By now I should be used to watching you bomb down impossible looking descents but it still amazes me that you (hell, anyone) can pilot the bike down terrain like that. This is such good content. Well done.
That was an impressive result given that was a VERY tough field. The podium was Ibis EDR factory rider, 3rd place 2022 nationals, and Specialized EDR factory rider and you finished ahead of Cody Kelley (2021 national champion). Also fun seeing the COMBA shirt on Aiden, Jagged Axe built the Ore Chute trail in Colorado last year.
Great ride, congrats. I struggle to see the line when watching from my sofa- no idea how you can see so far ahead at that pace. White knuckles every time watching you descend, such skill, incredible to watch.
I was at this race, what a fun place to ride. Couple other notes: stage 2 was tough, very steep and loose; go pro effect is very real; there are a ton of talented riders out there; that was some impressive riding. I’ve got a long way to go! Lol
It boggles the mind that people & bikes can do those courses at all and stay in one piece. A long way from riding through the wild raspberries on a 3-speed when I was a kid. Well done!
Macky, you have very underrated downhill skills for someone that mainly focuses on XC racing. You are clearly a top downhiller for a XC guy and even mixing with Enduro racers you were in the top 5. These were very gnarly trails! Very well done!
Wow, some of these stages looked extremely challenging. Like you said, that was proper enduro stuff. Props to you for giving it your all and doing incredibly well! Who can say they finished an enduro race before Cody Kelley? That guy is insanely good
Good job on your placement. That course looks bonkers hard, man! Watching you and Syd racing is getting me stoked about racing again. I'm not in shape, so I've got my training cut out for me. Next year is the goal.
oh my guys are cruel making me wait a week! LOL!!!!!! Thanks for the awesome vids at to the patrons that make it happen. Love the content. Keeps me motivated
WOW! Those downhills were rough, and you looked smooth on them Macky! CONGRATS!! It's weird to not have you and Syd in different spots racing, but I'm sure next week's video will be as great as yours. Thanks Again!
I was thinking similar, but about the rear, the rekon doesn’t exactly have the braking traction of DHR2, kudos to Macky for making it work for him though
Awesome riding! I just rode at Glorieta for the first time earlier this week, including Janker DH and Jagged Axe, so I have some context for just how tough those are. Probably the only time I've felt that my Stumpjumper wasn't enough bike.
So I know of Alex and Aiden! I worked at Camp Eagle (same person who owns Gloriana Camps) and my bud was tasked with riding with Alex and Aiden at the Camp Eagle trails. Even when they were young, they still were shredding hard and my bud could not keep up with them. Never would have thought I had a connection to Syd and Macky.
Saying your race recap videos are the best on RU-vid is getting redundant. Thing is...they're getting even better!! I noticed a little something....Macky, you beat Cody Kelley. I don't think he's been racing EWS for a bit now, but that's a big name to chalk up. That was some excellent riding, and I was shocked when you got out beyond 7th on a few stages, because it looked like you were cooking pretty well there! I KNEW you would win the first long stage...because, well.....witness the fitness. I think if you had been doing enduro a little more often, you would have bumped up at least a few places. Takes a bit to "get the edge" as you referred to it and really hammer those rock sections with reckless abandon. LOVED the video!! REALLY looking forward to seeing how Syd did in her race! One question though...HOW are those two brothers not talking more smack to each other??? That was different They were so polite and respectful, and I actually really liked that. I'm competitive, but my brother isn't....so we never talk trash either. Even if I tried, he would just say, "You're probably right" and that would be the end of it. LOL But...then he'd MURDER me on anything XC with climbing!
Whew!! I'm glad you two are not splitting up, the harmony of the universe would be way off!! Good race man. Btw thanks for turning me onto niner bikes. Just got a used jet 9 rdo yesterday. I already love it tho I still love my HEI HEI just as much. I feel that I need to be honest with you about this. I don't think that the pants with the flip flops is the right look for you bud. 😂🤣 Keep rollin. 👍👊
Nice job! I really appreciate your humility. Finishing the day with positive thoughts is a win always. That was enduro racing, and your me prepared with plenty of fitness. If this was a dh race, maybe your results would be different, but your not training for dh so that’s not fir assessment anyway.
Absolutely insane how easy you made this look! You SHOULD be proud. I raced here for my first enduro race and it was mind boggling how fast people were. These trails were tough for me to even get down. Btw - Do you lock up your rear a lot on descents? I thought I heard it locking up. I had a lot of trouble on stage 2, and I'm wondering if I should have been more willing to lock the rear.
