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Sam Hill Takes Win Number 1 at World Cup # 1

May 11, 2008

Published by brule


Source: 23 Degree Sports

If there was even an ounce of doubt prior to the opening round of the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup that Sam Hill could follow his stellar season of 2007 in the same dominant style, well that evaporated today in sunny Maribor in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.

VIDEO JUST ADDED-Monday May 12th, 2008

Last year Sam capped his race season and secured the World Cup title with a solid win at the finals on the same course, but this is the first time in his career that Sam has won the opening round, doing so 3 seconds clear of 2nd place, thus setting the tone for 2008.

Impressive today was his younger team mate Brendan Fairclough who's had mixed results this year so far, but a strong showing in 9th means he too is on target for a good year.

The semi finals this morning saw Sam finish 3rd, half a second behind Frenchman Julien Camellini who enjoys this track, and Brendan in 11th. Both moved up 2 spots in the final.

Video by deth.pinkbike.com

Comments:

Sam: "I was pretty upset with how I rode in qualifying....I felt tight and rode on the brakes too much. In the final I just wanted to have fun and ride like I know I can. My run went pretty well," said a humble Hill, "but I definitely want to improve on putting together a better run in Andorra (Round 2). I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully I can get a few more wins."

Brendan: "I felt good at the top prior to the start, relaxed and confident. I think with Sam being so relaxed it helped me stay more calm. I had a good run and didn't make too many mistakes....I just need to open it up a bit more, but I feel my speed will progress throughout the season. I'm happy with my result and ready for the next one!"

Team Manager Sean Heimdal: "I'm super stoked with the results today...I just wanted both riders to come out of here with a safe solid run...It's a long season this year, and I think it was important to come away within the top 15. We're all looking forward to the next round."

Women
1. Sabrina Jonnier - Team Maxxis - 3:14.31
2. Rachel Atherton - Animal Commencal - 3:14.49
3. Emmeline Ragot - Suspension Center - 3:21.80

11. Claire Buchar - 3:35.81

Men
1. Sam Hill - Monster Energy - 2:47.54
2. Julien Camellini - Chain Reaction Cycle - 2:50.62
3. Steve Peat - Santa Cruz Syndicate - 2:51.85

44. Steve Smith 3:00.67

The treacherous rock garden in Maribor claimed quite a few riders today, and has a history of taking out some top contenders. The World Cup riders now have a couple of weeks to recovery from any injuries before round 2, which takes place at Vallnord, Andorra on June 1st on a track never before raced for a World Cup.

Team Monster Energy Iron Horse is also sponsored by: Mad Catz, Game Shark, Air Drives, RockShox, SRAM, Avid, FUNN, Maxxis, DT Swiss, FSA, Crank Brothers, WTB, e.thirteen, DW Link, Troy Lee Designs, Minoura, Maxima, Obtainium Performance Products, Five-Ten, Freeestyle Watches, THE, Alligator, Yamaha of Troy, KMC and Kicker.

