Death at EWS race in Crested Butte

[JeffreyJim]

The responses in this thread remind me why I tend to stay away from TGR these days. Soft-body mind-addled uberfeminized "men" who have to apologize and rationalize things, you people aren't the ones the young men of the world should look up to or emulate. You're the opposite.

"Needing a rush of adrenaline on the edge of control!" Yeah right. If you're losing control you're gonna crash & get hurt. That's what happens, no matter whether you're playing tiddly winks in the comfort of your 25k sq ft McMansion, or driving at le Mans in the rain.

Yes it's a bummer this guy died. No it doesn't mean we need safety controls. No it doesn't mean we need some Jeffrey Jim teary-eyed bullshit soliloquy. Stop acting like you imagine yourselves the heroes of the next generation. You're not that.

...oh, wait... almost forgot...

++++++++++++++++++++++++VIBES+++++++++++++++++++++ ++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++IRIE++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++TRUSTFUND+++++++++++++++++ ++++++

A dude died and this is your response? Man it must suck to be you.

[bodywhomper]

I now mainly ride technical XC trail, like a large percentage of riders. Slower speeds, little danger.

It does not take much. One slow speed otb onto the wrong surface....

[babybear]

Adrenalin? Maybe, if you want to put a dramatic spin on it for your friends and family. From skiing to kayaking to climbing to mountain biking, since I was a kid I did these things for fun. If I was looking for some sense of being out of control or to feel like I'm on the edge, I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago.
Go to cool places, see cool shit, do fun things, learn how to do difficult things and stay in control (for the most part).
As Toast and others have said, the bad stuff tends to happen in the easy terrain. Not when people are peaking. It's just random stupid stuff. You might put yourself at a slightly higher risk by doing these things, but bad things happen to people all the time whether they're out doing something fun or just crossing the street or eating a donut.
There are so many people doing these races now that it's just a matter of numbers. Something bad is going to happen to someone. Take comfort in the knowledge that although one man died that day, tens of thousands of other mountain bikers around the globe came out of the day unscathed.
I'm sad for the guy who died and his family. It's a horrible tale and no amount of armchair quarterbacking is going to answer a single question about this seemingly very unlikely way to go.

I'm with towlie- I like being outside, seeing new places, getting exercise, being with friends and that's a lot of the draw of racing vs the adrenaline and being on the edge of control.
I was super bummed to hear about this death but to me it appeared to be a freak unfortunate accident. Will was out living his life the way he wanted to and there's something to be said for that

[JeffreyJim]

http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/featu...n=CommentAdded For those that didn't see this. Class feature over at Vital.

[JeffreyJim]

The adrenaline thing I find interesting. Maybe when I was younger it had more to do with the "why". But as I get older its more what Baby Bear said.... Fact is, if I get a shot of adrenaline (that shakey oh man I just got away with one feeling) then I probably fucked up. When I'm riding well I feel really calm and focused. Everything slows down. Adrenaline usually causes the opposite reaction.

[shirk]

Random unpreventable horrible shit happens to good people all too often. I really don't think there is more to it than that.

This.

As an event organizer and racer I won't be advocating for easier trails or more regulation or more safety equipment. I will ride within my own limits and remind racers at my events to ride within their personal limits.

[Damian Sanders]

It does not take much. One slow speed otb onto the wrong surface....

Oh I've crashed hard (enough) plenty of times. Don't actually go over the bars much anymore these days.

[Gepeto]

The adrenaline thing I find interesting. Maybe when I was younger it had more to do with the "why". But as I get older its more what Baby Bear said.... Fact is, if I get a shot of adrenaline (that shakey oh man I just got away with one feeling) then I probably fucked up. When I'm riding well I feel really calm and focused. Everything slows down. Adrenaline usually causes the opposite reaction.

Endorphin vs adrenaline... one is morphine and the other one is Meth. Definitely not the same buzz.

[Lindahl]

I'm with towlie- I like being outside, seeing new places, getting exercise, being with friends and that's a lot of the draw of racing vs the adrenaline and being on the edge of control.
I was super bummed to hear about this death but to me it appeared to be a freak unfortunate accident. Will was out living his life the way he wanted to and there's something to be said for that

I'm confused. How is that the draw of racing? You can get outside, see new places, get exercise and be with friends without racing...?

Endorphin vs adrenaline... one is morphine and the other one is Meth. Definitely not the same buzz.

Maybe that's what it is... all I know is that I love the feeling you get after you blast down through a trail. Total high. I'm all smiles at the bottom. (note: this is not the same to me as that 'shakey oh man I just got away with one' feeling).

[babybear]

I'm confused. How is that the draw of racing? You can get outside, see new places, get exercise and be with friends without racing...?

you sure can. But for me- the excuse to travel to a new place is great (would have probably never gone to a place like Ashland OR if not for a race- great town)
I don't often spend the whole w/e riding my bike- focusing on one trail, which helps me to hone skills (vs riding a trail maybe once or twice a summer with months in between) whereas a bike race is generally a w/e full of riding
We get to see people that we usually only see at bike events- beaderit, particle, dfinn, VTsessions etc

We can start another why I like racing thread if you'd like, but it's not all the same for everyone
Generally my race strategy is to get down the hill upright. Sometimes it gets me the win, sometimes not but I like that racing gives me to focus on riding for a period of time whereas I may not put that time aside on my own (with all the other adult distractions in life that generally take precedent- work, homeowner projects, family, dogs)

[pureantigravity]

There is an account of Will and the unfortunate accident here:

Remembering Will Olson: Close-knit mountain community mourns the long-time local

Mike Pastore, who spoke with both the event organizer, Brandon Ontiveros, and a racer who came upon Olson’s body shortly after the crash, Olson “pretty much went full speed into a tree.” He died of blunt force trauma to his chest. He was 40 years old.

There is also a link to a memorial fund for his family here:

http://www.gofundme.com/5d5d5dqc6k

[XXX-er]

It does not take much. One slow speed otb onto the wrong surface....

This^^my buddies front wheel collapsed on xc type trails and he has been a quad ever since