?
The other guys just must be perplexed, how does he do it........
(he seems like a throughly nice bloke too)
He has god as his co-pilot.
Great race , Gwinn is a beast and made great runs from Minaar , Gee and beaumont look ordinary.
Well done to Rachel Atherton as well.
Red Bull coverage was great but miss Rob Warner letting loose.
Coverage on Freecaster was pretty good.
Excellent racing. Really enjoyed it.
I don't think Gee and Mark are ordinary!! They are friggin fast....
As for Gwin Jesus Christ, Warner is right the guy needs a check up from the head up.....**** me
As we get closer to the top guys you can see the speed ramping and Gee looked super quick, then Gwin comes down making those that came before look s l o w.
Red Bull coverage was great but miss Rob Warner letting loose.
Agreed, I don't miss the lag or downtime of freecaster but reckon Rob is on a tight leash whilst working with RB
Should maybe rephrase Gee and Minaar exceptional runs but Gwinn is just something else. Didn't even seem out of breath a minute after finishing his run.
Awesome race, Gwin is a machine.
Great to see Sam Hill back on it too. Most entertaining run of the day for me.
That was a cracking couple of hours of racing, great coverage from red bull - they've definately put a `calm down a bit' clause in warners contract though haven't they!
Aaron Gwin was immense, nice to see Beaumont up there too, the track looked like it had everything a world cup track should have - steep, rough and technical. Roll on fort bill next weekend.
I don't think gwin looked that much faster on the footage really? I think just a teensie bit quicker in many places and no mistakes on quite a long track just adds up. Gee had a shady moment and still got a 3rd spot so obviously going pretty quick elswhere.
Rorschach - MemberHe has god as his co-pilot.
His bike's only got one seat though.
[img] 
[/img]
Loved it! Great days racing with some great results.
How Gwin had over 7 seconds up is beyond me though..
I miss Robs old ways. The Danny comment was great though. That said 3 of my house mates had to come in to see what was happening.
Ratboy did well to finish. That was a pretty big spill.
Gwinn though, holy shit.
Dunno if Warner has really changed that much.
That Olympics line was a classic "did he really just say that?" Warnerism.
Warner doesn't seem that different to me- sure he's less excitable than he can be but then, they've not really been the most exciting of races so far. Today was good but didn't give him that much to get excited about. Cunny's not as good a sidekick for him either. Bring back Brett Tippie! HAHAAAAAA HAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Comment of the show "Hart has balls that big, he has to wear a hammock" (or something along those lines)!
Amazing racing. Cam Cole's two wheeled drift, Sam hill getting loose and Gwin making everyone look ordinary.
It's mindblowing how Gwin is so smooth and composed, as long as he doesn't have any serious injuries I can see him smashing the records for DH (apart from Nico Vs world champs record)
Just waiting for TJ to come along now and educate us to how crap DH is on TV. 😆
What I don't understand is how he seemed to come out of nowhere and start making every single other rider look like they aren't trying, 5 wins last year and possibly one season with no wins before that? Was he even riding bikes before that? How can any one become that good that fast?!
Surely God means nothing when you have Johnny T as your co-pilot?
slainte 💡 rob
I get the feeling he's been rather handy on 2 wheels since before he started school!!
[i]Aaron Gwin started his cycling career off early racing BMX from age 4. By age 8 Gwin was racing all the nationals. At age 12 Gwin moved on to motocross and raced up until he was 17 when he quit due to constant injuries. In 2008 at age 20 Gwin was loaned a bike by fellow professional downhill racer and good friend Cody Warren and was encouraged to compete in a race. In his first race in the Fontana Winter Series he got 3rd and began racing from then on, quickly signing with Yeti Cycles.[3] He has since won two United States National Championships for Downhill, in 2009 and in 2010. Both were held in SolVista, Colorado[/i]
Coyote give it time, he will be along soon to educate us all in the sport of snail racing! 😛
Glad there's only a week until the next race, but gutted that fate conspired against my plan to get to Fort William in person this year.
What I don't understand is how he seemed to come out of nowhere and start making every single other rider look like they aren't trying, 5 wins last year and possibly one season with no wins before that? Was he even riding bikes before that? How can any one become that good that fast?!
