7 Things the Leogang World Cup Taught Me 21

sspomer
6/16/2014 9:22am

by gordo, photos by Sven Martin, Duncan Philpott and Boris Beyer

Another World Cup downhill in the history books and another first-time winner is crowned. As the world's fastest two wheelers avoided catastrophe with every twitch of the bars, I came away with some new life lessons. Win, win.

1. Danny Hart is Beast Mode defined

A picture is worth a thousand g-outs.

2. The kids are alright

Loic Bruni and Josh Bryceland were the focus of race day and both wanted to win just as badly as the other. Loic qualified first and was the last man down. Josh, in the hotseat, watched with the rest of the world as Loic washed out in an easy corner, throwing away a potentially race-winning run. In post-race interviews, Josh explained that Loic's crash "took the gloss off his win" and that he felt bad for Loic. Loic displayed sportsmanship and genuine stoke that Josh had taken the win even if it was because of his crash. There was no gloating or cocky commentary, just a couple of young men proving the future of downhill mountain biking is bright.

3. PMA all the way

I'm a complainer. It's easy and sometimes "cool." But this week I noticed something via the Leogang coverage. There seemed to be those complaining the course was too "bike parky" and those who said they liked the speed and tech it had. Based on the handful of interviews I heard compared with results, those with a positive mental attitude about the course seemed to come out on top. From this internet viewer's perspective, the course looked pretty freakin' sweet and having times so close made watching that much more nerve-racking. Viva la bike park tracks?

4. 26-inch wheels didn't look like 24's this week

Maybe it's the Austrian atmosphere, but those deuce sixes looked proper big as they rolled Ratty and Greg "Fashion Future" Minnaar to the top steps.

5. Needles in a slay stack

Hell yeah, Needles, get some!

6. Maybe Gwin should run for public office when he retires

I'd vote for him not because of his race results, but because of his tireless ability to persevere.

7. Moar Ratboy

That is all.

Related:
Vital's Voice
Leogang, Austria
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Downhill
21 comments

View replies to: 7 Things the Leogang World Cup Taught Me

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MPH24
10 years ago
Lot people always complain about wanting tracks that are "legit downhill tracks."

What is a "legit downhill" track? Should there not be high speed sections? Motorways with big tables? Should every track can be full on gnar and insanely technical the entire time?

Needles complained about arm pump at the bottom of leogang. I just think variety is key to finding who is the best rider over the year, which should be the goal.

Vital crew. It would be cool to get a comprehensive review of what all the riders think about the track. I think certain riders will bitch about certain things all the time, but good to get an overall feel though.
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Faction
10 years ago
Totally! The ones who complain are the ones who can't compete for the win. Remember when Peat won his World Championship? The amount of whining that some riders did over that track was nauseating, then Peat killed everyone on a full on downhill bike! It was like a big 'fuck you' to those guys who can't pedal. FWIW I like gnar and super steep technical tracks, but that only rewards one type of rider. The season should reward the rider with the best overall skill set.
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BRADSHAWK
10 years ago
Guys,

This is one of the most mature, informed and sensible discussion that's happened in a long time, I don't normally both with comments, so quickly do they degenerate to total shit, so props for having an informed opinion and sharing it with others that care about the sport we all love.

Oh and f**k the UCI—just as corrupt and power hungry as FIFA!!!
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CombatMutt
10 years ago
I for one, don't want every course to be "cookie cutter". Some motorsports have that mentality, and it's terribly boring (read: awful). I like seeing the variety and character that each track on the WCD circuit has; I think it'd be a terrible shame to see that go away.
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ambatty
10 years ago
Just one comment about the tracks and those who think 'pros should stop whining':

It's not the World Cup Bike Park, is it? No? It's called the World Cup Downhill? By damn then, the tracks should be legit downhill tracks.
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BRADSHAWK
10 years ago
What's the logic behind the opinion that a tighter track is a more compelling race to watch?

Think about it; is a race whereby at the first split, if the rider is one or two seconds down the race is over (i.e. like Leogang); is this more or less likely to keep you on the edge of your seat....

....compared to

A track like fort bill, whereby even if the rider is one or two seconds down at the very last split they can still cross the line up and win?

With the latter example the race can be won at any point until the line, surely that's more entertaining?
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Beezkneez
10 years ago
I'm with you.

