uci live result

[chimpanzyyyy]

what makes trials riders so special? downhillers make a living by going 50mph down a hill between trees ? Trials is an extreme sport - deal with it, or if you get scared let someone else take the points and fair play to them.

Hmm, The video definitely doesn't show how bad the sections were, I was there and it was a mess. It was even difficult to walk from one section to the next without falling over, spectators couldn't really walk up to the sections as they just fell over I don't think any riders were complaining that they had to ride in those conditions, sure everyone prefers to ride in the dry and the sun but it was more the fact that the sections were not slightly adjusted to the conditions. On Saturday in the qualifying that wasn't really a problem as the danger to the rider wasn't so much. But some of those jumps in the final are huge and really pushing the limits of those riders. You only have to look at the score of someone like Andrei, an amazing rider, who has done endless comps around the world, I remember in Japan in 2005 where so many sections were cancelled during the trial as the conditions were like a monsoon but the sections were not dangerous still. Andrei didn't even make it out of one section in the file which I think shows just how big that stuff was. It's not good for the sport when people come to watch and see just 3 riders finish a section in the final and some sections which were impossible for everyone. Also the lack of a wamr up area didn't help, when you have 50 riders trying to warm up on 3 logs it just isn't fun. I feel sorry for the organisers as they did put alot of effort into making those sections, they were there for over a week and in the week we had 24/25 degrees then on saturday 5 degrees and rain so that wasn't easy. It's just a shame they didnt delay by hour or something and a quick change of the marker positions to make the sections a little easier. But your right at the end of the day the sections are the same for everyone and if you look at the results the order is probably the same if it is wet or dry, it was just the unnecasary danger in some places that put people down.

[ghostrider88]

Comparing DH and trials is like comparing brain surgeon and butcher...Not to mention downhiller doesn´t have to go 50mph and he can put the foot down whenever he wants to.

[Matthew62]

Gilles sounds like a cock. The response from him is pathetic. It stinks of "I can't win, and I should because I'm the best, therefore I won't even try'. Surely the conditions would effect everyone equally so everyone would be at the same disadvantage.... rain happens, you should really be able to deal with it.

Not all riders shared his opinion clearly and had a go, so what makes him an exception? I know nothing of comp trials but from the drearily shite videos (sorry, still animations) he puts out with his grunting and awful looking style and monumental levels of ego I find it very difficult to have any sympathy for him.

Comparing DH and trials is like comparing brain surgeon and butcher...Not to mention downhiller doesn´t have to go 50mph and he can put the foot down whenever he wants to.

Also..... cummon you've got to know what you've written there is a load of shit? How does a downhiller put their foot down over a 40ft double going down a ridiculously steep descent? Trials is infinitely safer in every aspect than DH so they've really got nothing to complain about. DH races take place on some of the most shit-scary tracks I've ever seen, in every condition imaginable with people ripping at mental speeds so I think the lycra boys hopping at 1mph from log to log should really get some perspective.

[ghostrider88]

Not all riders shared his opinion clearly and had a go, so what makes him an exception? I know nothing of comp trials but from the drearily shite videos (sorry, still animations) he puts out with his grunting and awful looking style and monumental levels of ego I find it very difficult to have any sympathy for him.

Pretty much every rider who was there said Gilles is right and this was the worst world cup ever. So that part "I know nothing of comp trials" is very true.

[Matthew62]

Pretty much every rider who was there said Gilles is right and this was the worst world cup ever. So that part "I know nothing of comp trials" is very true.

But they still rode didn't they?

Maybe it was a shit round...so what? There's bad rounds in every season of every discipline. If No.1 Winner Gilles was so, so unhappy with the course why didn't he just flat our refuse as has been suggested. Protest properly, as opposed to a slightly embarrassing gesture of whinging. Orrrrrrr, as a crazy alternative - just maybe get on with it. Not every round is going to be the same in lovely sunny dry conditions where his monumental levels of training and talent guarantee his win?

