Val Di Sole 2019
- Thread starter slyfink
- Start date
Watching those two vids - when the best riders in the world are puzzling trying to find flow and speed you know that shit is near unrideable for us mortals. Except Gary, who'll tell us he'd ride it with 60psi in his road bike tyres because they're more stable at speed.
Looking at the qualifying live timing, it appears to be a massacre out there. People must be crashing left and right.
Preliminary quali results with all the heavy hitters:
As long as it's not completely random I agree. I think there is a fine line between a track that rewards technical skill and an unrideable track that makes winning random.
Riding that track in the rain? Nope! Fuck that, fuck all of that.
Going to be interesting come race day, hoping for some good weather, not just a whoever doesn't die wins kind of a race.
Going to be interesting come race day, hoping for some good weather, not just a whoever doesn't die wins kind of a race.
Just normal local thunderstorms in the summer here really.Humidity builds during the day and in the afternoon it unloads quite heavily.
I honestly never thought we would see VdS in the rain with an actually wet track. It actually is almost unrideable.
Cutting out lots of trees next to track didn't help. I am pretty certain, that if all trees would have stayed, rain would be almost a non problem. It's a shame really.
Bruni in an open section:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0qaEtUHa4p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The denim downhiller certainly got one and moved up to 9th place. Pierron's and MacDonald's must have been super impressive as they came down when it was pouring.
Still better than wet early, pre improvement Champery in the rain
Before the rain:
Finally, its almost time to drop the green flag at Val Di Pioggia, and tbh, I'm looking forward to watching the world's best down country pilots try to navigate down the wet black snake 
. So with storm clouds gathering in northern Italy, lets lay out the facts as they present themselves:
* For the first time in recent memory (ever?), the serpente nero is a slippery wet noodle, versus the usual dust bowl we're so used to. As if we needed any more evidence of global warming, this is a clear sign of irreversible climate change. Personally, I blame e-bikes (i.e. @Gary ).
* Northern Italy looks positively stunning and seems like a place I should live. I now deeply despise @Mo(n)arch
* If Mussolini wasn't such a delusional, megalomaniac (sound familiar?), he could've kept Italy more or less neutral in WW2 (like Spain) and likely kept power for decades just like his fascist bro Franco. The Allies might eventually "ask" to swing through the boot to get at the soft underbelly of zee Germans, but by then he could've played nice with us since we were winning. Too bad he was a fucking idiot.
* Not that I'm opposed to dominatrix boots, but I've always thought the geographic shape of Italy resembled a sexy leg with a FMP and a pair of panties on the floor by the toe.
* I don't even know who won the last European DH race at Pila, but damn, there's some shit hot tracks in the old FMP...again, not a big fan of Mo(n)arch these days
* I just happened to be watching Gladiator earlier this evening...further evidence that even a long time ago Italy was a pretty cool place provided you we're being hacked to death by the fighty Aussie from down undah.
* VDP is located in the province of Trentino, and like many European flags, Trentino's includes a mathematical symbol (equals sign), but also offers a burning crow, staring at a crown...I don't know what this means, but it seems relevant.
Welp, thats the dataset we have to work with so lets get on with it:
1. Amaury "Not Sorry" Pierron - really going out on a limb aren't I? Picking the fastest guy in timed training, and the guy who probably put in the fastest time during the qualifying deluge is hardly an unexpected pick, but Amaury has extra motivation this time...Using his big, kidwoo endorsed wagon hoops and chain growth mitigating idler design to their full potential, Amaury massacres the wet noodle at Mach French, securing the win by 2.6 seconds...Any WC win by a multi-second margin is an incredible accomplishment, but this one is extra special since it allows him to check out Pom-Pom's party pomegranates in all their splendor. This eventually leads to them joining in matrimony and producing children that frequently tear the space-time continuum with speeds exceeding Mach Deux French.
2.) The Denim Destroyer - Hell yeah, eveyone's favorite German-Italian duke of denim continues his steady climb to the top step. How did he continue his upwards performance trajectory? Easy, with a pair of scissors...JVK went full Alabama and made himself a bad ass pair of technical jorts, which provided him an even slimmer aero profile than Troy Brosnan's skin suit. The only thing holding him back on his run was having to take a call from his restaurant, as apparently the ice machine broke (to which he informed his colleagues they don't have working ice machines in Yurp).
