Commentators (including Gwin) mentioned multiple times the difficulty in setting the bike up for the different sections of the track. Then Loic and Finn go 1-2...
Commentators (including Gwin) mentioned multiple times the difficulty in setting the bike up for the different sections of the track. Then Loic and Finn go 1-2 with their magic secret Ohlins electronics, leaving Williams who was on the uncovered "stock" Ohlins down in 17th.
Who knows whats going on the background in Specialized Gravity, would be sad if they are edging him out. Williams would be lead rider on most teams but here he's third string and seemingly not getting the best set up.
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound a bit spoiled / entitled.
Like, does he realize everyone else who qualified for the finals but finished lower down the results sheet most likely works just as hard and wants to win just as much as he does. These days, literally everyone in the top 20 is a contender for the win on a good day.
I think in his head, Jordan thought his run might have been a podium finish when he crossed the line, lifted the bike above the head and all. It would be sobering to think that's competitive, then watch 17 more dudes beat your time in short order.
He's young and has more wins in him, imagine winning your first race, riding that wave then never really been back up there for 18 months. Would be hard mentally.
It still baffles me Finn plays No.2 in that team, I mean it's pretty public. He's a big dog now, let him EAT!
Commentators (including Gwin) mentioned multiple times the difficulty in setting the bike up for the different sections of the track. Then Loic and Finn go 1-2...
Commentators (including Gwin) mentioned multiple times the difficulty in setting the bike up for the different sections of the track. Then Loic and Finn go 1-2 with their magic secret Ohlins electronics, leaving Williams who was on the uncovered "stock" Ohlins down in 17th.
Who knows whats going on the background in Specialized Gravity, would be sad if they are edging him out. Williams would be lead rider on most teams but here he's third string and seemingly not getting the best set up.
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound...
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound a bit spoiled / entitled.
Like, does he realize everyone else who qualified for the finals but finished lower down the results sheet most likely works just as hard and wants to win just as much as he does. These days, literally everyone in the top 20 is a contender for the win on a good day.
You don’t make it to the top level of any sport by being ok with 17th place.
From the outside looking in he is on a team that is probably pretty tough mentally. I personally think having a team where 2 riders have an advantage the third doesn’t have is weird.
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound...
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound a bit spoiled / entitled.
Like, does he realize everyone else who qualified for the finals but finished lower down the results sheet most likely works just as hard and wants to win just as much as he does. These days, literally everyone in the top 20 is a contender for the win on a good day.
You don’t make it to the top level of any sport by being ok with 17th place.
From the outside looking in he is on a...
You don’t make it to the top level of any sport by being ok with 17th place.
From the outside looking in he is on a team that is probably pretty tough mentally. I personally think having a team where 2 riders have an advantage the third doesn’t have is weird.
Could not agree more.
I think weird is the right word, too. Literally.
Also weird is how Spesh is either protecting him or really promoting Finn and Loic. I think Loic is up to something special right now. Finn is playing a great Troy Brosnan, which in hindsight is also something special, but currently as it is happening is ... maybe not as great as JW's potential story... potential because he's clearly not on a bike that gives his teammates an upper hand.
I'm all good w/ Jordan being hyper competitive. That explains his emotions at the end.
Can't imagine being under a tent with 2 teammates on completely different equipment, having ZERO tactical setup shared b/c you're just on a Demo with dampers standing right next to 2 guys getting at the least 80% of ALL attention, support and tactical information.
Geez, NOTHING about what Finn & Loic are working on has ANYTHING to do with what Jordan is having to deal with. He's alone in that pit.
He won a World Cup out of the gate on a bike he'd just gotten on & he wants to win, win, win & yet his team has decided he doesn't get to use the magic winning buttons despite him proving he's an Alpha.
Finn has also only been on the electric damper for 3 months. How many seasons now has Loic had a cover over his shock? I do find it odd that they didn't have Jordan start straight onto the proto frame as Finn was on it before he joined and before Loic moved onto it.
I felt for Jordan when Lachlan came down and put five seconds on him. Thats a lot of emotions and questioning while a camera is pointed at you. Athletes always deserve a grace period of "bad" behavior after winning or losing. How they are interacting in the beer tent is a better judge of character.
As hard as it is, do you not think Jordan would have been aware when he signed for the team what he was going to be...
As hard as it is, do you not think Jordan would have been aware when he signed for the team what he was going to be getting?