Also you conveniently skipped past your butcher-brain surgeon comparison.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Matthew62

[ghostrider88]

And that means they were ok with that?Both last year world cup winners wrote letters to uci saying something has to change, I think that says something and most of others others supported them. It was just plain stupid, trials is extreme sport but there´s a point where you are risking way more than neccessary. You do realize this is their only job in most cases? What if they injure badly like Kenny did last year or Giaco few years ago? Sponsors don´t like their riders not riding. And this WC was bad for everyone not only riders, if you were interested in it, you would know about quite a lot stupid things, from no warm up area to race starting at 8:00am, not to mention only 2sections were approachable for those few spectators that were there. Gilles did the right thing, just not in the best way. And since you edited your post, this isn´t the first world cup that wasn´t well organised, it was only the worst of them all.

Edited April 26, 2013 by ghostrider88

[0zzy]

But they still rode didn't they?

Maybe it was a shit round...so what? There's bad rounds in every season of every discipline. If No.1 Winner Gilles was so, so unhappy with the course why didn't he just flat our refuse as has been suggested. Protest properly, as opposed to a slightly embarrassing gesture of whinging. Orrrrrrr, as a crazy alternative - just maybe get on with it. Not every round is going to be the same in lovely sunny dry conditions where his monumental levels of training and talent guarantee his win?

Also you conveniently skipped past your butcher-brain surgeon comparison.

your narrow minded-ness is actually stupidly painfull.

[Matthew62]

your narrow minded-ness is actually stupidly painfull.

You're absent mindedness to avoid painful spelling mistakes is.....nah too easy.

[0zzy]

im pretty sure this is not "bmx forum"

[Matthew62]

im pretty sure this is not "bmx forum"

Oh you're one of those, I should have guessed.

[0zzy]

well your talking about something you clearly have no idea at all about, just leave it at that. perhaps if you followed trials instead of bmx your understanding would be greater.

[CalopS]

your narrow minded-ness is actually stupidly painfull.

[Mark W]

Matt's point about the way Gilles protested is fair enough. Stopping riding mid-way through is nowhere near as effective a protest as refusing to ride from the start.

[0zzy]

yes and i agree with that, but when you are comparing the sport to downhill etc, and calling them pussys etc for not attempting the stuff then you are clearly a idiot.

[Matthew62]

well your talking about something you clearly have no idea at all about, just leave it at that. perhaps if you followed trials instead of bmx your understanding would be greater.

yes and i agree with that, but when you are comparing the sport to downhill etc, and calling them pussys etc for not attempting the stuff then you are clearly a idiot.

I'm not one to avoid the chance at pointing out a bit of irony, but you accessed me of being narrow minded, which caused you actual stupid pain. You've then gone on to accuse me of following BMX as opposed to trials, then followed up your statement with talking about comparing Downhill and Trials...... you know that's quite narrow minded don't you? Also, just so we're clear, you do realise DH and BMX are two different things?

What gave you the impression I 'follow' BMX as opposed to trials (whatever that means)? If by following you mean 'watch videos and look at public forums' then I actually do follow trials, I actually said I know nothing (probably a little too strong) of comp trials, by which I meant the scene, what compression pants are currently in fashion and so on. What I did see though was lots of riders giving a tough round a go, and one rider who I already held a low impression of having a bit of a moan because he couldn't win on it. Whether or not he is correct to whinge/moan/complain is actually the least important element, what I did object to was the way in which he did it. If it was a protest and he had a genuine moral objection to the potential risk of him getting hurt by falling off a log then why not doing it in the correct manner? Make an official complaint, do not ride the section/trial and back up your feelings with some genuine intent. But it seemed a lot more like 'f**k I can't win this, i'm off home boys, this is stupid'. I do find that a bit meek and think there was a much better approach available to him.

