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I used to ride with a lad call Alex Havers, he looked like the typical image you see of Jesus, but my word could that lad ride, he was so fit he just used to fly along.
His bike handling skills were amazing too, he used to live alone and once admitted to watching tv whilst doing track-stands, he seemed a complete bike really, he could do the trials stuff, had the lungs of an xc racer and was fearless and smooth downhill. A cracking bike mechanic too. I think he just loved bikes. He got a new job, moved to a different part of the country and we lost touch 🙁
I used to ride with Nicole Cooke, all road stuff mind, so doesn't count! She was quicker than most of the blokes even back then - some 20 years ago.
Mate brought his B-i-L with us to Afan. He asks what type of riding it's going to be. I think "ooh, he's worried" and tell him not to worry, it's all rollable and he'll be fine.
He schooled us downhill all day long. Wheelied uphill for the heck of it and between the gates. He was like a circus rider or something.
Found out on the trip that he was a junior WC DH racer who used to room with Sam Hill. It was the weekend of an Enduro and it was hilarious watching him nonchalantly pick off the lads on a seeding run. Never seen anything like it.
But yeah, him I reckon!
Taught me some tricks to do with pumping 😉
Happened to be at the pump track opposite the velodrome[ manchester] when they had a world cup BMX meet on and she turned up [ and loads of others but she was friendly and chatted to my kids] did a few laps with them talking them through the skills.
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Ffion was on the uplift last time I went to revolution and 4x champion Melissa buhl came night riding with us once then came to pub afterward, don't think she could understand a word.
Used to ride bmx with mick goff, current bmx world champion.
My mate Dave (honestly!)
Especially since he started training for Enduro races last year. He's very smooth and light on the bike. He's fun to follow, though I often crash when I try to take his lines!
Karim Amour (2012 European Enduro champ) was in our uplift van for the day earlier this year in Finale. On each run I tried to stay with him but could never keep him in sight for more than a minute, and that was with him just pumping the trails and me sprinting between corners.
The most interesting thing was how much time he gained by straight-lining corners. Any sort of left-right kink in the trail and he'd just air over the whole thing. I wish I could ride with riders like that all the time. It would make me so much better.
Followed rachel Atherton for 5 covers on the pleny until she jumped off into the off piste. Barrell in the lakes, he and Tracey mosley came to Keswick labour club for the after party.
From the OP spent a week thrashing it round the trails with Alex when he was on a white room holiday.
As there are no women on the list so far...Other than Ffion Griffiths, Emmeline Ragot, Tracey Moseley and Rachel Atherton of course
Maybe Sam doesn't think they are women...
I reckon rob cole/esher shore has won top trumps here (see above). I presume riding with Rob Bourdon involves some 'big air'.
I've ridden round roman lakes in marple with Rat boy on his Blur and he was just manualling constantly and flicking his back end out, finding doubles everywhere.
Karim Amour (2012 European Enduro champ) was in our uplift van for the day earlier this year in Finale. On each run I tried to stay with him but could never keep him in sight for more than a minute, and that was with him just pumping the trails and me sprinting between corners.The most interesting thing was how much time he gained by straight-lining corners. Any sort of left-right kink in the trail and he'd just air over the whole thing. I wish I could ride with riders like that all the time. It would make me so much better.
We had a day with Karim in Tolfa last year - as you say, his ability to straight line stuff by just jumping over it is ridiculous. Trying to follow him and Ducci down one section on a full practice loop was terrifying but probably the steepest learning curve I have ever had.
Did he do his whole "don't stress the suspension, unweight it, slow down to speed up" thing? Seeing him carry speed and almost float was amazing.
I did a Derny training session at Manchester with Marianne Vos. She was SO smooth - we'd all been binned out at about the 60kph point (we were on 88" gears) and she was still there twiddling away on a 78" with a cadence of about 130!
