What does Aaron Gwin do?

[Capricorn]

I wouldn't exactly call it a hill, but yeah. Not yet afaik. At least, no to the same level as Hill... 

 

Edit: Oh, I see what you did there... LOLz

 

quite unintentional. Promise!

[MrJacques]

An old article, but has some interesting history: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/aaron-gwin-interview-2010.html

[Headshot]

Gwin has his days. Look at MSA he had a terrible race. So he just put it all together on a track he knows he can do well on.

He had "home" support which really does lift you up.

Although his suspension is harder than everyone else this is more a riding style than anything else as if it were faster everyone would have done it by now.

Gwin just has a great racer mindset and can put himself in the race moment and make it work.

I think its a number of factors that makes him that fast but its not something you can put your finger on and say ... its this ...

He has had a good season but is similar to hill when he was blowing the field apart in 2007 ... sometimes he can pull it out and othertimes not

 

Ya precisely. He says he loves the Windham track. Not sure many other racers like it that much. When Gwin gets it right he is in another league of speed. The problem is when he doesn't. Greg is a far more methodical rider I think - goes fast enough but not too fast. He must be the most consistent podium finisher of any male DHer. If it wasn't for the injury before Lourdes it would probably be neck and neck with Gwin right now.

[Gnarly]

It is incredible how one person can practically be so dominant in such a competitive sport (even the golf and tennis dominators are amazing). But more how Rossi, Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, Doohan, Carmichael, Stewart, Villopoto, Peterhansel, Coma etc etc have dominated dangerous two wheeled chariots in the lottery of racing on two wheels for extended periods, often only stopped by injury or fear thereof.  Sometime technical superiority but often massive and building confidence, drive, and determination on serious talent. Awesome; love em or hate em.

 

Few riders have threatened in downhill bike, none really achieved it but Gwin's combination of skill, balls (nutter factor), good equipment and preparation is threatening. As long as he stays injury free; which seems tough to call.

 

Fascinating to know how say Greg would read Gwin's lines etc.

 

You CAN NOT put Stewart amongst those names.......

[Patchelicious]

You CAN NOT put Stewart amongst those names.......

Agreed Stewart is not "legend" material, maybe he added him to seem "diverse"

 

Also, as much as I am a Rainey fan, I dont believe he was THAT much better than his competition. He just just won one championship and the other he only one because Doohan did his leg in. Doohan not my fave but he was damn dominant.

 

If you want to add another legend to that list of Mal'Ooms on two wheels... Joey Dunlop.

[Baracuda]

I'm gonna ramble here a bit, but the more I think about what Baracuda said, the more I feel things are going to get pretty darn wild. Bikes are the best they've ever been, guys and gals fitter than ever before (Missy now fully understands this), so why haven't times really improved? Why did Gwin put so much time into second placed Minnaar, notably because the track is so short (less than 1.8km)?

Risk reward. The track is very short by world cup standards, so you absolutely have to gun it from the gate. There's not enough track length to catch up toward the bottom.

It also means you can't hesitate in the rough. It's a clear case of who dares wins. But it requires precision: practice and memory. It's very clear from the replays he was on the very ragged edge.

There are few ppl who seem to be capable of pulling off this sort of riding, where when the split times appear, they've smashed a huge gap off the current best split. Currently, I can only think of two riders:

Hill and Gwin.

Look at 2014 Hafjell World Champs: check Hill's split times. He was smashing it, almost 3sec up before he crashed? Slight lack of precision interrupted the charge there.

 

Now the question is: who is going to step up their game to this level of riding? Bikes are already there, bodies there too. Next level = the mind. 

Granted, its not necessary to ride balls out each and every single race,because the aim is not to gap the 2nd placed guy by minutes. Whether by a split second, or a  bunch of seconds. A win is a win. But you don't know how the other guy is going to do. You don't have track side advisors saying speed up or slow down. You have to go. hard, and crush the track as best you can.

Being gapped like this can be a psychological blow, and with world's coming up shortly, there's a distinct possibility we could see things get pretty darn wild. World's is after all, the one run to rule them all. But making the ragged edge sort of comfy requires precision, and precision requires practice.

Gwin fired a massive warning shot. Will we see responses come Val di Sole?

