[Closed] What key ingredients make up a world class downhill mountain bike racer??

Almost no fear! Balance, power, co-ordination, quick reactions, focus and competitiveness. Like anything in motorsport plus sprinting ability and extra core and upper body strength/endurance.

Slugs, snails & puppy dog tails

inability to sit down due to testes that big.

Massive nards.

Or for wor Ms Moseley, a childhood in the Malverns?!!

^^^^^^^^^^ plus a very high level of fitness and incredible bike handling skills.

Private health insurance.

Same as it takes to be a world class xc racer.

eggs sugar milk flour butter baking powder and cocoa

Balance, strength, co-ordination, endurance, quick decision making, maybe even memory for learning a track, and an ability to turn the brain off to the consequences of a crash.

Zero fashion sense.

Same as it takes to be a world class xc racer.

but with added humungous balls.

Are we helping you with homework or something?

Well - not me helping, obviously.

No just interested in other peoples opinions, find it odd being fast hasn't been mentioned yet

That is because "fast" doesn't just happen, it is a result of the culmination of the characteristics already mentioned.

all the characteristics mentioned have to be trained in some way, just like being able to change pace, pedal quickly and be "fast". Bike handling doesn't just happen or balance or co-ordination. You have to train to be fast and pedal fast just like you have to train to be a good bike handler.

memory for learning a track

This is pretty key, everything else plays it's part, but it's one of the big differences between a "racer" and a "rider"

Also - sensational dullness in interview.

Oh and an MX bike in the garage.

Supportive (pushy even) parents 😉

@ Justy -

I disagree; If that was true, anyone could be a world class downhiller.
Alot of it is in the head and you can't really train that.

You have to train to be fast and pedal fast just like you have to train to be a good bike handler

However much I train I'm never going to be within many orders of magnitude of world class. I might manage small provincial village class if I'm lucky... Look at how few aspiring sportspeople actually become world class in their chosen field despite having decent natural talent and doing it professionally (with all the time and effort that entails).

lots of top athlete's have psychologists working with them, but also just because you can train certain things doesn't mean you'll ever be good enough at them, a certain amount of natural ability/genetics has to come into it

mikey74

@ Justy -

I disagree; If that was true, anyone could be a world class downhiller.
Alot of it is in the head and you can't really train that.

Yes, the best in the world have a completely focused and unique mindset, and masses of "natural" talent that most find bewildering and will never poses but, they also have an insane drive to train, practice, improve, and an insatiable will to win.

<warning- post contains overuse of the word extreme>

I remember hearing somewhere that top class extreme sportspeopleoften have messed up adrenaline response which basically requires them to seek out higher levels of extremity to keep the same level of thrill. So these are the guys who do a scary jump when they're kids and no matter the result have to go bigger next time. Most folks get a fairly stable adrenaline rush, so frinstance jumping out of a plane stays exciting, you don't find yourself throwing a parachute out of the plane then jumping out after it.

Course modern dh racers are often phenomenal athletes too. Seen that pic of Gee Atherton in the buff? He's like a greek god. And I mean that in a [i]mostly[/i] heterosexual manner.

Look at the top boy, wor Danny. He has the 'fun' bit in his riding. I reckon that goes a long way - he said himself though 'pushy parents'.

I used to think that a powerhouse of a rider made a huge difference, not any more - Danny is strong but he's light and little small. Troy is still a bairn, look at him go!

Northwind

I remember hearing somewhere that top class extreme sportspeople tend to have messed up adrenaline response which basically requires them to seek out higher levels of extremity to keep the same level of thrill. So these are the guys who do a scary jump when they're kids and no matter the result have to go bigger next time.

I wouldn't apply that to any competitive athlete in what could broadly be described as a mainstream sport. A base jumper maybe, where one in sixty participants dies, but not DH. In the same way I wouldn't apply it to any F1 driver, Moto GP racer, cage fighter etc. They are competitive athletes in dangerous sports but I think it's the love of the sport, and the desire to compete that drives them, not an addiction to adrenaline.

Someone like Jeb Corliss on the other hand I firmly believe is an adrenaline junkie and it's quite obvious when you listen to him talk about his sport.

This was specifically about competitive extreme sports- the example used was skateboarding. But they're not talking about addiction here- just a different response to adrenaline. Most mountain bikers enjoy the adrenaline rush without being addicts, and it's just the same thing but with a higher level of escalation.

I don't know whether I agree or not but it's coherent enough and would all contribute to that drive- most riders don't start out planning to be racers but that drive to go faster and further's there from the word go.

Northwind - you may be recalling a TV program called "Daredevils" recently on the box?

They had some sports psychologist describing exactly what you just said, as he was trying to explain the psych behind extreme stunts people.

Nah, it was a magazine article. Can't remember which though, not a bike mag. Maybe Red Bulletin?

You need an underdeveloped or non-existent sense of self preservation and a mother that doesn't say "Be careful!" every time you go out of the house.

Self belief, and the desire to win no matter what the cost.

A belief that wearing pyjamas on a bike is cool, plus all the aforementioned stuff about fitness, skill etc.

You need all the 'basic' skills mentioned above but I've seen 'psychology' play a major part on numerous DH racers over the years.

Martin Whitely is a master at it with Minnaar, Mosely, Gwynn et al all being prime examples of his 'jedi' skills. You can even see it on riders who used to win when they were on his team and have done little since leaving.

A mate of mine was on the Trek B team 3 years ago and got to go on the Trek training camps and he said he was the best mentor he's ever met.

Not be a member of this forum or even know it exists

A hat with a massive flat peak.