hmmm.. not sure if its an honour to be on there at 2:26.... that crash broke a rib and my wrist... and I got a beautiful helmet print on my forehead!! hahahaha
@JohanG: definitely... did it a couple days prior, but second time in, was off by 6" to the right.. compression bucket me sideway and in my head I was recovering but back tire had another idea...
There are three basic categories today: 1) It was a one off, these things happen. 2) A for effort, don't let it slow you down. 3) Your understanding of your skillset is completely warped.
Yeah I was going to say the same thing. Talk about hit the ground running with that first crash. Or I mean hit a tree while riding. This week's compilation was seasoned with extra violence start to finish!
horror crashes from start to finish. what i always wonder is where does the self-confidence come from for many of these people, even though they apparently don't know what they are doing. respect!
Well, after those falls, I'd say: a lot. No way all these riders got out of this without some very serious harm.
There comes a point where you have to ask yourself if it is still worth it, to take these kind of risks. I can tell you this: if I rode that kind of trails, had a nasty fall but somehow could walk away from it, and my girlfriend saw footage of it, she would probably break my legs herself. If there's guys with kids in this video, they are stupid, selfish pricks.
And all this is solely because bikes have gotten 'better'. More and more suspension, dropper posts, mega wide bars, plus tires, disc brakes… they all just make trails that used to be fun and challenging now seem very boring and easy. So the trails and the obstacles have to get gnarlier and bigger. It's a dumb rat race.
I am happily still riding my '94 mtb (now converted to a monstercross bike), and I am having a blast on our local trails. Small jumps, going through turns as hard as my technique allows me, it's plain and simple fun, and if I fall, I can walk away from it with a bruised ego and some scrapes and bruises, and that's it.
@WhateverBikes: Trails have changed a lot too. These high speed flow trails with gaps are a relatively new thing. Back in the day, the trails were more natural and didn't come with that kinetic energy component of a crash. Plus, of course, we didn't have Brandon Semenuk making jumps look so easy.
@iamamodel: That's what I meant with 'so the trails and the obstacles have to get gnarlier and bigger'. I like a flowy, specially made for biking kind of trail once in a while, but I do like it better to go exploring, and ride the trails that were there before mountain biking became popular.
Owl Pacino at Port Gamble at 1:15, by Evergreen West Sound. Here's a video of the whole trail with the builders if you're curious: www.trailforks.com/video/pb/543675
1) It was a one off, these things happen.
2) A for effort, don't let it slow you down.
3) Your understanding of your skillset is completely warped.
RIDERS: 0
...keep trying
And this episode makes a good argument for full-face helmets.
No way all these riders got out of this without some very serious harm.
There comes a point where you have to ask yourself if it is still worth it, to take these kind of risks. I can tell you this: if I rode that kind of trails, had a nasty fall but somehow could walk away from it, and my girlfriend saw footage of it, she would probably break my legs herself.
If there's guys with kids in this video, they are stupid, selfish pricks.
And all this is solely because bikes have gotten 'better'. More and more suspension, dropper posts, mega wide bars, plus tires, disc brakes… they all just make trails that used to be fun and challenging now seem very boring and easy. So the trails and the obstacles have to get gnarlier and bigger. It's a dumb rat race.
I am happily still riding my '94 mtb (now converted to a monstercross bike), and I am having a blast on our local trails. Small jumps, going through turns as hard as my technique allows me, it's plain and simple fun, and if I fall, I can walk away from it with a bruised ego and some scrapes and bruises, and that's it.
I like a flowy, specially made for biking kind of trail once in a while, but I do like it better to go exploring, and ride the trails that were there before mountain biking became popular.
Reminded me of old black & white grand prix footage when bits of car would cannonball into the crowd at great speed