July 25th, 2010 @ 10:47 AM | Author: billy
DirtTV Finals video from the World Cup in Champery. Gee Atherton and Emmeline Ragot take the wins in a titantic battle on the Swiss hill where the track went from being dry and dusty to sloppy wet to sticky gloop in a matter of days.
That didn’t stop the Parkin Bros banging out amazing video edits…check out the epic finals video.
Greg Minaar wins in Leogang by aprox. 0.75 seconds over Gee Atherton.
Rachel Atherton seems to have re-hurt her shoulder in a big crash whilst Jonnier takes the win.
Peaty ends up 6th with a good return to form.
Inside you will also find details of yet another new rear shock for 2011, the Monarch Plus. The new shock is intended for all-mountain use and is a hybrid of the proven original Monarch and the brand new Vivid Air shock.
Read on…
 |
| 2011 RockShox Revelation World Cup |
For 2011 RockShox makes major refinements to their Revelation lineup, including adding the World Cup model that you see here. One of the most exciting features on the forks is the new Dual Air travel adjust system. Dual Air lets the rider quickly and easily drop the travel by about 30 mm simply by turning the crown mounted lever by 90 degrees. Total travel sits at 150 mm, but is dropped down to 120 mm to keep the front end from wandering on climbs. Not only does the system add minimal weight to the overall package, around 100 grams, it also keeps things simple and doesn’t involve making multiple turns with a dial to lower the front end. Dual Air will be available as an option on all of the Revelation forks.
 |
| The stunning one piece tapered carbon steerer tube |
The World Cup Revelation that I spent my day on featured the new and very trick one piece carbon fiber crown and tapered steerer tube. The new tapered upper assembly is impressive to see in person, and drops weight while retaining valuable stiffness. Riders who push their trail bikes hard will benefit from the new carbon addition. Fittingly, only the World Cup model receives the carbon treatment. Aluminum standard and tapered steerer options are available on RL, RTL, and RTL Ti models. RockShox makes the leap to 15 mm thru-axles as well, and although new to the 15 mm gang, their Maxle Lite system is probably the most user friendly to use. The new Maxle Lite (including the 20 mm version) does away with the full length steel skewer that was hidden within and instead moves the wedge system to the lever end of the axle.
 |
| At the bottom you’ll find a 15 mm thru-axle |
2011 RockShox Revelation World Cup details
• New World Cup model for ’11
• One piece carbon fiber tapered steerer tube and crown
• Adjustable travel: 120 mm – 150 mm with Dual Position Air system
• BlackBox Motion Control damping
• Dual Flow rebound
• Adjustments: external beginning stroke rebound, low speed compression, floodgate and lockout
• 32 mm stanchion tubes
• Option remote PushLoc lockout
• 9 mm QR, 15 mm Maxle Lite, 20 mm Maxle Lite options
• Weight: 3.46 lbs
• MSRP $1090 USD
 |
| The World Cup’s one piece carbon fiber crown and steerer tube is a thing of beauty |
I put in a few hours on a Revelation World Cup equipped Cannondale RZ140 and came away impressed with the new fork. The Dual Air system proved to be easy to use and was very functional in the field, making it easier for me to make it around some of the day’s tight switchbacks and up some technical climbs. While there are many forks out there with travel adjust mechanisms that accomplish the same feat, the quick and easy nature of the Dual Air design was a bonus. When the trail pointed the opposite direction the Revelation more than held its own over the fast and rocky terrain. Stiffness was never an issue, and many of us even commented to each other about how well the 3.46 lb. fork tracked at speed. There was nary a hint of flex, even when comparing it to larger legged and heavier models. While one ride is far from a proper test, I was impressed. The Revelation World Cup’s total package is outstanding: easy to use travel adjust, light weight, and a stiff chassis should make this a winner for 2011. Look for a full length test at a later date as this fork will be on my short list of products to put a lot of miles on.
 |
| The Dual Air lever was easy to turn |
2011 RockShox Monarch Plus
 |
| 2011 RockShox Monarch Plus |
Somewhat obscured by the exciting new Reverb, telescoping seatpost and Vivid Air shock is the new Monarch Plus. This all new shock for 2011 is based on both the original Monarch and new Vivid Air, with the goal of producing a light and adjustable shock for all-mountain use. Using RockShox’s Solo Air spring technology, along with Dual Flow separate rebound circuits, this new shock should be at home on today’s mid-travel, weight conscious bikes. Those who earn their turns should take note of the three position external compression adjustment that can be easily flipped while on the go to make those out of the saddle efforts really count. Other external adjustments include beginning stroke rebound speed and air spring pressure. The new shock will come in a variety of common sizes to fit most all-mountain bikes.
