if you worry about what other people think you'll be miserable for life. you can't please everyone and not everyone will agree with your choices

I'd be willing to bet that he's mentally stronger than ever, and his ability to tune out fear and focus is better than ever, and this could slingshot him into being one of the fastest this sport has ever seen.

PLEASE tell me that his team have documented everything from his potentially life-altering injury (probably has altered his life in many ways, especially mental strength and resilience) to that Val di Sole win, and are going to release a full length film on it....👑

There is no wu wu. It is not magic. There are no questions here. AP is (year in and year out) physically, the most prepared. His power, strength, endurance, flexability is the best in the sport and this only comes from a willingness and dedication to PAIN. There are quite a few close.. But he doesnt have the density, aesthetic and history of recoveries from other injuries without having the constant consistency of embracing pain in training. This is no accident. This is not magic. Its WORK. For 99% of people and athletes that cannot relate hrs a day of pain to chase that scream in the winner circle, its too hard to relate. And only a few people in the entire history of any sport could produce comebacks like this.. Stoked to witness such an occasion in human performance.

Focus on the love of what you do. But this is …. Legendary. 😮

It was a fierce ride but the Jr Female ride was more fierce. Eliana was top of all females on the hill and achieved a double digit win in the Jrs.

Ride to win or die trying ! The ethos of a true champion .

I agree, what Amaury did was absolutely astounding. Given what you are actually doing in DH and combining that with the amount of variables inherent in the sport, Amaury's win is quite possibly the greatest comeback in any sport, ever. It's interesting you mentioned World's in Les Gets and just how fitting a result that was. Loic, Amaury and Loris have been the without question the fastest guys in DH in the post Gwin era. As to your evaluation of the three, I think Amaury has or will have equal race craft as Loic. H's a couple years younger than Loic so maybe there is the impression that he doesn't have the same level simply because Loic's had a bit more time at it to prove he can win again and again.. but then you look at how many Word Champ's Loic has one..perhaps you're right. I'd agree that Amaury is the fastest of the three when he's on.. but I can't help thinking where Loris would be had he not had such rotten luck back in 2020 I think it was. It seemed like he was going to have one of those seasons, think Hill 2007, Gwin 2011-2012, where a rider is simply untouchable. Then he had a couple of unfortunate mechanicals and it just seems, from the outside at least, a little bit of stoke on riding/racing at the top level left him after that. I still feel like Loris has some great wins ahead of him. Perhaps it's just his personality, but from my armchair, I'd say he doesn't quite exhibit the same desire to win as Loic and Amaury.

great video if you play it at 1.25x speed. good stuff and you describe the mental things well but you gotta talk a little faster/shorter pauses ❤

Just came across your channel, dig your perspective brotha keep it up. Healing that fast can also only be explained by mental strength. Some Joe dispenza level shit right there to put 5 seconds into people the year after breaking your neck.

Awesome debrief as always.. Wee headsup tho, itd be super awesome if you reviewd the Juniors just a little as well.. Esp this time round, Junior women, kiwi 1,2,3 podium, 1st year junior Ellie Hulsebosh not only surviving the hardest track in the hardest cond, but getting the fastest womens time over-all, beating Tahnee Seagrave by 0.083 seconds.. That is some epic riding not to be sneezed at.. The women elites must be looking at the next gen coming up with some trepidation haha!

Looking at finn in the seat stand after amery crossed the line he had a look of amazement on his face

Thanks for your debriefs. A priveledge to hear your reflections so soon after seeing that unique performance. His commitment was astonishing full stop, even without his last 12 months. I didn’t see anything ragged at all in the footage I’ve seen. Which brings me on to a request. Your thoughts about what makes a great racer using Loic as your example are fascinating. I’d love to hear your racer’s perspective on leaving enough out on the hill to allow yourself to think strategically about how you are going during a race run. Assuming equal skills etc, how much do you need in hand to be able to think and re-think during a run, for example as new conditions are discovered during your final run. Is it 90%, 95% or was Amaury running at 99.9% and not doing any thinking at all?

I was hoping for a Dak win but Amaury's run was outworldy. I believe that Amaury and Loic are very close regarding racecraft, perhaps Loic's advatange resides in his ability to race at 98% whereas Momo is more of a off/on Rider but he compensates It with his extra speed. When they are healthy the results are extremely close. Loic has 3 overall and Momo 2 but It could be the other way. Loris is very technical and my favourite Rider but mentally he's not as strong as the other two

I was hoping for a Dak win but Amaury's run was outworldy. I believe that Amaury and Loic are very close regarding racecraft, perhaps Loic's advatange resides in his ability to race at 98% whereas Momo is more of a off/on Rider but he compensates It with his extra speed. When they are healthy the results are extremely close. Loic has 3 overall and Momo 2 but It could be the other way. Loris is very technical and my favourite Rider but mentally he's not as strong as the other two

Finn and Dak's reaction when Amaury spanked them. They just realized they were not only chasing Bruni now they are going to have to deal with Amaury. It was as they both said to themselves, I no longer have a chance of winning. Bruni raced a little scared. Amaury took the approach: I am going where I want to go and the conditions, the holes, the roots and rocks don't matter. This is my line. I have always said two things Amaury has always done. He stays in the attack position even when pedaling and like the real G.O.A.T Nico Amaury pedals where others coast, gets more pedals in and always gives it 100%. Louis seems to suffer from the same problems Vali did with Trek. He needs to find a new team.