 

Now that I think of the elite women, I'm wondering if their limitation is both body and mind. Missy Giove however, clearly has mind. She might have finished 3rd off stone last, but you don't get 3rd fastest speed trap  on a loan bike without being a little nuts, or simply of the right mind to go stupid fast.  I hope someone responds to what she said in her post race interview: she sounded genuine about offering her years of experience to grow the sport.

 

I think it is important to understand what you daring and the probability of surviving / succeeding as there are obviously limitations to it.

 

In my previous note, I know I made Gwen sound like a mad-man, but I am dead sure he probably studied those rock sections in fine detail and chose lines that, while bumpy and loose as hell, did not have sharp edges or anything that could throw him off the bike or destroy his wheels. Then you "just" get you weight far out back and hang on like hell and don't brake and you should be faster, even though the bike is skipping all over the place.

 

That young french guy - yes, the one with the nice eyes - tries a similar flat out approach but doesn't seem to have a measure of the limitations of it yet as he keeps on destroying his bike on the way down.

 

All this is great for the rocky courses, on others, smoothness may be better.

[Catatonic_Joe]

Here's his run from Windham, that is super fast.

 

 

 

[Stretch]

Ya precisely. He says he loves the Windham track. Not sure many other racers like it that much. When Gwin gets it right he is in another league of speed. The problem is when he doesn't. Greg is a far more methodical rider I think - goes fast enough but not too fast. He must be the most consistent podium finisher of any male DHer. If it wasn't for the injury before Lourdes it would probably be neck and neck with Gwin right now.

 

67 WC podiums at last count..thats in the region of 25% of all podiums of all time

[Capricorn]

67 WC podiums at last count..thats in the region of 25% of all podiums of all time

 

somewhat OT, but often i wonder when we going to get another Mr Minn, and why we dont have anyone knocking on his door at the moment? Im' sure someone's going to mention lack of altitude, but the aussies seem to churn out monster DHers by the dozen. maybe its more attitude?

[Stretch]

somewhat OT, but often i wonder when we going to get another Mr Minn, and why we dont have anyone knocking on his door at the moment? Im' sure someone's going to mention lack of altitude, but the aussies seem to churn out monster DHers by the dozen. maybe its more attitude?

 

too much focus on marathon here...not enough pump tracks...and bmx is neglected

 

im sure this has a bit to do with it too

 

https://instagram.com/p/6NQcCPGZRF

[Capricorn]

 

too much focus on marathon here...not enough pump tracks...and bmx is neglected

 

im sure this has a bit to do with it too

 

https://instagram.com/p/6NQcCPGZRF/

 

 

can't see the pic. what's in it?

[Stretch]

can't see the pic. what's in it?

fixed

[Capricorn]

fixed

 

I dont think it was broken: i'm firewalled. So unless you upload the pic, i can't see it from most other online sources. sorry, and thanks for the hassle!

[mazambaan]

Off topic I know but Like him or not Stewart is up there with the best in US SX. Rainey; sure maybe not an all time great but I liked him. Joey Dunlop was great although the modern TT is a dangerous backwater of riders.

 

Lots of exclusions of course like Dick Burleson - umpteen times US enduro champion.

 

To keep a bit of the original thread, I am sure Gwin benefitted from his MX experience and legend coaching by John Tomac whose lightie is a top pro MX'er  Greg has some mx background but I guess not in the same leagues. Demon on a dirt bike though.

[nigelhicks]

its what the industry in SA sees as a market. 

 

DH is limited with small participation.

Only have regional races in KZN and CT, so the depth of riders is not there.

 

Also - Minnaar went overseas when he was 16!! ... so it takes a while for the riders to adapt and learn to race at that level, and you need to start them young! ...

All the current guys are doing us proud, but started too late ... 22 is too late these days.

 

Id say the next guys (if they get over there and stay there) are the Philogene brothers. .. Chris is first year Junior (so one year down the drain already as he didnt go overseas), and Jono is last year Junior - ... so they need to go over and race there ASAP!

[Stretch]

I dont think it was broken: i'm firewalled. So unless you upload the pic, i can't see it from most other online sources. sorry, and thanks for the hassle!

 

im sure you saw it  - was the quote by lacondeguy saying "enduro? WTF is that...its called mountain bike!"