DH world Championship this weekend

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 “he’s a bike rider. We shouldn’t be asking him to be a Nobel laureate in his spare time”.

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!
Untitled by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
Untitled by 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
Mod-2812 by Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
The rest of his run was a joy to watch, going where nobody else was venturing.

[quoteUnlucky Hobnob[/quote]

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.

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.

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.

Chuffed for Laurie Danny and Florent

Good day for Mondraker !

Bruni and Gwinn both unlucky but not hitting stuff too hard, to prevent crashing/breaking the bike is a race skill, both seem to struggle with when the pressure is on

How exactly did Gwinn do that to his wheel?

Fairclough REALLY isn’t a decent racer.

I love when folk say stuff like this

2016 Season: https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider758/brendan-fairclough/results/?series=603

Barring a couple of races he’s in the top 10% and only a few % behind the race leader

2015 Season: https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider758/brendan-fairclough/results/?series=489

Even more consistent and better results

He may not be winning but to say he isn’t a decent racer is a huge dis-service. The margins are so tight and only a few seconds can cover the bulk of the field

jmatlock – Member
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.

But its the same story for 80% of WC racers, you’d have a field of about 8 if only those with a chance of winning raced!

I think it’s a shame if ratboy really is quitting but one of the things I have always liked about him is that he seems to be enjoying himself doing what many would think of as a dream job , if he is not enjoying himself anymore or has different priorities then fair enough . He was world cup champion and one dab of a brake away from being world champion so no one can say he hasn’t achieved in the sport .
As for fairclough I think people need to actually look at his rresults , just to qualify for the gb team shows you have had a pretty good year

May as well sent everyone bar Rachel home from the Women’s, cut the motogp field down to half a dozen too, same with F1, Wimbledon should just a seeded last 8, or 4 probably.

One of my favourite sportsing mash articles:

Relegations fail to reduce football

That whole race was awesome, so many great moments. Hat off to anyone who’s got the balls to take on that mountain. A master class again from Danny Hart, proved it… be it mud or dust.

Watched there various version of this so many times. Split screen of DH’s 2011 insane ride:

Just in case you’ve not seen it!

Great results for the brits – thought Rachel had it in the bag because she seems to be on a different level compared to the rest of the ladies.

Was hoping Hart would do it after such a string end to the season – great result for the Mondraker team too. Will be interesting to see how they go next season because expectation will be high.

It’s shame about Ratboy calling it quits – it does seem this year that he is happier dicking around with the 50:01 crew than racing / training etc.

I didn’t realise Payet was also Mondraker. Blimey!
Gold, silver and bronze for the same team is pretty epic when they are so unpredictable!

mikewsmith – Member
Re: Bryceland – Is it me, or did something seem to change after his encounter with Missy Giove?

What you saying fella?
That maybe she said there was more to life than racing, or that the need to win was something you could let go of, or something else.
I don’t know, but he is always posting that he’s reading books that are pretty radical.
(here and here for eg).

Of course, it could just be since his foot-mash.

she said there was more to life than racing,

Selling tons of hash didn’t work out too well for her

My life would change after an encounter with Missy G, I think I would quite enjoy it

I didn’t realise Payet was also Mondraker. Blimey!
Gold, silver and bronze for the same team is pretty epic when they are so unpredictable!

Thought it was 2 of them being MS Mondraker team mates, and the 3rd being SrSuntour Mondraker?
Mondraker bikes ought to cash in on that though.

Thought it was 2 of them being MS Mondraker team mates, and the 3rd being SrSuntour Mondraker?
Mondraker bikes ought to cash in on that though.

Hart and Greenland are factory riders, Payet is a privateer and one of many it seems on Mondrakers
Also seemed to be a lot of Treks and SC’s in the privateer ranks. Also nice to see some of the lesser known brands represented including Pole and NS bikes.

The top 20 in men’s DH is just insanely tight at the minute with loads of brilliant riders. I was looking at the finish times for one race this year and the top 20 were covered by just 7 seconds and the 10-20 places were separated by 5 seconds. It’s insane and pretty much a lottery when the racing is that tight. To call any these riders anything leas than massively dedicated does then all a disservice TBH

I’m pretty disappointed this morning to not see as much as a mention on the BBC Sport site of the World Champs. I get that we are a niche sport but they even had time to cover the Manx End to End, surely the WCs is far more newsworthy!

I guess they didn’t get the press release, they have covered all the races this year and last I think.