WORLD CUP DH MEN

So we have talked to and about Atherton, Minnaar and Hill, but what about the others? Sven Martin once again gives us the inside scoop on the rest of the top ten riders and the other riders that are in with a chance. Remember that Cam Cole had an amazing start to last season until he injured himself, and we should never overlook the amazing skills and speed of Fabien Barel if he too can stay fit and healthy. These are the riders that we need to look out for…  Mike Rose

I wonder if riders read these mini profiles. I’d like to think so. Last year I wrote that Sam needed to work on his consistency and that it was his strong points as a rider (100% balls to wall riding) that ironically also brought him down. Was it my words or perhaps those of teammate and 10–times World Champ Nico Vouilloz that reined him in and calmed the previously wild and unpredictable young Blenkinsop down somewhat.

He is maturing as a rider, even after a shaky start with a crash at Maribor 2010 season opener he steadily crept right into the third slot overall. But he is not content on just being a podium contender or top three rider, he will be going for wins, especially at Val di Sole and Leogang and definitely at Champery World Champs. Having fellow Kiwi, Cam Cole, as a teammate to train with, and a bike he is now fully comfortable on should keep him on the podium. But with Cam, Fabien Barel and Sam Hill all back and healthy can he hang on to the top three?

This time last year saw Gwin moving closer to Yeti in Colorado to escape California craziness and just focus on the bike. This year however it’s a whole new Gwin. He’s back in Cali on a new Team (TWR) and bike. He has bought a house in the moto La La land of Temecula and is being coached by none other than the ‘Legend’ John Tomac. It doesn’t end there; he is on a gluten free diet, focusing on building muscle mass under the watchful eye of moto coach/nutritionist Ryan Hughes. He does not want to lose out on the rolling speed the big guys have on tracks like Ft Bill and Mt Ste Anne. Gwin will have to push it a bit harder though in 2011 with Barel, Hill and Cole back in the mix, but with so few years on the bike, does he have the experience to handle it? Regardless, his mental game alone should still keep him in contention. Eli Tomac (Tomac junior) has just had his first supercross win with this combo, will Gwin follow suit and crack his World Cup win cherry? He was on a wining time at Val di Sole before the spilt and he wont make the same mistake twice.

Well it just goes to show how far a win in the rarefied field of downhill World Cup racing will shoot you up in the rankings. With Minnaar and Atherton having such a tight stranglehold on the top step of the podium throughout the season a surprise win for Beaumont shot him from 12th overall to sixth. His cool–under–pressure finish at Windham bumped him into the top five spot. A win on a track like Val di Sole is huge, it’s probably the most challenging course on the circuit as it tests both strength and endurance as well as technical abilities. Marc has been biting at the heals for some time now, unluckily getting a bit lost in the results by being on the wrong side of the split seconds on the results sheets. But together with GT mechanic and friend Mark Maurissen they have the flashy, light carbon GT Fury dialled. It suits Marc’s lightning quick hopping style. Sometimes it’s a result like the one in Italy that makes all the difference upstairs. I think we will see Marc in the top ten all year long in 2011. Go Slugger.

Brendan was crushed to have dropped out of the top five after Windham last year. His two third place finishes overshadowed by a poor performance at Fort William and a crash at Val di Sole. His pure skill on a bike takes your breath away, and he’s one of the few riders who never ceases to amaze, especially in practice. From the same loose new–school riding style of Blenkinsop, he is inspiring a whole new generation of riders just like teammate Sam Hill did a few years ago. Unlike Blenkinsop, who is blessed with natural hereditary fitness, Brendawg has to put the hard work in. All the naysayers who comment he is lazy and is wasting his talent will have to delete their internet forum posts. This past winter he has spent a bulk of his time close to the Big ‘S’ headquarters under the watchful eye of USA’s Curtis Keene and Brad Benedict. They have been putting him through boot camp, whipping him into shape with daily gym, moto and road or trail bike regimes. If he can salvage decent results in South Africa and Scotland, and not lose time in the last split the rest of the year will be all his. Watch out for him at Champery this year too, if anyone can beat Sam Hill there it will be Brendan. Riding SPD’s in South Africa? The boy must be serious!

Steve had a slow start to 2010 season, inundated all winter long with dinners, speaking engagements, award ceremonies, knighthood (almost) and I’m sure more than a few drinks at the pub bought by well wishing strangers. He enjoyed his World Champ status and rightfully so. It didn’t help that his back was bothering him all season long after a big crash at the Lisbon downtown, but by season end the ‘Sheffield Steel’ onboard the sleek carbon V–10 was firing on all cylinders. Unlucky not to take the win at Windham when he was without a doubt the fastest rider all week. This winter, other than setting up The Steve Peat Syndicate, he has been back on the bike and in the gym and has already shown he means business putting a massive margin on a short course into a win at the Steel City DH race. This year Steve will be back, make no mistake, with La Bresse back on the schedule and rounds like Pietermaritzburg, Ft William and Mt St Anne, I think we can expect a few more wins from the king. The top five this year is going to be as tight as the top two were last year, mark my words.

