great racing, mental course!
Told you guys that Danny isn't a one hit wonder...
I can't help thinking that coming second is the best possible position for Greenland: Although it would be awesome for him to be World Champ, would he want to go into his inaugural senior WC year with the added pressure of wearing the rainbow jersey?
Great track, great result.
Fantastic afternoon!
Great days racing,should be a Olympic event, Rachel Atherton for SPOTY!!
no chance in an Olympic and para-Olympic year
Great run from Hart and Greenland.
Bryceland has dropped hints on his instagram about his mindset.
Reading about the founder of patagonia and riding a race series where they throw tyres away after one run is probably contributing to his decision. Also Santa Cruz being sold on and Peaty retiring has probably not helped.
Tbh I think he is probably disillusioned with the sport and and wants to have a break.
Fair play to him, but I hope he comes back as he is such a great character and amazing rider.
Should be an Olympic event!!
If Ratty doesn't want to enlarge his carbon footprint, he could choose not to have kids and stay on the WC circuit until he gets older than Peaty. But it sounds like he's just had enough of it. I reckon Minaar could go, leaving Santa Cruz to build a whole new team.
I was out of order with my celebrations before....
[b]
Go Rachel![/b]
Go Danny!
Go Laurie!
What a race! Would have been an excellent way to sit out a cold, it's been on hours, but the kids have been trying to kill me through stress.
Gwin didn't seem happy (obviously) couldn't work out what he was pointing at, not sure what that medic was going to do about it.
Danny was on fire, but where the hell did Laurie Greenland come from?!
There's a certain inevitability about Rach winning now, I think she's got the rest of the field beaten in the pits - their pre-race interviews were all so downbeat, "I'll do what I can". It's great for her, probably good for the sport because it brings mainstream recognition, but it does nothing for the spectacle.
Manon's Facebook says suspected broken collarbone . Heal up Manon!
I think the rumour about Bryceland has been around for a while no...?
Bryceland romour is now confirmed Greg will leave too it will be Santa Cruz / troylee factory racing next year
Link please ta
"Confirmed" as in 'someone said it on Pinkbike comments'?
Proof of Syndicat evaporation and Minaar exit please.
where did Laurie Greenland come from?!
Juniors..
I normally like watching the DH races but that one was brutal!
One of the earlier femal riders headbutted a tree while going OTB, looked very nasty.
Manon's crash was horrible to watch, was amazed when she got up.
The early men's rider who ragdolled over the final hump made me look away until they announced he was moving again on the stretcher.
Then the RedBull feed crashed and I didn't bother restarting it, just watched a highlights reel to catch up.
Result was great, GB near-domination is brilliant but can't help but feel that the lesser riders from countries with no experience of WCDH tracks as steep and rutted as that one shouldn't be racing on them? Some looked like they were genuinely crapping themselves all the way down!
I think even Rachel was saying it was "controlled crashing" 😆
. Result was great, GB near-domination is brilliant but can't help but feel that the lesser riders from countries with no experience of WCDH tracks as steep and rutted as that one shouldn't be racing on them? Some looked like they were genuinely crapping themselves all the way down!
Ah the Italy in rugby six nations argument.
Were there any Danny Hart 'haters', then? I can understand it with the likes of Fairclough and Bryceland (they could both be looking at 10+ World Cup wins if they could have been arsed), but not Hart. He has been there or thereabouts a lot since 2011, not pissing it up the wall.
I'm chuffed to bits for him. And the kid Greenland.
I dunno, few people in the public eye, even in the fringe world of professional mountain biking are able to accept criticism these days - although it would be unfair to label any riders as bad as those vacuous pop stars to go screaming "TROLL!!!!1!!" At anyone who dares upset the PR machines by saying their latest offering isn't the bestest thing ever, anyway that's an aside.
IMHO there were 2 types of Danny Hart critics, or 'Haterz'
1) those (including me) who thought his 2011 Worlds win was, to a degree, a fluke, of course you need to be an exceptional rider to get to ride a WC, a better one to get a factory ride, better still to get on the GB team yadda yadda yadda - but on the day the course was a bog, conditions appalling and he joined the ranks of the group of young lads every worlds who are prepared to throw caution to the wind and hope it sticks - win it or bin it and he was the first one to make it stick. It was born partly by the fact it was a WILD ride and partly because he hadn't won at world level before and whilst he was always 'about' he didn't win again for 5 years. I stand by it, he's not been a top 5 rider or WC contender for 5 years and just been 'unlucky', but he's genuinely number 1 in the world now.
2) those (not me) who have a half-joking dig at his personality or perceived lack there of, he's not the most media polished guy and some have cruelly labelled him 'retarded'.
I see your point.
On the first point, I can sympathise with that a bit, but it wasn't as if he was goofing around being a pillock, and he was in the top fifteen or so. That worlds run in 2011 wasn't a fluke. He absolutely owned that course in the wet. Feet up, clipped in, he chucked some 'body English' in that run that marked him out as an outstanding rider with amazing reflexes.
