DH World Cup #4 - Leogang

[NotSoBigBen]

ill be lined up to collect my teeth :blush:

 

I'm with Dips here, sorry guys but I am not convinced about the 'anyone' can do it bit ..... there is for sure something that people have from a young age that seperate them from us 'normal' guys.

 

Those who know me will know that if it was merely about commitment and motivation/being lekker or not so lekker in the head I should have been able to at least manage XC technical sections by now but alas it has not come and I have accepted these limitations in the meantime luckily - it doesn't matter how many courses I go to and how much time I spend on the course it just aint coming lads

[Hog_]

I'm with Dips here, sorry guys but I am not convinced about the 'anyone' can do it bit ..... there is for sure something that people have from a young age that seperate them from us 'normal' guys.

 

Those who know me will know that if it was merely about commitment and motivation/being lekker or not so lekker in the head I should have been able to at least manage XC technical sections by now but alas it has not come and I have accepted these limitations in the meantime luckily - it doesn't matter how many courses I go to and how much time I spend on the course it just aint coming lads

 

Well with THAT attitude it sure as hell isn't going to happen!

[Eddy Gordo]

Take him to Dan Dobinson at iRide Africa. Bliksemse vinnig rider and an all round awesome chap. Then when Pottie gets back, he generally hosts some skills sessions in Tokai, Contermans & Jonkers.

 

But for the moment - Dan is your man.

 

Thanks Man

[NotSoBigBen]

Well with THAT attitude it sure as hell isn't going to happen!

 

I have the scars/broken ribs/time off work/embarassment to prove it

 

Maybe I must try some of that Windroll stuff or something?

Edited June 18, 2014 by NotSoBigBen

[G00SE]

I have the scars/broken ribs/time off work/embarassment to prove it

 

Maybe I must try some of that Windroll stuff or something?

 

Do you ride with baggies and 510's?

If not, that could be your problem...

[rudi-h]

For sure. When people talk about natural talent they are often really talking about drive and motivation. Not everybody has both of those qualities and that is what makes up the most of talent. If we had started young but importantly stuck at it relentlessly then we would definitely be right up there. There is definitely a little bit of x factor and some genetics that seperates the top 10 from the next 20 but you would still be a world class athlete.

 

Not so sure if that's true... Im a reasonably good sportsman with well above average physical abilities. I reckon I would ride places where 8 of 10 MTB'ers out there would push their bikes, but by no means am I exceptional. For one, I have tried relentlessly as a kid, but I can't pop a wheelie for more than maybe 10 m before I lose balance and go sideways. I practiced this as a kid for literally hundreds of afternoons and never got it right. So the bottom line is that even if I had tried to do Danny MacAskill's tricks for 8 hours a day since I was 5, I don't think I have the necessary levels of balance (and maybe guts) to attempt the stuff that the top guys do. Not even to mention the red-bull rampage okes...

[NotSoBigBen]

 

Do you ride with baggies and 510's?

If not, that could be your problem...

 

Ok baggies I can make a plan, got some luminous green/pink ones I use when I go to the beach. 510's what the heck, I wear size 9.5's ......

[Headshot]

Its not really that difficult to learn what these guys do - as it is all self-confidence really.

 

Its about having been mentored from the age of 12 or so to race and be precise and judge exactly whats happening around you and on the bike.

 

Yes there is definitely an inherent quality that these guys have that would have set them above the rest before going on to the world stage and it is this skill that needs grooming.

 

We all have the potential - but for us old farts we never had the same drive and structure that was afforded to these guys.

We could have all been there if we had started like Greg did by going overseas at 17 for his first world cups ..

 

So as we get older we become a little more nervous and therefore think we cant do stuff when actually we can - its just our brains saying (no you cant!) ...

 

Spot on Nigel. I have ridden for 20 years. I recall canti's and elastomer forks and steel hardtails. I always loved the DH stuff but it was only after some life changing events in the last 5 years that I actually followed what i really loved in MTB and upped my skills on the steep and jumpy stuff. I'll be 48 this year and I ride way better than I did when I was 35. It can be done and it is still be fun. In fact it may have been a good thing i waited until I was a bit wiser to start taking bigger risks... The biggest problem is fitness but that's not even an age thing more from too little time to ride due to work and family commitments. Now if only I could afford a proper DH bike...

