Are We About To See The Longest Hotseat Streak Ever?

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2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Sam Hill
Downhill
iceman2058
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iceman2058
Edited Date/Time 9/12/2017 3:18am

photo Sven Martin

At World Champs, there is no seeding run for Elite riders, rather the starting order for the final run is determined by inverting the UCI world rankings. Sooooo, because Sam Hill has not been racing much DH this year, he has landed himself course opener status for Sunday here in Cairns, proudly rocking that #75 plate. Somebody better order up some cold Monsters and some catering for the hotseat, looks like Sam's gonna be there for a while!

From the UCI Regulations, starting order is determined as follows:

For the official timed session and the final:
1. As per the last published UCI DHI individual ranking. The best rider starting last.

2017 World Champs Start List Elite Men





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sspomer
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sspomer 9/7/2017 11:56am
9/7/2017 11:56am Edited Date/Time 9/7/2017 11:59am
#OCCUPYHOTSEAT a new movement started by sam hill to overthrow the UCI?

can't wait for race day!
lev
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lev 9/7/2017 11:56am
9/7/2017 11:56am
I'm getting up early to watch this happen on Sunday!
onenerdykid* 9/7/2017 12:45pm
9/7/2017 12:45pm
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
jasbushey
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jasbushey 9/7/2017 1:19pm
9/7/2017 1:19pm
Gee or Neko is likely to go faster and be the first to knock him off.
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Oz_Taylor 9/7/2017 2:00pm
9/7/2017 2:00pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
Graves got 3rd in Pietermaritzburg on an Enduro bike. He hadn't raced DH in 2013 either.

At Fort William, Sam got 18th on one of the longest, roughest tracks on a bike he had only ridden at that event.

A full season of Enduro racing will give Sam the conditioning for this track. If we were at Val di Sole or a super gnarly track I might agree with you, but he can use the bike he has been riding all year, on a relatively flat and pedally track, in conditions he's familiar with and likes.

I'll bet he's top 5.

AdamO
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AdamO 9/7/2017 2:28pm
9/7/2017 2:28pm Edited Date/Time 9/7/2017 2:28pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
Sam Hill is my best Dh rider ever but I'm agree with you. In Pietermartizburg few top riders choose enduro rig instead downhill. There is a reason why top racers choose DH bike now. If not Sammy i will be super happy for MICK Hannah. He got bronze silver and now its time for gold. He deserves it more than anyone else
wally 333 9/7/2017 3:37pm
9/7/2017 3:37pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
Hahahah sam rides one dh race on a bike he aint ridden in ages ans does better than 80% of the feild that are riding and racinf dh bikes year around . I know im biased as im a perth guy but he has more of a chance than 50 or so of the riders there
Ian.ph
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Ian.ph 9/7/2017 5:00pm
9/7/2017 5:00pm
vathana.song wrote:
Will redbull.tv even cast his race run since they only do top 20?
Was thinking of the same thing.
619shreddin
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619shreddin 9/7/2017 5:17pm
9/7/2017 5:17pm
I'm confused. If that start list goes by points why isn't Gwin going last?
TRex
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TRex 9/7/2017 5:26pm
9/7/2017 5:26pm
Fishbach might take him out.
fabdemaere 9/7/2017 6:05pm
9/7/2017 6:05pm
619shreddin wrote:
I'm confused. If that start list goes by points why isn't Gwin going last?
It's total amassed UCI points, not just points gained at world cups. Gwin doesn't do many races other than world cups, whereas Danny and Troy do a lot of smaller races
beast
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beast 9/7/2017 9:07pm
9/7/2017 9:07pm
Look at Sam's splits... 4th and 5th! Timed Trainings doesn't really mean much at WCs but considering that these Timed Trainings were their only timed runs before the actual race most of the field went "race pace" or near.
UpDawg
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UpDawg 9/7/2017 11:14pm
9/7/2017 11:14pm
beast wrote:
Look at Sam's splits... 4th and 5th! Timed Trainings doesn't really mean much at WCs but considering that these Timed Trainings were their only timed runs...
Look at Sam's splits... 4th and 5th! Timed Trainings doesn't really mean much at WCs but considering that these Timed Trainings were their only timed runs before the actual race most of the field went "race pace" or near.
This! ^

He was 1 second off of 2nd place at the last split. And then lost 6 seconds on the pedal section... I don't buy it. He backed off and hid his cards. No way he lost 6 seconds on the enduro bike.