Monarch Plus details:
• New all-mountain orientated shock for 2011
• Damper based on Monarch and Vivid internals
• Piggyback reservoir for extra oil volume and heat dissipation
• External 3 position compression adjustment
• Beginning stroke rebound adjustment
• Available sizes: 7.5″ x 2″, 7.875″ x 2″/2.25″, 8.5″ x 2.5″, 8.75″ x 2.6″
The live feed issue has been up and down recently so it’s good to hear that the World Cup stream will be free to watch again largely due to the efforts of Martin Whiteley, President of IMTTO.
Press release snipped from VitalMTB.
With immediate effect all UCI Cross-Country, 4X and Downhill World Cup LIVE webcasts and replays will be accessible without need to purchase an access code, in an unprecedented move to continue the growth of mountain bike race viewership on the internet.
Freecater.tv was created in 2004, at a time when large-scale access to action sports videos did not exist on the web. In 2010, lack of sponsorship revenues forced Freecaster to go pay per view, negating our purpose and undermining the company vision of building mass awareness of our favourite sports. Pay per view was undertaken as a temporary and limited measure during a period of challenging economic circumstances.
IMTTO, the International Mountain Bike Trade Team Organisation, worked hard during the interim to reach an agreement to support Freecater’s efforts to offer the rest of the 2010 UCI World Cup free-of-charge.
“International Mountain Bike Teams, Technical Support companies and Event Organisers enjoyed a steady growth in viewership in mountain bike races throughout 2008 and 2009″ observes Martin Whiteley, President of IMTTO. “A key factor in this is the LIVE webcast technology Freecaster has developed, allowing race fans around the globe to watch simultaneously as one online community. Such technological development and support comes at a cost, and in most sports, such costs are borne by the viewer through subscriptions to pay-per-view services. However, our IMTTO members feel that mountain biking is more unique, and should be accessible to the widest audience, as much as possible. As such, key members of our organisation have chosen to contribute towards maintaining a free live webcast service on Freecaster.”
“We would like to thank the IMTTO members and our existing advertisers for their shared vision in the future of mountain bike racing on the internet” says Raymond Dulieu, founder and CEO of Freecaster.tv “It was a tough, but necessary, decision to charge for the World Cup coverage and we welcome the return to free access. The World Championships will now be the only paying event this season. We hope viewers will acknowledge our efforts elsewhere by tuning into this season finalé in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada. With six free LIVE World Cup events still to go this season, viewers have plenty of opportunity to tune in and check their system can handle LIVE streaming prior to the World Championships.”
“On a personal level, I’d also like to thank those amongst you who understood the reality that nothing is free in this World and respected our decisions” Raymond added. “We’re already looking at an appropriate way to give something back to those who supported us thus far. Freecaster was created out of a respect and passion for a great sport, and our friends within it and we will continue being fair and providing the best service we can to the action sports community.”
The next free World Cup will be the Cross-country in Offenburg, Germany, LIVE on Sunday 23rd May from 10:45 CET with the Women’s Elite race, followed at 14:30 CET by the Men’s Elite.
The rain slowed up and riding sped up as Finals kicked off here in Maribor. Rachel Atherton returned to her winning ways with a convincing 10 second margin over Sabrina Jonnier in second even after breaking her finger only one week earlier. A lot of riders came off trying to make the podium including top qualifier Sam Hill, but Gee Atherton stayed on and posted a great time only to be beaten by just 0.25 seconds by race winner Greg Minnaar. Great results for British riders Brendan Fairclough in 3rd and Joe Smith in 8th.
You may remember Andy Yoong’s film documenting the downhill scene in Ireland (if not check it out HERE).
Well he’s come up trumps with this sweet little edit documenting the last few days at the Maribor World Cup. Short, loud and sharp as a pin, check it out…
PRESS RELEASE:
Originally scheduled to take place in Schladming, Austria, the sixth round of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World… Cup will now take place in another Austrian resort, Leogang (Salzburger Land). The date, (June 19th and 20th) remains unchanged.
Schladming has been on the World Cup calendar since 2004 and has already been voted best event of the series, thanks in particular to its downhill track which is especially appreciated by specialists of the discipline. However, as the popular resort has been awarded the 2013 Ski World Championships, it is currently undergoing important works and transformations which make it impossible to stage the mountain bike event.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) is pleased to announce that another venue will replace Schladming. Leogang has agreed to organise the sixth round of the World Cup, a double event featuring the downhill and four-cross disciplines. The change will allow Leogang, which already has an event registered on the UCI international calendar the following weekend (June 26th and 27th), to provide a veritable mountain bike festival for fans of the sport. The UCI is delighted to have found an excellent alternative on the same date as Schladming, which minimises the implications for the riders, teams and media.
The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup comprises nine events starting with an Olympic cross-country event in Yorkshire Dalby Forest (GBR) on April 24th and 25th, and finishing with a triple event in Windham (USA) on August 28th and 29th.
More ample information about the Leogang site will soon be available on the Mountain Bike World Cup page of the UCI website.
Looks like Leogang has some good tracks, bring on the rain, they could even send it over the Freeride course at the bottom too?
Video action from Sunday at the Fort >
