Last Man Standing.....

[G-Bone]

Just got done watching "Last Man Standing".....and trying to see what David Knight is doing differently than all the rest of the guys.

The guy is amazing and makes it look so darn effortless. :applause:

Just in the first "rodeo section" (?), he just braaped right over every log wall and the rest are pulling there bikes over by hand.

It makes me want to take some TRIALS lessons.?

It also seems as though while all the others are hitting everything WFO,

he is reserved in use of his throttle (at the right time).

Noticed most were using trials tires on the back.

Anyone else catch the race?

G

[jjgixxer]

I know a couple people that raced it. One caved his radiator in half on the first lap. The other placed 9th Nick fahringer.

[jayh300]

watched and taped it, have not gotten to re-watch it yet, but it sure lookd hard. the dirt rider magazine, i think my son has it right now, has a pretty good write up on it from coopers perspective. I live about 200 miles from there and had plans to go this year, but work.........and just to watch it, got no biness riding it

jay

[CBus660R]

The thing that stands out about Knight to me is how he carries more speed into an obstacle which allows him to use his trials techniques to good effect on a regular dirtbike. You can see it clearly in the Rodeo section. Where everyone else slowed down to a crawl, then tried to blast over/into the logs, Knight rolled up to them with some speed and pre-loaded the bike to get it moving up and over.

[99raptor]

What got me was the 2nd session where he couldn't clear the ledge on the hill.He picks it up a 4' vertical and then goes on,pretty damn strong for the end of an enduro.

[velosapiens]

What got me was the 2nd session where he couldn't clear the ledge on the hill.He picks it up a 4' vertical and then goes on,pretty damn strong for the end of an enduro.

yeah, he's a big strong guy, and has a trials background too. i noticed alot of people getting stuck and just pinning it, and sinking down into the dirt as their tire spins. duh. smoothness and keeping the tire hooked up are your friend in technical terrain. alot of stuff that even pretty fast guys get hung up on is pretty easy to just braap right over with a few controlled shots of the throttle.

of course stuff looks way less gnarly on tv and in pix. for knight to have to pick his bike up that thing must have been beyond sick in person. i had to do roughly the same thing (only more gently) on a ledge going up rusty nail trail in moab.

[MrSmooth]

If you notice, most of the first guys through the Rodeo section did basically the same thing Knight did over the logs. Deeper in the field the sloppy pop-a-wheelie-and-slam-the-skid-pan-into-the-log technic starts showing up. The pointless pin it and spin it stuff along with trying conquer a small wall by sitting down and launching your bike 6 feet in the air had me screaming at the TV.

[642MX]

The LMS was awesome. I'd love to try it.

[washington_rider]

one of my favorite things to watch was when there was that straight up hill climb close to the beginning. knight made it look too easy as all the others just laucned their bikes up and over. i'd hate to be one of the people standing at the top of the hill!!! :applause:

[SHRacing]

I watched it 3 times and i'm impressed every time:worthy: :applause:

[gdbarr1976]

The LMS was awesome. I'd love to try it.

It did look awsome but I would only try it if I was riding someone elses bike. Volunteers??

[jumbo12]

TRIALS, TRIALS, TRIALS!!!!!! That is the key boys. I am a little partial because I have a trials background, but, I have proof! Look across this fine nation of ours and all of the different race clubs, and you will see a common denominator, people with strong trials backgrounds cleaning up in enduros. You just gain to much knowledge over years of trials that you cannot get just riding trails. How to use your suspension, brakes, throttle, body position and most importantley, how to pick a line in the technical stuff! Good luck, and ifyou have a local trials club, check it out, get a bike, and improve your overall game.

[jeep45]

Have to agree Jumbo 12, just attending a National Trials and watching the amazing things those guys were able to do with a MC and then just copying some of their techniques made me a better rider.

[G-Bone]

I watched it the second time last night.

Rewound it alot to compare riding styles and approaches.

The other thing that Knight and the few front runners had going for them was that the trails were not torn up form the other 100 guys yet.

The second lap was just plain sick.

As I'm watching it. I'm thinking "my wifes 230 with a revlock clutch and trials tire would be perfect for that race". Then again, it's easy to say from my recliner.

[gdbarr1976]

TRIALS, TRIALS, TRIALS!!!!!! That is the key boys. I am a little partial because I have a trials background, but, I have proof! Look across this fine nation of ours and all of the different race clubs, and you will see a common denominator, people with strong trials backgrounds cleaning up in enduros. You just gain to much knowledge over years of trials that you cannot get just riding trails. How to use your suspension, brakes, throttle, body position and most importantley, how to pick a line in the technical stuff! Good luck, and ifyou have a local trials club, check it out, get a bike, and improve your overall game.