You accuse me of being narrow minded so by all means educate me rather than making assumptions on what I follow. It seems simple...trial was shit and too difficult because of the mud. No warm up and early start made for riders not at their best with risk of being hurt. Everyone feels UCI let them down and haven't managed it properly. Everyone got on and rode and made the most of it. Gilles tried, failed and went home. What did I miss?

I think your last sentence is unfair. I genuinely believe that DHers are infinitely braver riders and in a comparative sense do make comp trials riders looks like pussies, I really do. I know they do some incredible stuff and balance on some precarious old stuff but even if you are 3 meters up on a bike that's easy to bail off, moving a 1mph, I just don't find that nearly as treacherous as what your average DHer will be doing, and yet they don't complain if a track is slippery or dangerous.....that's the whole point. (P.S. as it's something that's probably important to you...I don't 'follow' DH). Look at that Danny Hart video, did you see those conditions? Can you see just how ridiculously fast he was going off those massive jumps? You've got to be pretty skilled and brave to attack that full tilt. I just don't see how a sidehop up a slippery rock compares and I'm sorry that causes you confusion. I don't care that there is a difference, but I will think that if you opt out through fear of injury on such stuff and that there has to be a huge emphasis on rider safety then it's a bit contradictory to then try and portray it as an extreme sport. I think it's debatable it can be described as that anyway, but with talk of crash mats and specially coated surfaces then it's already making a fairly comical sport even more ridiculous. What other 'extreme sport' has crash mats and wants to remove all risk of potential hurt to the athlete? I don't think that view makes me an idiot, it is just my opinion.

[ben_travis]

i am pretty sure that 0zzy just got owned...although im a bmxer so what would i know

[0zzy]

stop looking for ways out and arround it, its simple what has happened and very easy to understand. who said i was talking to you about the downhill? i was just replying to the topic, not everything is to do with you..

its simple you pretty much even said it, you dislike gilles and that is the reason why you are going out of your way to be awkward about it. if you read i said that i agree that he did his protest infact in the wrong way! however he did try protest before the final and even ended up on warming up time!!!

yet again i do not understand why you are mentioning downhill? its a completely different sport. thing is though downhill is extreme as you want it to be you can roll down with your feet on the ground and you will make it to the end, however with trials you have no choice but to go at the obstacle i thought you would have realised this! and seen as the obstacle is dangerous e.g high up and slippery then some injurys can occur when things go wrong.

I'm not one to avoid the chance at pointing out a bit of irony, but you accessed me of being narrow minded, which caused you actual stupid pain. You've then gone on to accuse me of following BMX as opposed to trials, then followed up your statement with talking about comparing Downhill and Trials...... you know that's quite narrow minded don't you? Also, just so we're clear, you do realise DH and BMX are two different things?

What gave you the impression I 'follow' BMX as opposed to trials (whatever that means)? If by following you mean 'watch videos and look at public forums' then I actually do follow trials, I actually said I know nothing (probably a little too strong) of comp trials, by which I meant the scene, what compression pants are currently in fashion and so on. What I did see though was lots of riders giving a tough round a go, and one rider who I already held a low impression of having a bit of a moan because he couldn't win on it. Whether or not he is correct to whinge/moan/complain is actually the least important element, what I did object to was the way in which he did it. If it was a protest and he had a genuine moral objection to the potential risk of him getting hurt by falling off a log then why not doing it in the correct manner? Make an official complaint, do not ride the section/trial and back up your feelings with some genuine intent. But it seemed a lot more like 'f**k I can't win this, i'm off home boys, this is stupid'. I do find that a bit meek and think there was a much better approach available to him.

You accuse me of being narrow minded so by all means educate me rather than making assumptions on what I follow. It seems simple...trial was shit and too difficult because of the mud. No warm up and early start made for riders not at their best with risk of being hurt. Everyone feels UCI let them down and haven't managed it properly. Everyone got on and rode and made the most of it. Gilles tried, failed and went home. What did I miss?