Rode a lap of the Red Bull 24hr (as it was then) at Sandwell Park with Ned Overend. He was cool as, just the nicest guy. We'd met briefly before the race when one of the Specialized crew introduced us so as he caught me up 1/2 a mile out the start he recognised me and I jumped straight onto his wheel. He was calling out for both of us:
"hey, 2-up, can we come past on your left, thank you so much, have a great race" to every rider. None of this "ELITE RIDER!!" shit, he barely raised his voice, always said please and thank you to every rider he passed. Legend.
At the end of the lap, he said "hey, that was great - I'm on a double lap, you coming round again?"
Me, I was too wrecked from a lap at that speed to even contemplate anything other than collapsing!
probably my favourite riding pic
Leading Josh bender, my buddy Rob and Joe Schwartz (Kona Klump rider) down one of the trails on the Garbanzo zone in Whistler, BC
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Now that is cool Esher- cheers for that!
Steve Wade, assuming riding = watching disappear into a cloud of dust over the horizon.
Ben Shepherd is probably the most famous - took him riding in Spain while guiding there and he was filming 'Holiday'. Not too technically gifted, but strong as an ox and good bloke to boot. I seem to recall him being the only member of the BBC crew to come drinking with us too.
More recently, Nick Craig came up to see what we were doing at Thetford Forest. Did a short ride with him, amazed at how effortless mtbing really is (well that is how he made it seem).
He always comes across incredibly well.
I've ridden with Nick Craig a couple of times, but he always just cruises along chatting - super-friendly and never showy.
However, when I was test-riding Banshees, I rode behind Pat Campbell-Jenner for 3 laps of the Dalby Forest test loop.
Another super-friendly guy. It was a real eye-opener to follow into some corners - the speed difference was incredible. He was also able to do scrub whips on the tiniest of little blips in the trail.
It's good to follow someone massively better than you every once in a while. I had a good couple of falls over the next few weeks while I was trying to emulate what I saw 🙂
Most (in)famous would be Lance Armstrong on a couple of his twitter rides 😳
At the risk of being accused of plaigirism...
Binners
Steve Peat or Mike Hopkins.
Pretty non-tech stuff with Steve, but even then his class was easy to see.
Mike is an amazing rider. Big jumps, drops etc riding blind really good flow and a sound bloke.
So the best voted riders seems to be between Steve Peat or Binners. 🙂
For "real life" riders rather than the pro's there were some really good riders I did some uplift days with from the MTB Britain forum. Littlegirlbunny is an awesome rider, think she posts here sometimes as well.
An workmate (now moved away) is far and away the fastest. He'd previously taken a summer off to ride European DH circuit but decided to get a "real" job. I guess leaving me for dead still doesn't make you fast enough to be a pro 😆
One ride with him he was on the Death Bike™ (it tried to kill everyone who rode it). Halfway round he stripped the thread on his left pedal and spent the rest of the ride either pedalling with one leg or standing on the chainstay. I was on a fully functioning FS bike and still couldn't drop him on a fast but technical descent (Devil's Elbow) which I knew and he didn't 😳
On reflection, it is probably me
In fairness it's probably a close call between binners and Ian Pendry from Altitude Adventure (8th in veterans class at this years Mega)
No - it is definitely binners.
Are there really no votes yet for Hora himself? For shame, STW.
I'm sure he's ace. But I'm equally sure that he doesn't exist.
To be fair to Hora, he would be a clear winner if he wasn't being constantly let down by inferior and defective equipment, that fails to live up to the demand his skillz place on them
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Its always good to have a complete novice with you on a ride, I recommend it, makes you feel good as you show them some tips and tricks and thats probably how jason mcroy felt when he came riding with my uni bike club. Up to that point in time I mistakenly thought downhillers werent fit, just very skilled, how wrong, Jason destroyed us although to be fair when he showed up every man and his boy then seemed to put on their race head. I think he'd wanted a gentle recovery ride and instead got a bunch of uni riders trying to beat him. ha. funny day. lovely chap.
