# Rachel Atherton



## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

__
http://instagr.am/p/BI0SeEph0Da/

She is fast because she is a bad ass. I thought some of you would enjoy.


----------



## Joe Handlebar (Apr 12, 2016)

Lol....Rob Warner and Claudio Caluori....and roadies complain about Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin?


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

I don't think "enjoy" is the right term here.

In any case, I can see why Rachel would be annoyed at that comment.

I reckon commentating can be challenging, and when there's off-the-cuff banter like that, it's probably tricky sometimes to come up with the right thing to say. I doubt Claudio meant to diminish Rachel's hard work ethic and talent, and he did apologize right away.

IMO, this isn't a big deal. He misspoke, apologized, and hopefully Rachel will do a course preview with him.

https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/r...ner-claudio-caluori-taking-piss-race-run.html

FWIW, I think those two do a great job.


----------



## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

I like Claudio a lot but it's about time for him to permanently retire his "it's because she rides with his brother" that he has said at multiple races. I'm sure it was always meant as a compliment (implying that Rach can hang with the boys anytime anyplace) but it just doesn't sound well.


----------



## shredchic (Jun 18, 2007)

I seem to remember Claudio did already do a course preview with Rachel. I remember that comment - and it's not the first time it's been said. They are both good guys, but I am so glad Rachel straightened them out, with smileys at the end! She's an inspiration. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Mudguard (Apr 14, 2009)

I'm sure Claudio is meaning it as a complement. Is it coincidence that two of the quickest female riders also have very fast brothers? Gee and Mick?
As for the speed trap, I'm not sure how much of a valid argument that is, maybe look at the aero profile of the quickest through the trap...
97th fastest down the hill
Sixth fastest through the speed trap.
Harry Molloy 80.222kmh
Thibaut Ruffin 75.392kmh
George Brannigan 75.195kmh
Brook MacDonald 74.226kmh
Demetri Triantafillou 74.035kmh
Rachel Atherton 73.657kmh

Her brother also beat her down the hill by 30 seconds.

The point is, no one is diminishing her achievements. It pisses me off when people aren't direct, IE take Claudio aside and say, hey, it annoys me when you suggest my speed is courtesy of my brother. Rather than using twitter, instagram etc etc.


----------



## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

Deepthought…. Maybe not for you, but “enjoy” was the correct word for me. I smiled when I read it and smiled even more when I forwarded it to my niece who replied “damn straight”. I like Warner and Claudio and doubt Rachel holds any sort of grudge. I not only see nothing wrong with one of the most notable women in mountain biking pointing it out but I like it. Some people, especially some young women (my niece) need to hear that. She’s success because she works hard. I "enjoy" that attitude and thought others would too.
notched- I agree with the face to face. And if I had to bet, I would say she did/has said something to their face. It should be noted they apologized via twitter, which is more annoying to me but that’s a different conversation. Again, little doubt when they did see her they apologized to her face. I personally think it is good she called them out in public, regardless if they have had a face to face about it yet for the same reason I stated above.


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

fleboz said:


> Deepthought&#8230;. Maybe not for you, but "enjoy" was the correct word for me. I smiled when I read it and smiled even more when I forwarded it to my niece who replied "damn straight". I like Warner and Claudio and doubt Rachel holds any sort of grudge. I not only see nothing wrong with one of the most notable women in mountain biking pointing it out but I like it. Some people, especially some young women (my niece) need to hear that. She's success because she works hard. I "enjoy" that attitude and thought others would too.
> .


Makes sense. :thumbsup:


----------



## ryetoast (Jan 24, 2016)

I like how a whole internet of bros is saying that even though she ripped through the speed trap she was still 30 seconds slower than Danny Hart, as if everyone else online can't read. Look, women riders have less upper body strength and speed than men, and going mach chicken on the straightaways takes far less of that then hammering through the rock gardens. It's not some kind of meaningless fluke, it's strategy. She's never going to beat Danny Hart--no woman is unless she's living on steroids, protein shakes and amphetamines. But maybe if all the other women in the field had gone 73kmh through the speed trap, they wouldn't have finished 11+ seconds behind her.


----------



## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

Claudio also jokes repeatedly about making Rachel race in the men's field. Got to be running out of superlatives to describe her achievements race after race.


----------



## MTBR_Saris (Apr 26, 2016)

Sexist commentary isn't just limited to our sport. It's been a big issue at the Olympics. Things like the camera panning to an Olympic medalists husband and claiming he was the man responsible (because he was her coach).

Good BBC article on the topic here.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Rachel is a beast of an athlete. She trains very hard (I've read an article about her her weight lifting /cross training regime ... very impressive strength and endurance) It's been beneficial to have regular, personal access to people with that level of skill for advice.

Rachel Atherton?s cross-training programme

I can see how annoying it must be when the comments are so frequent. Good for her to push back. Can't these commentary people think of something else to talk about? What if it happened with male athletes instead???

Congrats girl! Fiancé of former Miss California scoops his 25th medal


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

How about this gem:

Fox News Thinks Female Olympic Athletes Should Wear Makeup to "Look Beautiful" on the Podium

Fox News show Sports Court discussed a USA Today article about female athletes and makeup.


----------



## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

cyclelicious said:


> How about this gem:
> 
> Fox News Thinks Female Olympic Athletes Should Wear Makeup to "Look Beautiful" on the Podium
> 
> Fox News show Sports Court discussed a USA Today article about female athletes and makeup.


That wouldn't surprise me, they are awful. I've never seen so much lying on a news network before. What's funny is their TV programming and local news aren't bad, it's Fox News Network that is over the top.


