[Closed] do you reckon Ratboy's a stoner?

Er....

Nah. I reckon he's just got naturally wide pupils.

Well... he's not a World Cup rider anymore 😆

And so what if he were to smoke weed? Would anyone consider it a performance enhancing drug?

I believe DHers do get tested.

I've got a Dub Syndicate LP kicking around somewhere (on vinyl!! 🙂 )

It as this little beauty on it 🙂

Would anyone consider it a performance enhancing drug?

Most people would probably think smoking it would impair somebody's performance but I remember seeing something a while back (think it was about skiers or snowboarders) and it said that it enhanced their performance due to being more relaxed and prepared to take bigger risks.

Those 2 things in d/h racing could be an advantage 😉

liking that shermer

It's banned by WADA for in competition use

I've known mates to have a toke before a ride and they ride fine - personally, it makes my legs feel like they are made of lead and my lungs have been turned inside out (I used to smoke a lot of weed in my 20's - that's a long time ago btw)

Mind your own business!

It's nothing to do with me or anyone else what he does, his personal life is his business. If it came out that he did, I wouldn't change my opinion of him. He comes across as well grounded, no heirs and graces lad, best of luck to him whatever his preference.

It's banned by WADA for in competition use

Not WADADA though (just to keep things topical) 😉

Mind your own business!

Get over yourself! He didn't say "he's an awful person for it and he needs to stop".

Mind your own business!

Welcome to the internet, you new to all this?

Mind your own business!

It's nothing to do with me or anyone else what he does, his personal life is his business. If it came out that he did.........SNIP

Sounds like the herb at least makes you oddly overly offensive. 😉

Anyway, Looks like a great ride, like I used to ride when I was younger - having fun and playing around rather than concentrating on sector times and distance. 🙁

I was debating wether I needed a 😉 after that comment but decided it didn't need it, I didn't think anyone would take to heart. 🙄

It wouldn't surprise me

this is great.

Talking of snowboarders. Wasn't it in the first Olympic snowboard wvent where they wanted to ban riders using weed but couldn't because every single one of them tested positive?

Yes I seem to remember it was a snowboarder who tested positive for weed and correctly argued it wasn't performance enhancing.

Yeah, Ratboy likes the ganja.

From what I've seen and heard of him I think he enjoys some herb.

Hopefully his year on the piss and weed will lead him to go full circle and decide to have a year of 100% effort and training to race World Cups again. But I doubt it. Much easier to be a 'brand ambassador', make a few vids, piss it up the wall and earn lots of cash for doing so.

For my money, the Syndicate should have really been attentive to him after Hafjell 2014. If I'm brutally honest, he seemed to have lost a little bit of bottle after that. With 2016 being Peaty's season-long farewell pissup, I think it combined to make him lose interest. In truth, his last few results last year were pretty disgraceful and laughing it up when you've just come 57th or whatever would piss most less indulgent teams off.

I hope he doesn't take the easy way doing a 'tits and ass' video every few months then living off the proceeds, but is suspect he might.

Bet you he doesn't smoke as much as Missy or Rockwell 😀
Long live cannondale....

It must be very tempting as a young man with a 5 perhaps 6 figure balance in the bank just to stay on one's canal barge getting high every day occasionally venturing out [s]to wales[/s] to make mtbing videos with your mate.

Cor blimey you lot are judgemental. Josh has been on the world cup circuit since being a young lad. He's just stepping back to have a break from the treadmill, whether he goes back is his decision. If he can make a living enjoying riding bikes with his mates then good on him.

He comes across as a really top bloke with amazing bike skills, if his heart isn't in racing world cups at the moment then why keep going through the motions?

We had to throw him out of the local one night a few years ago when he was completely w@#$kered and getting a bit gobby. No worse than I'd been at the same age.

He's always really friendly when meet him on his bike on the canal towpath. I'm not sure you get the same from some of the top guys in other sports.

For my money, the Syndicate should have really been attentive to him after Hafjell 2014. If I'm brutally honest, he seemed to have lost a little bit of bottle after that.

More that he absolutely smash his ankle up and it is hard for a mere mortal to do daily things after that for a long time let alone stay at the top of a super competitive sport where fine margins are the difference between winning and obscurity. Nothing to do with bottle or how a team could have done things differently IMO.

