2023 UCI Downhill/Enduro/XC mega thread

[bennymac]

They said he had a 42 up front? That had to be a 2 ring set up?

From pinkbike - this was Lachlan Morton’s bike for the race. These guys have insane power.

[beaterdit]

They said he had a 42 up front? That had to be a 2 ring set up?

Keegan ran a 40, still extremely stout obvs.

Lachlan. doesn't appear as a finisher, I read there was a timing chip issue but one source he was in the top ten.

Insano performances by all of the top ten but Keegan is just on another level this year. Not just this year but especially this year.

[Canada1]

I’m a strong guy. Not light and certainly not real fast, but I’ve used a 36 a few times on a 20# hard tail and it buried me on the up. Older 11 spreed without the huge climbing gear, but damn. To push that up those grades at that cadence is just amazing. They are all so gifted at spinning that sprocket.

One of the bigger teams needs to pick up Cole Patten. He seems to be pretty consistent this year.

[bennymac]

Keegan ran a 40, still extremely stout obvs.

Lachlan. doesn't appear as a finisher, I read there was a timing chip issue but one source he was in the top ten.

Insano performances by all of the top ten but Keegan is just on another level this year. Not just this year but especially this year.

I think he was 6th (Lachlan)

[ironhippy]

I’m a strong guy. Not light and certainly not real fast, but I’ve used a 36 a few times on a 20# hard tail and it buried me on the up. Older 11 spreed without the huge climbing gear, but damn. To push that up those grades at that cadence is just amazing. They are all so gifted at spinning that sprocket.

Up until this year my go to gearing was a 32 front ring and a 10-36 cassette on the back. I would seek out hills on with that bike and I loved it, for example, my go to Sunday morning ride was 13 miles with 2300 feet of east coast climbing (rocky, rooty, straight up).
I tried easier gearing but always just ended up going slower. I was never fast though.

This season I finally bought a modern bike with a 12 speed drivetrain and I use the easier gears more than I'd like

[grskier]

No comments from the last few weeks?

Loudenvielle DH was great.
Commentators were better, its too bad Aaron won't be in the booth in perpetuity.
Dakotah went full send, made some great recoveries, and crushed his run.

weather has been a big factor the last few weeks. Interesting how the conditions were demonstrably better for the last 5 than the first 5 and barely a word on it.
Loic is just damn smooth.
A changing track, with some slick spots, big holes, some grip, made for some big time crashes and saves.

[toast2266]

I really hope someone throws some money at Gwin to sit in the commentators booth. The guy is a natural. Tons of interesting detail, and he doesn't just spend the whole race yelling excited Frenglish gibberish into the microphone (looking at you, Cedric).

Vallnord was a shit show, and overall just not a very interesting race.

Loudenvielle was super entertaining to watch. Bummed that the weather was still a factor and the track conditions were changing. But I'm not sure the track actually got easier as the race went on. I think it got drier and faster in some spots, but I also think some massive holes opened up (Daprela certainly found one), and a few key sections still stayed greasy.

Psyched for Dak. I wonder if he'll be able to keep some momentum into Les Gets. He did pretty well there last year (7th).

[grskier]

Psyched for Dak. I wonder if he'll be able to keep some momentum into Les Gets. He did pretty well there last year (7th).

I've enjoyed watching Dak and listening to him on the B Practice Podcast. I'd love to see him finish out the season top 10 in the overall.
Luca Shaw is having a sleeper good season as well. 10th now in the overall with his consistent finshes and one top 5

[jm2e]

I thought Gwin’s commentary was insightful and refreshing, and actually felt he brought out the best in Cedric. Like it was easier for Cedric to talk racing with a fellow racer.
It baffled me how often the other two would cut Gwin off. Shut the fuck up unless you’re adding substance.
Other guy (EWS Guy?) just annoys me all day long. All he’s doing is reading canned phrases from the sportscasters handbook. I’d rather listen to a monster truck rally.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[grinch]

They could rotate in injured riders to commentate. Reece was good as well. Charlie Hatton on deck would work. Eddie would livin it up.

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

[jm2e]

They could rotate in injured riders to commentate. Reece was good as well. Charlie Hatton on deck would work. Eddie would livin it up.

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

Literally, anything.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[grskier]

Looks dry and Rowdy at Les Gets

[jm2e]

What
A
Race
FKNA!!!!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[skinipenem]

What
A
Race
FKNA!!!!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Yaess!

