[Closed] DH World Champs - Norway -SPOILERS

Kathy Sessler just posted that Ratboy is having surgery for multiple foot dislocations and fractures.
Ouch

why did we only get 3 seconds of peats runs as well?

i guess there's not much to watch any more. No doubt he's the done more than anyone for the sport (especially in the uk), but in the last few years do you not think he's been included in the Worlds team just out of courtesy?

WTF? Fastest with no chain!!

We run a chainless race, and are quite obsessive about chainless riding being faster (on the right course) anbd making you ride better. When Mulally's chain came off I said to people in the room "He'll be faster", no-one believed me...

I so wish he'd been on the podium with that. Best Worlds for a long long time.

Fantastic world champs full of drama!

rather than this

Shaun Palmer was the most irritating man ever to ride a downhill bike, all the other racers should have just kicked the **** out of his smug face.

i guess there's not much to watch any more. No doubt he's the done more than anyone for the sport (especially in the uk), but in the last few years do you not think he's been included in the Worlds team just out of courtesy?

He made the top 20, beating Danny Hart and Greg Williamson.

He made the top 20, beating Danny Hart and Greg Williamson.

He gets the occasional good result that someone 'coming up' would get, but he's 'going down'. It just seems like we should face facts and let him run syndicate and do all the other sweet stuff he's up to, Bren might have been a better bet.

I still love Steve though.

Shows the depth of talent the UK has in downhill though when it can be discussed that a legend like peaty, ranked 20th in the world and finishing 16th in the world championship can be discussed as maybe not the right choice for the team. I still think he was the right choice this year, but can see it being his last.

Shows the depth of talent the UK has in downhill though when it can be discussed that a legend like peaty, ranked 20th in the world and finishing 16th in the world championship can be discussed as maybe not the right choice for the team. I still think he was the right choice this year, but can see it being his last.

I hope it didn't come across like I was knocking him. I agree though that for some reason we're completely dominating DH at the minute and i'd be good to give some of the up and comers the experience.

The teams are picked way before the event so doesn't take into account late season form. There are a handful of UK riders that might be quicker than Peaty now but just not when the team was selected.

It was an incredible day's racing though. Gutted for Ratboy and Hill but Gee deserved the win for being both quick and staying upright; to suggest otherwise is churlish.

Don't really get the Bren'dog' thing. Seems like a nice lad and can do good whips but..Mike Jones next year please

Peaty deserved his place in the team over Brendog on merit: I'm not sure of the facts but I'm sure he puts in better results than Brendog on a fairly consistent basis.

Edit: Brendog is an amazing rider, but at the present he is not a top racer, and probably won't be until he takes his training seriously: Did you see that helmet cam course preview he did a few races ago, where he took over from Claudio? He was struggling for breath after only a minute. His team manager is fitter.

I hope it didn't come across like I was knocking him

It did. But then he didn't look at all happy with his race run.

howsyourdad1 - Member 
Brilliant weekend. I highly recommend volunteering for something like this if you can, really cool to see the work that goes in , the track , the riders, the tech teams etc. I am a very proud Brit in Norway

Gutted for RatBoy as that would have crowned what has already been a breakthrough season for him. I'm pleased for Gee (2nd win I think) after last years dissapointment.

What a race, gutted for the Ratboy.

Just for this on cycling news

The usual post-race celebrations were muted as Bryceland was carried off the course by teammates since he couldn't walk on his injured foot. The UCI later reported that he was taken immediately to the hospital and would be undergoing surgery, possibly for a fractured metatarsal and one or more dislocations.

Slight foot malfunction...

😯

[img] [/img]

Peaty deserved his place in the team over Brendog on merit: I'm not sure of the facts but I'm sure he puts in better results than Brendog on a fairly consistent basis.

Edit: Brendog is an amazing rider, but at the present he is not a top racer, and probably won't be until he takes his training seriously: Did you see that helmet cam course preview he did a few races ago, where he took over from Claudio? He was struggling for breath after only a minute. His team manager is fitter.