He seemed not only stoked on the team when he started but he said multiple times he was really looking forward to learning from Loci and Finn. Seems like None of them have much to say about their teammates these days.
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them because he is so inexperienced (relatively speaking). In the recent Inside Line short episode, Loic talked about how the it still isn't natural for him to use the buttons; it's an extra layer of things he needs to think about. Maybe the team (and possibly Jordan himself) feels that he just needs to focus on riding the bike, managing his mental load through a world cup weekend, and just get some experience before adding yet another layer to his race runs.
He seemed not only stoked on the team when he started but he said multiple times he was really looking forward to learning from Loci and...
He seemed not only stoked on the team when he started but he said multiple times he was really looking forward to learning from Loci and Finn. Seems like None of them have much to say about their teammates these days.
Finn and Loic talked about the team and Jordan and how good their dynamic is and having two guys to constantly compete against makes them all push and be better on Wyn TV last weekend.
Jordan was on the prototype frame last weekend but not the electronic stuff, im sure him and the team thinks its best for him to worry about his riding and racecraft at the moment, much bigger gains to be had there than electronic suspension at this point in his career.
Lets not forget he won his first world cup on a custom sized production frame, basically an XL they made for him as they dont have a production frame bigger than a large sized.
I believe from listening to the Downtime Podcast with Laurent Delorme that its more contractual. Loic gets all of the tech first (for a season) then it filters down hence why Finn only got the suspension this season. I'd imagine that Finn has something similar in place hence Jordan does not have the tech that Loic an Finn both currently have.
They put Jordan on the old bike last season as they had the most data on it to get him going (again as per the podcast)
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them...
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them because he is so inexperienced (relatively speaking). In the recent Inside Line short episode, Loic talked about how the it still isn't natural for him to use the buttons; it's an extra layer of things he needs to think about. Maybe the team (and possibly Jordan himself) feels that he just needs to focus on riding the bike, managing his mental load through a world cup weekend, and just get some experience before adding yet another layer to his race runs.
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the buttons. So potentially he has a way to record the changes and then automate them during race runs.
Personally I feel like this gets a bit dodgy, too much automation and too much of an advantage over smaller teams. Whereas him just having to press the button during the race to me feels more fair just because of the added skill and mental load needed.
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them...
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them because he is so inexperienced (relatively speaking). In the recent Inside Line short episode, Loic talked about how the it still isn't natural for him to use the buttons; it's an extra layer of things he needs to think about. Maybe the team (and possibly Jordan himself) feels that he just needs to focus on riding the bike, managing his mental load through a world cup weekend, and just get some experience before adding yet another layer to his race runs.
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the...
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the buttons. So potentially he has a way to record the changes and then automate them during race runs.
Personally I feel like this gets a bit dodgy, too much automation and too much of an advantage over smaller teams. Whereas him just having to press the button during the race to me feels more fair just because of the added skill and mental load needed.
Yep. Lights are to let the rider know which of the damper modes they are in at the moment. Visual cue to remind them of how the suspension is behaving in real time. It's all tied to GPS/DAQ in that pod or the headtube so the suspension is programmed to switch at certain distance/elevation if needed.
I'm guessing if you were to watch his "dash" at Val di Sole, that thing will maybe switch 100 yards out of the gate once & nothing after.
Plus, consider a whack of a tree on a flat straight that damages that BOP on the bar could leave him in a firm setting for the rest of a steep run if they had the GPS mounted in it. So GPS/DAQ has got to be that block on the top tube & the 3 lights are purely a display.
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the...
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the buttons. So potentially he has a way to record the changes and then automate them during race runs.
Personally I feel like this gets a bit dodgy, too much automation and too much of an advantage over smaller teams. Whereas him just having to press the button during the race to me feels more fair just because of the added skill and mental load needed.
loic presses buttons as seen here
finn in our race day audio discusses how stoked he is on the team dynamic with loic and jordan.
have heard potential of 13 races based on a prelim calendar, but also presented as a "shoot for the moon and see what sticks" thing figuring committed venues will amount to about what we have now.
if there were 13-15 races, how would teams afford to almost double their budgets? not saying it isn't possible, but is it worth it?
rumors also that 2025 news drops this week/weekend. would be rad if that was true!
I’m a little suprised we haven’t seen any copy cat brake fairings from the other teams.
in every interview I have heard I’ve never heard one bad thing about the specialized team other than the inherent self pressure of performing at the highest level. That includes grice, Finn, and Williams.