As for the second point, he's a bike rider. We shouldn't be asking him to be a Nobel laureate in his spare time. All the haters will never be the best in the world at anything. As far as I can recall, Danny Hart has never gone around spouting about world peace or anything, so he's not asked to be shot down.
Bryceland is just coming across as slightly unhinged at the moment. Nice sentiments, but I think they're a bit of a smokescreen for other stuff he's got going on.
I personally don't think "The ability to string a coherent/complete/meaningful sentence together in your own language" comes into the category of [i]"he's a bike rider. We shouldn't be asking him to be a Nobel laureate in his spare time".[/i]
I appreciate that he's a world class rider, and love watching him ride (especially the wilder tracks that he seems to specialise in being able to tame) perhaps he's even currently one of the best.
I don't know if that makes me a "Hater"
1) those (including me) who thought his 2011 Worlds win was, to a degree, a fluke, of course you need to be an exceptional rider to get to ride a WC, a better one to get a factory ride, better still to get on the GB team yadda yadda yadda - but on the day the course was a bog, conditions appalling and he joined the ranks of the group of young lads every worlds who are prepared to throw caution to the wind and hope it sticks - win it or bin it and he was the first one to make it stick. It was born partly by the fact it was a WILD ride and partly because he hadn't won at world level before and whilst he was always 'about' he didn't win again for 5 years. I stand by it, he's not been a top 5 rider or WC contender for 5 years and just been 'unlucky', but he's genuinely number 1 in the world now.
I kind of thought the same, then rode Guisborough woods in the wet where he grew up riding. Really steep wet clay infested mank for most of the year.
Lucky enough to meet and ride with Danny 2 weeks ago in Lake Garda had a good chat with him on the uplift van genuine guy and had no hangers on with him, came on his own to a guided day organised by Michael Cycle.
No strops waiting for people whilst they fixed punctures or for some strange reason were 5 minutes behind him.Only issue I had with him was I when asked if he fancied a beer after the ride he said he fancied an ice-cream!!!! WHAT!!!!!! will let him off seeing that it was Italy 🙂
Unlucky Hobnob 🙂
With my daughter impersonating SMURFS!
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8231/29580976056_db077cb60b_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8231/29580976056_db077cb60b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/M4YeAy ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8062/29615625145_22dc2418c8_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8062/29615625145_22dc2418c8_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/M82PyD ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
Yeah Ratboy has either unlocked the secret to his after-lasting happiness, one that even better than having one of the best jobs in the world if you're a bike rider, or he's got some things to work out - but he's changed in the last couple of years, that happy-go-lucky lad from that brilliant Ratboy episode of 'This is Peaty' "ahhhhh whistler" who loves a mega power skyline drift-car and MX bikes seems to have gone, that Ratboy could lark around and still win races, his '14 season was amazing and he missed out on the Worlds by wanting it too much. People liked him for lots of reasons, but a lot of it came from the fact he was a ruthless racer on track and a laugh off it.
perhaps he's even currently one of the best.
certainly the case today....
good luck to him. he has earnt his podiums just as much as anyone else. didn't he spend much of last winter living in a van at Fort William?
remember Warner commenting that Hart's GF said that for the first time ever he has a six pack since taking training seriously.
i can barely understand what Bryceland says half the time. remember when Lewis Hamilton mumbled his way through interviews?
whatr would the nay-sayer be saying if Greenland had won? fluke?
postierich - Member
Lucky enough to meet and ride with Danny 2 weeks ago in Lake Garda had a good chat with him on the uplift van genuine guy and had no hangers on with him, came on his own to a guided day organised by Michael Cycle.
No strops waiting for people whilst they fixed punctures or for some strange reason were 5 minutes behind him.Only issue I had with him was I when asked if he fancied a beer after the ride he said he fancied an ice-cream!!!! WHAT!!!!!! will let him off seeing that it was Italy
Unlucky Hobnob
With my daughter impersonating SMURFS!
Untitled by Richard Munro, on Flickr
Untitled by Richard Munro, on Flickr
The mark of a real champion!
Knowing how quick even someone as hamfisted as i can make a DuneXR go, i suspect Danny on his must be something you only see waiting at the end of a run.... 😆
whatr would the nay-sayer be saying if Greenland had won? fluke?
I know it's not the way it should be but that's one of the reasons why i said 2nd was the best possible result for Greenland: He'd spend the next year with that monkey on his back, if he'd won; trying to prove he's a worthy champion.
It may, or may not, bother him, depending on his personality, but we see, time and time again, the pressure the rainbow jersey puts on the wearer over the course of the following year.
He's young and has plenty of time to win a world champs. Of course, winning would have been amazing for him, but you've got to find positives wherever you can.
dannyh - Member...As for the second point, he's a bike rider. We shouldn't be asking him to be a Nobel laureate in his spare time. All the haters will never be the best in the world at anything. As far as I can recall, Danny Hart has never gone around spouting about world peace or anything, so he's not asked to be shot down....