----------



## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

I don't care who you are, 45 mph, wow.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Rachel has been working hard and has been killing it all season









From Rachels' Facebook page



> Whaaaaaaa World Champion!!!! Absolutely unreal wild as race run on a brutal gnarly track  been crying all afternoon! Crazy feelings! Love my family, my team, you guys , Danny Hart & of course #longlivechainsaw @trekfactorydh @dannyhart1 ledgend @svenmartinphoto photo banger. THANK YOU!!!! 落落落落落


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

A perfect season. I don't believe any rider, male or female, has done that before.


----------



## epic (Apr 16, 2005)

You know, I think Claudio's point was that they all work hard. Damn hard, and the mystery is why is she so much better? OK, let's just say it's not that she rides with Gee and Dan, what is it? Nobody has cracked the code yet!


----------



## MTBR_Saris (Apr 26, 2016)

New video from GMBN about how Rachel Atherton crushed 2016.


----------



## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

^^Nice! She sure does sail.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

This video is from August 2016. Rachael's winning run at Mont Ste Anne. She's unbelievably fast and precise (she picks great lines to ride)






I rode most sections of this course (some sections closed for repair) and it is very gnarly (as the video shows) But certain sections are incredibly steep... white knuckle steep . The gap jumps are so dependent on speed and Rachael hits all of them like a champ. Respect! Kudos to all the women racing but Rachael is in a league of her own


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Rachel has been nominated for MTB Award PinkBike Athlete of the Year- 2016

2016 Pinkbike Awards - Athlete of the Year Nominees - Pinkbike

She is in good company and I really hope she wins


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

Nice. I hope she wins. Tracy Moseley won last year, but they had separate male and female categories then. 

I think Rachel has a solid chance of winning, though. 

Surprised there isn't a male DH racer in there.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Wishes do come true!

2016 Pinkbike Awards - Athlete of the Year Winner - Pinkbike

Well deserved. A perfect season in DH is an unbelievable achievement


----------



## tehllama (Jul 18, 2013)

cyclelicious said:


> Rachel has been working hard and has been killing it all season


Exactly this - she's been riding at a level where she can choose to take tricky parts of tracks at 9/10s intensity and just stay smooth, and hit her lines... which means she is crashing a lot less, saving energy for other parts of the course, and just smashing out consistent runs. That right there is the key to that indescribably awesome season, and if she stays on form it'll take a blinder of a lap to knock her off the top step of any events next year.


----------



## MTBR_Saris (Apr 26, 2016)

Don't we see this level of dominance on the women's side every few years? ACC, Mosley, now Rachel? It's still an amazing achievement, but...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Deep Thought (Sep 3, 2012)

MTBR_Saris said:


> Don't we see this level of dominance on the women's side every few years? ACC, Mosley, now Rachel? It's still an amazing achievement, but...


Not quite. While T-Mo's had an inspiring and successful career, she's not in the same league as ACC or Rachel. Sabrina Jonnier actually had more World Cup race and series wins than Tracy. ACC, Rachel, and Sabrina have each won the overall series 5 times. T-Mo's won it twice, as has Missy Giove.

But neither Tracy's nor Sabrina's results come close to touching what ACC and Rachel have done. If we're talking about dominance, this is it:

Tracy's had 16 WC race wins in her elite career. Rachel just nabbed her 15th _*in a row*_, which tops ACC's record of 10 wins in a row. Rachel is also the first DH racer, male or female, to win every round including the Championship in a season.

That is dominance we've not ever seen in DH racing. There are a few riders with more medals than Rachel, but no one has ever had a winning streak like this. Not Nico, not ACC, not Minnaar or Gwin.

As far as overall career success, though, I'd say the nod goes to ACC right now, with more medals and more wins and in more disciplines, but Rachel is still in her prime. Stoked to watch her coming seasons and where she goes after WC racing. Will we ever see Rachel try her hand at Enduro as ACC and Moseley have done?


----------



## MTBR_Saris (Apr 26, 2016)

So MTBR is launching a Best of 2016 series. The editors voted on a lot of topics, including Best Rider of the year. I campaigned hard for Rachel, but eventually, we all agreed that Nino Schurter deserved it. The dude not only won his fifth World Championship, he also brought home Gold.

Anyways, you can read the full stoy here.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

> I have learned to be selfish and self-confident from men but, from being a woman, I have learned to be clever in my choices, to listen to my body, to listen to the earth and trust in things. To be a great athlete, it's important to be in touch with both sides.


https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rachel-atherton-in-her-own-words.html


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Good article from Outside on Rachel Atherton and women and Mtb











> Downhill mountain bikes weren't designed to go up. They're heavy as hell and have the wrong gear ratio, and the best that you can hope for is a ride on a chairlift or in the back of a truck. Failing that, you're pushing. Which, for most of us, is no fun.
> 
> Than again, most of us aren't Rachel Atherton. It's early October, and she's on the side of a grassy slope in northern England, rolling her powder-blue Trek alongside her as though it's filled with helium. Her full-face helmet hangs from her handlebars, and her frizzy blonde hair is twisted into a bun. Atherton, 29, has a smile on her face, the kind of contented smile that comes when you're the world's top female downhiller and have just wrapped up a perfect season.
> 
> ...











Sauce: https://www.outsideonline.com/2180116/rachel-atherton-goes-big


----------



## BeDrinkable (Sep 22, 2008)

MTBR_Saris said:


> So MTBR is launching a Best of 2016 series. The editors voted on a lot of topics, including Best Rider of the year. I campaigned hard for Rachel, but eventually, we all agreed that Nino Schurter deserved it. The dude not only won his fifth World Championship, he also brought home Gold.
> 
> Anyways, you can read the full stoy here.


Jeez, I missed this comment. Too bad you had to decide between the two. Nino may have won gold, but Rachel did things no human has ever done before. I could NOT believe last season and so far this year she is just trucking right along as if there were no winter break! Simply unbelievable.


----------