They seem to pride themselves on collaborating towards their riders putting down their best race results possible. Don’t forget Finn raced the prototype bike before loic cause loic didn’t want to change mid season. And sure loic had a head start on the electronic stuff but he seems way more inclined to develop that tech than Finn was. Finn only started doing extensive off season testing with his mechanic outside team camp a couple seasons ago.
If vds is dry I think it’s a track that will suit Jordan pretty well. And it doesn’t seem like a track where electronic suspension will be much a factor at all. Hope he gets a time he is proud of. And that he can keep in mind it took both Finn and loic quite a few years to get where they are now.
USA Cycling Announces Olympic Games Paris 2024 Mountain Bike Team
Batten, Blunk, Blevins, and Amos will represent the United States in the Cross-Country Olympic Mountain Bike event in Paris.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – June 11, 2024 – Brendan Quirk, CEO and President of USA Cycling, revealed the four athletes selected for the Mountain Biking events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 during a press conference held at Ledger Bentonville in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Since 2022, the USA Cycling National Team has been vying for international ranking points through the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) with the goal of placing in the top eight as a Nation in the MTB Olympic Qualification Rankings. Top performances in UCI events over the past two years brought the U.S. men into the top five of the MTB Olympic Qualification Rankings, and the U.S. women into the top three, qualifying both genders for maximum available quota spots at the Olympic Games – two men and two women.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Mountain Bike Team roster includes two Tokyo 2020 returning Olympians, and two first-timers. In the first three UCI Mountain Bike World Cups of the season, this group collectively rode to six Elite Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) podiums, five Elite Short Track (XCC) podiums, and a perfect season in the U23 Men’s races. The team is reaching peak performance just in time for the world's biggest stage this summer in Paris.
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing) returns to the Olympic Team after doubling down with wins in both the Short Track and Cross-Country events at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Brazil. The 2024 Pan American Champion proved to be at the top of her game, and the one to beat leading the team into her second Olympic Games.
For the first time, Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team) will take the Olympic stage. The back-to-back U.S. National Champion showcased her skills and ability to compete at the highest level over the past two years, especially in the opening World Cup rounds scoring a silver and two bronze medals.
On the men's side, both riders hail from Durango, Colorado carrying forward the town’s prominent Olympic legacy. They join the ranks of the Olympic mountain bikers that came before them – Travis Brown (’00), Todd Wells (’04, ’08, ’12), and Howard Grotts (’16) – marking the 2024 Olympics as the seventh consecutive Games in which a male cyclist from Durango will compete.
Short Track World Champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing) will attend his second Olympic Games. Blevins shocked the American crowds in 2021 after winning the first Elite Men’s UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in nearly 30 years and did it on U.S. soil in Snowshoe, WV. Since then, he has been on the hunt for another podium and showed his true grit and strength to win the opening UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2024.
A rider the mountain bike world has been watching for quite some time is 22-year-old Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing). He has shown exceptional talent at a young age, and proved this year that he is one of the most dominate Under-23 mountain bikers on the circuit. In 2021, Amos was the first American man to ever win a U23 World Cup. He went on to make this a regular occurrence taking 11 XCO podiums since then and has had the perfect season in 2024.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games run from July 26 – August 11 with cycling competing every day of the Games. The Women’s Cross-Country Mountain Bike event will take place on Sunday, July 28, and the Men’s event will be the following day on Monday, July 29, both starting at 8:00 am ET.
2024 U.S. Olympic Mountain Bike Team:
Women:
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team)
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing):
“My Olympic pursuit has been an amazing journey. Through injury, personal growth, and relentless hard work, I am proud to earn my spot to represent Team USA in Paris. Throughout my youth, I have dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete and to earn a medal for the USA. I am honored to have this opportunity and I am fully focused on preparing at my best.”
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team):
“Competing at the Olympics is something I’ve dreamed about ever since my first race in the NorCal NICA league. When I was 15, this dream felt almost inconceivable. I knew it would take a lot of hard work, but what was even harder to find in the process was team support, resources, and funding to get myself to the biggest stage. It was never a clear path, but I was relentlessly committed and never gave up. Now looking back, I realize this WAS the path all along - never giving up on my dreams. I’m so proud to have reached this moment and am super excited to represent the USA in Paris!”