More info: http://www.madcatzracing.com/
  • + 20 props
flag dandhmtb (May 11, 2008 at 11:28) (Below Threshold) show comment
nice 1 steve 3rd aint bad
  • + 14 props
flag dallasn (May 11, 2008 at 12:44) (Below Threshold) show comment
sam hill is unstoppable
  • + 2 props
flag kill-bodys (May 11, 2008 at 13:17) (Below Threshold) show comment
of course he won haha, i mean look at the difference in time he is 3 seconds faster
  • + 17 props
flag emcgough (May 12, 2008 at 0:00) (Below Threshold) show comment
aww, have a tissue petal. It looks like you've flattered yourself into thinking that you know the guy. Better luck next time...
  • + 8 props
flag petaypan (May 12, 2008 at 1:12) (Below Threshold) show comment
WOW!!! look how close it was between Sabrina and Rachael!
  • + 7 props
flag canadabikerboy12 (May 12, 2008 at 12:07) (Below Threshold) show comment
holy shit that song is annoying....
  • + 0 props
flag d0wnhill (May 13, 2008 at 1:59) (Below Threshold) show comment
what the hells with that guy saying sam hills gay? sam hill is a legend, ive met him at a race over here and hes a good guy hey.. not full of himself like most wannabe's..
someone who knows wileskws, punch him in the back of the head.
  • + 6 props
flag madisonracing1 (May 11, 2008 at 11:29) (Below Threshold) show comment
live feed was amazing.
  • + 2 props
flag JonahH1992 (May 12, 2008 at 3:42) (Below Threshold) show comment
lucky for you. in england the only mtbing on tv we get is the ocasional coverage of the world champs. someone needs to start a mtb channel that covers these events thats better than extreme sports i reckon in time it could be more popular than football its definately more fun too watch.
  • + 2 props
flag thebillykid (May 12, 2008 at 8:01) (Below Threshold) show comment
actually you could of watched all the 4x and downhill live on freecaster.com yesterday, was mint =)
  • + 0 props
flag aug7hallak (May 12, 2008 at 14:52) (Below Threshold) show comment
in brazil you can watch an event per year..with lucky...but there's football three times a week, maybe more if you want..aha
  • - 24 props
flag 05konastab (May 11, 2008 at 11:34) (Below Threshold) show comment
camellini in third? cant have been all talk then
  • + 10 props
flag mac-on-the-mob (May 11, 2008 at 11:37) (Below Threshold) show comment
You mean second ya?
  • - 2 props
flag keandmr (May 11, 2008 at 11:36) (Below Threshold) show comment
knew he would
  • - 3 props
flag frjoeydh (May 11, 2008 at 11:39) (Below Threshold) show comment
Wow thats cool #1 World Cup! and First place! Go Sam Hill and Steve Peat!
  • + 2 props
flag alech (May 11, 2008 at 11:39) (Below Threshold) show comment
josh brycelands crash looked painful, anyone no how he is?
  • + 1 props
flag jooocke (May 11, 2008 at 11:50) (Below Threshold) show comment
fun to see that steve still hangs in there, and sam will be hard to beat this season =)
  • + 5 props
flag grgos (May 11, 2008 at 12:03) (Below Threshold) show comment
Just came from Maribor, great race Josh is broke helmet ,toth and almost chin, maybe he has sirius injures of knee.Thats all from now ....
  • + 0 props
flag jumphilo (May 11, 2008 at 12:06) (Below Threshold) show comment
Cool Sam is still untouchables... steve is also looking strong proved that age is not a factor for him.
  • + 3 props
flag FaultLineMediaGroup (May 11, 2008 at 12:14) (Below Threshold) show comment
who is this Julien Camellini fellow...never heard of him but it looks like he can rip tits??????
  • + 2 props
flag joedaho (May 11, 2008 at 12:32) (Below Threshold) show comment
He was on Mojo Orange last year, had a fair few top 20 places, seems this year will be his bog one with a move to an even bigger team.
  • + 2 props
flag dingus (May 11, 2008 at 13:13) (Below Threshold) show comment
He trains with Nico Voulioz (sorry about the spelling)
  • - 3 props
flag Arioth (May 11, 2008 at 12:15) (Below Threshold) show comment
Sam'a victory today will influence mentaly and psychicly to the other riders in WC.
  • - 14 props
flag odin333 (May 11, 2008 at 12:45) (Below Threshold) show comment
thats good that sam won today. everyone's been saying "oh sam's so slow now, his career is done". looks like he still has it now. were was Garcia? out on injuries? or was he just being a slow ass today? and who's this julien guy? never heard of him before, must be an up and comer.
  • + 12 props
flag pelsall-dher (May 11, 2008 at 13:00) (Below Threshold) show comment
who was saying sam's so slow????
  • + 8 props
flag dingus (May 11, 2008 at 13:25) (Below Threshold) show comment
Yeah, Ive not heard that anywhere. lol, maybe odin333 is hearing voices in his head. He seems like a bit of an idoit anyway...
  • - 1 props
flag bmxracer62 (May 12, 2008 at 12:26) (Below Threshold) show comment
this kid doesnt know what hes talkin about?!^^^
  • + 4 props
flag stryke (May 11, 2008 at 12:47) (Below Threshold) show comment
cedric came in 29th, he was on the commentry saying his run sucked.

