Ehrm, not everyone is doing it for the money either.
People just want to be the best at what they love. And they love it so much its even worth taking that risk of getting hurt.
Ofcourse Im not talking about the veterans here, i understand it might be different for guys like Minnaar, Peat, Hannah, Needles after being in the game for so long. But if they werent motivated by anything else then money I doubt their carreers would have lasted as long as they did...
I raced dh all over Europe for years and even though I didnt completely suck at it I never had the genes to make it to the world cup level. (And yes I say genes because I believe thats about 70% of what makes a dh racer great. The other 30% are probably practicing, the people u ride with and the places you ride them with and finally the money and support you need to ride and race.)
Even with some sponsors (which were really more like bro deals) it was still costing me a shit load of money and time. The only thing i got out of it was the feeling of racing against the clock and pushing myself a lot harder then when I was just riding with my buddies which for me made it totally worth it.
Are the risks as big for your avarage weekend warrior as for world cup racer? I think thats debatable.
Sure world cup racers go faster but they are also more skilled. I think ive seen just as many people (or more) get hurt that didnt know what they were doing or that were just riding out of their comfort zone then ive seen accidents happen at races.
I already had my own company back then so the risk for me was probably higher then for most and I had no problem sending big jumps and gaps and nobody ever paid me anything for it.
I also dont have the id that more people are getting hurt now then say 10 years ago. Yes tracks have gotten faster and gnarlier but riders have also gotten better and bikes and gear have come a long way.
Manon stopping because shes not comfortable with the risks makes me wonder if she was really comfortable with them in the first place, but more power to her for actually being honest about it.
I always loved watching her race and she was definitly one of the fastest ladies to ever come down a mountain on two wheels. I have nothing but respect for her and her decision and Id like to thank her for making the world cup more fun to watch for all of us and I wish her all the best in the future.
Cheers
People just want to be the best at what they love. And they love it so much its even worth taking that risk of getting hurt.
Ofcourse Im not talking about the veterans here, i understand it might be different for guys like Minnaar, Peat, Hannah, Needles after being in the game for so long. But if they werent motivated by anything else then money I doubt their carreers would have lasted as long as they did...
I raced dh all over Europe for years and even though I didnt completely suck at it I never had the genes to make it to the world cup level. (And yes I say genes because I believe thats about 70% of what makes a dh racer great. The other 30% are probably practicing, the people u ride with and the places you ride them with and finally the money and support you need to ride and race.)
Even with some sponsors (which were really more like bro deals) it was still costing me a shit load of money and time. The only thing i got out of it was the feeling of racing against the clock and pushing myself a lot harder then when I was just riding with my buddies which for me made it totally worth it.
Are the risks as big for your avarage weekend warrior as for world cup racer? I think thats debatable.
Sure world cup racers go faster but they are also more skilled. I think ive seen just as many people (or more) get hurt that didnt know what they were doing or that were just riding out of their comfort zone then ive seen accidents happen at races.
I already had my own company back then so the risk for me was probably higher then for most and I had no problem sending big jumps and gaps and nobody ever paid me anything for it.
I also dont have the id that more people are getting hurt now then say 10 years ago. Yes tracks have gotten faster and gnarlier but riders have also gotten better and bikes and gear have come a long way.
Manon stopping because shes not comfortable with the risks makes me wonder if she was really comfortable with them in the first place, but more power to her for actually being honest about it.
I always loved watching her race and she was definitly one of the fastest ladies to ever come down a mountain on two wheels. I have nothing but respect for her and her decision and Id like to thank her for making the world cup more fun to watch for all of us and I wish her all the best in the future.
Cheers