“The magnitude of the Olympics is one of the most special things to experience as an athlete. Being a part of Team USA is a celebration that extends beyond yourself, and there's a whole team giving their best in the sport we love. I was proud to make it to Tokyo in 2021, and maybe even more so to make my second Olympic games, with the opportunity to give it everything for a medal on July 29th in Paris. The sport of Mountain Biking is growing at an exciting rate in the States, and I know this Games will be another step in that direction.”
“I really don’t think it has sunk in yet that I will be representing my country in Paris this summer. I think when I get to feel that atmosphere and really experience it all for the first time it’s all going to sink in. I am not really putting much pressure on the performance, but instead taking in this incredible opportunity and moment at the biggest mountain bike race in the world to celebrate how far we have come in the last few years and to learn all I can for the 2028 games. I’m proud to continue the legacy of Mountain Bike Olympians from Durango, Colorado, as I would not be who I am without my special little community at home.”
Alec Pasqualina – USA Cycling’s Director of Mountain Bike:
“The 2024 USA Mountain Bike Olympic Team is one to watch with medal potential in both the Women’s and Men’s event. The United States has steadily been regaining prominence since Tokyo and we are excited to show the world what we are capable of. Each one of our four mountain bike Olympians in 2024 continue to impress us and we know they will represent our nation well.”
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the...
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the buttons. So potentially he has a way to record the changes and then automate them during race runs.
Personally I feel like this gets a bit dodgy, too much automation and too much of an advantage over smaller teams. Whereas him just having to press the button during the race to me feels more fair just because of the added skill and mental load needed.
loic presses buttons as seen here
finn in our race day audio discusses how stoked he is on the team dynamic with loic and jordan...
loic presses buttons as seen here
finn in our race day audio discusses how stoked he is on the team dynamic with loic and jordan.
have heard potential of 13 races based on a prelim calendar, but also presented as a "shoot for the moon and see what sticks" thing figuring committed venues will amount to about what we have now.
if there were 13-15 races, how would teams afford to almost double their budgets? not saying it isn't possible, but is it worth it?
rumors also that 2025 news drops this week/weekend. would be rad if that was true!
If moving to 13-15 race season, I could see it allowing teams to split budget more easily. When racing internationally, a corporation has to justify a segment of resources for a segment of the world. If there are 13-15, they can more easily designate a specific foreign division handling outlays, costs, etc.
And I assume that if they move to that big of a tour, there will be a "DROP" system in place where racers drop their lowest place race(s). Assign a North/South American time zone race you can drop & a European/African time zone event to drop.
That would allow the flexibility to race 11 of the 13 & know that if bikes/equipment/budget are maxed, you elect a single event not to attend.
Granted, that means they'd all skip SnowShoe or AngelFire. But still..
Would love some feedback on a DH race series having a "Drop Worst Result" format. Pros/Cons.
Even made a poll. @sspomer is it worth front page discussion?
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the feel/fun of the event and really makes me want to grab my bike and go out for a ride.
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the...
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the feel/fun of the event and really makes me want to grab my bike and go out for a ride.
It's weird that beautiful women spend their hard earned money on being gorgeous hillside to spectate proudly & videographers just leave them out of the footage these days. I can't imagine spend time, money & fashionable get ups to go out to be appreciated and all these dudes with cameras...just filming men in spandex onesies all day.
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the...
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the feel/fun of the event and really makes me want to grab my bike and go out for a ride.
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the...
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the feel/fun of the event and really makes me want to grab my bike and go out for a ride.
It's weird that beautiful women spend their hard earned money on being gorgeous hillside to spectate proudly & videographers just leave them out of the footage...
It's weird that beautiful women spend their hard earned money on being gorgeous hillside to spectate proudly & videographers just leave them out of the footage these days. I can't imagine spend time, money & fashionable get ups to go out to be appreciated and all these dudes with cameras...just filming men in spandex onesies all day.
The audio seemed really good in that video, but I am wearing headphones.
What happened at 1:37?
here is the forum thread to discuss all things Val di Sole World Cup DH (instead of randomizing this thread)
https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2024-val-di-sole-world-cup-downhill
New DH racing fear unlocked. How did @Sleeper.co miss this?
https://www.instagram.com/p/C79ljuBogNr/
Refering to a top-20 finish in the men's elite class of a DH worldcup as "losing" really doesn't sit right with me. Honestly makes him sound a bit spoiled / entitled.