Precisely what I have been on about for some time. Fairclough is (was) just as talented as Bryceland, but he's just not that arsed and it is a shame. I'm not sure how he still gets pro [u]racing[/u] contracts as he could piss most of the other off the park if he could be bothered to get fit. I'm afraid he's becoming a 'tits and ass' rider who does a good video whenever he needs a few quid. It is probably too late for him to turn it around. Hearing him say on 'three minute gaps' (2010 season) that he "hasn't got a racer head dialled in yet" after at least five years on the World Cup circuit was just a cop out. I hope he makes the decision to really give it a go. No one (or at least not many people) remembers a brilliant whip over a jump, names on trophies is what professional sportsmen are judged on.

Hope 'basmati' is ok, sounds like the kind of injury that could involve a lot of ligament damage and I think that would be the biggest concern from a career point of view. I wouldn't have liked to be in his shoes (no pun intended) as he sailed up into the air over that bridge. He had quite a lot of time to say "oh shit" before gravity did its job. 😐

If you want to re-watch Mulally's run on the redbull on demand jump to 2hr 56min.

Its interesting listening to the commentary as he heads toward the gap over the stream.. they're talking about chains n stuff but missing his smooth lines and speed through that section. Then Nigel's on about how hes still trying to get his tuck on.. then boom he's in the green on the split and it takes a couple of seconds for them to compute. Awesome run! Gutted for the josh.. heal quick ratboy.

Precisely what I have been on about for some time. Fairclough is (was) just as talented as Bryceland, but he's just not that arsed and it is a shame. I'm not sure how he still gets pro racing contracts as he could piss most of the other off the park if he could be bothered to get fit. I'm afraid he's becoming a 'tits and ass' rider who does a good video whenever he needs a few quid. It is probably too late for him to turn it around. Hearing him say on 'three minute gaps' (2010 season) that he "hasn't got a racer head dialled in yet" after at least five years on the World Cup circuit was just a cop out. I hope he makes the decision to really give it a go. No one (or at least not many people) remembers a brilliant whip over a jump, names on trophies is what professional sportsmen are judged on.

It's not that black and white, at all.

Take Gee, he is a successful racer, fast as hell. Yet you barely see any GT's at the races, or anywhere in fact.

Go to the races, there are Gamblers everywhere. All the kids want to ride like Brendan. That's why he gets good contracts, because he sells a truck load of bikes for the brand he's riding for.

It's not just about being fast (which he is, still, ridiculously so, considering his lack of interest in pedalling).

Gutted for the Rat. That photo of his foot is not nice. But he's young enough to bounce back (no pun intended).

Here's the jump from a different angle - one bike length too far.

(not my vid)

Hope he heals up soon for next year.

Great racing though, was absolutly bonkers.

Well played Gee and Manon. Let's hope Bryceland gets healed and gets back in the game.

It's funny. As I was watching the reply, and he is smashing all the 'impossible' lines, I was thinking there has to be an injury in his future, as has happened in so many riders career trajectories. And then he mashes himself on the last jump of the season.

Sam Hill's crash was pretty gnarly too.

How Hill didn't dislocate his shoulder on that rock I don't know. He was lucky.

That has got to be one of the most crazy things i've ever seen! What a event. Brilliant to see UK riders dominating too on a pretty gnarly course 😉

Who was the Norwegian rider that went down just after the steep right-hand drop? He looked fairly beaten up.

There were quite a few crashes in unlikely parts of the course - which I suppose applies equally to Bryceland.

Oh, and I am gutted it's over until next year. The coverage has been great, streaming on Redbull, Claudio's track runs and, as much as I am not a huge Warner fan, his 'qualifying chat' videos are highly amusing.