I think your last sentence is unfair. I genuinely believe that DHers are infinitely braver riders and in a comparative sense do make comp trials riders looks like pussies, I really do. I know they do some incredible stuff and balance on some precarious old stuff but even if you are 3 meters up on a bike that's easy to bail off, moving a 1mph, I just don't find that nearly as treacherous as what your average DHer will be doing, and yet they don't complain if a track is slippery or dangerous.....that's the whole point. (P.S. as it's something that's probably important to you...I don't 'follow' DH). Look at that Danny Hart video, did you see those conditions? Can you see just how ridiculously fast he was going off those massive jumps? You've got to be pretty skilled and brave to attack that full tilt. I just don't see how a sidehop up a slippery rock compares and I'm sorry that causes you confusion. I don't care that there is a difference, but I will think that if you opt out through fear of injury on such stuff and that there has to be a huge emphasis on rider safety then it's a bit contradictory to then try and portray it as an extreme sport. I think it's debatable it can be described as that anyway, but with talk of crash mats and specially coated surfaces then it's already making a fairly comical sport even more ridiculous. What other 'extreme sport' has crash mats and wants to remove all risk of potential hurt to the athlete? I don't think that view makes me an idiot, it is just my opinion.

[casualjoe]

Trials is more physical for the rider, so i guess injuries can really mess up a trials riders season, whereas DHers can still ride when a bit injured, DHers don't need to be as fit but they need big balls.

[ben_travis]

0zzy - if you don't like the comparison between dh and trials (both extreme sports), why do you have to compare what matt does on his trials bike to BMX? that is narrow minded, EXTREMELY narrow minded - i suggest you read this - .http://mis-conceptions.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/get-bmx.html (see how I dropped that in there)

The comparison of DH to Trials is actually quite useful. I agree with you to an extent that the obstacles are different, but the mentality of the top guys is very much the same. It is their livelihood, Gilles actually mentions this in his website statement, but you don't often see the downhillers pulling out because the conditions dont quite suit their interests.

I work in the oil industry, so i know of how paramount safety is / has become in the workplace (this is their workplace we are talking about afterall) and its thrust down the throat of people on a daily basis, but Matt (i don't think anyway), isn't so much contesting the conditions but more questioning Gilles attitude to the whole situation.

He might have complained prior to the race, but he also CHOSE to ride the sections instead of pulling out (thats what she said) completely prior to the competition to make his 'stand'. The conditions were equal to all, and from the results I believe EVERY section was ridden through by some person at somepoint during the competition (tactical dabs are a part of competition i am afraid).

Unfortunately for you, i don't think you are coming across as well as you might want to, your stubborn responses are kind of immature, and you seem very unwilling to try and see any point that anyone else is making. Some times in the world you have to be able to compromise (even if that is to someone elses opinion).

[Matthew62]

yes and i agree with that, but when you are comparing the sport to downhill etc, and calling them pussys etc for not attempting the stuff then you are clearly a idiot.

*coughs*

stop looking for ways out and arround it, its simple what has happened and very easy to understand. who said i was talking to you about the downhill? i was just replying to the topic, not everything is to do with you..

its simple you pretty much even said it, you dislike gilles and that is the reason why you are going out of your way to be awkward about it. if you read i said that i agree that he did his protest infact in the wrong way! however he did try protest before the final and even ended up on warming up time!!!

yet again i do not understand why you are mentioning downhill? its a completely different sport. thing is though downhill is extreme as you want it to be you can roll down with your feet on the ground and you will make it to the end, however with trials you have no choice but to go at the obstacle i thought you would have realised this! and seen as the obstacle is dangerous e.g high up and slippery then some injurys can occur when things go wrong.

Looking for ways around what? I'm not defending my opinion, I trust that. I'm arguing with you and the nonsense you've written. I'm not looking ways around it, i'm tackling you directly.

Who says you were talking to me about Downhill? I do. That's not self-obsessed but I mentioned DH at length and said comparatively Gilles was acting like a pussy, so who else we're you talking to? Look at the quote at the top, who are you calling an idiot if not me?