I can't wait!
LTrumpore
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LTrumpore 9/7/2017 11:36pm
9/7/2017 11:36pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
Not usually one to show his hand in timed runs, but Sam still posted a 5th fastest 2nd split (3.6 sec back) and then appears to have cruised the last 30 seconds of the track that best suit his enduro bike. I'd say a shot at the podium isn't unrealistic at all. Slippery conditions similar to what he ride back home in Perth, a DH track that doesn't put his smaller bike at a massive disadvantage, and in peak form from a full season on gnarlier EWS stages certainly won't work against him. He'll have to have one last magical run, but so will anyone looking to get a medal. What a fitting end to a stellar career that would be, I'll definitely be rooting for him.
UpDawg
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UpDawg 9/7/2017 11:46pm
9/7/2017 11:46pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
LTrumpore wrote:
Not usually one to show his hand in timed runs, but Sam still posted a 5th fastest 2nd split (3.6 sec back) and then appears to...
Not usually one to show his hand in timed runs, but Sam still posted a 5th fastest 2nd split (3.6 sec back) and then appears to have cruised the last 30 seconds of the track that best suit his enduro bike. I'd say a shot at the podium isn't unrealistic at all. Slippery conditions similar to what he ride back home in Perth, a DH track that doesn't put his smaller bike at a massive disadvantage, and in peak form from a full season on gnarlier EWS stages certainly won't work against him. He'll have to have one last magical run, but so will anyone looking to get a medal. What a fitting end to a stellar career that would be, I'll definitely be rooting for him.
So true about the dirt in Perth. Additionally, he gets the track first. It will be blown out by the time the fast guys come down.
pyromaniac
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pyromaniac 9/8/2017 12:46am
9/8/2017 12:46am
I was hoping to see Sam in the RAW clips, but nothing so far. Would be nice to be able to judge his speed against the others.
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Oz_Taylor 9/8/2017 1:22am
9/8/2017 1:22am
Oz_Taylor wrote:
Graves got 3rd in Pietermaritzburg on an Enduro bike. He hadn't raced DH in 2013 either. At Fort William, Sam got 18th on one of the...
Graves got 3rd in Pietermaritzburg on an Enduro bike. He hadn't raced DH in 2013 either.

At Fort William, Sam got 18th on one of the longest, roughest tracks on a bike he had only ridden at that event.

A full season of Enduro racing will give Sam the conditioning for this track. If we were at Val di Sole or a super gnarly track I might agree with you, but he can use the bike he has been riding all year, on a relatively flat and pedally track, in conditions he's familiar with and likes.

I'll bet he's top 5.

I'll just leave this here ;-)
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Hyperpower! 9/8/2017 3:53am
9/8/2017 3:53am
pyromaniac wrote:
I was hoping to see Sam in the RAW clips, but nothing so far. Would be nice to be able to judge his speed against the...
I was hoping to see Sam in the RAW clips, but nothing so far. Would be nice to be able to judge his speed against the others.
https://instagram.com/p/BYwxbXvltp8/

Also check his wifes insta stories for a couple of small clips (@mrs_samhill).
wally 333 9/8/2017 3:59am
9/8/2017 3:59am
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
LTrumpore wrote:
Not usually one to show his hand in timed runs, but Sam still posted a 5th fastest 2nd split (3.6 sec back) and then appears to...
Not usually one to show his hand in timed runs, but Sam still posted a 5th fastest 2nd split (3.6 sec back) and then appears to have cruised the last 30 seconds of the track that best suit his enduro bike. I'd say a shot at the podium isn't unrealistic at all. Slippery conditions similar to what he ride back home in Perth, a DH track that doesn't put his smaller bike at a massive disadvantage, and in peak form from a full season on gnarlier EWS stages certainly won't work against him. He'll have to have one last magical run, but so will anyone looking to get a medal. What a fitting end to a stellar career that would be, I'll definitely be rooting for him.
UpDawg wrote:
So true about the dirt in Perth. Additionally, he gets the track first. It will be blown out by the time the fast guys come down.
Here in perth its almost as dry as california but we also have pea gravel ( like little marbles ) so its slippery as fk 300 days of the year .... all the old rally driver use to import the stuff to europe to parctice on as it like driving on ice i guess ...... and another fun fact our hill max out at around 300 mters abover sea leval so pedalling aint gonna be a problem lol
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fireant 9/8/2017 4:41am
9/8/2017 4:41am
vathana.song wrote:
Will redbull.tv even cast his race run since they only do top 20?
Ian.ph wrote:
Was thinking of the same thing.
Dont they normally show the Hot seat run at the beginning too?
matmattmatthew
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matmattmatthew 9/8/2017 5:32am
9/8/2017 5:32am
vathana.song wrote:
Will redbull.tv even cast his race run since they only do top 20?
Ian.ph wrote:
Was thinking of the same thing.
fireant wrote:
Dont they normally show the Hot seat run at the beginning too?
From what I remember of years past, the World Champ's broadcast shows way more riders than a world cup race.
onenerdykid* 9/10/2017 5:37am
9/10/2017 5:37am
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
Honestly glad that he did better than I thought he would. This track combined with a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup certainly played to his advantage here and he capitalized on it as best he could. Despite not taking home a medal, I think he'll be please with going out on that note.