Like, does he realize everyone else who qualified for the finals but finished lower down the results sheet most likely works just as hard and wants to win just as much as he does. These days, literally everyone in the top 20 is a contender for the win on a good day.
I think in his head, Jordan thought his run might have been a podium finish when he crossed the line, lifted the bike above the head and all. It would be sobering to think that's competitive, then watch 17 more dudes beat your time in short order.
He's young and has more wins in him, imagine winning your first race, riding that wave then never really been back up there for 18 months. Would be hard mentally.
It still baffles me Finn plays No.2 in that team, I mean it's pretty public. He's a big dog now, let him EAT!
You don’t make it to the top level of any sport by being ok with 17th place.
From the outside looking in he is on a team that is probably pretty tough mentally. I personally think having a team where 2 riders have an advantage the third doesn’t have is weird.
Could not agree more.
I think weird is the right word, too. Literally.
Also weird is how Spesh is either protecting him or really promoting Finn and Loic. I think Loic is up to something special right now. Finn is playing a great Troy Brosnan, which in hindsight is also something special, but currently as it is happening is ... maybe not as great as JW's potential story... potential because he's clearly not on a bike that gives his teammates an upper hand.
Weird.
I'm all good w/ Jordan being hyper competitive. That explains his emotions at the end.
Can't imagine being under a tent with 2 teammates on completely different equipment, having ZERO tactical setup shared b/c you're just on a Demo with dampers standing right next to 2 guys getting at the least 80% of ALL attention, support and tactical information.
Geez, NOTHING about what Finn & Loic are working on has ANYTHING to do with what Jordan is having to deal with. He's alone in that pit.
He won a World Cup out of the gate on a bike he'd just gotten on & he wants to win, win, win & yet his team has decided he doesn't get to use the magic winning buttons despite him proving he's an Alpha.
That would eat at me hard!
I don't think there is too much sharing going on between Finn and Loic these days.
Sven asks Finn if Loic was driving him beta after missing Qualifications and Semis.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8AXbeps4sa/?igsh=MWFicG9qdXZuM2szbw==
Finn has also only been on the electric damper for 3 months. How many seasons now has Loic had a cover over his shock? I do find it odd that they didn't have Jordan start straight onto the proto frame as Finn was on it before he joined and before Loic moved onto it.
I felt for Jordan when Lachlan came down and put five seconds on him. Thats a lot of emotions and questioning while a camera is pointed at you. Athletes always deserve a grace period of "bad" behavior after winning or losing. How they are interacting in the beer tent is a better judge of character.
As hard as it is, do you not think Jordan would have been aware when he signed for the team what he was going to be getting?
He seemed not only stoked on the team when he started but he said multiple times he was really looking forward to learning from Loci and Finn. Seems like None of them have much to say about their teammates these days.
With all the talk about how Finn and Loic have the electronics on board and Jordan doesn't it got me thinking. Maybe Jordan doesn't have them because he is so inexperienced (relatively speaking). In the recent Inside Line short episode, Loic talked about how the it still isn't natural for him to use the buttons; it's an extra layer of things he needs to think about. Maybe the team (and possibly Jordan himself) feels that he just needs to focus on riding the bike, managing his mental load through a world cup weekend, and just get some experience before adding yet another layer to his race runs.
Looks like he almost landed it too. That would have been a baller move.
So should we get excited at what Vali said on WynTV (@6.38) about the possibility of 15 races next year?
Finn and Loic talked about the team and Jordan and how good their dynamic is and having two guys to constantly compete against makes them all push and be better on Wyn TV last weekend.
Jordan was on the prototype frame last weekend but not the electronic stuff, im sure him and the team thinks its best for him to worry about his riding and racecraft at the moment, much bigger gains to be had there than electronic suspension at this point in his career.
Lets not forget he won his first world cup on a custom sized production frame, basically an XL they made for him as they dont have a production frame bigger than a large sized.
I believe from listening to the Downtime Podcast with Laurent Delorme that its more contractual. Loic gets all of the tech first (for a season) then it filters down hence why Finn only got the suspension this season. I'd imagine that Finn has something similar in place hence Jordan does not have the tech that Loic an Finn both currently have.
They put Jordan on the old bike last season as they had the most data on it to get him going (again as per the podcast)
As spotted on another forum, during his POV of qualis, Bruni's suspension settings appear to change (LED colours) but at no point does he press the buttons. So potentially he has a way to record the changes and then automate them during race runs.
