• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

UCI MTB World Cup (All forms!)

A thread for anyone who wants to discuss the world cups. Anything goes! DH, 4X, XC.

DH in Lourdes was brilliant. Gwin was as smooth and composed as usual but the biggest thing to come from it is that he won on a stock YT Tues. The only things different were his brakes and tyres, that's it. In DH that is an enormous thing to happen.
 
Re:

jmdirt said:
Nino looked good winning that one, Absalon with a nice battle back from a flat to get on the box.

Nino is a beast!! Never looked like losing that one and even buttoned it off to give someone else the "camera time" for a while.
Wonder how he would go at DH.....he's clearly got superior DH skills and can just pull away in those sections!

Absalon was incredible to get back to 3rd position after his flat....and considering the shambles of a wheel change that seemed to take forever. He's a calm guy under pressure for sure! Looks uber fit as well, super lean!!

What did you make of the DH course? - I'm no expert, but it seemed too long in the run down to the finish line without any technical sections.....just a full gas pedal to the line for too long IMHO....not really interested in seeing these guys and gals doing a flat out ride to the line for that long with no obstacles or showcasing their DH skills.....thoughts??
 
The Cairns DH course is what it is. It's got some technical stuff that at least means no-one turns up on trail bikes like Pietermaritzburg, but you ain't going to win it with no chain that's for sure!

I'd prefer to see courses that are always won by the best bike handler, but Bruni, Brosnan and Gwin are three of the best bike handlers so you can't really complain.

My main issue with it is lack of access. For a WC DH course I think helicopter access should be mandatory.
 
Re: Re:

JackRabbitSlims said:
jmdirt said:
Nino looked good winning that one, Absalon with a nice battle back from a flat to get on the box.

Nino is a beast!! Never looked like losing that one and even buttoned it off to give someone else the "camera time" for a while.
Wonder how he would go at DH.....he's clearly got superior DH skills and can just pull away in those sections!

Absalon was incredible to get back to 3rd position after his flat....and considering the shambles of a wheel change that seemed to take forever. He's a calm guy under pressure for sure! Looks uber fit as well, super lean!!

What did you make of the DH course? - I'm no expert, but it seemed too long in the run down to the finish line without any technical sections.....just a full gas pedal to the line for too long IMHO....not really interested in seeing these guys and gals doing a flat out ride to the line for that long with no obstacles or showcasing their DH skills.....thoughts??
I like having a sprint like that at the end. But a few roller style jumps, or some big fishbowl turns might make it more exciting I guess.
 
Re:

jmdirt said:

just to be hyper critical......I just don't like the "look" of that bike at all.....which means squat in the big picture as it's all down to performance and what suits the specific rider!
HATE the gold Sram Eagle look....gold just reeks of extreme douche-baggery to me and crying out for attention!
White walled Dugast Tyres??? Nah, not for me either....that bikes looks like mess.

ofc, all in my most humble of opinions ;)
and I ride a Scott MTB as well......not like Nino though, not with Sram and not with Dugast Tubs :D
 
Men: Absalon, Marotte, Koretzky 123 FRA!

Great quote from JA: ""It's incredible to win at home, but the pressure was really great," admitted Absalon. "It was really hard because it's important for me to go do a good race to thank all the spectators and all the guys who who work really hard during this last month [to build the course]." The French guys love racing on home soil (mud).

Glassmoon, where did you read that NS was on a 29"? Whatever he was riding, that was a bad batch of tubies!

Woman: Neff, Pendrel, Batty (Langvad, WC leader, not a mudder in 15th)

World Cup DH, Ft. William:
Minnaar, Gwin, Hart
Atherton, Hannah, Carpenter
 
Great race to watch ( I just picked it up on RedBull TV yesterday)
Amazing 1, 2, 3, finish for the French on home soil...unlucky for Nino to puncture twice with some horrible work by his mechanics in the service lane!!
You could see his frustration with the slow wheel changes, especially the 2nd one where he got in there and basically did it himself - far from Formula one like slick pit crews for these pro MTB teams!
The Red Bull Commentary team mentioned that he was on 29er for the first time along with a prototype bike from Scott....it also looks like they used the wrong wheel for the swap out on the first puncture - hard to believe right!??

Congrats to JA!! - Great win and the thoroughly likeable man :)

This racing is all Swiss and French - would love to see some other nations push forward with some contenders.

Sagan at the Olympics....What say you??
 

TRENDING THREADS