He had to hold himself from braking too much because he knows he can't accelerate if he slows down too much. A real showcase of experience and expertise Edit: To the people commenting "Thanks for stating the obvious" I was commenting about how he had big balls and not braking on that terrain, I do downhill racing as well not on their level though. Not braking on that kind of terrain makes it very risky and can most of the time lead to accidents resulting in bruises, broken bones, and sometimes death. He noticed that his chains broke in the first few seconds in the race and was now riding chainless, he had the choice to lose the race and be completely safe or risk it and win, he showed his experience as he didn't panic and maintained a cool composure, braking only when necessary and didn't even brake on some of the obstacles. He rode chainless the entire way down and won beating second place one and a half seconds faster and if you know anything about racing that is very quick. The rider was Aaron Gwin and this run he made was back in 2015 in austria. It was considered to be one of the best if not the best moment in mountain biking history.
He had a flashback of his training arc . "Be ready for all uncertainities " said his sensei . In a flash of moment he regained the control of his malfunctioning cycle and said "It's now or never"🔥🔥
@defquickedalling is faster you're right - but only when the angle is shallow enough - e.g. the other extreme of trying to go down 80 degrees or something, the pedals will be useless compared to gravity. But if you don't have a chain the only means you have of accelerating are by using gravity, and if you brake you lose energy - you can't just brake then add it back in by pedaling. So yeah he realised there was only one path to victory and that was to just keep letting gravity accelerate you and don't brake at all. Pretty risky since without really good control you're likely to crash on many of the sections - which is probably how he still managed to win with an insane time. All the other contestants would have been braking in high risk areas and then trying to pedal. But the thing is people don't realise how fast you will start going if you just let gravity do it and don't interfere at all. Try doing it on a high course with a medium-steep grade. People don't realise it because unless you're at all extreme angle the pedals feel faster than gravity. But the thing is gravity is acting on you non-stop, and can easily get you up to speeds you can't pedal to.
It's incredibly harder to navigate a bike without pedals, he was basically gliding/free falling down that hill at max speed, without pedaling once, and no crashes, master piece
@Li'l Pete's Workshophaving no chain is quite equivalent to having no pedals...because without chain, pedals are of no use... So yes...the bike does not have pedals technically
@luxter858 He rolled faster than anyone else did. No chain on his bike, he couldn't really use the brake because he couldn't make up lost time with pedaling. He had to rely on skill and focus. All that adrenaline can help you focus and like the other person said, achieve some truly incredible acts. Not a lot of people perform so well under that much pressure.
Absolute FLOW STATE. He was flying… That’s maybe one of the best feeling we can have, already experienced it few times in different situations, it’s such an ultimate feeling… LOVE THIS
Not pedaling allowed him to focus even harder on his riding, he kept his speed perfectly because he knew he couldn't get it back. That and unweighting the suspension over the rough patches. Nicely done.
Riding chainless is actually an insane experience. In some way it feels like you get much better response from your suspension. You have to try it to believe it.
You actually do get better response from your suspension, your chain puts constant pressure on your suspension lincage, push your rear suspension down and watch how much your pedals move, now think of the suspension trying to overcome that while compressing quickly with your weight on the pedals
@themanhimself3 I've been drinking iced coffee as a replacement and slowly it's going to replace the water content in my body and get rid of the need for sleep. /s
@Ben Yarlett I would agree with Danny Hart's run being even more legendary, but between Hart, Sam Hill's '07 Champery run and this one, I can see arguments for all of them being the greatest of all time
Im sure most people who've never ridden a mountain bike downhill at these kinds of speeds don't understand how crazy it is that he kept his balance with no chain!!! Your chain keeps some tension on your pedals and that helps with your balance, with no chain this run is insane!!!
There's a theory that, on some courses, the improved suspension performance with no chain makes up for the inability to pedal. You still have to ride up to that increased performance though, and he did.
and it massively helps if the chain breaks AFTER getting up to running speed, which is what happened here. If it had broke on the first push on the line we wouldn't be talking about it other than commiserations.
I know nothing of this topic. What benefit does a chain even provide here in the first place? Its all downhill and he seems to be going plenty fast so im struggling to understand why pedaling would help
@Ryan Hendricks they typically pedal off the start to get up to speed, and courses usually have some flatter sections, often including a long flatter run to the finish line.