Take Gee, he is a successful racer, fast as hell. Yet you barely see any GT's at the races, or anywhere in fact.
Go to the races, there are Gamblers everywhere. All the kids want to ride like Brendan. That's why he gets good contracts, because he sells a truck load of bikes for the brand he's riding for.

Or maybe it's because there's barely a GT dealer network in this country after they fell apart many years ago

Ratboy blew that. Was he carried to the podium so he could make funny comments to the winner?

How Hill didn't dislocate his shoulder on that rock I don't know

His head broke his fall... 😯

THAT WAS ****ING MIGHTY!!!!!

Or maybe it's because there's barely a GT dealer network in this country after they fell apart many years ago

Not according to their dealer locator, there must be 150+ dealers in he UK.

[img] [/img]Top pic from Pinkbike - Top Comment -

thats the best "ohh a penny" pic iv ever seen

Nigel Page went pretty silent after that^^^ crash eh! The usual "curse of the commentator" struck, pretty much, just as he said "my man Sams on a stunner of a run, this will get him into the hot seat".......

shifter - Member
Ratboy blew that. Was he carried to the podium so he could make funny comments to the winner?

Best race I can remember - what an awesome course! Really sad that Mullally didn't medal, I hope he can take away from that and come back fast next year. Ratboy's foot looks a real mess, hope it's not going to take too long to heal.

^^ the bloke in blue's face 😆

Some awesome riding down an awesome course. Brook Mcdonald was hauling ass, Hill was on fire until that rock got in his way, Mullally was just unreal and Ratboy sending it too long in the home straight was heart breaking. What a race. Whilst I respect Gee as a racer, Ratboy has the old school derelict rider thing down to a tee and was shouting at the screen for him to win.
Congrats to all, the British DH scene has produced a golden crop atm and we should be proud.

Ratboy sending it too long in the home straight was heart breaking

Was gutting. His run up until that point was sublime. Just looked effortless. Hope he'll be ok for next season.

Great ride by Gee too. And GB women in the top three places too, top stuff. Manon for SPOTY 🙂

Gutted by Hill and Ratboy crashing, both were looking so good but, to be fair to Gee, he ended up with a decent margin given how much time his stumble on the stream gap must have cost him.

Brendog is a freerider not a downhill racer. At the moment. He was doing pretty good in front of Claudio considering he hadn't walked the track.

Agree re. Fairclough, i cant decide whether its him or the Scott Gambler, no other Gambler riders do anything of note either so i'm incline to think the bike is a bit of a dog.

That said he does need to knuckle down now, he has a skill set that should see him on the podium every week, i thought it would happen once he'd had knee surgery but that has been and gone.

Re. the Gambler comment above, given it's lack of results in DH it does seem to be a ridiculously popular bike among grass roots riders....maybe there is some truth in Scott keeping him on because he shifts a boat load of bikes....a bit like Cedric Gracia keeping his world level ride long after he'd stopped getting the results.

16th for Peaty in his 22nd (or 23rd?) WC is a great result but its time for him to take a supervisory role with the GB DH scene while he still has the respect of the kids he's mixing it with.....nothing sadder than if he carries on and drops out of the top 100but seems oblivious to his decline.

All in all a great WC, Gee deserved that...people are talking about Hill and Bryceland's mistakes but Gee dabbed in the woods and stalled in a rock garden and still went fastest...nobody got the perfect run, as it should be on a course like that.
Gee needed a second WC to cement his place among the greats, he's been incredibly consistent since 2007 but only had the single WC, good on him.

Patriotic hat on for a moment....GB is incredible, a clen sweep in the womens is fantastic and what a race to break through for Seagrave.
Bryceland will be back, his style is so fluid like Hill, a joy to watch...Nigel Page commentating thought he had a problem at one point as he sat down and looked like he was going so slowly, only to get the fastest split so far at that point.

Cant wait for next season, almost make me want to go out and buy a DH bike.

Id like Gee more if he gave a genuine smile now and again. Although I did think his post interview was sincere.

