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Is that a procore I see?
Poor Neko 🙁
Was.....
Not a great advertisement for Procore there...
Looks like procore and sounds like Claudio was talking about it earlier. Not a great advert really
bugger hit pause to take a leak and now I'm 50s behind you lot
Go on Ratboy!
Missed Neko. Bloody feed went down again. Seems dependent on whether my kids are on Minecraft or not
I like how many riders try to aero tuck on the flat out bits. Bryceland sort of deploys himself to maximum parachute
REMI!!!
He was about 6 seconds back at the rock I think
What's with the chainsaw?
Well all shook up too, think the big advantage was with the Locals for lots of extra practice on a new track. Gwinn did something special but there might have been something on a track that was deteriorating over the day. Good to see Bryceland not far off after a winter laid up, those who put a winter in down in the southern hemisphere had some help too.
Jesus, the french supporter storming the finish area and cheering "with" Bruni who was so apparently gutted is the most cringe inducing thing I've seen for a while.
Shame for Jones, getting kicked off the second spot at the last moment 🙁
Watching everyone else it's like "good line there" "fast through that bit" but Gwin just looks slightly faster, pretty much all the time.
Good race that... Shame about some missing/injured faces, it never really went off quite like the practice promised I thought but still bloody good, awesome track.
Woohoo!
Nearly 4 seconds on Bruni, and then 6.5 to third. Nuts.
Could be Gwin all the way for the rest of the year.
Go Team GB!
Brilliant from the ladies, and almost as good from the men 🙂
good tv that....
whens the next one?
Looking at the course difference between here and Ft Bill I recjon it could be a lot closer
6th and 7th June i think
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Please do explain?Looking at the course difference between here and Ft Bill I recjon it could be a lot closer
There is no TEAM GB here. it's not that kind of sport. Thank ****!Go Team GB!
I suspect there is going to be a lot of Team Managers and a lot of Riders all desperate to get hold of any footage from between Split 1 & 2 during Gwins run! To take 5 sec out of the entire rest of the field in 1 split, wow, he definitely found some super line in there!
You think Cannes is local to Lourdes?Well all shook up too, think the big advantage was with the Locals for lots of extra practice on a new track.
That's like Calling Brendan a Ft William Local.
there was no real home advantage. it's not Enduro. 🙄
Please do explain?
Ft bill has a lot of faster and smoother sections, the technical sections can reward the all or nothing but penalise lots of riders for just clipping a rock or a root. Ft bill has more smooth flat than this course looks to have based on the helmet cams/previews.
There is no TEAM GB here. it's not that kind of sport. Thank ****!
Except for cheering for the GB riders and appreciating that we have a great set of riders who represent the UK that it's something to celebrate. The Team Oz feeling down here is really good, despite trade teams it's good to see the riders supporting each other.
What are the odds he made 5 seconds on some super line? Commentators (and probably us too) are obsessed with single sections, I bet you 10 scottish pence he mostly took 1/10ths off everyone else in the bits that don't grab headlines.
Interesting how Bruni leaves with more points than Gwin.
How did Fairclough crash in the arena?
Not a chance. he simply held speed better (pretty much everywhere)What are the odds he made 5 seconds on some super line?
You think Cannes is local to Lourdes?
That's like Calling Brendan a Ft William Local.there was no real home advantage. it's not Enduro.
....
New WC venue, lots of French riders doing really well in qualifying and in the race, some punching well above (like the privateer) there have been nationals raced there and if you knew your first round was going to be there would you not be there for a few weekends before the race? If not your an idiot. Some of these guys must have had a bunch of inside knowledge on the course which would pay off, hence the number of WC riders that are riding the Ft Bill national round each year.
@Northwind, not saying he made 5s but the chances of making that at some other venues is not as easy.
commentators were suggesting that most riders were between 1 or 2 seconds on split 1 and then 5-8 seconds down at split 2 so yeah, I think Gwin found some mad line.
Did I imagine it, but was Ratboy protecting his ankle after a flatish landing towards the end of his run?
good race, good course, I think everyone forgot about Gwin after he didn't show up last year...
I'm Scottish. Not GBishExcept for cheering for the GB riders and appreciating that we have a great set of riders who represent the UK that it's something to celebrate.
[b]WE[/b] have no Team GB
Personally I was most looking forward to seeing to Remi, Mike and Neko's runs simply because they were looking the Radest all weekend. Where they were born has nothing to do with it for me.