@Aaron🤣🫵 They say bullshit and attitude go further than skill and hard-work Actually just made that up, I think it’s a combination of attitude, good luck, and timing. What helps to maintain it though is some near ability to follow up, and a truly humble personality ⚠️ Everyone enjoys to see cocky bite it, but sad to see humble hit hard… I may be wrong, my internet connection is so slow I’ve been trying to get this short clip to load so I can see it now for days literally my cell provider is the worst ever, oh but cheap 🤣 Peace off the chain dude Now do it without any brakes😳
Often the things we rely, hold us back from achieving greatness. Losing his Chain made him adapt quick and pressured him to taking risk he would’ve never taken with a chain. Well done
Decided its all or nothing. My dude had to be 200% focused to not make a single mistake, to as not to slow down. He also has massive balls to keep going, knowing he has no brakes.
@Benjamin - I don't think so there will be zero friction while freewheeling with chain because it is connected to the front power gear and we hear the krrrrr sound due to it, which means it is holding the rear sprocket. When the chain out of equation, the sprocket moves freely with rear tire. Hence I said slight lose of friction or resistance will be the better word once chain is gone.
Still one of my most favourite runs of all time. Danny Hart in the mud & rain is also up there. Glory years of DH with Ratboy, Gwin, Bruni, Hart, Athertons, Chainsaw RIP, Minaar, etc etc. Claudio on commentary too. Loved his pre race reccie runs too. I had to stop riding all bikes a while ago and couldn’t bare to watch anything, but I think I actually do need to get back into it.
"Pressure it changes everything some people you squeeze them, they focus others fold, can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline?” -Al pacino ‘Devils Advocate”
The absence of the chain enabled him to focus on keeping his body balanced and constantly shifting his body weight to keep himself streamlined on the slopes Regardless it's a completely different matter to actually accomplish it...and on live television for that matter One could also say that those were the necessary elements required to push this mans senses to the limit🤔 Absolutely brilliant!!!🤞🔥💯💯💯
@Screwfist it absolutely will the only time it wouldn't would be in a vacuum But I feel this would have more to do with the bike going straight instead of side to side when you pedal but could be wrong
Never forget watching this and being genuinely blown away at AG’s sheer skill to do what he did. But apparently not the first time he’s completed a race with a killer time without a chain…😮
Insanity to win with that time. Truely next level
pretty sure he came 2nd
@Aidan Potter-Khatri no. he came first
@Flawless he came first? 😏 😏
He had no means to gain any speed so he decided to never slow down. Legend!
Like Poganini with one string on his violin
@best djafPaganini?
This is a quote in its self
It’s down hill race. Gravity and pumping is the way he gains speed.
Exactly💯
Thats called a full send. Hell. Yes.
"LOTS OF PEDAL STROKE!!!" Dude feet isn't moving😢
@DFWFishFeenthink he meant, "not a pedal stroke"
@DFWFishFeen He actually Said "Not a pedal stroke." i guess somepeople really do need them constant subtitles
do i hear a disc golf reference? 😃
Man… that was off the chain!
How is this not the top comment? Gold
@Liam Schaelling why thank you !
came here to say this lol
I came here to make that comment 😅
Daaaamn, crazy how a mindset change can alter the outcome of based rules if you set them aside
Crazy to think in less than a second he decided to endure the challenge instead of giving up. That's pure confidence.
so true!!
Confidence in self is all you need too
Doubt he would ever think of quitting
confidence or determination
I am a lazy fearful man and I wouldn't give up in a downhill with no chain. Its downhill.
Basically no breaking too because he has to keep that momentum, give this man all the awards
Breaking the chain.
And then, no braking.
There would have been some. You cant full send it into a corner and come out with an advantage by cooking it.
*braking
Broken chains released the inner beast, figuratively and literally in this case. 🏆
That’s Monster Energy my guy 👀
Good job Nice 🍷
Literally?
@CARLOS X RAMIREZ more like, "the power of the RedBull👀"
Still figuratively.
THAT...wow. Not only must've that been unbelievably difficult but to adapt the run and technique is mind blowing
Red bull dudes are legit next level at everything
Fu…g geniuses on their field. You are correct.
He had to hold himself from braking too much because he knows he can't accelerate if he slows down too much. A real showcase of experience and expertise
Edit: To the people commenting "Thanks for stating the obvious" I was commenting about how he had big balls and not braking on that terrain, I do downhill racing as well not on their level though. Not braking on that kind of terrain makes it very risky and can most of the time lead to accidents resulting in bruises, broken bones, and sometimes death. He noticed that his chains broke in the first few seconds in the race and was now riding chainless, he had the choice to lose the race and be completely safe or risk it and win, he showed his experience as he didn't panic and maintained a cool composure, braking only when necessary and didn't even brake on some of the obstacles. He rode chainless the entire way down and won beating second place one and a half seconds faster and if you know anything about racing that is very quick. The rider was Aaron Gwin and this run he made was back in 2015 in austria. It was considered to be one of the best if not the best moment in mountain biking history.
