(Originally published in the March 18 to 24, 2012 issue of the Baguio Chronicle --- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines --- by Sly L. Quintos, Associate Editor.)
YOUR Self-Propelled would like to extend his sincerest congratulations to the Baguio-Benguet downhill artists for their incredible podium finishes at the recently-held Bulacan Mountain Bike Downhill Race in San Jose Del Monte.
Considered the longest (literally and figuratively) and the toughest downhill race in the Philippines, it features overwhelming hairpin turns and dizzying jumps that only the iron-hearted riders can dare to fly over.
Literally, it is the longest because it extends to nearly three kilometres. Figuratively, it is also the longest because it spans two provinces --- starting from the Bulacan side, cross the border, and finishes at the Rizal Province side.
Our local downhill daredevils who showed incredible podium finishes are: under the 19 to 29 years old category (of 30 riders): JOB BAYAO (2nd Place), MARVIN BUENO (3rd Place), SEAN BANAGAO (4th Place), and VINCE DANGIAPO (14th Place).
Under the 30 to 38 years old category (of 40 riders), the following showed unbelievable downhill courage: JEFF ABALOS (8th Place), ERWIN FLORES (9TH Place), JORDAN IBIS (15th Place) and DENNIS LEE (16th Place).
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DOWNHILL biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking competition where the riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds (seeded from slowest to fastest), on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders are timed with equipment similar to that used in downhill skiing. The placing is determined by the fastest times to complete the course; races are often won by margins of under a second. As the name of this discipline implies, downhill races are held on steep, downhill terrain, resulting in high speed descents, and with extended air time off jumps and other obstacles.
The 2011 Downhill World Champion is Danny Hart from the United Kingdom.
The very first downhill time-trial race took place in Fairfax, California on October 22, 1976 on a fireroad now referred to as Repack Road, due to the need to repack the single rear hub brake after a descent.
The bikes used were based on beach cruisers that had a single rear brake that worked by pedalling backwards. A mechanism came into operation causing a conical metal brake shoe to be wound on a thread into a conical metal hub. To prevent a metal to metal brake from snatching it was always filled with grease. Heavy use of the brake during the descent would cause the brake to over heat, melting the grease till it drained from the hub and required repacking. Ten riders descended 1,300 feet of Repack in about 5 minutes.
The first bikes used for descending were known as "klunkers" or "paperboy bikes": coaster brake cruisers using balloon tires first imported to America by Ignatz Schwinn.
By 1979, two organizers and competitors of the Repack downhill, Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher founded the company which named the sport, MountainBikes.
As mountain biking grew enormously during the ‘80s, downhill riders continued to use either rigid or limited suspension travel (under 2 inches) bicycles, and purpose made downhill bikes were not made until the ‘90s. Some of these innovations included dual crown suspension forks and disc brakes, as well as very elaborate frame suspension designs.
Later, riders from all disciplines of cycling began focusing on downhill. Particularly, many BMX racers made the crossover, including champions such as John Tomac (Team Tomac Bikes), and Brian Lopes. Their influence is seen in the increased difficulty of many courses, especially the big jumps and drops aspect of downhill. The coming of age for downhill biking was its inclusion at the first UCI Mountain Bike Championship held in 1990 in Durango, Colorado.
Modern downhill bikes weigh between 14 to 19 kg. and usually feature full-suspension and frame geometries that lean back farther (slacker geometry) than other mountain bikes.
As of 2006, 203 mm (8-inch) is the 'norm' for suspension travel however some commercially available big mountain freeride bikes can have over 300 mm (12-inch). Large-diameter 203–5 mm (8-inch) hydraulic disc brakes moderate speed. Downhill bikes and freeride bikes are similar but there are some slight differences. Downhill race bikes typically are much lower and have slacker head angles than freeride bikes, so that the bike is more stable at speed and in corners. Freeride bikes have a steeper geometry and a higher bottom bracket height, so that they are better for balance and maneuverability, however freeride bikes sometimes use single crown forks, which are shorter in travel length and lighter than the dual crown forks often used by downhill riders, dual crown forks usually have around 200 mm (8-inch) of travel, and single crown forks are usually around 180 mm (7 inches) maximum.
Downhill gear features body armour and full-face helmets; helmets are often rated by CE, CPSC, and ASTM standards, however rarely by DOT or Snell. Other protective gears such as a neck brace can be added to reduce the risk (by bringing the head to a controlled stop) of neck and spinal injury.
Aaron Gwin is currently the U.S' top-ranked racer on the World Cup Circuit.
In 2010, he finished his World Cup Campaign with a 4th place world ranking and a 4th place at the UCI mountain bike world championships. He races for the Yeti/Fox Racing Shox World Cup Team along with teammate Jared Graves.
The Diablo Freeride Park located in Vernon, New Jersey is a downhill facility on the East Coast of the United States. Historically they have hosted the US Open of Mountain Biking, which is the premier US gravity race. The 2010 U.S. Open had $50,000 in cash and prizes and a $7,500 purse for men's pro champion. Diablo also hosts their own series of competitions called the Gravity Series.*
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