Again to correct you, i'm not being awkward, nor is it much effort so don't fret that i'm going out of my way. When I said dislike him....from the media he's put out he seems relatively unlikeable (in both a character and rider sense) in a way that many riders do. If it was someone I liked who'd done it then maybe i'd be more understanding but the sort of riders I like probably wouldn't write a self-obsessed letter stating just how good they were to defend their slightly timid attempt at making a point. I know you said he should of acted differently, i'm not arguing that with you, only the way in which you've replied. It's actually a case with you, not Gilles.

I mentioned DH as it got brought up relatively early on with the Danny Hart vid which the poster put up to try and make a pretty clear comparison as to what other riders have to contend with, without complaint. (albeit in a different discipline).

Now it's fairly clear we're both talking about elite levels when we've discussed trials and DH in this thread and you're right some of those obstacles in the trial are serious and you have to commit, there's no chicken run. Now which DHers bobble down world cup courses with their feet on the ground? You say it's as extreme as you want it to be.... when do you see them walk a course. How do you put your feet down on a rolling 12ft drop, or a 40ft double? What I tend to see time and time again is riders absolutely pinning it and launching themselves off crazy shit and some serious speeds through narrow trees and down steep tracks. Do you not think they are risking some fairly serious injury there? How many trials riders end up with broken collar bones, ribs, smash in to trees at 35mph and on occasion loose the use of their limbs and so on? I really don't want this to be a DHers dick is bigger than a trials riders but I don't like being accused of being narrow minded for you then to spout rubbish about another sport at it's elite level.

Trials is more physical for the rider, so i guess injuries can really mess up a trials riders season, whereas DHers can still ride when a bit injured, DHers don't need to be as fit but they need big balls.

Cuummmmooonn, CUMMMOOOOOONNNNN...Far more physical....... rite. I think they both are physical in very different ways and I would argue that injury is injury is injury. Don't believe the hype, you need to be fit to ride Dh at a competitive level and any sort of injury is going to f**k you up as much as a sore shoulder will prevent you from hopping around.

[casualjoe]

How many trials riders end up with broken collar bones, ribs, smash in to trees at 35mph and on occasion loose the use of their limbs and so on?

Hence why I ride trials and not DJ or DH as much, call me a pussy but that stuff is harsh, trials is just ridden by massive pussies but that's fine, it's just bicycles catering for all types of rider.

[AndrewEH1]

*coughs*

Busy day at the office then?

Put a brew on Matt, even though you are completely correct he's not about to back down.

Edited April 26, 2013 by AndrewEH1

[Matthew62]

Hence why I ride trials and not DJ or DH as much, call me a pussy but that stuff is harsh, trials is just ridden by massive pussies but that's fine, it's just bicycles catering for all types of rider.

You misunderstand.... i'm not saying all trials riders are wimps. I was just trying to outline my dismay that a rider would back-out due to not-that-bad conditions because they might slip. In the professional cycling world I can't think of a single other discipline that might do such a thing. Hell TDF riders get worse injuries than trials riders. I used DH to illustrate it at it's most ridiculous extreme point (and because someone posted that video). Also it was a reaction to the slightly prissy way in which Gilles objected, again something I can't really imagine riders of other disciplines doing (but that could be wrong).

I hope that was clear, I don't have anything against trials as such I just think at the very top level there is going to be (and should be) a decent level of risk and danger just like all the other cycling based disciplines.

[ghostrider88]

Yeah right, dh riders that have so much protection on them you cannot even see their skin, full face helmets and goggles are so much more hardcore...Yet they still have 10x more secured track than trials riders. What a pussies...

[Mark W]

I'm not getting involved in this, but for the sake of balance full face helmets (and goggles?) are mandatory thanks to the UCI, and there are plenty of riders who ride without much in the way of body armour - I seem to remember Sam Hill doesn't wear much, e.g.:

...at an ironically muddy, wet, DH race