Bro just called common sense "expertise"...
@Trulsno common sense is going to help you with that road 😂
@TrulsBro displayed the Dunning Kruger effect at work
@Ralph Cruz fr 💀
@Truls you probably can’t even ride a bicycle without training wheels.
He had a flashback of his training arc .
"Be ready for all uncertainities " said his sensei . In a flash of moment he regained the control of his malfunctioning cycle and said "It's now or never"🔥🔥
"How did he stay in touch on all that pedalling with no chain?"
it's gravity, mate
Yes, but pedalling still is faster on a flat section
You want to mate with him?
@BONG JOVI 🏳️🌈⃠ what
@defquickedalling is faster you're right - but only when the angle is shallow enough - e.g. the other extreme of trying to go down 80 degrees or something, the pedals will be useless compared to gravity. But if you don't have a chain the only means you have of accelerating are by using gravity, and if you brake you lose energy - you can't just brake then add it back in by pedaling.
So yeah he realised there was only one path to victory and that was to just keep letting gravity accelerate you and don't brake at all. Pretty risky since without really good control you're likely to crash on many of the sections - which is probably how he still managed to win with an insane time. All the other contestants would have been braking in high risk areas and then trying to pedal.
But the thing is people don't realise how fast you will start going if you just let gravity do it and don't interfere at all. Try doing it on a high course with a medium-steep grade. People don't realise it because unless you're at all extreme angle the pedals feel faster than gravity. But the thing is gravity is acting on you non-stop, and can easily get you up to speeds you can't pedal to.
I think he's asking how he stayed in control so well with no pedals when he needed them to help with control
It's incredibly harder to navigate a bike without pedals, he was basically gliding/free falling down that hill at max speed, without pedaling once, and no crashes, master piece
No pedaling allows you to focus on your maneuvers more and etc cause without pedaling you have one less thing to worry about
He had pedals, he had no chain. Two completely different things.
No chain, but he approached it as if he had no brakes.
@Li'l Pete's Workshophaving no chain is quite equivalent to having no pedals...because without chain, pedals are of no use...
So yes...the bike does not have pedals technically
Just goes to show you what perfect technique can do It's not always about power He was picking the perfect line and executing absolutely amazing
This man became one with his bike... this is what it looks like to be at peace.
This is what hard core adrenaline makes you achieve 🙌🏻👌🥇
Wdym...he literally rolled
@Luxter probably touched the brakes less than any other run he did because he couldn’t pedal
@luxter858 He rolled faster than anyone else did. No chain on his bike, he couldn't really use the brake because he couldn't make up lost time with pedaling. He had to rely on skill and focus. All that adrenaline can help you focus and like the other person said, achieve some truly incredible acts. Not a lot of people perform so well under that much pressure.
Idk about adrenaline do the pedaling 😅
The second worst wreck I ever had was when a chain broke after clearing a step up . This man is a beast !
Absolute FLOW STATE. He was flying…
That’s maybe one of the best feeling we can have, already experienced it few times in different situations, it’s such an ultimate feeling… LOVE THIS
Not pedaling allowed him to focus even harder on his riding, he kept his speed perfectly because he knew he couldn't get it back. That and unweighting the suspension over the rough patches. Nicely done.
mostly goes to show theres a lot of improvement left to find in the sport.
@jamham69 yep, now take away the chain for all competitors
@jamham69spoken like a true speedrunner
Well tbf its a 50/50 chance , either you made it or losing control . In this case he made it
Pedaling really is the least efficient way to gain speed on a dh bike.
Completely in the zone. Completely in the moment, right on the edge. Thats flow state right there
The art of not forcing.
~The Flow
🤺🚲😉
Mans went all in and it paid off! What a legend
The Commentary makes it even better
Imagine a spanish commentator
You ever heard the Danny Hart run with the same commentators? Pure excitement!
@Barney Adams yeah, Danny Hart riding wet champery. Warner went mental. Such a memorable run. Thanks Warner.
Good ol' Rob Warner!
ohHhHhHhHhH WITH NO CHAINNNN
I remember watching that. Just freaking nuts. I love moments like that. What a legend.
Everybody that witnessed this owes that Man a beer.
Riding chainless is actually an insane experience. In some way it feels like you get much better response from your suspension. You have to try it to believe it.
You actually do get better response from your suspension, your chain puts constant pressure on your suspension lincage, push your rear suspension down and watch how much your pedals move, now think of the suspension trying to overcome that while compressing quickly with your weight on the pedals
@Chase Blaisdell I could tell my clutch was off today because of the feel of the suspension. turned it back on and it felt normal
There's no kickback... that's why.
