Winning runs – Loïc Bruni and Rachel Atherton – VIDEO

A couple of wonderful videos have emerged online showing just what it takes to be a World Champion.

First up, a POV camera from Rachel Atherton, looking very, very fast indeed:

And then we get to Loïc – a chap who hadn’t had a win – until the day when it really, really mattered. This video is third person – you can see just how smooth he is through the sections – although he’s not sure he’s won until the camera switches to Aaron Gwin’s run and some rustling trees…

As ever, Rob Warner’s commentary adds considerable flavour to proceedings.

Barney Marsh

Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.