is it just me or does the sea otter DH kinda seem not-so-downhillish? like whne people sport 160mm forks, there might be a need to redesing the course...
coming from someone who's ridden the course, it's definitely a downhill. but it's shorter, not super gnarly steep, a lot smoother, and has a lot more flow than a proper world cup course. haha. you could ride it on a full dh rig, but the smaller bike will help a lot in the pedaling and rhythm sections.
I raced the course yesterday and it doesn't require an 8" slacked out rig at all. Super fast and the lesser travel rigs crushed the full on dh's usually. It isn't traditional dh for sure but it has a short steep or two but there are zero true rock gardens and roots are non existent. But DAMN WAS IT FUN!!!!!
its much like whistler a line "air dh race" most of the pros race that on a 160 bike as well its very much a case of most of them use 160 bikes anyway so theyre all on the same playing field.. its supposed to be a bit flat for a full on dh track
the sea otter dh course was designed way back when dh was just becoming a racing discipline and have never changed it. I think a lot of it has to do with just keeping the track the same every single year for consistency's sake, whilst preserving a classic race track. Anyone who's ridden it know the berms, table tops, that tree jump or alternate line around it, and the flat sections really well. it's a classic.
I like the DH course they have there because it is something different and it is interesting to see what the riders do in response to the more pedally course.
It's a downhill for sure, but I don't think redesigning is in order as far as making it more downhill-esque. The Sea Otter hill is a sand dune, so there are very few rocks and no roots. The course has a ton of jumps and two steep, loose sections and utilizes the best hill in the Laguna Seca Recreational area. It's no WC downhill, but that's the location's fault, not the builders'.
As another reader who's ridden the course (and won a watch and some XC tires for getting the fastest time in my sport class event 11 years ago), it's not the fault of the designers so much as the limits of the geography there. You can't just drop a bigger mountain into Laguna Seca to make a steeper/gnarlier track. It's just isn't going to happen. It's small hill, and that's all it's gonna ever be. WC racers get to rip it up on what I'd call trail bikes because that's all the terrain requires. Sure, plenty of racers go fast on true DH bikes, but it isn't really required, as evidenced by Grubby's time today. (I'm not sure what Jill was racing on today. Anyone?)
I raced Cat 1 on my M9 and got 5th, its an extremely fast track and I've found the smaller travel bikes roll a lot faster but, it is a lot gnarlier then you expect it to be
Whoever said it was like a super D is giving Super D way to much credit. Super D races usually have significant climbs and rarely have very many jumps, and they are usually at least 10 minutes long. It's a DH course, just a short, not too technical one.
yeah graves may be racing a 120 mil on the front, but really you can't criticize the course, remember the nineties ones where it was fire roads, tucking, and just pedaling flat out? just going back to the roots, and it's a hell of a good time!
Sam Hill always looks like he's racings at 95% ... If not less. As did Danny Hart at Fort William and Champery last year - you could see he was holding it back!
How can you train and race at 100%? You're going to burn yourself out training and end up sucking at racing! Physically sometimes you need to hold back so you have it in ya when you actually need it. Train smart - race fast.
www.bikerumor.com/2012/04/21/bike-check-team-issue-yeti-303-rail-4-travel-4x-slayer