The UCI could host Downhill races on a pavement slope--no turns. The race would be really tight. It also wouldn't come down to skill so much as to the tires, aerodynamics, bike weight, etc. for the win. Keeping it difficult and fast will make sure those who win won because of skill and fitness not because they had 29" vs. 26" wheels.

Everyone seemed to like the Andorra course and Schladming, why can't UCI learn from rider feedback and try to incentivize these type of locations into hosting WC races?

On a different note, any rider who complains in an interview is makes me want to turn the video off. I don't see how sponsors can have these riders flying their flag when they talk negatively on camera. Just makes me wonder how much crap they are talking when the camera if off. You're riding your bike (and getting paid or free gear). Be happy!
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Faction
10 years ago
So many variables goes into why the UCI chooses a venue to host a WC. There is a lot of criteria that falls outside of track style that determines who gets to host a WC. Many times it simply comes down to lack of choice. Its why Mount St. Anne has hosted a WC event for the past 100 years, not only because its a great track, but also because they have their shit dialed as hosts.
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lister_yu
10 years ago
Easy corner?

I hope the author tried it. I am just an average rider and I don't find that corner easy (not even touching race speed ;-) ). That three steps before are not so flat as they look in the livestream
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sspomer
10 years ago
fair enough. having never seen the corner in person i may have been too quick to call it "easy." it seemed like the consensus by the racers was shock and surprise that bruni went down there, hence my assumption, too.
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lister_yu
10 years ago
if you hit it right (speed, angle, body position) it is an easy one. I think it was Steve Peat (who has got more experience then him at a worldcup in Leogang 2 years ago that went into the fence at the bottom. It is a nasty one to time but in general easy when done correct (I went down on the second stair - to much breaking does not always help :-) )
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sino428
10 years ago
"having times so close made watching that much more nerve-racking".... I agree with that, but for me there is also a downside to these type of courses in that there are very few places to makes up time. While there is added excitement when the times are close, it also makes the race as a whole less exciting because in the end there are only a couple of key parts of the track. Watching, you knew the entire races boiled down to how the racers handled 1) that one rocky turn section where Smith and Gee screwed up, or 2) the 'stairway' section where Bruni screwed up. Outside of that, the track was boring from a spectators perspective. There just doesn't seem to be a lot challenging these guys. It was edge of your seat action as each guy came to the line but that's about it. I'd rather be on the edge of my seat for the majority of each run.
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MPH24
10 years ago
Considering Gee crashed in the 2nd tunnel I would say there were more than 2 sections where the race was won and lost. I thought the weekend was great. Good to have variety in the tracks.
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Faction
10 years ago
I'm tired of WC racers complaining about tracks not suiting their skillsets. F*ck off already and adapt. Variety is good, and the guys who come out on top at the end of the season are the ones who can ride everything. I can't believe guys like Hill and Brendan still haven't adapted to pedally tracks like others have. You are all racing the same courses after all.
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Bissmeister
10 years ago
Yes variety is good but there's not really many technical tracks in comparison to a few years ago. Yes Hill is in 10th and Brendan is in 21st but Sam is only 2.9s off winning and Brendan 5.6s so how bad are they at pedaling in reality? Also I'd like to point out Sam was injured most of the off season. Sam ended up in the top 5 in 2012 and then 8th last year even though he missed a race, so that answers your question I guess and there are riders at the opposite end of the spectrum who would do better if they had a higher technical ability but are good on pedaling.
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Gweggy
10 years ago
More bikeparky tracks? Oh no, I hope not!
It was a great race, and great to watch, but I can't imagine something like Hill's or Hart's Champery runs happen there.
The WC should be a good mixture of tracks, but always plenty of techy and steep tracks! :D
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Adam_Schaeffer
10 years ago
Ya, with how dry it was and how much you had to slow down for that last step/compression because otherwise it would buck you on to the front wheel for the corner? I dunno, seemed pretty damn hard/technical to me. Greg almost threw it away in the same spot. That section required the perfect balance of braking, body position and momentum. Seemed like that and the multi-line steep left hander were spots that made a big difference with such tight racing.
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fabdemaere
10 years ago
Danny's huck to flat was wild.
You never know what's gonna happen with him, but you know that it'll be gnarly

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