Personally I feel like this gets a bit dodgy, too much automation and too much of an advantage over smaller teams. Whereas him just having to press the button during the race to me feels more fair just because of the added skill and mental load needed.
Yep. Lights are to let the rider know which of the damper modes they are in at the moment. Visual cue to remind them of how the suspension is behaving in real time. It's all tied to GPS/DAQ in that pod or the headtube so the suspension is programmed to switch at certain distance/elevation if needed.
I'm guessing if you were to watch his "dash" at Val di Sole, that thing will maybe switch 100 yards out of the gate once & nothing after.
Plus, consider a whack of a tree on a flat straight that damages that BOP on the bar could leave him in a firm setting for the rest of a steep run if they had the GPS mounted in it. So GPS/DAQ has got to be that block on the top tube & the 3 lights are purely a display.
loic presses buttons as seen here
finn in our race day audio discusses how stoked he is on the team dynamic with loic and jordan.
have heard potential of 13 races based on a prelim calendar, but also presented as a "shoot for the moon and see what sticks" thing figuring committed venues will amount to about what we have now.
if there were 13-15 races, how would teams afford to almost double their budgets? not saying it isn't possible, but is it worth it?
rumors also that 2025 news drops this week/weekend. would be rad if that was true!
I’m a little suprised we haven’t seen any copy cat brake fairings from the other teams.
in every interview I have heard I’ve never heard one bad thing about the specialized team other than the inherent self pressure of performing at the highest level. That includes grice, Finn, and Williams.
They seem to pride themselves on collaborating towards their riders putting down their best race results possible. Don’t forget Finn raced the prototype bike before loic cause loic didn’t want to change mid season. And sure loic had a head start on the electronic stuff but he seems way more inclined to develop that tech than Finn was. Finn only started doing extensive off season testing with his mechanic outside team camp a couple seasons ago.
If vds is dry I think it’s a track that will suit Jordan pretty well. And it doesn’t seem like a track where electronic suspension will be much a factor at all. Hope he gets a time he is proud of. And that he can keep in mind it took both Finn and loic quite a few years to get where they are now.
PR from USAC about Olympic Team
USA Cycling Announces Olympic Games Paris 2024 Mountain Bike Team
Batten, Blunk, Blevins, and Amos will represent the United States in the Cross-Country Olympic Mountain Bike event in Paris.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – June 11, 2024 – Brendan Quirk, CEO and President of USA Cycling, revealed the four athletes selected for the Mountain Biking events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 during a press conference held at Ledger Bentonville in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Since 2022, the USA Cycling National Team has been vying for international ranking points through the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) with the goal of placing in the top eight as a Nation in the MTB Olympic Qualification Rankings. Top performances in UCI events over the past two years brought the U.S. men into the top five of the MTB Olympic Qualification Rankings, and the U.S. women into the top three, qualifying both genders for maximum available quota spots at the Olympic Games – two men and two women.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Mountain Bike Team roster includes two Tokyo 2020 returning Olympians, and two first-timers. In the first three UCI Mountain Bike World Cups of the season, this group collectively rode to six Elite Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) podiums, five Elite Short Track (XCC) podiums, and a perfect season in the U23 Men’s races. The team is reaching peak performance just in time for the world's biggest stage this summer in Paris.
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing) returns to the Olympic Team after doubling down with wins in both the Short Track and Cross-Country events at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Brazil. The 2024 Pan American Champion proved to be at the top of her game, and the one to beat leading the team into her second Olympic Games.
For the first time, Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team) will take the Olympic stage. The back-to-back U.S. National Champion showcased her skills and ability to compete at the highest level over the past two years, especially in the opening World Cup rounds scoring a silver and two bronze medals.
On the men's side, both riders hail from Durango, Colorado carrying forward the town’s prominent Olympic legacy. They join the ranks of the Olympic mountain bikers that came before them – Travis Brown (’00), Todd Wells (’04, ’08, ’12), and Howard Grotts (’16) – marking the 2024 Olympics as the seventh consecutive Games in which a male cyclist from Durango will compete.
Short Track World Champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing) will attend his second Olympic Games. Blevins shocked the American crowds in 2021 after winning the first Elite Men’s UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in nearly 30 years and did it on U.S. soil in Snowshoe, WV. Since then, he has been on the hunt for another podium and showed his true grit and strength to win the opening UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2024.