He hasn't exactly come out of nowhere: He was around before, but just didn't put it together. However, in recent years he's been trained by the legendary John Tomac and that appears to have made all the difference.
Great race to watch, DH is very TV friendly on a course like Val Di Sole, the bikes moving around all over the place, the steepness clearly visible on TV and the racers following each other thick and fast....no dead airtime so to speak and great commentary from Rob Warner....
....Gwin is incredible, it's good for the sport too, Gee and Minaar will have to up their game and the kids (Hart, Cole etc) have a target too.
Nice to see Peaty mixing it with the kids too, top 15 finish is very respectable for his age and in this company!
I might just have to trawl up to Fort Bill on my bill after watching that.
So fast and smooth! Harsh to hear CG is smashed up. Hit a tree, broke his leg and shattered his hip with the impact.
Anywhere to watch the highlights?
He looks stronger, so can hold onto the harder suspension setup ? Immense, whatever...
Who else is heading up with their bike to have a run at the hill on Monday? Any long range weather forecasts anywhere? Skint but so tempted, only live once don't you, probably
Is it just me, or would the olympics have benefitted from some of this downhill excitement rather than a XC race round a field in Essex? I know you'd have to stage it at the other end of the country but so what? Aren't the olympics suposed to be for everyone? I think even people that have never watched a downhill race in their life would still find this pretty gripping.
Nope, not just you dingabell
Gwin's obviously really talented, but he also pays top dollar on sports coaching (including the sessions with JT), more so than the other Pros. Think his approach to training is making a few people review what they do 8)
TJ wouldn't he finds it boring and slow.
He beat the field by 8 seconds, yet less than 10 seconds between 2nd and 30th positions!
Gwin is at that point, he's on another level.. a different understanding of whats possible, belief, willing, determination. phenomenal.
dont try and catch him.
Awesome racing, had to give up last night (Oz time zones) as the coverage didn't start till halfway through.
The cameras are better than last year but missing the depth of the coverage from freecaster. Only having 2hrs for a 4 day meet is a shame. Especially as we have a "What can you do in <INSERT VENUE>" commercial and all that. Warner sounds like the free beer has been moved further away - I remember one race hearing the empties getting flung out the window.
DH is a great sport to watch could do with some more. Where is all the MTB cut vids and the rest, used to be loads of stuff around last year. Seen a couple of Helmet Cams and thats it this year
It does seem people periodically step it up in terms of professionalism. The Athertons pushed 3 or so years ago, the Santa Cruz lot before that and now Gwin is taking it to the next level with Trek. Also you never see much by way of social media stuff about him partying with everyone so perhaps also there's a little less of that "extreme sports" mentality and he's approaching it as a professional sportsman where he knows he has limited shelf-life and wants to win as much as possible.
He looks stronger, so can hold onto the harder suspension setup ? Immense, whatever...
I'm sure I've read somewhere his suspension setup is ridiculously hard to go faster. To the point most other riders would struggle to ride it at speed and stay on.
image how good he would be if he rode rigid
😆
He does seem unbelievably driven and focussed.
He beat the field by 8 seconds, yet less than 10 seconds between 2nd and 30th positions!
Yep, that is pretty nuts!
I expected everyone to have closed the gap a bit this year, but Minaar's comment of last year "he's outpedalling all of us" doesn't really stack up any more as this is as technical a track as they come. I would have liked to see Brosnan though 🙁
Reminds me of Peaty/Vouilloz back in the 90s, Peaty would go off second last, look awesome fast and be 6-10s up on the field, then Nico would go off and beat Peaty by 10s...
Yar- cant watch the coverage either on my iphone or the works computer!
Bugger.
There's a Red Bull iPhone app which is free and has the replay on it.
I'm sure I've read somewhere his suspension setup is ridiculously hard to go faster. To the point most other riders would struggle to ride it at speed and stay on.
They mentioned it in the commentary yesterday
What has happened to Sam Hill though, he used to be as explosive and untouchable on form as Gwinnie. Seems to have gone off the boil.
