]

Seeing sports doctor in Italy this week set up by the CCA as he is our best hope for a good performance. Not looking good though. Doctor here said nothing is torn, but nor MRI or anything so just a feel I think?

I tore my ACL skiing a few months back (I'm yet to have surgery, I've had no trouble biking or doing anything so far) but the first few doctors I saw thought nothing was wrong since my muscles were holding my knee together.

 

[stiksandstones]

Seeing sports doctor in Italy this week set up by the CCA as he is our best hope for a good performance. Not looking good though. Doctor here said nothing is torn, but nor MRI or anything so just a feel I think?

Thanks for replying in a sea of skinsuit chatter.

 

[stiksandstones]

If a picture tells a 1000 words....someone here is not stoked

 

[Akula_7]

If a picture tells a 1000 words....someone here is not stoked

5th place (and 3rd in Quali) is like sihtting in his Marmite sandwich.


Full Results here:
http://www.uci.ch/ftpuci/ftpsportelectronic/ftptouci/MTB/2008/33230_RiderResult_DHI_ME.pdf

Look how far down Peaty was at split.

 

[Jeremy R]

If a picture tells a 1000 words....someone here is not stoked

Ha, I just listened to the intreviews on MTBCUT and Sam was really humble saying that the overall would be really tough this year, and he is going to have to work to try to climb his way back to the top.
And like all racers with class he made no excuses, same thing with Peat.
This world cup season is shaping up to being one the best most competitive ever. It seems all the fastest most talented guys (with the exclusion of Barel) is on their A game. Look at the top five alone today. Awesome.

 

[tlproject7]

hahahha. that guy up there said by not wearing skinsuits we are holding the sport back. what does that even mean? you dont think those five guys in the pic above are true competiors? none of them have skin suits on. dam i got sucked back into this conv

 

[big-ted]

5th place (and 3rd in Quali) is like sihtting in his Marmite sandwich.


Full Results here:
http://www.uci.ch/ftpuci/ftpsportelectronic/ftptouci/MTB/2008/33230_RiderResult_DHI_ME.pdf

Look how far down Peaty was at split.

That link is for qualis.

 

[big-ted]

Top 20 overall:

1 1 HILL Samuel AUS19850721 MER 570
2 2 ATHERTON Gee GBR19850226 ANC 557
3 4 MINNAAR Greg RSA19811113 SCB 542
4 3 PEAT Steve GBR19740617 SCB 495
5 6 CAMELLINI Julien FRA19840107 CRC 301
6 5 BAREL Fabien FRA19800726 SUB 294
7 7 KOVARIK Chris AUS19780301 CRC 290
8 8 LEOV Justin NZL19841020 YET 260
9 9 BLENKINSOP Samuel NZL19881028 YET 250
10 14 ATHERTON Dan GBR19820125 ANC 235
11 13 PASCAL Mickael FRA19791011 MSC 212
12 24 RENNIE Nathan AUS19810531 SCB 206
13 11 PAYET Florent FRA19861121 SUB 203
14 12 CANALS FLIX Pasqual ESP19840915 MAS 177
15 10 NEETHLING Andrew RSA19840805 GTM 174
16 27 CATHRO Ben GBR19880420 MOJ 167
17 17 PEDEMANAUD Fabien FRA19840612 PYR 151
18 16 FAIRCLOUGH Brendan GBR19880110 MER 146
19 20 GUARDIA PASCUAL Bernat ESP19820930 MSC 145
20 15 SMITH Steve CAN19891125 --- 119

 

[Akula_7]

That link is for qualis.

No that link is a PDF file with 7 pages of Semi-Final and Final runs. Thank you very much.

 

[luiz carlos]

My money again in Minnaar for MontStAnne....

 

[tlproject7]

this might be a stupid question but how come rennie got 8th but is on the podium?

 

[William42]

he got 4th

he got 8th in quali

 

[big-ted]

No that link is a PDF file with 7 pages of Semi-Final and Final runs. Thank you very much.

oster_oops:

 

[stiksandstones]

Watching the mtbcut.com interviews....Peatys angus young slide onto the podium was so good.

Syndicate-Congrats.

 

[rockwool]

This sport is racing, it is all about being the fastest one to the finish line within the rules. Not doing something that will make you faster because of style is stupid.

Ski racing has no problems with big sponsors and the athletes wearing skinsuits. Skiing even has the same issue as mountain biking with freeriders wearing the baggy clothes. I see more coverage of ski racing on the news than the freestyle comps.

Sponsors want to sponsor the top athletes. Other riders want to be the top athletes. If the top guys start winning in skinsuits, the other riders will follow. Would you enter a race with a disadvantage from the start over a fashion concern?

I know several kids here in CO that ski race in the winter and do not think twice about wearing a skin suit for that. It is sad that some riders would rather hold the sport back because they want to look cool. Those riders sound more like weekend warriors and not true competitors or racers. There are sacrifices(some as minor as fashion) you have to make to be on top in your sport.

Don't you belive that the first guys to want skinsuits back into the sport if they thought it would bring the sponsors back, are the guys that actually race the world cup? Given answer, innit?

About style, look at the Brazilian national football team. They're the most loved team on the planet, outside their own borders, and there's no other team comming even close to a measly bit of their popularity. Why is that so?

I'll answer that for you; because of the style they play football. That style hasn't apeared by pure chanse or luck, it's a philosophy they've had from day 1, that football will be played like it would be done by Snoop Dogg, if he was that kind of player.

They didn't win jack **** for decades and still they were loved for their style. Winners came and went, nobody gave a **** about last WC victorers, while people always praised and cheered for Brasil.

Those riders that you say hold the sport back are those who are the best athletes we have in DH. That top 10 personify this sport better than any other and all of us put together. You go tell them that they're just a weekend warriors.

Who gives a F about Germany, England, France, or Italy, but for their own countrymen. NOBODY.

Doing it with style is everything.

 

[rockwool]

If a picture tells a 1000 words....someone here is not stoked

I think he looks just the same as when he wins.

 

[rockwool]

hahahha. that guy up there said by not wearing skinsuits we are holding the sport back. what does that even mean? you dont think those five guys in the pic above are true competiors? none of them have skin suits on. dam i got sucked back into this conv

Well, for me it's hard to stop a conversation by the other guy saying what he has to say, but after that says the subject closes here.. Not fair.

And I'm all about fairness and style.

 

[LMC]

If a picture tells a 1000 words....someone here is not stoked

Sam looks like he is contemplating severing the heads off the syndicate with that sword.. "thatl teach them to beat me"

 

[Cult Hero]

so any word on Riffle? Did he not qualify? Also what happened to Barel?