FWIW, that last video was awesome and left me smiling and keener to ride than any other I think I've ever watched 🙂

He's a young lad who's spent a few years on the pro party scene with cash in his pocket, what do you think? May be not a stoner per se but there will be plenty of opportunity so if he wants to he could. Entirely his choice.

They got yelled at by the locals for riding on the bungalow walls in the OP's video, didn't see that in the film. Plenty of cheeky footpath action too. Just wish I could ride the gully anywhere near as well as them, struggle to have the bottle to get down 50% of the time 😳

Cor blimey you lot are judgemental. Josh has been on the world cup circuit since being a young lad. He's just stepping back to have a break from the treadmill, whether he goes back is his decision. If he can make a living enjoying riding bikes with his mates then good on him.

Yeah, but he's not going to go back, is he?

He comes across as a really top bloke with amazing bike skills, if his heart isn't in racing world cups at the moment then why keep going through the motions?

Not for him, for me! I have been riding for over ten years and I'm still shit. This lad has more talent in his little finger than I will ever have and it offends me that he's not going to use it to test himself empirically against the best. This is about me and my issues damn it!

Sorry dannyh, I thought you'd just had an awesome end to last season btw, don't be so hard on yourself.

He may not go back to the World Cup scene, but he's talking about a few enduro's and still racing now and again. I met him before Christmas and got chatting about the Mega, hope he does that, him and Peaty ripping it up at the Alpe d'Huez would be great to see.

If he uses his talents to make films that make people want to ride, then more power to him. I like what he's done so far.

And if it's any consolation, I've been riding for over 25years and I'm still a freemincer...

"No heirs and graces": That has totally made my day, thanks Dirtydog!!! 😆

I'm reasonably sure he likes the odd special ´shroom....

walleater - Member

Not WADADA though (just to keep things topical)

Man. I haven't heard that fir about fifteen years. A mate used play it EVERY time we visited him

I suppose you have to wonder if there's a significant pay gap between proper WC DH Racers and "Brand ambassadors"...

Plenty of professional MTBists seem to end up in some tier of bike marketing or distribution by the time they hit 40, the career path is starting to get well trodden now.

Also I wonder if the last year or two have made a few racers (including Ratboy) re-evaluate things a bit. A reduced field, lots of pressure coming from younger riders, more money and sponsorship floating about. Everythings gotten rather serious, it's not like the heydays where a half pissed Peaty still make it down the mountain the next day, whatever comparisons people might want to draw.
DH is big business now and sponsors will want [i]grownup behaviour[/i]...

He turns 27 next month there's probably another four or five years racing DH for him, then what?

I think it's a year out and then, if he's lucky, and still wants it a very last chance to have the sparkling season he has been tipped for in the past...

Brand ambassadors are ten a penny, and Ratboy on a good day is still a threat to the WC podium. It would be a shame not to see him back in 2018...

Have you heard him speak in interviews?!!!

Either 'he smoke da reefer', or he's hit his head a few too many times..

Probably both!

DrP, DEA.

I always thought that's just the thck manchester accent.

My money is on pig shagger and badger breath this year.

I used to toke and ride. When its good you are as chilled as you can be on the bike - nice and smooth. When its bad you take all the chicken lines and in the dark you get freaked!

But yeah he is a herbaliser.

As for a performance enhancing, it doesn't matter which way you argue it because it is a banned substance for athletes.

Probably both!

I used to toke and ride. When its good you are as chilled as you can be on the bike - nice and smooth

with a 5 perhaps 6 figure balance in the bank

Maybe if you count the numbers [i]after[/i] the decimal point 😆

Met Ratboy a couple of times and a friendlier "celebrity" I have yet to meet. Completely changed my opinion of him when I met him in the flesh. I wish him well in whatever he decides to do.

I saw him in the airport in trackies; gotta be a stoner. 8)

Think his move away from racing, to doing more edits is a wise one; particulary if he's burnt out from international travel. There are several people doing similar. Hannah Barnes, Maria Wilke, wattage cottage for example. none are pro racers in the traditional sense more leveraging social media followers/ advertising.

We live nearby and have met him out and about. He's a top chap and has time for young and old alike.
Good luck to him.

That bit in the vid where his mate is stuck in the mud, made me chuckle, as we've all been there.