@@sydandmacky sorry I should have specified. I meant the rear tire lol! Edit: And to elaborate on my issue... I basically couldn't stay on the track for janker. I'd front brake too hard and skid out, or I'd just ride straight off the track. I'm wondering if it's normal for you to lock up your rear tire during the race. It sounded like you were locking it up, but had the body position to stay balanced and skid out of it.
In general the goal is not to lock up either brake because the second your tires start skidding, you're no longer slowing down as quickly. So, when braking hard you want to increase your traction by "getting heavy" and pushing the bike into the ground. This is very difficult to do on a trail like Janker because it's so steep, so you definitely weren't the only one skidding your brakes!
@@sydandmacky Awesome thank you! I didnt think at all to get heavy in the braking sections. That's good advice. I "get heavy" in corners to generate traction and I can do the same for braking!
We pretty much always set up our suspension based on Fox's recommendations, so air pressure based on weight (we usually go a bit lower for Syd than the recommended since she has less upper body mass as a woman) and then the rebound, compression, etc based on that air pressure.
@@sydandmacky Thanks Macky. I find myself quite a bit off the recommended settings on my Factory 38 & X2 as I found it quite harsh. That being said, Fox Factory goodies do tend to be more race focused and I’m definitely not hammering it like you.
Hi ! Super happy to watch your content as usual 😁, I was kinda surprised by Macky tyre choice using 2.4 width and not 2.6 or 2.8? To my understanding, wider tyres allows lower pressure and less rolling resistance + keep momentum better (due to their weight) an loose juste a little bit in row acceleration (due to their weight once again), am I wrong? Thank you again for all you are doing, if you ever do a tyre width comparison video that would be awesome (tech nerds we'll rule the world while petting cats!) Take care, you're awesome !
I'm not gonna lie, Enduro racing looks really fun. 😆😍 So does it beat your body up more than cross country, or does the 2 disciplines of racing even each other out in different ways?
I'm a bit ashamed to admit, but, I often think my wife would eat similarly when I'm not home if I hadn't done a couple of weeks worth of meal prep, i.e. mostly carbs... Also, on the race. How do you find hitting trails like that at speed, with the trees and things making for kinda crappy light conditions? I ask because I'm pretty long sighted, so, I'd probably struggle (well, that would be *one* reason I'd struggle if I raced.... Lack of skill and fitness another couple of reasons....) with lighting like that.
Do you think some chunkier tires would have made a difference on the gnarlier stages? Forecaster/Recon seemed like a bit of an unconventional choice for such a big bike. But then I guess you would have gained less time on stage 1 with Minions/Assegai etc. also you seem to be quite used to running relatively low grip tires from all the crosscountry and endurance racing.
...sorry this question isn't related to this video but a question I have been thinking about for awhile...do you guys use standard length cranks on your bikes (175mm) or do you use a modified length for better performance...I've been reading pros and cons of shorter cranks for mt. biking particularly and it seems the shorter cranks are preferred...tia ...always look forward to your videos...
We use 175mm cranks on all our bikes except our big travel Enduro bikes (WFO) where we run 165mm cranks because of the lower BBs. It's also worth noting that we're 5'11" and 6'
@@sydandmacky ...thanks for your response...this should help in my decision...i"m 6' as well and am experiencing some hip pain and have read that the shorter cranks open the hip a little and give some relief plus the added benefit of being able to get up some steep rocky climbs...also thinking about an oval chain ring...any thoughts..???
@@danielmasset4153 If you haven't tried it already, definitely try shorter cranks, just going down a tiny bit like 165 you will barely feel the difference spinning but it could reduce pain. Going way shorter you will notice though, it'll feel great going down having your feet feel more centered, but the more you have spin to pedal and climb, then have to compensate with smaller chainrings etc. So just try 5-10 shorter first. It's wild what just 5mm can do in bike fit. I'm 5'7 and 175s have my legs feeling like Im going from gym squat to overextension in the cycle, where as 170 feels fine, and 165 feels almost the same in pedal cycle but just "better". And I'm curious myself about trying an oval ring. Check out the video "Do Oval Chainrings Improve Performance? (Bike Fitter explains) - Road Cycling Academy" if you want to hear an interesting experience with them.
Yes, it was at Glorieta camps. They have bike trails that are open to the public and races often use the camp as a venue because of the great trails and facilities (camping, RV and even a couple hotels) on the campus.
In the off chance you get all the way down to my comment: Macky, how much does your WFO weigh? Mine initially was over 36 lbs, but I got it to 34.5-ish. I'm confused because a number of reviewers talk about theirs being 32. I don't get it.
