Did you know that when Kovarik beat everyone by 14 seconds at Fort William, Nathan Rennie and Cedric Gracia beat Nico and tied for second? Yes, before the internet they let people tie at World Cups:
Did you know Rennie wasn't in the yellow/black Intense shoes that would go on to become the Five Ten Low Impact? He was in the red hiking boot version that got thrown out like the horrific stillborn half-design that it was:
And he loved it.
You know when I complain about "Oh, my reach length on my $8000 2014 carbon wonderbike is 12mm too short I can't ride it" and you look at me with disappointment and confusion?
Rennie never had a bike that fit him until the late Santa Cruz years, he blew shock dampers every other run for years and was probably running 900 pound springs to compensate, that Iron Horse he rode during the glory days that I remember so fondly was the flexiest piece of garbage on the circuit, and he had to run Hayes Brakes. Hayes Brakes, people. And he beat everyone. Everyone's equipment sucked all the time back then, but men were men and they did their job.
If you see this guy at the races and you hear him complaining about his bike, punch him in the dick and do it for Rennie:
Did you know I was standing right next to the photographer when this photo was taken during practice at the 2008 Fontana race?
The image is burned into my memory. After Rennie came through I didn't understand what I just saw. That corner was a blown out slippery decreasing-radius quagmire of death with dust-covered off-camber rock faces coming into and out of the turn, and he rode it at 1000 mph like it was a berm on A-Line. That was when I knew 100% for sure that I was never going to amount to anything.
Did you know Rennie was the chosen one?
Did you know that you still ride like a pussy and, wherever Rennie is right now, he's disappointed?
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ReplyDeleteSay what you want about Chaz being a headcase, at least his number plate looks pro.
ReplyDelete#DickPunchForRennie
ReplyDeleteThat video is at Mt Baw Baw in Australia. Was there the winter of '13 .. Saw this video of the line and still didn't man up for the bush huck.
ReplyDeleteSaw you got 7th place at Dry Hill last week.........sweet but you were still slower than some BC guy named Sid Slotegraaff
ReplyDelete#NoJuiceNoWin
I was at that Fontana race as well. The way he and Kovarik hit that corner, manualed over the top of the rock ledge, and crushed down it made me feel as insignificant as a North Korean
ReplyDeleteIf he was so fast how come Nico ALWAYS beat or even destroyed him like a robot?
ReplyDeleteEven Pascal would often lick the big Aussie with the hikers, and nobody remembers him unless you were born in his region of France.
You saw him ride one corner in practice and you're entire manblogcrush is apparently based upon that. This is called the Ben Reid fan syndrome, and our favorite robot is heavily infected with original Australian strain. Maybe what you didn't see is other racers going just as fast in that sectuor (section) or even faster in another sectuor, in the final run, when it counts.
Rennie isn't disappointed with my lame, non flowy, afraid-to-jump-big arithmatic riding. He has nothing to be did disappointed about except maybe a lack of stripes on the old jersey.