[G00SE]

Ok baggies I can make a plan, got some luminous green/pink ones I use when I go to the beach. 510's what the heck, I wear size 9.5's ......

 

Sweet! you'll be shredding the DH courses, and bunny hopping PnP trolleys in no time!!!

... and don't worry, 510's come in a 9.5

[Headshot]

I have the scars/broken ribs/time off work/embarassment to prove it

 

Maybe I must try some of that Windroll stuff or something?

 

Are you an enthusiast ie eat and sleep MTB? If so, it should come. Steer some of that enthusiasm the way of skills articles and videos. I read up, look at pics and vids and then try the skills on the trails. If fear is holding you back, then you need some coping mechanisms to deal with that. Some protective gear - knee pads, full finger gloves, long sleeves and such like will boost your confidence. Knee pads - especially the thick ones help enormously. Wear a hydration pack - that also protects you in a tumble.

[DJR]

Nice discussion guys

[kosmonooit]

Something about it when you are devil-may-care young and you think you are invincible - up for anything, really. Later in life you become more conservative, and take longer to heal. Life becomes a bit more precious.

 

Got a few 'battle scars' as well from my lost youth, one particular one came from trying to ride up a mine dump in Springs on a yz400 @ 140 km/h ... It wasn't called the Widow Maker for nothing. That was after I did get to the top, was trying another route up.

[DJR]

My oldest as well as my youngest scar (and a few in between) are cycling related. I got the first one when I was 5 years old when a Labrador called Stoffel ran in front of my bike and I crashed into an irrigation canal. The latest one was a broken collarbone that resulted in some titanium upgrades thanks to Tokai single track. I've now decided I've broken enough bones and that I should stop trying to chase Greg (ha ha, like I ever could). I'd like to think it is wisdom finally kicking in.

Edited June 18, 2014 by DJR

[nimthor]

My son is now 12 and he is wanting to learn Dh riding, but who do I see or take him to?

 

Does he have a bike? Contermans is having a shuttle day on the 6th July, there is always a couple of lities there with their small rigs, pull in, let him meet the youngsters and have a jol riding down. Those youngsters is also seriously fast!

 

Start small, take him to G-spot and build confidence on his bike (seen a dad and his youngster there a while ago), dirt jumps?

[Headshot]

I think crashing is part of learning and riding. The pro's do it continuously. Most are not serious. Broken bones are a problem. I seem to have very strong bones luckily - never broken one despite various impacts with rocks, trees and such like at various speeds. Other people are not so lucky. A friend of my wife's has had endless ankle problems resulting from slow speed topple over type crashes. I haven't noticed that my injuries take any longer to heal yet.

 

As Nigel said its a self-confidence thing. Some top racers crash hard and struggle to get their heads right again. I used to be a bit like that even with minor crashes. Now I have the confidence to pick my bike up and carry on even after a hard crash. Better skills and a suitable bike help too.In fact I always try to do it because if you are just sore as opposed to broken, its just the mind that needs first aid and getting back on and tackling a jump or some other feature puts you back where you were mentally.

 

I also think that a lot of crashes on tech terrain are due to poor body position but even more importantly poor bike set up. XC bikes with low bars, long stems and high seats do nobody any favours on steep descents. Since getting a bike with 6"travel and a 50mm stem and dropper post I can get things wrong and still ride things out that would have seen me smashed on the ground in the past.

 

The article by Sterling JR in the latest Full Sus re the skills deficit in SA mountain biking is spot on...

Edited June 18, 2014 by Headshot

[Stretch]

Very interesting video this. Head to Head gopro footage between rachel and manon. Rachel almost 3 seconds faster at one point, but when it gets to the peddley bit, manon catches that right up and passes her and increases that all the way to the bottom..this makes me realise that rachel is still faster just not up to the fitness level of manon yet

 

http://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/stories/1331659381883/head-to-head-manon-vs-rachel