he also said when sam pulls runs like that it makes him want to retire haha
  • + 1 props
flag benji333 (May 11, 2008 at 12:49) (Below Threshold) show comment
the commentry on the live streaming was sooo good, i was hooked on it was so intense to watch !!
  • - 1 props
flag suckafreedmr (May 11, 2008 at 12:57) (Below Threshold) show comment
where can you watch it on TV?
  • + 0 props
flag grgos (May 12, 2008 at 6:37) (Below Threshold) show comment
MTB Cut TV
  • + 0 props
flag thebillykid (May 12, 2008 at 8:04) (Below Threshold) show comment
and freecaster.com
  • + 1 props
flag sykesy (May 11, 2008 at 13:07) (Below Threshold) show comment
it's not on tv also i thought canadians were meant to be good at this mountain bking stuff, but steve smith only came 44th? pfft rubbish. *runs for cover*

i hope bryceland is ok, his fall was super nasty.
  • + 6 props
flag theflyingsquirrel (May 11, 2008 at 19:01) (Below Threshold) show comment
canadians spend too much time playing on jumps to focus on racing,
  • + 0 props
flag nick65 (May 11, 2008 at 13:10) (Below Threshold) show comment
2:47.54 Now thats somthing
  • + 0 props
flag el-shreddo (May 11, 2008 at 13:41) (Below Threshold) show comment
Looks like Rachel is quite ambitious to enter the WC podium at the finals...
Let´s hope we don´t get the same effect with Sam Hill as last year. He wins wins the whole show every time and it gets boooooooring
We´ll see what´s what in Andorra, I think.
  • + 8 props
flag fredydh (May 11, 2008 at 13:42) (Below Threshold) show comment
steve at 32, i think, riding much much faster than boys 20!!!!! go on steve!!!!
  • - 2 props
flag comatoast (May 11, 2008 at 13:47) (Below Threshold) show comment
whats the deal with this live feed not being available in the US and wha\y do the Freecaster links not work either? LAME!
  • + 0 props
flag h4rdc0r (May 11, 2008 at 13:51) (Below Threshold) show comment
watched the livestream!!! It was soo cool... cedric was kicking the show up!
  • + 0 props
flag bmxracer62 (May 11, 2008 at 14:11) (Below Threshold) show comment
dats my boy!!!
  • + 0 props
flag konarider112 (May 11, 2008 at 15:51) (Below Threshold) show comment
f*ck yeah julian camelini is so fast!!! awesome finally someone to give samhil a good run especially in andorra
  • + 0 props
flag bighit155 (May 11, 2008 at 16:17) (Below Threshold) show comment
way to go sam you are the man.
  • + 0 props
flag moose (May 11, 2008 at 16:43) (Below Threshold) show comment
does any one know how Bryceland is doing? that was a nasty fall.
  • + 0 props
flag madisonracing1 (May 11, 2008 at 17:15) (Below Threshold) show comment
no news from josh himself yet, that was a nasty fall.
  • + 0 props
flag gravityfreak (May 11, 2008 at 18:26) (Below Threshold) show comment
With the DH population of Sth Africa as small as it is - to have two Sth Africans (Minnaar and Neetling) in the top 10 is pretty amazing. Well done boys!
  • + 1 props
flag ChristoffS (May 11, 2008 at 18:40) (Below Threshold) show comment
Nice ride by Sam! Steve Peat is still up there, which is gd to see, and of course the up and comer that came 2nd! Should be a gd season
  • + 0 props
flag rmxking17 (May 11, 2008 at 19:23) (Below Threshold) show comment
how many world cup wins is that for sam now like 8? 2 in 05 (Pila/Schladming) 2 in 06 (Ft.Bill/Schladming) 3 in 07 (MSA/Schladming/Maribor) and now 1 in 08. I thinks he's gonna get to at least 20 wc wins by the time he retires and possibly close to 10 world championships. Sam is just too dominant
  • + 2 props
flag AqueousBeef (May 11, 2008 at 19:35) (Below Threshold) show comment
Sam should just ride brakeless. I bet he already does during some practices
  • + 3 props
flag camm67 (May 11, 2008 at 19:44) (Below Threshold) show comment
Here we go again.
  • + 0 props
flag norcocensored (May 11, 2008 at 20:28) (Below Threshold) show comment
no surprise here..damn he's fast...watch the clip @ freecaster and im pretty certain that he's in a league of his own
  • + 0 props
flag xltrider (May 11, 2008 at 20:36) (Below Threshold) show comment
alright sam!
  • - 1 props
flag ozztrailia (May 11, 2008 at 22:51) (Below Threshold) show comment
where do u get the green grips ??
they are on the bike that the mechanic is working on !