I think you are right. All the top Euro guys that are kicking our butts have a trials background. I am going to set up a course for my yz450:ride:

[Sicko]

I go to Muenster (Bulcher) all the time and the sections they show are extreme.

Joshua Tree is about a 100ft climb at a 45 to 50 degree angle that has a near vertical step up about 50ft up.

Texas Stadium is just hard to explain but it is a wicked climb while dodging boulders the size of your bike,

The notch on triple threat is so intimidating it is unreal.

David Knight is just plan smooth and it does help when you have a huge lead to. I watch him and everything did seam effortless as he hit each obsticle.

What you didn't see on TV are several other parts of the loop with 15ft near vertical climbs, the rock laiden hills, and the sand. Bill's Woods is probably my favorite with varying terrain with hill climbs and off cambers. The terrain changes so quickly up there. I have riden there for years and I think I find something new every trip.

Trust me the other 100 plus riders there were not slouches. They were pros and A riders and they were flying. When David Knight walked his bike up Joshua tree he had over a 40 minute lead.

[thillsam]

.....and trying to see what David Knight is doing differently than all the rest of the guys.

The guy is amazing and makes it look so darn effortless.

LOL Knighter is 250 lbs +, and 6' 6" and has total monkey arms. If you were to place me on a CRF150R and take a picture with nothing in foregroudn or background for scale, and take the same picture of Knighter on his KTM fullsize bike, it would be very hard to tell the difference. He can literally flatfoot a fullsize bike, with crotchroom over the seat to spare. He wears SIZE 14 boots, for cryin' out loud!

This is NOT to discredit his incredible talent, throttle control and body positioning as a result of his extensive trials background by an means - it's just that in situations where even those only get you so far, brute strength, behemoth size and a lifetime of experience in conditions like those at this years's LMS are the only saving grace: he has them all in spades!

Ever see Jimi Hendrix's hands wrapped around a guitar neck? That's how Knighter looks on his bike.

If they arrive in time, I'll be on a Scorpa T-ride next year...then I won't have nay excuse but myself for not making the night lap!

If you notice, most of the first guys through the Rodeo section did basically the same thing Knight did over the logs. Deeper in the field the sloppy pop-a-wheelie-and-slam-the-skid-pan-into-the-log technic starts showing up. The pointless pin it and spin it stuff along with trying conquer a small wall by sitting down and launching your bike 6 feet in the air had me screaming at the TV.

Not to toot my horn too much because I admittedly 2-houred out at mile 18, but I waited my turn patiently and rode the entire "rodeo" trials-style too, with one dab total while all the squidly types you mentioned above floundered about to either side of me. The cameras were literally not watching me but trained on the guy on the ground next to me as I rode over and by him.

If the qualifying had been held, and qualifying had logs and ledges like on the rodeo/course itself, it would have filtered all those squids out real fast and the bottlenecks from those lucky squids that got a good start position and start itself would never have held the rest of us bad/unlucky starters up.

This is important because the cameras at all the major obstacles woudl have gotten a lot more action if there hadn't of been as many bottlenecks due to fast starters/mediocre technical riders.

KNight is all of those rolled into one though- there's a reason he finishes events liek that with a smile on his face!

*******************************

...

The other thing that Knight and the few front runners had going for them was that the trails were not torn up form the other 100 guys yet.

YUP. Echo (from THIS post):

For the first, say, 15-20 riders through the remainder of the course, I'm sure it was a very good time with some slippery challenges. For the rest of us, it was a muddy, slippery, sloppy greasy mess. It was either wet wet sand, or clay-grease mud with leaves and sticks and roots nearly everywhere. Ruts and troughs in places where there simply was no alternate line either because of banners and courseworkers or plain old terrain topography became huge bottlenecks...

[MrSmooth]

If the qualifying had been held, and qualifying had logs and ledges like on the rodeo/course itself, it would have filtered all those squids out real fast and the bottlenecks from those lucky squids that got a good start position and start itself would never have held the rest of us bad/unlucky starters up.

Good point! What's up with the qualifier being based on speed. Makes no sense.

The Scorpa T Ride sounds like an excellent bike for that event.

[NKTM]

If you notice, most of the first guys through the Rodeo section did basically the same thing Knight did over the logs. Deeper in the field the sloppy pop-a-wheelie-and-slam-the-skid-pan-into-the-log technic starts showing up. The pointless pin it and spin it stuff along with trying conquer a small wall by sitting down and launching your bike 6 feet in the air had me screaming at the TV.

Anyone else see the irony in this statement?

[MrSmooth]

Anyone else see the irony in this statement?

Nope.