One thing he’s got and always had is consistency – Downhill racing will always have it’s share of ‘Win it or bin it’ racers, especially at Worlds. If push came to shove, I don’t think he’s the fastest racer on the field per-se, but the ones who are faster are closer to the edge and they’re the guys who crash, or make mistakes that cost more time or destroy their bikes – he’s the fastest because he’s got the best mind by the standard of WC DH he is pretty restrained – sometimes that means he wins, sometimes it means he comes 2nd 3rd, 5th 9th or whatever – but it also means he’s right back there for the next race and not missing the rest of the season with injury. It’s that trait that he shares with the ‘other GOAT’ Rossi, who is a similar age too – both sets of fans (downhill and MotoGP) have been making noises for a few years about age/retirement and them being past their best perhaps, and just as you start to doubt them, that’s when they seem to come back and blitz the rest of the field.
I think WC DH is still very competitive and GM like everyone else still needs the planets to align for him to win – this years has been very good for him, blah blah blah yeah 29” wheels, I personally don’t think the wheelsize is the key per-se, it does suit his smooth style, but more than that it’s created a great big bike for a great big rider and he says the first one that’s actually fits him.