I'm claiming this personally because we ride with luke and know his potential. There is no reason he shouldn't be in the top ten this year. Just wait...[
Worlds team bitches
- Thread starter TheInedibleHulk
- Start date
I think what one of the previous posters was saying.....
If Luke gets 10th, he's not necessarily the 10th best racer in the world.....France, UK for example are jammed packed with talent, but can only send 7.
Craig,
Simply because yourself and others tried in the past doesn't mean changes can't happen in the here and now and going forward. The past is the past and as a relatively young sport it is amazing how much we all get caught up in it. Many of the execs at USAC are a different group then when you were much more involved in the sport several years back.
The folks I have met so far are both skilled business people and cyclists in their own right. While they might not be downhillers themselves, they did express concern and interest about the state of gravity racing in the US. They have asked questions and showed more than a passing interest in a having strong gravity scene. To me that is an encouraging sign for the future and precisely why I haven't abandoned all hope.
As you say, I do not know all of the work you do/have done, nor do you know mine. I'm not here to toot-my-own horn or trump up my personal accomplishments or relationships. It is natural that those out there putting in effort will get attention for doing such.
Several riders, including yourself, personally asked me to jump into the thread and post my comments or information about what I know on the situation. If you feel "bamboozled" somehow by me, well then my apologies. But I'm not here to impress you, or anyone else for that manner. I am simply here to help riders, help the sport flourish, and just plain have some fun.
Like you I am a passionate person about the sport, about bikes, and about the industry. However, unlike you, I don't come around here to purposely cause a stir and rile people up. While I can, and often do, lace my posts with a degree of whit and sarcasm, I do not use this board or others to bait & hate.
Urbandictionary.com sums this behavior up rather succinctly:
If you feel you need to argue this any further, please call me and I'll be more than happy to discuss this directly.http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll said:
Best Regards,
-ska todd
Sick Joey, glad to see that.
Yeah! What he said!
It was an easy bet to say he'd make the top 25, but he could definitely break the top 10 as well. I'm down with that. Viva Luke.
NICE, congrats joey. go rip it up out there
Todd vs Stik would be such an awesome boxing poster by the way. Stik and Ska with shirts off, sweating and swinging punches....pure comedy.
But seriously you two, let's not go personal attacks. I know you both to be major stand up guys and this is below you both.
I think Stik should send the women's US reps over in all brand new outfits from his wife's shop, sell them overseas...and use it to bring us all back a World Cup t-shirt.
But seriously you two, let's not go personal attacks. I know you both to be major stand up guys and this is below you both.
I think Stik should send the women's US reps over in all brand new outfits from his wife's shop, sell them overseas...and use it to bring us all back a World Cup t-shirt.
I got 50 bucks on Seplavy...
I checked with my bookie in Vegas and he says the over/under looks pretty good.
:biggrin:
I checked with my bookie in Vegas and he says the over/under looks pretty good.
:biggrin:
just got news from David KlassenVanOorschot that he is now offically on the DH squad.
I believe DK was the first alternate on the list & with one of the 1st team members electing not to attend, DK is set to go.
& for those of you still wondering about Cody Warren. I spoke to him the other day... apparently he did not petition to be on the team & he doesn't think he'd be ready to go (might still be getting over an injury?)
I believe DK was the first alternate on the list & with one of the 1st team members electing not to attend, DK is set to go.
& for those of you still wondering about Cody Warren. I spoke to him the other day... apparently he did not petition to be on the team & he doesn't think he'd be ready to go (might still be getting over an injury?)
I know Rich Houseman mentioned in an earlier post that he was not going (but he's 4X only)
In regards to DH, I believe Geritt Beytagh is electing not to go. There might be others... only time & money will tell.
I'll ask him Friday at Wolf Laurel. He'll be one of the few guys hitting...this:
Landing is at the Bobcat....
If you go to USAC's website his email address is listed under their directory.
A town that stays in the clouds so it's dark and moist and breeding germs 24/7 like no other.
The one thing I've always wondered is if there are septic fields and sewage that leech up out of all the springs that drain out onto the mountain 24/7. That would be my guess if I worked for Geraldo Rivera.
The one thing I've always wondered is if there are septic fields and sewage that leech up out of all the springs that drain out onto the mountain 24/7. That would be my guess if I worked for Geraldo Rivera.
There is a "sewer ledge" (sewer line) that crosses the ski runs just below the second road down from the start line. I have no idea where it goes but you might be on to something.
AHHH the old yanks..were u gonna come this time...last 
..were are all ur good riders...when u gogin to catch up with Europe, Aus and South Africa.....
..were are all ur good riders...when u gogin to catch up with Europe, Aus and South Africa.....Yep, I crashed twice (once coming through the last turn 30 feet from the finishline.) I finished 3 seconds out of the top 5 with two time consuming crashes.
There's always next year!
we'll probably catch up when we are done making more money doing everything other than ride a bike for a living. Or when $10,000.00 a year and "free parts" is more money than 9 to 5 jobs.AHHH the old yanks..were u gonna come this time...last
Pretty sure Hill, Minnaar, Peat and Gracia are making more than "$10 000 a year and free parts."
sure...and which one of those guys races the US National circuit?
