Insane downhill
- Thread starter FairfaxPat
- Start date
The Red Bull Rampage has pushed the boundaries of the sport and has given us mortals some great videos to look at, but many of the riders are now saying enough is enough as its only a matter of time before somebody is killed.
It's a tricky one for me as I believe nobody understands the risks greater than the riders and if the riders are willing to take part then they should be allowed to, just like the Isle Of Man TT races for example, but the Rampage features bigger drops and bigger jumps every year, unlike the TT where the track is the same but new safety measures are introduced each year.
http://reviews.mtbr.com/the-angry-singl ... nge-or-die
It's a tricky one for me as I believe nobody understands the risks greater than the riders and if the riders are willing to take part then they should be allowed to, just like the Isle Of Man TT races for example, but the Rampage features bigger drops and bigger jumps every year, unlike the TT where the track is the same but new safety measures are introduced each year.
http://reviews.mtbr.com/the-angry-singl ... nge-or-die
FairfaxPat
Senior Retro Guru
Re:
It's dangerous, alright-but the Isle of Man races have killed 248 from 1907 up 'til now, with 11 people killed in 2005, making it far more dangerous than any sporting event I can think of...
It's dangerous, alright-but the Isle of Man races have killed 248 from 1907 up 'til now, with 11 people killed in 2005, making it far more dangerous than any sporting event I can think of...
- Feedback
- View
FairfaxPat
Senior Retro Guru
The History Man":1loolgmw said:
That would be from strokes or heart attacks, I presume
...
FairfaxPat":f6kct92p said:
No no no no no no no no no no.
What's wrong with a nice bit of single-track?
Re: Re:
Can't argue with that, but the bit that gets me about the Rampage is that the competitors aren't that keen on taking part. It's pressure from the sponsors that forces them and their mates to spend a week prior to the event digging trails in the desert and then pushing the boundaries/risking death in their chosen field. $100k in prize money sounds juicy but I bet that most who compete end up out of pocket when all is said and done. Oh, and if they f*** up their run they better have good insurance because the billionaire who owns Red Bull ain't paying for the helicopter ride to hospital.
Road racers know the risks and most would be happy to do it for free, but they also know the organisers have their best interests in mind. Check out Guy Martins crash at the UGP last year and you'll notice that a hedgerow was removed for the event and that allowed him to tumble into the field rather than being bounced off the hedge (or wrapped around it) and back into the path of bikes travelling at 120mph. The RBR in comparison is focusing on making it more dangerous in pursuit of sponsor exposure and You Tube hits and that's why I'm uneasy about the whole event, yet I still think racing m/cycles on public roads at over 200mph is one of the greatest sporting pursuits left in the world. Go figure...
FairfaxPat":13x3qiau said:
Can't argue with that, but the bit that gets me about the Rampage is that the competitors aren't that keen on taking part. It's pressure from the sponsors that forces them and their mates to spend a week prior to the event digging trails in the desert and then pushing the boundaries/risking death in their chosen field. $100k in prize money sounds juicy but I bet that most who compete end up out of pocket when all is said and done. Oh, and if they f*** up their run they better have good insurance because the billionaire who owns Red Bull ain't paying for the helicopter ride to hospital.
Road racers know the risks and most would be happy to do it for free, but they also know the organisers have their best interests in mind. Check out Guy Martins crash at the UGP last year and you'll notice that a hedgerow was removed for the event and that allowed him to tumble into the field rather than being bounced off the hedge (or wrapped around it) and back into the path of bikes travelling at 120mph. The RBR in comparison is focusing on making it more dangerous in pursuit of sponsor exposure and You Tube hits and that's why I'm uneasy about the whole event, yet I still think racing m/cycles on public roads at over 200mph is one of the greatest sporting pursuits left in the world. Go figure...
Re:
An easy fix: Take all the money out of sport, make it all unpaid and amateur. This will stop footballer's messing up their knees by playing too often, boxers getting knocked stupid, cyclists being pressured into doping. etc. etc.. Once the huge amounts of money sloshing around in sport are involved, the pressure to perform, cheat, and win at almost any cost to satisfy sponsors etc. at top levels must surely be a corrupting influence on all involved, so get rid of it.
An easy fix: Take all the money out of sport, make it all unpaid and amateur. This will stop footballer's messing up their knees by playing too often, boxers getting knocked stupid, cyclists being pressured into doping. etc. etc.. Once the huge amounts of money sloshing around in sport are involved, the pressure to perform, cheat, and win at almost any cost to satisfy sponsors etc. at top levels must surely be a corrupting influence on all involved, so get rid of it.
Re: Re:
Erm, yeah. Lets stop funding all the elite sportspeople who put their balls on the line week in and week out and let Rupert Murdoch, Bernie Ecclestone, Don King et al pocket every last penny instead. Great idea!!!*
*Its not :facepalm: .
If there was no money involved in elite sport kids at school would still be breaking legs playing football, boxers down the gym would still be getting knocked out in sparring practice and MAMIL's would still be juicing up for sportives. Sorry to burst your communist bubble but that's just how it is and how its always been.
xerxes":gtsp9obg said:
Erm, yeah. Lets stop funding all the elite sportspeople who put their balls on the line week in and week out and let Rupert Murdoch, Bernie Ecclestone, Don King et al pocket every last penny instead. Great idea!!!*
*Its not :facepalm: .
If there was no money involved in elite sport kids at school would still be breaking legs playing football, boxers down the gym would still be getting knocked out in sparring practice and MAMIL's would still be juicing up for sportives. Sorry to burst your communist bubble but that's just how it is and how its always been.