3.) Russell Crowe - taking up the mantle once again as General Maximus, the fighty Aussie dons his proper Roman armor (and for the record his leg armor stays in place during a crash) and comes barreling down the snake astride a period correct war chariot, decapitating course marshals and nearby fans without mercy. After thundering through the finish line, he continues he donnybrook conquest around the world...Even Alex the Pretty Good would be impressed
4.) Marlon Brando - taking up the mantle once again as Vito Corleone, the swollen diva of yesteryear returns to the old country and hops aboard a period correct Bianchi penny farthing and proceeds to lay waste to the track and the fans that survived G. Max's first pass via a Thompson machine gun. While the locals are less than thrilled with all the freedom he brought from Amerigun, they do give him an expresso and mention e-bikes are a thing. Being a pretty old school guy, this bothers him immensely, which leads to Gary waking up with in his bed with the sheared off head tube of his e-bike laying next to him...that seems like an offer one shouldn't refuse.
5.) Brad Pitt - taking up the mantle once again as Aldo "The Apache" Raine, our buff "Nazzy" slayer jumps back into the fray on a period correct WW2 messenger bike, and makes quick work of the Italian down country, claiming the last spot on the podium. After noticing the "Von" in JVK's name, there is a brief (but decidely aggressive) conversation between the 2, but the jorts convince him he's closer to an 'Merican than a Jerry, plus he speaks perfect I-talian, which as we know, he's pretty good at himself
Signoras -
1.) Trace - I did it @toodles , hope it doesn't backfire
2.) The Marine - hot on her heels
3.) Nice Italian lady
4.) Salazar (loved her run at Les Gets)
5.) Another nice Italian lady
. So with storm clouds gathering in northern Italy, lets lay out the facts as they present themselves:* For the first time in recent memory (ever?), the serpente nero is a slippery wet noodle, versus the usual dust bowl we're so used to. As if we needed any more evidence of global warming, this is a clear sign of irreversible climate change. Personally, I blame e-bikes (i.e. @Gary ).
* Northern Italy looks positively stunning and seems like a place I should live. I now deeply despise @Mo(n)arch
* If Mussolini wasn't such a delusional, megalomaniac (sound familiar?), he could've kept Italy more or less neutral in WW2 (like Spain) and likely kept power for decades just like his fascist bro Franco. The Allies might eventually "ask" to swing through the boot to get at the soft underbelly of zee Germans, but by then he could've played nice with us since we were winning. Too bad he was a fucking idiot.
* Not that I'm opposed to dominatrix boots, but I've always thought the geographic shape of Italy resembled a sexy leg with a FMP and a pair of panties on the floor by the toe.
* I don't even know who won the last European DH race at Pila, but damn, there's some shit hot tracks in the old FMP...again, not a big fan of Mo(n)arch these days
* I just happened to be watching Gladiator earlier this evening...further evidence that even a long time ago Italy was a pretty cool place provided you we're being hacked to death by the fighty Aussie from down undah.
* VDP is located in the province of Trentino, and like many European flags, Trentino's includes a mathematical symbol (equals sign), but also offers a burning crow, staring at a crown...I don't know what this means, but it seems relevant.
Welp, thats the dataset we have to work with so lets get on with it:
1. Amaury "Not Sorry" Pierron - really going out on a limb aren't I? Picking the fastest guy in timed training, and the guy who probably put in the fastest time during the qualifying deluge is hardly an unexpected pick, but Amaury has extra motivation this time...Using his big, kidwoo endorsed wagon hoops and chain growth mitigating idler design to their full potential, Amaury massacres the wet noodle at Mach French, securing the win by 2.6 seconds...Any WC win by a multi-second margin is an incredible accomplishment, but this one is extra special since it allows him to check out Pom-Pom's party pomegranates in all their splendor. This eventually leads to them joining in matrimony and producing children that frequently tear the space-time continuum with speeds exceeding Mach Deux French.
2.) The Denim Destroyer - Hell yeah, eveyone's favorite German-Italian duke of denim continues his steady climb to the top step. How did he continue his upwards performance trajectory? Easy, with a pair of scissors...JVK went full Alabama and made himself a bad ass pair of technical jorts, which provided him an even slimmer aero profile than Troy Brosnan's skin suit. The only thing holding him back on his run was having to take a call from his restaurant, as apparently the ice machine broke (to which he informed his colleagues they don't have working ice machines in Yurp).