US DH won't come back until US riders get paid at US races. No rider is gonna want to come through the ranks and their only hope of getting a World Cup ride (even though all the race teams are mostly US Based bike companies) is if they get on the Decline Trade team.
US based bike companies are just as guilty of screwing US DH racing. How many of you know guys on US companies bikes who are being shipped off to World Cups on the company tab? heh
US DH will come back when Southern California comes back STRONG into the DH scene. Everything will get better after that....
Why pay to send someone to a race who has no chance? US racing will get strong again when talent is discovered WORTH us companies spending their money on. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be paying a Canadian to go race if they couldn't do any better than 50th when i can get a foreigner who can do a top 10 for the same price?
If you're a US based company and not paying for junior riders full rides to everything you can, then you're wasting your money.
Look back at what just paying for all those Devo kids did for the upcoming talent.
Rock Shox, Trek, etc saw fit to drop a ton of money on those kids and it paid off long term for those kids. Trips to Worlds, etc. Last I checked thanks to their backing, there's a World Cup win, a US National Champion and the 2007 National Champion who came from that program and the tutelage of Stephan Girrard.
US companies are dissing the juniors and what you put in the pot now is what you get out in 5 years.
Not a single devo downhill kid besides Buhl went further than quitting as far as I know. Even Whitsell, who probably showed the most promise, moved onto to other things and only races occasionally for fun (like once a year occasionally). Buhl was a talented BMX racer before she started racing MTBs and Missy Giove got her started by giving her a Dh bike etc, not "the industry".
Not saying he takes racing all seriously but I see Jesse way more than once a year at races.
Gary Houseman - World Cup winner
Todd LeDuc - US National Champ
Christopher Herndon - 2007 US National Champ
Melissa Buhl - US National Champion
The biggest problem is Joe Public knows nothing about the sport of DH racing....it is too damn difficult or expensive to film and is never seen on TV.
Imagine if instead of having to spend mind-numbing hours watching kids doing circus tricks on their skate boards or "X-Treme BMX" we could occasionally watch a documentary on DH racing at its best....If just once the likes of ESPN, Speed or Fuel showed a program of the caliber of Clay's "Between the Tapes"? Don't you think we just might get a few potatoes off their couches and we might just get a few sponsors saying "hey we want to be part of this sport!"
Talent goes where the money is. Until we get big money (read sponsors) into DH our riders will always find richer pastures selling their souls to (gasp!) slope style.
Imagine if instead of having to spend mind-numbing hours watching kids doing circus tricks on their skate boards or "X-Treme BMX" we could occasionally watch a documentary on DH racing at its best....If just once the likes of ESPN, Speed or Fuel showed a program of the caliber of Clay's "Between the Tapes"? Don't you think we just might get a few potatoes off their couches and we might just get a few sponsors saying "hey we want to be part of this sport!"
Talent goes where the money is. Until we get big money (read sponsors) into DH our riders will always find richer pastures selling their souls to (gasp!) slope style.
meh?.... maybe i just wasn't paying attention back in the day... but I don't recall Todd LeDuc or Little House on the Rock Shox Devo team... donno about hearndon... i've only known him for a few years.Gary Houseman - World Cup winner
Todd LeDuc - US National Champ
Christopher Herndon - 2007 US National Champ
Melissa Buhl - US National Champion
honestly the only 3 peeps from the Devo team i remeber were Buhly, Whitsell, & Danni Connolly... the rest seem to fade in my memory
Ledus is no longer race despite his success, Houseman gone due to having that title TAKEN AWAY. Seems like helping juniors with a factory style program isn't as guaranteed way to keep them in the sport, is it? Not a great return on your investment as a company if your prodigy, who you sunk your cash into, prefers to take up rollerblading or chess or something when he hits senior level.
Just saying, $ into a current talent is a much larger return on an investment in that type of speculative market.
Same thing is seen in every junior dev program in all sports. Kids attitudes and interests change. It happens.
Just saying, $ into a current talent is a much larger return on an investment in that type of speculative market.
Same thing is seen in every junior dev program in all sports. Kids attitudes and interests change. It happens.
i have that problem with the lacrosse field at my school, i spend 2 days in the hospital because of it.
I believe Little House was Devo in 1998, but definitely won the Junior National title at Vermont that year.
http://www.uci.ch/UciDoc/MTB/2007/CM/DH_MJ_SR.pdf
JD Swangen 11th seed
T-Mac 19th
Marcelo Gutierrez (COL) 15th
Rest of the JRs not far behind.
JD Swangen 11th seed
T-Mac 19th
Marcelo Gutierrez (COL) 15th
Rest of the JRs not far behind.
I wish I would have, American 2nd. Congrats JD!Don't wager any money on that.....
It's coming, and we don't even have lift-assisted riding here.
I was talking about money coming back into the sport like decent salaries and event promotion.........
Excellent to see one of our Juniors do well at worlds.
He going to be free ride guy though....no..?.......