Give me a scott gambler and skills of brendog any day, thats why he gets contracts.

Brycelands race run

It's not that black and white, at all.

Take Gee, he is a successful racer, fast as hell. Yet you barely see any GT's at the races, or anywhere in fact.

Go to the races, there are Gamblers everywhere. All the kids want to ride like Brendan. That's why he gets good contracts, because he sells a truck load of bikes for the brand he's riding for.

It's not just about being fast (which he is, still, ridiculously so, considering his lack of interest in pedalling).

All true - but the number of Scott Gamblers gathering dust in five years' time is not the same epitaph as 'World Champion', though, is it?

You can still be stylish (Josh), or wild (Blenky), do a bit of fitness work, and put in a good performance.

Sure, Fairclough may have worked out a way of getting paid without having to do so much of the hard yards - good for him. It is more about what you want to be remembered for. He just frustrates me.

Neko's chainless run and Josh's nice little rest go to show that this pedaling lark is overrated. Bren does more than enough to justify his position. Even if his race results do frustrate his fans as they/we do think he's not quite living up to his potential, he gets more than his fair share of great riding vids out there and he's always repping.

Yes, but that fitness work also helps to yank that bike upright when you're 90% of the way down the hill and need to pop out of a corner or suchlike.

As I said - he has a great lifestyle and is so talented it hurts, but it is about what he wants to be remembered for - bike sales or world cup/champs results. I know which I would choose if I had half the bloke's talent.........

I like the tail end of the audio on that go-pro footage

Ratboy: I didn't want to brake for that last jump
Minnaar: I noticed
Ratboy: Did you brake?
Minnaar: I had a flat...

That Go-Pro footage is, like Sam Hill's Meribel run, nuts. So much speed everywhere.

And you left the "Aww, ****" off the end of that transcript cookeaa 🙂

Shhh there might be children within ear shot...

In other related news, Rachel's face in this photo:

[img] [/img]

She's not a happy girl...

Ouch!

[img] [/img]

Ooof.

Why'd you have to try and do an ET impression Bryceland?

🙁

Man - he missed that that transition my such a small amount!
How the hell did he stay on his bike!

Yes, but that fitness work also helps to yank that bike upright when you're 90% of the way down the hill and need to pop out of a corner or suchlike.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-josh-brycelands-hafjell-gopro-run-2014.html

Felt dizzy just watching the head cam.

scunny - Member

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-josh-brycelands-hafjell-gopro-run-2014.html

Felt dizzy just watching the head cam.

Was just about to post this after having just watched it.
The helemt cam really showed how crazy some of those rock sections were and also how much momentum Josh was carrying through them.

Loved the bit at the very end were he's talking to Greg Minnaar:
Ratboy "I didn't want to brake for that jump"
Greg "I noticed"
Ratboy "did you brake?"
Greg "I had a puncture"
Ratboy "aw w**k"

Hope it heals well and quickly for him.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-josh-brycelands-hafjell-gopro-run-2014.html

so fast

Great result for British MTB - 1,2,3 in the ladies is a hell of a result.

Part of me is glad that Gee won just because of the nationality thing, but I'm not a fan. Like others, I just find him a bit dour. Was gutted for the Rat though - what a season he has had. To be honest, I thought his career was going to go the way of Brenden's - loads of talent but not the results to back it up. But something has clicked / changed.

Hill's crash in those rocks looked awful.

That Gopro footage of Bryceland is insane!

What a day. 😛

Anyone know if a pedal/pedal axle broke, or he just slipped off it? [i]Can[/i] you slip off clips??

[img] [/img]

Can you slip off clips??

Yes you can be ejected from clips. It is not a pleasant experience

You can see the pedal is still attached to the cranks in the video so he was ejected from it rather than snapping it clean off. I don't think it made much difference to that foot though.

What's most astounding is that the footage actually looks properly fast even though it's a headcam, which must mean it's in fact super duper mega insanely fast.

