Round 1 of the the 2012 DH World Cup is over and Troy Brosnan continues to prove he's ready to run with the top men in the world in his first Elite Men World Cup event, placing 8th in the final with team mate Sam Hill close behind in 11th.
I don't care what anyone says, I still think Hill is a bad ass! I'm stoked for this season, there is so much talent, really any of the top ten riders could win at least one race.
Hill is not my favorite, but I am not listening to everyone bashing him. Anyone who is not known for pedalling pulling 11th place in a world cup race on this track is clearly not past his prime. This year is going to be exciting!
Bashing hill is just dumb. Without him pushing the envelope and showing everyone what the potential of DH could be back in 06/07 noone would be riding the way they do now. He completely changed attitudes and approaches to the sport.
in that case..Peaty is a good reference as well. Brosnan is like the young Hill version2.0! what's Warner's nickname for Hill and what's in that Aussie water?!! brosnan, hill, the hannahs, and graves!!
Geez, 2 months until next world cup event at Val Di Sol? Neethling was right...they need more races added into the season. That's so much down time in between, both for athletes and for the fans who want to watch and keep up with the excitement. Throw in 2-3 more races and cut the time down between each...
Agreed 'kbrock'. I cannot believe there isn't a round in New Zealand, so much good riding over there as 'Follow Me' showed. Its an insult to the NZ scene to not give them a round.
FULLBUG...Its not the Aussie water that helps our riders,there is no money in Australian sports...We do it for FUN,FUN,FUN and it reflects in their riding...Not sponsorship,not fame and fortune....just a bloody good time....Peace
and yet troy is far smaller and with less pedalling power and had a slow puncture and still got 8th, there is a reason people bash hill...troy should be the team number 1. i do think troy will give sam showing this year
yeh not officially but pretty much most teams have one rider that is their best hope, they get the most attention, support, etc...
trek world racing - aaron gwin
gt factory racing - gee atherton
devinci global racing - steve smith
scott11 - brendan fairclough
yeti fox - jared graves
monster spesh - sam hill
most teams follow the same kinda thing, where there is always one rider with the best chance of success who will naturally get more attention
Bashing Sam Hill? Let's see up until his crash at Ft. Williams 2 seasons ago he was still ranked as # 1 and defending champ. After basically ripping his shoulder off with multiple surgeries and probably equal mental as physical rehabilitation...he is finally back to 100% strength....but that puts him past his prime now? What is he 26? Seriously....any top rider that endures a wreck like that is going to be down for quite a bit. I would say that in his absence, what has truly prevailed it we now have seen what type of impact he has had on WC DH racing. Look at what it takes to be a constant podium placer. Unless you are super human fast making very little mistakes in your run....you don't have a chance at making podium let alone first. The dude has a lot of 1st places and WC wins left in him. Just because he has been out a couple of seasons, all the attention has turned to the latest and greatest...but never rule Sam Hill out.
'unless you are super human fast making very little mistakes in your run'
seems like aaron gwin, i agree he cannot be ruled out , just like peaty, Garcia or any one of the top 30 who would and do place on the podium, so yeh move on from sam hill
Anyone who writes off Hill is an idiot. And results don't make the team #1, the personality and leadership does. The captain of a sports team is not necessarily the best player.
sorry bout the spelling there. an if you read the current dirt mag with the pre season overview it actually discusses this whole no.1 team member thing redrook
paul, drop it mate and stop you've still given no reason for anyone to "move on" from sam hill, he's still an incredible rider with potential to win every day.
Cant wait to see Hill ride MSA. I told Warner at the 2010 World Championships that Hill would take it and he didn't believe me. I told him that Hill always dominated MSA, as a result Hill won. Lets see after his troubled last year if he will be able to pull it off again.
Hill is a great guy, met him twice and very friendly. His crew also are really kool. I still have a lot of faith in the guy.
i met sam hill aswell when he was in newcastle (at my lbs)for the last round of the nationals. he signed my bike (specialized demo of course). he is a really nice guy.
yeh they are pegged for release later in 2012, lever is being changed up a bit, loses the silly bite adjuster for a simpler look, and will be a similar model to what is out now and also the 4 piston one too, which has 2x 16mm pistons and 2 x 14mm pistons
oh and a price hike...
It doesnt matter about what place he came to get an idea of how hill will go for the rest of the season, Its the time difference and only 5 and a bit seconds back on that course..... Id say he will do alright this season.
On a side note i just built my glory with xo brakes and i really like the feel of them
2 clues:
1 - they ride for the sram group
2 - they are using 'blackbox' 2013 products