@Chase Blaisdell 😅
it's obvious without trying. There's no chain in linkage's way to hold suspension back.
Dude was pumping at the right moments he needed too. Excellent
Sometimes the things that hold you back are the things you think you need.
That was deep but true 😅
Thanks I’m gonna cut my legs off and stop breathing now cause I always felt like the ground and the atmosphere may have been holding me back 🤔
@Nidhish Shivashankar Bro the secret is cutout water. It's been holding us back for so long.
@themanhimself3 I've been drinking iced coffee as a replacement and slowly it's going to replace the water content in my body and get rid of the need for sleep. /s
@Trav lmfao
A shining example of skill our species can be proud of. This one goes in the history books.
He was falling down a mountain with absolute style
The guy really took "It's not a bug, it's a feature" to a whole new level!
He was a free man without chains🔥🔥🔥
The highest paid MTB athlete of all time, the tubeless, chainless run king. The one and only, Aaron Gwin. The Gwinn Thing 🔥
This man has a center of balance that I could never match.
Here's to him. 🍻
Bro is a living suspension
Fujiwara has a worthy opponent. Man saved as much speed as possible on those turns 👌
NO chain, NO brakes, NO FEAR, Awesome run!
One of the greatest downhill runs of all time!
You got that right cuz I was there
It's up there. But well beneath Danny Hart, Champery 2011.
@Ben Yarlett I would agree with Danny Hart's run being even more legendary, but between Hart, Sam Hill's '07 Champery run and this one, I can see arguments for all of them being the greatest of all time
I can agree
Im sure most people who've never ridden a mountain bike downhill at these kinds of speeds don't understand how crazy it is that he kept his balance with no chain!!! Your chain keeps some tension on your pedals and that helps with your balance, with no chain this run is insane!!!
He broke his chain , but his will was unbreakable .
There's a theory that, on some courses, the improved suspension performance with no chain makes up for the inability to pedal. You still have to ride up to that increased performance though, and he did.
and it massively helps if the chain breaks AFTER getting up to running speed, which is what happened here. If it had broke on the first push on the line we wouldn't be talking about it other than commiserations.
I know nothing of this topic. What benefit does a chain even provide here in the first place? Its all downhill and he seems to be going plenty fast so im struggling to understand why pedaling would help
@Ryan Hendricks they typically pedal off the start to get up to speed, and courses usually have some flatter sections, often including a long flatter run to the finish line.
Which is why it's hardly mountain biking, more like off-road slalom scooting.
@Benjamin Blackball my man you don’t know what you’re talking about
Broke his chains so the beast goes on rampage🔥🔥🔥
Now that's knowing how to keep the speed moving in your favor.... And trusting your equipment
Dude started pumpin! Pump track practice paid off!
the only good comment here
Old school BMX vibes, right?
Damn he was
This is why Gwin is my inspiration.
Always make it happen....NEVER GIVE UP
This single run turned Aaron into an absolute Legend!
Iam 💪
@Aaron🤣🫵
They say bullshit and attitude go further than skill and hard-work
Actually just made that up, I think it’s a combination of attitude, good luck, and timing.
What helps to maintain it though is some near ability to follow up, and a truly humble personality ⚠️
Everyone enjoys to see cocky bite it, but sad to see humble hit hard…
I may be wrong, my internet connection is so slow I’ve been trying to get this short clip to load so I can see it now for days literally my cell provider is the worst ever, oh but cheap 🤣
Peace off the chain dude
Now do it without any brakes😳
I mean...that's one of the reasons to be proud to be an American
The best Mountain Cyclist with no chain ya ever heard.
Freed from the chains holding him back his potential was unleashed for the world to see!
Great things are achieved in extraordinary conditions
He just proved a point in efficiency and method. This man is a game changer. Wonder if he’ll adopt this no pedalling method in future runs. Brilliant!
This run from Gwin, and the run from Danny Hart at a wet champery are hands down the most memorable runs of the sport.
Often the things we rely, hold us back from achieving greatness. Losing his Chain made him adapt quick and pressured him to taking risk he would’ve never taken with a chain. Well done
You know u have met the final boss when the opponent beats your time with a broken chain.
Next year, he's gonna do it on a push bike.
Push Bike??? No! On a pedal-less Uni-Cycle FTW!!!
Well, he won't. He is long retired. But he could for sure
@bronwyn SoCal Gal 😂😂😂 while juggling 🤹♀️ 🔥😂😂😂
@MarkoPolohe was still racing last year... wouldn't call that long retired
When adrenaline tells you to hold its beer.
