It is World Cup race season! The first stop of the series is in South Korea with a completely new track for the world’s elite DH racers. And, other than having to figure out the track, some have taken issue with one of the other racers attempting to qualify for this weekend’s festivities.
Enter: Hardtail Guy (as many internet commenters have dubbed him).
Yes, there is a racer competing in a World Cup DH race on a hardtail. Or, at least trying to. Now, I’m not going to mention his name or link to his socials, and you’ll soon understand why.
A recent post from Wyn Masters informed his fans that he won’t participate in this weekend’s race anymore. Why? A crash left him with a “distal radius fracture and severe AC joint separation that will require surgery back home.”
And what caused the crash? Well, according to Wyn, there were several factors, all of which he summed up in his post:
“1. The B-line around a jump like this should never rejoin at the landing when riders jumping the jumping are going 40+kmh.
2. The Marshall should have been positioned better at the jump to stop this situation.
3. The practice time was shortened and delayed so riders were in a rush to get necessary practice on such a course.
4. Riders need to take more care and make sure they don’t pull out on someone, this shouldn’t be their responsibility in my mind though the course marking shouldn’t allow a situation like this.”
Wyn was attempting to clear one of the major jumps on the course. However, riders using the B-line, which connected to the jump’s landing, were below. Wyn saw the rider on the landing and avoided him, but the result was a potentially season-ending crash.
But those four points Wyn mentions don’t seem to be the only factor. It seems that Wyn likely encountered Hardtail Guy.
Framework’s Asa Vermette, who qualified first at the World Cup race, also had a run-in with Hardtail Guy, passing him on his qualifying run. Later, Wyn interviews Asa, where they both mention the racer on a hardtail.
In the video, Wyn and Asa chat about Hardtail Guy and how Asa had to pass him on his qualifying run. They confirm it was the same Hardtail Guy (not that there are many other hardtails in the race) who slowed another rider down, causing Wyn to crash.
So, there seems to be two sides to the controversy. First, many argue the apparent issues with the track and track officials. These were pretty well summed up in Wyn’s post.
Others felt that the responsibility fell on the UCI for allowing a hardtail in the first place. In no world is a hardtail going to go remotely as fast as a World Cup racer on a proper DH bike. Commendable effort? Sure. But safe? This is where people, including some of the top racers, feel like the UCI should have stepped in.
Still others point to Hardtail Guy as the problem (which is why I’m not tagging him in this post). While some think his World Cup hardtail endeavors are awesome, many folks have called his participation “selfish” and “unsafe.” The reason? The internet treats Hardtail Guy’s World Cup participation as a way to get “clicks and views” rather than a serious race entry. Simply put, Hardtail Guy was minutes slower than the top qualifiers.
Whether it was his intention or not, Hardtail Guy absolutely got a lot of those clicks and views. One commenter on one of Wyn’s posts even said, “crazy how a guy on a hardtail went from sensation to a villain.”
I’m bummed to see Wyn out of World Cup races for the foreseeable future. But, honestly, I understand all the arguments and points of view here. Sincerely wondering, BikeRumor commentors, what do you think?