Spending the best part of the last two years out injured will do that
They mentioned it in the commentary yesterday
Not seen it yet.
minnaar made some comments after the race about taking risks, i think he was dead right in what he said.
Gee broke his tibia two months ago and still gets third! Awesome.
Thought Gwin looked super quick through the middle section, he is absolutely amazing. Think he's on course for a big crash though, going that quick the margins are smaller so any mistake is going to be big.
Shame about the CG news, hope he recovers quickly!
Gwinn's reset button will be pressed fairly soon I suspect. He's had a long run without a major stack. He'll be back with similar times to the rest in due course.
Gutted to not see Troy too. The kid is special IMO.
No front teeth.. can suck in more air than the next guy.. cheating really... 😉
Scary the number of serious injuries on this track though. Wonder if it's going to get to the stage where riders are calling for some tracks to be dumbed down.
A mixture of fitness, balls and straight skill will help but i've noticed he has that cool-ness about him that rally-drivers all seem to have.
Nutjack
Wonder if it's going to get to the stage where riders are calling for some tracks to be dumbed down.
Didn't this happen at Champery a few years back? A few riders refused to race it as it was too gnarly I seem to recall rightly or wrongly...
Probably the most dangerous track there is, Champery is probably steeper but seems less rocky. Gutted for CG, the new jumps on the motorway at Fort Bill would be perfect for him to do something crazy on. Gee seems to be doing very very well indeed, especially considering the broken leg.
Gwin does seem to be pretty amazing! Maybe not as fun to watch as some of the other riders as he just seems to be clinical but by no means am I suggesting that he isn't fun to watch! I really want Fairclough to come back onto his previous form, he seems to have been plagued by injuries lately, and he's such a good rider to watch. Also, what about Steve smith racing with a broken hand and still putting in a rather good time!
Didn't this happen at Champery a few years back? A few riders [s]refused[/s] [b]Didn't have the skill [/b] to race it as it was too gnarly I seem to recall rightly or wrongly...
fixed
Warner sounds like the free beer has been moved further away - I remember one race hearing the empties getting flung out the window.
did anyone else hear the comment
"this man is potentially more explosive than the London Olympics..."
😯
did anyone else hear the comment"this man is potentially more explosive than the London Olympics..."
Genius, I didn't here it but definitely sounds like somthing he'd say.
I have no idea what you lot are on about, this is a cycling forum you know.
Genius
Or trite?
stevewhyte - MemberI have no idea what you lot are on about, this is a cycling forum you know.
specifically, it's a thread about the Dh world Cup, and the dominance of Aaron Gwin.
Exactly its a cycling forum, DH has no place on it. What about Farmers weekly forum.
[url= http://rynopower.com/videos.html#top ]Gwin's got Ryno power![/url]
It's actually a "bike forum" Steve, I believe some folk like to "ride" bikes, some "cycle" them while others simply like to start flawed arguements about them. Pick two*
* as some other **** might say 😉
Did you hear Gwin being interviewed afterwards? He said something about having to remain patient in his race run. If that's patient, then there is no hope for the others. His thought processes must be just so far ahead of where he actually is on the course. Amazing.
Despite me not Gwin to win each race, the guy is jaw droppingly good. He's great for the sport too as the others are just gonna push it harder and harder trying to beat him. Fo me though, Sam Hill's loose style was a welcome return.
The answer's in today's results...
Come on the English Lads!!!!!!!!
N lasses
I saw somewhere that Gwin crashed near the top somewhere and cruised down. So actually, him only being 12 seconds down is quite worrying, especially if his crash was only a minor one.
Qualifying video, including Gwin's crash, [url= http://dirt.mpora.com/news/dirttv-fort-william-world-cup-qualifying-2012.html ]clicky.[/url]
Exciting stuff - Looking forward to the real stuff tmro - Gwinny blamed it on his new front tyre, however from the footage it was the rear that washed-out - I think he's rattled...
Either way it's gonna be be goood
It said on Dirt that he crashed TWICE in qualifying.
😯
2 rear wheel washouts not far from each other.
I think he's rattled
Really? Seems a bit too early to suggest that.
Looked like front tyre first, rear second. Who cares though 🙂
It's going to be a bloody amazing race anyway!