I find patriotism (especially in multination Team sports) all just a bit too inbred.
I'm Scottish. Not GBish
WE have no Team GB
Good for you, lots of other people are British and like to celebrate that. The strength of UK/GB cycling is something to celebrate. Partly as having seen some of the Brits riding in regional races and being great for the sport and wanting to support those guys when they hit the big stage.
Do you actually have no clue as to how large a country France is Mike? There's NOTHING stopping ANY of the riders heading to Lourdes before the event.
Ft Bill is a trail centre in comparison. Nothing changes there at all at a National apart from the 15 seconds of woods they tape in for SDAs/BDS/WC that are closed to everyday punters.
Last time Gwin did something like this was at Val di Sole. Rough and loose track, with balls out moto style riding with extra firm suspension.
Whatever he did to make up that much time, it is pretty impressive.
Not sure how I'd feel about a dominant Gwinn winning every round by big margins all season, it sort of took the fun out of it last time he did that.
Great result for Mike Jones...
Do you actually have no clue as to how large a country France is Mike? There's NOTHING stopping any of the riders heading to Lourdes before the event.
Yep driven up and down it a lot, It's a really small country think I'm doing 500km more next week for a week long riding road trip (1 way) than driving Calais to Lourdes. Most of the yanks, aussies, kiwi's etc. would have been there, if yo have been there for a couple of nationals and being a pro and having some time not heading down there for a weekend etc. would really surprise me. Of course the French guys might just be on top of the world... If I lived in France and I was looking at racing the WC I'd be down there a couple of times after the snow left.
..and the 'Mercan who just put 4 seconds into every other rider spent winter in Cali eating cookies and that top "Local" you elude to having practiced more than anyone else still slides out on the very first corner. How much do you think local knowledge came into the winning result a fortnight back in Rotorua?
As with many new tracks, this track was an entirely different prospect after just one days practice nevermind from weeks earlier before it was even taped out. Local knowledge is an advantage, yes, but nowhere near as big a deal as you seem to make out for the very top guys.
Like I said earlier, this is not Enduro.
Gwin looked much smoother than most to me, most were smacking through the rough stuff using most of their travel but he seemed to skim through at pace.
Gwin is really bloody talented.
Gain only seems to use the top 50% of his bike's travel(!)
Warner was spot on when he said that if you can hang on to it, a bike with stiffer suspension can be ridden faster than those set up softer. We are not talking about normal riders here, but guys who are looking to hold speed and skim over bumps and holes.
To agree with Rob Warner again, I think that Bryceland will be happy after two lots of surgery on his foot and ankle that he is still up there.
As for my favourite moan, even his team manager was talking about Brendan Fairclough running out of energy near the bottom of the course. I hope he, or somebody else gets an extra large pair of arse-kicking boots and makes Fairclough take it properly seriously. He should be a top five rider every round with his natural ability, but he is pissing away the likely peak of his career! I really want to see what he is capable of if he gives up the 'it is cool to be a slacker' attitude and goes the extra 10%.
Overall, though, great track and a worthy start to the season. Thank god that Pietermaritzburg is off the list this year.
Last time Gwin did something like this was at Val di Sole.
That's what I was thinking, hopefully he'll be less dominant at the next few rounds.
Still got to wonder what Hill might have been able to do, but very pleasing to see his young protege third - with Hart and Dale on the podium.
I hope he, or somebody else gets an extra large pair of arse-kicking boots and makes Fairclough take it properly seriously
I think Neko Mullaly already did that. Brendan should be pleased with 6th.
I think Neko Mullaly already did that. Brendan should be pleased with 6th.
Yes he should. For now. In my opinion, he is the most naturally talented rider there. More talented than the likes of Bryceland and Hill even. I just want him to fulfill his potential. Sam Blenkinsop is another from a similar mould. It's almost as if they're scared that if they do put in as much training as the really top guys and still don't win, then they're exposed.
What a great sport it is, though. The abilities and cojones of the riders combines with the technical capabilities of the bikes is bewildering to mere mortals.
All they need to develop now is some kind of styrofoam solid tyre filling and it'll be all good!
Erm.... I would go as far to say Blenki is one of the fittest out there actually. Trains his ass off along with Wyn.
If you also do the math and look at the actual sector times rather than just the split times you'll see that Fairclough is only 1.5sec back from Gwin in Sector 2 as was Hart and Bryceland.
Seems just that Gwin was able to follow it through all 3 sectors consistently