Decided its all or nothing. My dude had to be 200% focused to not make a single mistake, to as not to slow down. He also has massive balls to keep going, knowing he has no brakes.
That slight loss of friction from chain once it's broken gives crazy speed.
Really amazing how he controlled the bike on turns with pedaling
If you're freewheeling the chain has 0 friction anyway or not?
@Benjamin - I don't think so there will be zero friction while freewheeling with chain because it is connected to the front power gear and we hear the krrrrr sound due to it, which means it is holding the rear sprocket.
When the chain out of equation, the sprocket moves freely with rear tire.
Hence I said slight lose of friction or resistance will be the better word once chain is gone.
A little less weight might have helped him.
the plus side to no chain is better suspension .
you guys dont ride
Insane that he had the discipline to not touch the brake.
A real champion suffers a setback and refuses to let it stop them winning. Winners dont make excuses, they just find a way to win.
It accepted it and realized he had to lay off the brake's ! Sick
Still one of my most favourite runs of all time. Danny Hart in the mud & rain is also up there. Glory years of DH with Ratboy, Gwin, Bruni, Hart, Athertons, Chainsaw RIP, Minaar, etc etc. Claudio on commentary too. Loved his pre race reccie runs too.
I had to stop riding all bikes a while ago and couldn’t bare to watch anything, but I think I actually do need to get back into it.
Absolute legend! Greatest US downhill rider of all times?
Two wheel mountain soapbox race!
Bro woke up and decided to send it,.. legend.
"Pressure it changes everything some people you squeeze them, they focus others fold, can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline?” -Al pacino ‘Devils Advocate”
That year was insane. And that blown tire too
Look, how beautiful an unchained beast is!
Legends say it was the brakes, not the chain...
Never give up, no matter the circumstances
you don't even need to pedal when riding downhill especially if there's no jumps
and thats why Derke Whitfield is the best bicyclist to ever live
Now that's what you call a full send
Pure speed man! Doesn't get much better than that.
A truly champion 🔥
Look at the air that guy caught on that last jump! Bravo!
Ohhh ya this thing was sick 😂😂
Edit :26 like thanks thats my record
The absence of the chain enabled him to focus on keeping his body balanced and constantly shifting his body weight to keep himself streamlined on the slopes
Regardless it's a completely different matter to actually accomplish it...and on live television for that matter
One could also say that those were the necessary elements required to push this mans senses to the limit🤔
Absolutely brilliant!!!🤞🔥💯💯💯
I guess the chain weighs a fair few grams 😂. Lighter n faster.
On a serious note that was EPIC stuff. 🙏👌
Weight makes u faster downhill tho ;)
@BlackSnow 94 no it doesn't. Your body goes down-hill pretty fast the fatter you are but extra weight won't make you go faster.
@Screwfist it absolutely will the only time it wouldn't would be in a vacuum
But I feel this would have more to do with the bike going straight instead of side to side when you pedal but could be wrong
@Aaron White (sir sweetcorn) education is so important, try it for your self sometime.
Chain broken, this man has nothing to lose and everything to gain !
When life hands you a lemon make lemonade.
I wonder how his meeting went with his chain sponsor after this race lol he doesn’t need them to win so he better get a raise! Lol
The adrenaline going through his body must've been insane!
if you on slopes that can make you go that fast, pedaling ain’t doin nothin anyway… AND THIS SHXT STILL FIRE! lol amazing
no chain no brakes
New trophy unlocked. Django Unchained.
I remember seeing this live. Epic!! 💯
The Dutch 'that is crazy' at the end just makes it better 😂
Chain realized that he's no longer needed at that point and set himself free
The need to start using high end emtb chains
Now imagine if he still had his chain he would be a beast
This was….. off, the chain.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooohhhhhh 🎸
Gwin and Specialized were a real vibe. Remember watching this live. Rob Warner is the GOAT!
I wish I could have been there live!
Goat is frenchman Loic Super Bruni💪
Nothing to lose, and nothing but gravity to speed him up he tried his best to maintain momentum.
Never ever underestimate an American will never quit 🤘🏼🤘🏼
That was an epic ride
Man is accelerating with sheer willpower alone
Never forget watching this and being genuinely blown away at AG’s sheer skill to do what he did. But apparently not the first time he’s completed a race with a killer time without a chain…😮
It’s the best example of 2 things: there is no excuses, and you can ALWAYS ALWAYS be better, and you have more to give than you know
Math's not your strong suit, I guess
Looks like 3 things to me
I don’t think she knows how grammar works as well….
My man became a two wheeled soapbox derby car
Gwin is still an absolute savage
what a freaking talent!