Good defence of Danny Hart there from, er....Danny H.... 🙂
Anyway, I agree, why should he be great at chatting and brainy and so on - nobody slags Stephen Hawking off for being shit at football.
Look on the bright side, he makes Sam Hill look charismatic...
I ride with dannyh, hes only a few seconds off Hart 😉
The plot thickens...is dannyh the new fruit I wonder?
Watched the lot, crazy course and interesting to see so many line choices. Agree with the commentary that those who looked smooth and in control generally didn't have the speed.
Pleased for Danny Hart, nothing against the guy...I want to see him on a bike not off it so his personality doesn't bother me.
Gwin added some drama but part of me wanted him to have a decent run so we could see just how much quicker Greenwood and Hart appeared to be.
Course was brutal, credit to Rachel/Myriam/Tracey for showing their skills through a track that sent a lot of the guys packing. The men's hot seat showed for a long time that risks were worth a go, approaching the course with no fear was certainly one way of doing it.
and to take issue from a page back
jmatlock - Member
Fairclough REALLY isn't a decent racer. Nor is he an amazing rampage rider. He sells bikes and kit, a good ambassador for Scott and TLD but he needs to stop racing.He won't win a medal so long as he has a hole in his backside.
WTF? Yeah he might not win a medal but he is certainly one of the best riders from the UK. He was 17th overall in the World Cup Standings which for most would be consiered excellent making him the 7th best place Brit. In terms of Rampage his style is very different and as I think he was quoted his line choice didn't give him as much option.
I'm fairly sure this was him
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The rest of his run was a joy to watch, going where nobody else was venturing.
[quoteUnlucky Hobnob
Haha, I really don't care that much to be bothered by who wins or loses. It would have been more aimed at the scenario I witnessed anyway..
Would have been cool to see Greenland stick it - that run pretty much sums up the Champs to me. Someone who's had a great season & is there, or thereabouts just outside the top ten, but well under the radar as a contender, goes full banzai mode & manages to hang on to the bottom. Great stuff.
Good to see Kerr right up there too - and throwing out the whip on the nasty stepdown that was causing a lot of issues.
There were some massive crashes yesterday. Brutal.
Look on the bright side, he makes Sam Hill look charismatic...
I don't get this, Danny seems to have a bigger smile than most when he wins and that comes off in the interviews.... Peaty was boring as **** in interviews yet you never hear people complain.
Yeah but after that many interviews the novelty must wear off 😉 also peaty brings his own bar to races.Peaty was boring as **** in interviews yet you never hear people complain.
Unbelievable courage by the British lads, both deserve all the credit as to ride like that was breathtaking to watch and no doubt terrifying to do! Danny Hart has every right to be smug as he wishes!
Fairclough REALLY isn't a decent racer. Nor is he an amazing rampage rider. He sells bikes and kit, a good ambassador for Scott and TLD but he needs to stop racing.
He won't win a medal so long as he has a hole in his backside.
Agreed, the guy is a massive squid. I mean the last 3 World Cup round results have been borderline embarrassing - 8th, 12th & 12th.
Even his Rampage results are terrible - 8th in 2013, 14 & 15?
I'd be too ashamed to show my face. 🙄
Just caught up.
Real shame not to see full pulls from Bruni and Gwin.
I reckon Danny and Laurie had the beating of them, but it would have been nice to see.
As for Danny's 2011 run being a fluke, didn't the commentators say that he'd been showboating down the whole of the course all weekend?! That shows that he just knew how to ride that course better than anyone else. No fluke. I don't know what's suddenly changed for him - he thought he had it at Fort William, but for some reason it didn't stick until later in the year.
Laurie's run was still the most amazing thing to watch!
Off to watch it again - along with Bernard Kerr's which I missed.
Re: Bryceland - Is it me, or did something seem to change after his encounter with Missy Giove?
I don't know whether there's room for him to just do the European races, but I hope so. The races were more electric with him in the top 5.
Run into him sometimes on his local trails - Never really chatted for more than a brief few words, but I'd like to.
Re: Bryceland - Is it me, or did something seem to change after his encounter with Missy Giove?
What you saying fella?
AlexSimon - Member
Just caught up.
Real shame not to see full pulls from Bruni and Gwin.
Yeah - you want to se ethe best guys, hard to know just how good Danny was without those guys to gauge against
You will see where I say Fairclough is a really good rider. I love watching him. And his results are good. However, isn't a podium contender in any of the disciplines he decides to run in. Brilliant all round rider, and no doubt he has fun. But it must be a bit weird knowing he simply will never come away with a medal.
He will never be as fast as Hart and Gwinn, he will never be up there with Semenuk, he is a web edit rider who turns up at events for fun I think. Good work of you can get it.