We did a guided ride with a bloke called Farid Bourebrab in Chamonix lots of years ago. We all thought we were handy on the bikes but this guy was nuts. His tech ability on the rooty climbs left us gawping (he never went lower than middle ring), his fitness on the bits where we were pushing was astounding & he flew down all the DH bits leaving us for dead. We were munching energy bars like they were going out of fashion & all he had was a quick slurp of water from a horse trough!
Found out near the end of the ride he'd rode for Gary Fisher & was something like 3rd in the French DH champs in around 1990. He's still on the go apparently..
http://www.ventoux-bikestrip.com/4/presentation_352871.html
[quote=binners ]To be fair to Hora, he would be a clear winner if he wasn't being constantly let down by inferior and defective equipment, that fails to live up to the demand his skillz place on them
He should try something different.
We had a day with Karim in Tolfa last year - as you say, his ability to straight line stuff by just jumping over it is ridiculous. Trying to follow him and Ducci down one section on a full practice loop was terrifying but probably the steepest learning curve I have ever had.Did he do his whole "don't stress the suspension, unweight it, slow down to speed up" thing? Seeing him carry speed and almost float was amazing.
Yup, he's certainly smooth. The most impressive things was at one point he managed to pull one of the grips off his bars but somehow didn't stack it.
He should try something different.
Are there many and varied types of windsurfing boards on the market? 😉
I'm gonna upset Alex and go for Andy Barlow from Dirt School. Awesome rider and incredibly well-rounded.
We get riders of all kinds of levels, shapes and sizes who come out to ride with us and we do see some really, really good riders - too many to mention.
I really on local knowledge and sneakiness to stay in front and sometimes not even that works!
@ti-pin-man
I have fond memories of JMC and Plunkett coming riding with the Uni MTB clubs in Newcastle. Team Hardisty Cycles were warned about those rides...
Mark Papworth @ Ciclo Montana, all day long.
Seconded.
Easy one for me. Back in 2012 I spent a week in Les Arcs and our guide's deputy was this young lad, Drew Carters:
http://mpora.com/videos/AAdaprt27cxc
Never, ever seen such total and utter pinned commitment exhibited, other than actually watching DH races.
Mark Papworth @ Ciclo Montana, all day long.
Thirded.
He just doesn't make mistakes on the nastiest of technical trails around there... effortless, flawless, tough as nails. Top bloke too.
stevomcdI really on local knowledge and sneakiness to stay in front and sometimes not even that works!
I did consider nominating you actually Stevo, but what swung it, is that i have actually seen you fall off, unlike Alex!! Although to be fair, it was caused by you using that "local" knowledge of yours to ride pretty much straight off a 6foot drop into an immediate 90 right, on a narrow ledge, with a 50foot 50deg slope running down away from it. The power of Peer Pressure eh! Good times 😉
a few for megeoff gullivich wade simmons. , jcl, gw from here paul lasenby and skip but the best all round rider i have ever ridden with is stuart rider from riderscyclecenter
Apart from my mate John and his Bro in law.
Probably Guy Martin. Perhaps "rode with ", is a bridge to far, we chatted on course at mountain mayhem a few years ago. I say chatted. He spoke clearly, whilst I wheezed a lot and he pedalled away from me .
So the best voted riders seems to be between Steve Peat or Binners.
Does Steve Peat have 'Greggs' logo's on his frame?
'Nuff said. 😀
Ben Morgan.
He rode down, back up, down again. This was by the time I was still mincing down the first run. Mad skills and balls of steel.
Errr. Too hard to choose to be honest.
I'm lucky enough to be friends with a few excellent (pro) riders.
If we're naming names then pick whoever you think is best
Glen coe
Tom dowie
Matt Jones
Jon Jones
8)
Tandem Crit raced against the late Zac Carr with Anthony Kappes on the back of the tandem I was piloting with other Paralympic gold medalists in the bunch
TTed against Alex Dowsett (well the same TT) and Dr Hutch 😉