Me likey
  • + 3 props
flag silly-mtn-biker (May 11, 2008 at 23:09) (Below Threshold) show comment
go sam!!!!doing it for all the aussies!!!!!!inspirational, anyone that thinks sam is a douche is a faciest!!!sams the BOM!!cant go past a damn good aussie
  • + 0 props
flag sell (May 12, 2008 at 0:07) (Below Threshold) show comment
Hill is young, that's his goldenages have good ride everyone ...
  • + 2 props
flag aussie4x (May 12, 2008 at 0:18) (Below Threshold) show comment
sam is the man, well done. Love your work.
  • + 0 props
flag 1969 (May 12, 2008 at 0:39) (Below Threshold) show comment
Sabrina is probably getting very very worried right about now \o/
  • + 0 props
flag kenzo2005 (May 12, 2008 at 2:37) (Below Threshold) show comment
Yass Sabrina Congrats Peaty!
  • + 0 props
flag zimwe (May 12, 2008 at 5:43) (Below Threshold) show comment
here is a link updating people on josh's injuries! man it looked so painful!! the poor guy and he was absolutely flying!!

http://www.dirtmag.co.uk/news/category/uk/bryceland-down/dirt-1231434.html
  • + 0 props
flag szfetbb (May 12, 2008 at 5:45) (Below Threshold) show comment
The best thing is , when U look at Sam's riding style and position you could throw to the garbage Brian Lopes' book about mtb riding technique...
  • + 0 props
flag dingus (May 12, 2008 at 7:54) (Below Threshold) show comment
What does that mean?
  • + 0 props
flag callumr333 (May 12, 2008 at 8:54) (Below Threshold) show comment
Yeah bryceland was concussed with a chipped tooth and they later discovered that he has ripped a quad muscle off the bone in one of his legs
  • + 0 props
flag grgos (May 12, 2008 at 10:39) (Below Threshold) show comment
Josh Bryceland crash - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pzz35Fddhuk
  • - 1 props
flag keenanmoi (May 12, 2008 at 14:50) (Below Threshold) show comment
it was awesome i watched it live on the internet!
  • + 2 props
flag deth (May 13, 2008 at 3:25) (Below Threshold) show comment
I hope you like the video
  • + 0 props
flag 00AYOR00 (May 13, 2008 at 3:32) (Below Threshold) show comment
Gratulation deth for the VID!
  • + 0 props
flag bruce03 (May 13, 2008 at 4:34) (Below Threshold) show comment
sam hill is the best!!
  • + 0 props
flag pyratarider (May 13, 2008 at 8:13) (Below Threshold) show comment
renato ventura on board!
Nice vid
  • + 0 props
flag Cubaces (May 13, 2008 at 10:50) (Below Threshold) show comment
in "cubabike" profil foto and video of maribor dh world cup
  • + 0 props
flag grgos (May 13, 2008 at 11:44) (Below Threshold) show comment
new direkt video crash of Josh Bryceland - bad
http://www.vimeo.com/1010219

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