A rider the mountain bike world has been watching for quite some time is 22-year-old Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing). He has shown exceptional talent at a young age, and proved this year that he is one of the most dominate Under-23 mountain bikers on the circuit. In 2021, Amos was the first American man to ever win a U23 World Cup. He went on to make this a regular occurrence taking 11 XCO podiums since then and has had the perfect season in 2024.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games run from July 26 – August 11 with cycling competing every day of the Games. The Women’s Cross-Country Mountain Bike event will take place on Sunday, July 28, and the Men’s event will be the following day on Monday, July 29, both starting at 8:00 am ET.
2024 U.S. Olympic Mountain Bike Team:
Women:
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing)
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team)
Men:
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing)
Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing)
Quotes:
Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing):
“My Olympic pursuit has been an amazing journey. Through injury, personal growth, and relentless hard work, I am proud to earn my spot to represent Team USA in Paris. Throughout my youth, I have dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete and to earn a medal for the USA. I am honored to have this opportunity and I am fully focused on preparing at my best.”
Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon-Ford Racing Team):
“Competing at the Olympics is something I’ve dreamed about ever since my first race in the NorCal NICA league. When I was 15, this dream felt almost inconceivable. I knew it would take a lot of hard work, but what was even harder to find in the process was team support, resources, and funding to get myself to the biggest stage. It was never a clear path, but I was relentlessly committed and never gave up. Now looking back, I realize this WAS the path all along - never giving up on my dreams. I’m so proud to have reached this moment and am super excited to represent the USA in Paris!”
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing):
“The magnitude of the Olympics is one of the most special things to experience as an athlete. Being a part of Team USA is a celebration that extends beyond yourself, and there's a whole team giving their best in the sport we love. I was proud to make it to Tokyo in 2021, and maybe even more so to make my second Olympic games, with the opportunity to give it everything for a medal on July 29th in Paris. The sport of Mountain Biking is growing at an exciting rate in the States, and I know this Games will be another step in that direction.”
Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing):
“I really don’t think it has sunk in yet that I will be representing my country in Paris this summer. I think when I get to feel that atmosphere and really experience it all for the first time it’s all going to sink in. I am not really putting much pressure on the performance, but instead taking in this incredible opportunity and moment at the biggest mountain bike race in the world to celebrate how far we have come in the last few years and to learn all I can for the 2028 games. I’m proud to continue the legacy of Mountain Bike Olympians from Durango, Colorado, as I would not be who I am without my special little community at home.”
Alec Pasqualina – USA Cycling’s Director of Mountain Bike:
“The 2024 USA Mountain Bike Olympic Team is one to watch with medal potential in both the Women’s and Men’s event. The United States has steadily been regaining prominence since Tokyo and we are excited to show the world what we are capable of. Each one of our four mountain bike Olympians in 2024 continue to impress us and we know they will represent our nation well.”
If moving to 13-15 race season, I could see it allowing teams to split budget more easily. When racing internationally, a corporation has to justify a segment of resources for a segment of the world. If there are 13-15, they can more easily designate a specific foreign division handling outlays, costs, etc.
And I assume that if they move to that big of a tour, there will be a "DROP" system in place where racers drop their lowest place race(s). Assign a North/South American time zone race you can drop & a European/African time zone event to drop.
That would allow the flexibility to race 11 of the 13 & know that if bikes/equipment/budget are maxed, you elect a single event not to attend.
Granted, that means they'd all skip SnowShoe or AngelFire. But still..
Would love some feedback on a DH race series having a "Drop Worst Result" format. Pros/Cons.
Even made a poll. @sspomer is it worth front page discussion?
https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/drop-worst-result-format-racing-any…
Can we talk about how rad the sleeper collective video edits from the uci dh race weekends are? The last one from leogang really shows the feel/fun of the event and really makes me want to grab my bike and go out for a ride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gP7YQEKkfA
It's weird that beautiful women spend their hard earned money on being gorgeous hillside to spectate proudly & videographers just leave them out of the footage these days. I can't imagine spend time, money & fashionable get ups to go out to be appreciated and all these dudes with cameras...just filming men in spandex onesies all day.
Would love to see the Sleeper edits mashed up Misspent Summer interviews that Sven does.
minnaar's doc is on youtube
Dude you are really weird.
funny edit at 6:10. Kathy Sesler hasn't changed in 16 years. Literally. she almost has the exact same clothes on in 2008 and 2023.
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