Les gets delivers.

I love the dialed series as usual.

French crowd is rowdy in a great way.

More tracks with line choices, please.

Yes to injured riders commentating.

Ben Castro pinkbike is awesome too.






Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[grinch]

Literally, anything.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Looks like it might be their plan. Its nice to have just normal discussion. Just matter of fact without over doing it on catch phrases. Charlie was cool like Gwinn and gave a nice contrast to the talking heads

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

[grinch]

I havent seen "drive to survive", or even heard of it, but ive wondered when we'd see speicial ed all miked up relaying track deteriating changes. The access we have now compared to waiting 2 months for mountsin bike action magazine coverage is night and day.

https://youtu.be/8pfD8Lp-X4s?si=QxkVv3cC1z7D55Ms

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

[skinipenem]

A drive to survive style world cup dh show would be great. I don't agree with porter that in helmet communication from team to rider is necessary. In helmet communications are a small part of drive to survive and unnecessary for dh. Drive to survive is interesting because it gives the viewer an insiders look to f1. Whether the drama is overplayed or not, I have no idea.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[evasive_MT]

The last two races have been great viewing. I definitely appreciated the additional commentary from Gwin and Hatton.

That said, my wife had the best comment of the race. About Loic: “His kit looks like a Wonder Bread tube.”

[Dantheman]

A drive to survive style world cup dh show would be great. I don't agree with porter that in helmet communication from team to rider is necessary. In helmet communications are a small part of drive to survive and unnecessary for dh. Drive to survive is interesting because it gives the viewer an insiders look to f1. Whether the drama is overplayed or not, I have no idea.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

Agreed. F1 drivers are in the car for hours and a DH race lasts minutes. You could "turn it into a team sport" without live in-race comms. A big parallel is that in DtS the cars are almost their own character. A lot of drama revolves around developing and testing them, teams trying to figure out what new tech other teams have, and the drivers blowing them up and the mechanics scrambling to fix them. The bikes in WC DH have that kind of stuff in spades.

[Canada1]

Seeing Haley Batten put up two fourths over the weekend makes her concussion stop seem wise. I wonder sometimes if the pressure causes some of these riders to over train. The competition for so few spots is so huge!

[grskier]

I think we have mini versions of the drive to survive now with Cathro and Dialed and a few other vlogs... Put that together with some real production into a show.. That'd be dope. A few episodes preseason, a few in season and you could get a 8 episode tv season out of it.

That track was kinda bonkers. a few inches out of the line, or having your tire climb the inside to washout without being able to see the inside of the rut do to dust... insane.

Kinda gutted for Dak.

[grinch]

Teams have up to 10-12 spotters on course and riders are trying multiple lines as practice progresses. I saw more than a few last minute changes at les gets. Sector 2 had multiple possibilities. I could see them changing during a run if spotters saw something. When fractions of a second matter together with 4 and 5 second swings in sector 2 it could make or break a race or season. Added race run drama and itd be better to listen to teams miked chats than Cedric

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

[skinipenem]

Seeing Haley Batten put up two fourths over the weekend makes her concussion stop seem wise. I wonder sometimes if the pressure causes some of these riders to over train. The competition for so few spots is so huge!

I tend to think the pressure causes riders to take increased risk more so than overtrain. The cool thing about dh is that athletes train in all sorts of different ways. Some athletes spend lots of time in the gym, riding road bikes, riding pedal bikes, while others just ride a ton. It is pretty cool . Compare that to what I think xc riders do.... ride on the road a shit ton.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[grinch]

No idea on these. Id like to try one though. Slick mount

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxFKo...RlODBiNWFlZA==

Sent from my SM-A536W using TGR Forums mobile app

[toast2266]

Finally got to sit down and watch Les Gets DH.

Awesome race. Good to have Hatton in the booth, although he's not nearly as good as Gwin. Still better than Cedric though. The drone footage was a bit overdone. Especially in the trees.

Psyched for Benoit. That guy's super consistent and he's been working his way up the ranks for years. It's cool that he's finally standing on top. He reminds me a bit of Brosnan in his prime. Super dialed, hits all his lines, and looks very in control.

This whole season is really good though. This is the first time in as long as I can remember that we haven't had a repeat winner yet. The racing is so much more interesting when there's a bunch of legitimate contenders. And the fight for the overall is tight - there's ~250 points separating the top 5 guys, and there's 400 points up for grabs at every race. The last couple rounds will be interesting.