The kids are all right. Rookie elite pros like Danny Hart, Brook Macdonald and Shaun O’Connor have transitioned well from the junior ranks, all ending the year in the top twenty overall, but it was the ragged pinball pinner Hart who bounced his way into the top 10, no small feat. From the sidelines it appears Danny only knows one speed. I witnessed him almost lose his life in Leogang, pull a massive save and unflinchingly carry on flat–out into the next equally treacherous section, and this was just in practice. It has been said that he wouldn’t even notice the performance difference if you swapped his fork oil out for water, which is refreshing in this day and age of fussy riders. Give him a bike and he will get the job done. While other top UK riders have fled to South America, California and New Zealand, Danny has made plenty of trips across the channel this winter riding under the wing and guidance of Spanish World Cup veterans and legends Oscar Saiz and David Vasquez. So expect Danny to come out firing on an even lighter equipped bike in South Africa.

Fabien is a quite dark horse during the World Cups, when things are going his way and the tracks are proper downhill style he is happiest, don’t be surprised if you hear, “Fabien who?” when he steps on the podium. While not quite as famous in Anglo speaking countries as the other French Fabien he is just as deadly on a bike. You might be surprised to learn that this dark, intense, tattooed rider is also an organic farmer by trade. Even with his shoulder ‘popping out’ between runs in Champery he managed a respectable seventh place finish. Now recovering from shoulder surgery this winter, hopefully he will be fighting fit come Pietermaritzburg.

Don’t be fooled by the #10 behind Steve’s ranking. As we have seen on more than one occasion he is capable of big things, his second place at the Mt Ste Anne World Champs last year is just one example. With a near win in Canada it’s hard to believe this young rider has only had one other World Cup podium, 5th place at 2010 Val di Sole. He is where Blenkinsop was two or three years ago, still trying to figure out the balance between speed and consistency. He is heavy on his both his body and equipment but as riders have to continue to push harder and harder, no longer just riding at a safe 90% riders like Steve will come out on top. Still on board a Dave Weagle designed bike, this time a Devinci, it will be interesting to see how his season begins on a cardio course like Pietermaritzburg. If Steve stays on the bike all season and doesn’t break something he will jump up in next years rankings for sure!

INJURY WILDCARDS

A crash during the finals at Champery last year resulted in a broken scaphoid and premature end to Cam’s best season of racing to date. He was ranked fourth in the world after a top ten in tricky Maribor, a brilliant strong finish for second at Fort Bill. Proving he was not just a power rider he backed up his Scottish result with a fifth at slippery and technical Leogang. Fully recovered now and up to race pace already with the Kiwi National title in the bag, he should be an early podium contender with the two opening rounds in South Africa and Fort William suiting his style. When asked the secret to his new winning ways, he said the only thing he did different preparing for the 2010 season was to consult with a mental coach. There you have it.

What do you say about the man that has both the best and worst luck in professional racing? A crash in South Africa sidelined him with knee problems for most of the 2009 season, then just when it was looking like he was 100% strong again he had horrific crash training near his home in Southern France, suffering compound fractures in his femur ending his 2010 campaign before it even begun. You can’t keep a good man down though, we saw him bounce back in 2009 with a miraculous win in Maribor and now he has had even more time to prepare physically and mentally for 2011. No rider since Nico Vouilloz, who coincidently lives 300m down the street from him, is as meticulous in all aspects of race prep as Fabien. Although his work in his humanitarian projects and his close work with team sponsors, Mondraker and business ventures, Urge, has kept him busy expect to see Fabien on the podium in South Africa come round number one.

This sport is brutal; it’s near impossible for a new rider get a whiff of the podium champagne, never mind a taste. The top five is usually locked down by the same four or five riders every race, but every now and again someone will seize an opportunity as we saw with Andrew Neethling, who without injury and an ill timed flat would have not been lumped into this list of also rans and up and comers. Matti Lehikoinen is another rider that springs to mind here, at one stage second in the world with multiple World Cup wins, when will his luck change, he is still young but he needs to make it happen now.

The top ten is often just the wrong side of a millisecond or two of the podium and the top twenty not much further back. Nick Beer is hovering, Justin Leov will want a repeat of his 2009 season and get back in the mix. Bryn Atkinson is the Aussie equivalent of Steve Smith, if he doesn’t self–destruct he has the speed strength and desire to step up on the box. The UK’s own Matt Simmonds and France’s Damien Spagnolo are quietly getting the job done. Then there is wildcard the trio of Mitch Delfs, Luke Strobel and Joe Smith, who all have the skills, they just need something to click to take it to the next level.

I’ll reserve a separate paragraph for Josh Bryceland. Pull your finger out your ass boy. You are no longer a young punk junior. You should not be this far back and you yourself know it. Make us all proud and fulfil your god given talent. I hope you can show me this in a year’s time and tell me with middle finger extended to eat my words…I will.

Opps, almost forgot Mick Hannah, but he will prefer it that way. Forget about 2010 and make another comeback akin to he storm in 2009. With a SA and Fort Bill as openers he won’t be going easy on the boys, and what about Aussie wonder kid, rookie Junior Conner Fearon? Man I love this stuff, see you on the hill!