Just a follow up to @danny - fitness impacts decision making too as well as motor skills, if you are tired your ability to make all those little adjustments is significantly impacted and at race speeds on an MTB those margins are significant. F1 drivers are incredibly fit now its not because they need to pedal the car is it !

Exactly. It all adds up and it all contributes. As they keep saying over and over the WC downhill has moved on from the Warner/Peaty (early Peaty) years. You cannot be unfit and expect to win now. Someone like Gee probably has 90-95% of the skills of Fairclough, but he's doing the grunt work and that more than makes up for what he 'lacks' in 'radness'.

Come on Brendan, knuckle down and let us see what you're really capable of, please. You could be the best for a good few years, you've got the bit that you can't acquire through hard work (god-given if you subscribe to such notions), so surely a bit of effort in the gym can't be too much to ask?

Someone like Gee probably has 90-95% of the skills of Fairclough

You're talking as if Gee was some middling racer who's got to being a double Downhill World champ and multiple time Rampage finalist just by getting dead fit and sprinting everywhere. Ge has insane riding skills and is very much as good as Brendog, it's just he tends to be a little less showy over a race weekend. I've been privileged enough to watch them both in their early careers and they've both impressed me equally with their riding and that's understating it somewhat.

I guess you could probably say that Gee's focus is winning and Brendan's is having fun and both are equally valid paths.

It's almost a clips v flats thing. ;o)

Thing is, the line between "Hero" and "Zero" in the DH world is now incredibly thin. You have to take amazing risks to win, but balance those risks against the chance of them not paying off.
There can't be that many sports where the difference between sitting on the top spot of the podium, and a career ending injury is so fine! And remember, Ratty is a young gun still, he's still learning his race craft, making the mistakes that everyone has to make to move up.
I'm sure the more experienced racers like Gee and Gwin seem a bit colder and more calculating simply because they are! They know, understand, and probably play the risks better than anyone.

You're talking as if Gee was some middling racer who's got to being a double Downhill World champ and multiple time Rampage finalist just by getting dead fit and sprinting everywhere. Ge has insane riding skills and is very much as good as Brendog, it's just he tends to be a little less showy over a race weekend. I've been privileged enough to watch them both in their early careers and they've both impressed me equally with their riding and that's understating it somewhat.

I guess you could probably say that Gee's focus is winning and Brendan's is having fun and both are equally valid paths.

It's almost a clips v flats thing. ;o)

You're jumping off at the deep end. Obviously Gee has almost unbelievable skills as well. I've seen him do plenty of amazing stuff, but he is not [u]quite[/u] as naturally talented as Fairclough, in my opinion. Maybe it would be closer to 98%, it would be stupid to try to be 'exact' on something so subjective.

I also think a lot of the difference is 'up top'. Gee is a professional race winner. Brendan is a professional rider. I'm not being very clear. Look, I just want Brendan to give himself a chance to be at the top of the leader board. As I said before, selling a few bikes and being 'rad' in videos is great, but sooner or later someone else will come along who is more 'rad'. If you've pitted yourself against the best riders and bikes in the world at that particular event and come out on top, you (and everyone else) know you have been the best.

I have about 0.1% of Brendan Fairclough's skills on a bike, I'd love to see him say "here I am, I'm as fit as I can be, I'm gonna f-ing win everything". Just to make the most of his talents. What's wrong with that?

I have about 0.1% of Brendan Fairclough's skills on a bike, I'd love to see him say "here I am, I'm as fit as I can be, I'm gonna f-ing win everything". Just to make the most of his talents. What's wrong with that?

Absolutely nothing, me too.

I was probably just reacting to the general level of Gee bashing that goes on on forums.

Quote: "Gee probably has 90-95% of the skills of Fairclough, but he's doing the grunt work and that more than makes up for what he 'lacks' in 'radness"

I disagree: as a racer, Gee is more skilled than Brendan. Whips don't win you races and style tends to slow you down.