Super stoked for Bruni and Mik. While it would have been amazing to see Mik take the Gold, I'm happy that Bruni took it. And beyond gutted for Greg... what shitty luck these past two races. He was on a heater too. Perhaps not enough to have won, but it looked like he was on track for another medal.
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kwapik 9/10/2017 1:19pm
9/10/2017 1:19pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
onenerdykid* wrote:
Honestly glad that he did better than I thought he would. This track combined with a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup...
Honestly glad that he did better than I thought he would. This track combined with a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup certainly played to his advantage here and he capitalized on it as best he could. Despite not taking home a medal, I think he'll be please with going out on that note.

Super stoked for Bruni and Mik. While it would have been amazing to see Mik take the Gold, I'm happy that Bruni took it. And beyond gutted for Greg... what shitty luck these past two races. He was on a heater too. Perhaps not enough to have won, but it looked like he was on track for another medal.
Your statement "a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup" is interesting. I'm curious who wasn't there competing?
Hyperpower!
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Hyperpower! 9/10/2017 2:06pm
9/10/2017 2:06pm
I agree that there was a less stacked field than usual but I don't think any of the ones that weren't there would beat Hill anyway... Brendog, Joe Smith, Fayolle, Matt Simonds and Mike Jones for example are the ones that come to mind right now..
UpDawg
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UpDawg 9/10/2017 8:19pm
9/10/2017 8:19pm
onenerdykid* wrote:
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced...
I love Sam Hill, I really do. But I think we need to come to grips with reality a bit here. The guy has only raced a single DH event this year and barely cracked the top 20, 17 seconds off the winning pace. While a top 20 finish is indeed a noteworthy result, he'd be lucky to have a repeat here in Cairns, let alone the podium or win that everyone is talking about, which is pure fantasy. There's simply no way he can beat Gwin, Minnaar, Mik, Loris, Troy, etc. if they are on it come Sunday.
onenerdykid* wrote:
Honestly glad that he did better than I thought he would. This track combined with a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup...
Honestly glad that he did better than I thought he would. This track combined with a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup certainly played to his advantage here and he capitalized on it as best he could. Despite not taking home a medal, I think he'll be please with going out on that note.

Super stoked for Bruni and Mik. While it would have been amazing to see Mik take the Gold, I'm happy that Bruni took it. And beyond gutted for Greg... what shitty luck these past two races. He was on a heater too. Perhaps not enough to have won, but it looked like he was on track for another medal.
kwapik wrote:
Your statement "a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup" is interesting. I'm curious who wasn't there competing?
For real!?

Less Stacked!? It's world champs, it is not a privilege, you're invited by your federation.

As will smith said in MIB, "best of the best of the best sir"
onenerdykid* 9/10/2017 11:35pm
9/10/2017 11:35pm
kwapik wrote:
Your statement "a field that is less stacked than a normal World Cup" is interesting. I'm curious who wasn't there competing?
In terms of the final 80 qualifiers for a World Cup and those who are invited to World Champs, there are better riders in final 80 for a World Cup than there are at World Champs. Fact. There are at least 20-30 riders who are at World Champs who would never have a prayer at making the final for a World Cup. Just look at the final results and see for yourself- how many names do you see there that you NEVER see at a World Cup? Just because you are part of the team from Thailand or Japan or Poland etc. it doesn't mean that you are the best in the world- just the best in your country.

As for the top 20 World Cup racers- they are pretty much all there. Brendog is probably the highest profile World Cup regular who wasn't at World's but he most likely wouldn't have threatened Sam. But if you look at the 2017 Fort William World Cup results and see who did better than Sam Hill who was also not at World's, and there are a few names for sure. Who could have beaten Sam? Who knows? But to say that the field at a regular World Cup is stronger than the field for World Champs is a correct statement.

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