Rainy day at VDS..... Chaos ensues.... Just another Tuesday on the Westcoast of BC.

Old Icelandic saying “those that fear death, cannot enjoy life “

Another comment, when you talk about talent vs wanting it, when I was a runner, the saying was "hard work beats talent that doesn't work hard", but if talent works hard, well... good luck beating them. I watch a lot of MTB content, the stuff targeted at world cup racing, and for a couple years. The outsider's perspective is that all you racers are talented, it's why you're there, but there seems to be a range of how people approach and train. I could say a lot more but I really don't want to get into more detail, I enjoy all the racing and personalities and really want everyone to have their day in the sun.

At end of 2022 season, Commencal put out a video "The Pilot" about Amaury's season. I was already a fan, but it made him my favorite rider. I suggest everyone watch it. Mentally strong and passionate, support from family, friends and team. He has it all, much like Goldstone, only prior. 2025 will be a real treat if JG and AP will be in top shape. I've really thought that if AP hits this season in shape, he will be world champ this year. Put it down. Andorra. Almost a "home like" race for him too. I think Bruni backed off a quarter step so he can make sure he is in good health for Les Gets, but he wasn't going to beat AP regardless today.

Everyone forgot about the Amaury-factor, til now

Yep that was amazing resilience

@ellie_hulsebosch won 🥇the Women Junior with a time that would have seen her win the Elite Finals too. Another 🇳🇿 podium lockout with Sacha and Erice. Go kiwi!

Goldstone for the win

I think this performance stacks up or perhaps exceeds all the great ones over the years. I thought Bruni had the overall sewn up this year but Amaury may put a spanner in that.

Love your interviews with Chris. I wish more people were genuine like him

Love your debriefing, but this one is reallly low on volume

Love your debriefing. Keep em

We need a Donny twitch stream for the World Cup racing

Goldstone at top form VS Amaury will be interesting also next year.

Was gutted for Jess Blewitt

Best track on the tour. Triple black sustained fall lines… pure downhill mayhem. Love it

Dak’s run was was phenomenal, I thought he was going to win. How wrong was I 😅. Amaury’s run was magical👌, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better run. Adding to that Amaury’s last year of struggle… I agree give him the crown 👏👏💪

would love to see an ex racers honest opinion on downhill bikes

Your insight is incredible suprised warner dont hire you with that smile m8

Hundy not out raise the bat ⛳

All ronan really wants is a new caravan for his ma in any colour she wants 😂

You only have so many spots in your life to use as a placeholder...Think of it like you Garage....if you have 3 cars but only have 2 spaces...you are leaving something out in the open. You can only carry so many things in life before amazing things start passing you by. you cant hold love in a heart if hold anger towards others. Heal yourself before entering into an another relationship, or it's doomed from start. Think about how many dates have you been on and the other person talks about their ex.....That person is not ready to be loved or provide love to you. I think another reason is expectations...if your expectations are not made clear it's not the other persons fault. Its not a guessing game.

Rampage is way moore dangerous, doing some 360 and backflip on the edge of some pretty huge cliff, Hardline is sick, crazy use every words but Rampage is something else, good to see Jim ok 🤘

Thanks for this. I’m taking away a lot of good stuff to reflect on and… implement. Couple of things. At the end you touched on grieving. That’s a process isn’t it? Pretty much the process you describe today. It does involve anger and other emotions. Necessarily so. So, consider this. It’s OK to feel angry in some situations. It is. But it’s also very wise to then let it go rather than act on it. A differentiation between the inevitability of an emotion sometimes - it being appropriate, then, to sometimes feel angry or defeated - and what you then do with that: which is let it go. Grieving, when it does its job is the process of letting all the ‘bad stuff’ go without loosing the memories of the person; their continuing presence in all those lives this person’s life touched. As to suicide, I’d just like to say that it’s hard to imagine, if you’ve never been there, to have insight into the degree of self loathing needed to end it all: always remember that when being a good buddy to somebody who’s there, but don’t let that truth cause your own inaction. Being there and listening may or may not be enough, but it is powerful healing juice. Thanks again 😊

great vid

"Don't sweat the small stuff" is the quote I needed the most and will be my new daily quote

Thought Josh and Aaron were good. Informative and perceptive. Not keen on a lot of shouting and superlative hype anyway.

also man the buttons are such an unfair advantage

Hey Dean, Vali mentioned in her Wyntv that there might be 15 races next year? what are your thoughts on that are there even enough venues? surely this would mean new venues? is this a rumour going around ?

Do you know what happened with Asa's run when he stopped but didnt get disqualified?

No I was looking forward to the feature and it would of been safe if they got the net made

Looks like some great racing - it almost has me wanting to spend the money on a Max service here in the US. Josh did well. He added some that excitement that was missing, but without it feeling like he was trying to copy Rob. Oddly enough, when you watch some of last year's races with CG, he had a lot of that screaming and enthusiasm you mentioned. I definitely hear you when it comes to racing in crap conditions. When I was amateur DH racing 25 years ago, my best races were when conditions were crap and just being able to stay on your bike could net you a good result - something I was good at. But that doesn't mean I totally enjoyed it.

Would love to see you and frotha do an alternative commentary live stream so I could mute the official stream, and just turn yours on as the audio

Great summary of the event Dean, stoked to see kiwis all over the podiums