3.) Russell Crowe - taking up the mantle once again as General Maximus, the fighty Aussie dons his proper Roman armor (and for the record his leg armor stays in place during a crash) and comes barreling down the snake astride a period correct war chariot, decapitating course marshals and nearby fans without mercy. After thundering through the finish line, he continues he donnybrook conquest around the world...Even Alex the Pretty Good would be impressed
4.) Marlon Brando - taking up the mantle once again as Vito Corleone, the swollen diva of yesteryear returns to the old country and hops aboard a period correct Bianchi penny farthing and proceeds to lay waste to the track and the fans that survived G. Max's first pass via a Thompson machine gun. While the locals are less than thrilled with all the freedom he brought from Amerigun, they do give him an expresso and mention e-bikes are a thing. Being a pretty old school guy, this bothers him immensely, which leads to Gary waking up with in his bed with the sheared off head tube of his e-bike laying next to him...that seems like an offer one shouldn't refuse.
5.) Brad Pitt - taking up the mantle once again as Aldo "The Apache" Raine, our buff "Nazzy" slayer jumps back into the fray on a period correct WW2 messenger bike, and makes quick work of the Italian down country, claiming the last spot on the podium. After noticing the "Von" in JVK's name, there is a brief (but decidely aggressive) conversation between the 2, but the jorts convince him he's closer to an 'Merican than a Jerry, plus he speaks perfect I-talian, which as we know, he's pretty good at himself
Signoras -
1.) Trace - I did it @toodles , hope it doesn't backfire
2.) The Marine - hot on her heels
3.) Nice Italian lady
4.) Salazar (loved her run at Les Gets)
5.) Another nice Italian lady
As if there was ever any doubt, I'm now convinced you've rubbed one out over an atlas.
I dunno what happened to the rep function, but awesome work @jackalope
Live results up now for junior men and women. Bit unexpected but awesome stuff
www.pinkbike.com
Final Results: Val di Sole World Cup DH 2019 - Pinkbike
The results are in from a wild day of racing in Val di Sole.
Since the start of this very season they are back to that kind of starting order. Although protected riders seem to mix into it a bit.
The denim destroyer had quite a qualifying day.
m.vitalmtb.com
The Denim Destroyer's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Qualifying Day (and he still got 9th)
A story of privateer challenge and perseverance with Johannes Von Klebelsberg at the 2019 Val di Sole UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill.
m.vitalmtb.com
gonna be traveling all day; can't wait to watch the replay tonite
I'll say it again, Loic Bruni is the best suspension system ever designed.
Edit: that comment aged well, Bruni just called his run incredibly unsmooth.
Edit: that comment aged well, Bruni just called his run incredibly unsmooth.
Last edited:
Amaury...? In all the interviews, he mentioned having a hard time with line choices... Rob mentioned he was taking different lines to everyone else... Maybe he just didn't figure this track out?
Anyone notice how many Commençals were on track? Is it the privateers bike of choice? Or is it that Commençal are slinging bikes out at very low cost to get the exposure... Or maybe they're just very good bikes.
It must be part of the mental game...?
He admitted to not being entirely truthful when he said something similar in Andorra, but apparently he really wasn't happy with his run today.
Anyway, nice to see Greenland finally win one.
It seems that Rob Warner put on some weight. I did not expect him to make a comeback anyway so nervermind 
Absolutely!
So stoked for Laurie. Hyper smooth run, with unique lines. The boy had it coming!
All I need now is a victory from Troy and I'll have my DH watching season maxed out on stoke.
EDIT: I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Gwin.
All I need now is a victory from Troy and I'll have my DH watching season maxed out on stoke.
EDIT: I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Gwin.
Yeah, Rach, Tahnee and Pom Pom are all out, but I don't think any of them had anything for Marine today, even if healthy. That was full Hart at Champery imo.
yep. that may well have been the shredding-est female wc run i've seen. very cool to see a fresh face on the top of the box.
greenland's run was similarly bonkers. GUTTED about greg's crash; though even with a clean run. probably would have ended up 2nd to laurie's blistering pace.
greenland's run was similarly bonkers. GUTTED about greg's crash; though even with a clean run. probably would have ended up 2nd to laurie's blistering pace.
This is awesome!
www.vitalmtb.com
play the audio
The Denim Destroyer's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Qualifying Day (and he still got 9th)
A story of privateer challenge and perseverance with Johannes Von Klebelsberg at the 2019 Val di Sole UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill.
www.vitalmtb.com