Brandon Semenuk is probably the most talented person on a mountain bike at the moment in terms of doing tricks but could he win a world cup? I seriously doubt it.

Would've been interesting to see how Blenki would've got on if he didn't hit the jumps up top with such style & just flattened them, Danny Hart is another who's got a lot of style in the air, & obvious speed & talent but has yet to put a world cup win together...

Hart was up in split-1 until he came unstuck in a corner....there were a lot of 'what ifs' at this WC....

....i'd love to see a WC where Hart, Gee, Bryceland, Fairclough, Hill, Blenkinsop, Brosnan etc all put in their perfect runs, no crashes, no mechanicals, just these riders at their best....i reckon Hill would just edge the rest of them.

deviant - Member
Hart was up in split-1 until he came unstuck in a corner

On the Atherton thing, he is a great racer but has the misfortune to look miserable a lot and look like he is sulking if things don't go his way. Imagine how long the face would be if he had been beaten by a 1 footed Bryceland.

What's most astounding is that the footage actually looks properly fast even though it's a headcam, which must mean it's in fact super duper mega insanely fast.

What's amazing is how much drive he gets out of the berms. I don't think he's pedalling so he must be giving it a huge pump but he seems to magically gain massive speed out of the corners.

Maximimum respect to all of them.

Are you Brendan's dad Dannyh?

If not (or even if you are) try to accept that not everyone can be the best at what they do, and natural talent is only one part of the jigsaw - along with motivation, physical potential and the whole mental side of the race weekend.

Who cares if Brendan isnt winning WC, hes off to Rampage soon to huck another 900ft death gap to uphill landing !

As for Gee, I've been to Revolution quite a bit and simply cant understand the skill to ride that quarry line.

The fact that Britain has so many top racers and freeriders / whatever should be celebrated.

Are you Brendan's dad Dannyh?

If not (or even if you are) try to accept that not everyone can be the best at what they do, and natural talent is only one part of the jigsaw - along with motivation, physical potential and the whole mental side of the race weekend.

Not quite old enough for that, not far off, though.

There is a little bit of me that thinks "I hope someone shows this to Brendan". I'd just love to see what he is really capable of on a bike in a race sense. The funny thing is that your second paragraph agrees with my points about natural ability not being the be-all and end-all nowadays.

It's probably incredibly pompous of me to think that Brendan might even give a shit what I think (why should he), but simpletons like me don't want to watch rampage or slope style events to be told that he under rotated the third 360 and will lose style points. I want to watch people race over mind blowing terrain to decide who is the winner. I think Brendan could have won a World Cup event by now. I think he could have been a regular in the top five overall as well. He hasn't, I'm jealous of his talents, I don't want to see them wasted!

Steve77 - Member

What's most astounding is that the footage actually looks properly fast even though it's a headcam, which must mean it's in fact super duper mega insanely fast.

What's amazing is how much drive he gets out of the berms. I don't think he's pedalling so he must be giving it a huge pump but he seems to magically gain massive speed out of the corners.

I had to keep checking to see the footage wasn't sped up - it looked impossibly fast - the fact the sound of the fans shouting and generally making a racket wasn't distorted proves it, but it still messes with your head.

As others have said, there were a lot of "what ifs". Really good to see the camaraderie within the SPS Syndicate and, IMHO, I think Gee was truly gutted for Brycleand.

is there antwhere ican watch a rerun?

Gee at Rampage is one of my favourites to watch, his lines are proper top to bottom runs rather than 3 or 4 big stunts with fluff in between.

Can't remember what year it was but back in the Commencal days he built that weird (awesome) hip to wall ride, which was used the next year by 2 or 3 other riders in their runs.

@kimbers - read the thread its on RedBull TV website

EDIT: Link to whole thing, highlights available too if you wish

[url= http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/bike/stories/1331674779387/replay-uci-world-championships-downhill?items=1331674779387 ]here you go[/url]