Pippo Marani's statements regarding safety in the DH and the direction it is taking, made the environment talk (see the article here). We did a recap of the Italian stage of the World Cup in Val di Sole (here all the report cross country e downhill) going back to Black Snake, the youngsters “with the forelock” (as Pippo calls them), the evolution of the tracks, the UCI/Discovery and the Italians. Space for the podcast.
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Here is a part, in text format, of Pippo Marani's Recap.
DAVIDE FINETTO – How did it go in Val di Sole?
PIERPAOLO MARANI – Everything is fine, Saturday I had a heavy return journey: 4 in the morning and 10 in the evening at home. But I had to.
Did you have to? Why did you have to?
I had to because the Black Snake has been radically changed, it's no longer that track…oh my God, so the technician has stayed but it's no longer what it used to be, let's say. When I traced, I kept everything inside, stones, roots and whatnot. I said radically changed because they have removed everything: stones, roots, they have created a path of what they call "modern". The new era, very very fast tracks, super super spectacular (they say for TV) where you risk so much.
But in the end I think it's all about following the evolution of the vehicles: the tracks are evolving together with the bikes. What do you think?
In my opinion, with current bikes it's normal for safety to be a bit limited because yes, they give more safety but they bring much higher speeds: you fall less but when you fall it's painful. Today's young people, who have the gift of recklessness, like we all had at the age of 19, fly with these bikes. This year in Val di Sole they reached 60/65km/h, which has never happened. In my opinion, modernity is fine but surely they should also have an eye on safety, even if in Val di Sole nothing was missing in this respect. But you teach me that if you have 70 an hour you take a plant, it's not like that much remains even if you have protections.
But in that famous Val di Sole "Sam Hill version" of 2008, do you remember what the peak speed was?
The peak speed that year was 62km/h but it was in a 100m long section, where we had filled up with mattresses because we considered it a critical section. But then the rest of the track was much slower in comparison. In the Black Snake 2023, there weren't any particular technical parts: there was a lot of sand because unfortunately it didn't rain, it didn't compact, there were other problems, but the speed was great.
But we won a different path than Leogand e Lenzerheide.
Absolutely yes, particularly different. Leogang e Lenzerheide they picked up speeds close to 80km/h with straight stretches that had to be gripped. There's a radical change, Davide, I noticed this, it's palpable, the race was very cold. I can tell you for me it was anonymous: I watched people get off but I didn't see any particular things. Yes, there was no shortage of emotions but only if one slips or misses a curve, there is a lack of that competitive spirit on the part of the public who keeps you there and tells you: "look at what he's passed, look at the line". Everyone passed on a single track and the first one to get down won. I don't know if you understood me. But if we've reached 80km/h in the woods, where the hell are we going to go? Did you understand? It's not that you have more margin, mind you, if you're in the technical field you have some margin, but if you're already there at 80 an hour where do you have to go?
In my opinion, it's a bit of a problem with all sports when they become very professional, that the magic is lost a bit, what do I mean? DH 2000s: everyone, let's face it bluntly, was having a beer after the race and there was much more creativity, craziness, and there was no exasperation.
Yes all right, there was a world more "let's love each other" but every generation has had its own story, God forbid. I am for the change, mind you, but you have to show the rider's qualities, not just make them look like grasshoppers on stones, make big jumps, that is, that's technique, but you have to show how a rider rides downhill, otherwise paradoxically the cross country has become the downhill , downhill has become the cross countryi.e. what do I mean? THE cross country they traveled on par, if you went to see this year the Val di Sole route at times looked like a DH track and, vice versa, the DH at times seemed too rubberized with clean and straight lines. Fabien Barel was the first to bring professionalism to DH and everything changed from there and this happened in 2005 when we organized the European championships up in Val di Sole. What does that mean? They exercised, stopped drinking or at least drink less. Don't get me wrong: it's not a world of drunks but a beer wasn't denied. Now at the end of the race many athletes seek recovery, rightly so, with supplements or something else. There has been a whole change. The world changes, but I repeat, I for my part who am of the old school, I only wish that in these fast courses there were 1-2 sessions where there is pure technique, then you can make a good mix, but if it remains a straight down straight is not good.
Did you get to talk about these things with someone who matters?
Yes, I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Ball, the current head of the UCI, responsible for everything that is done now. Chris Ball worked with me for 5 years on In Val di Sole as UCI manager and together we practically exchanged various experiences. He was a Master so he grew up over time and was influenced a lot by his English friends and instead he always found walls with me. Paradoxically he shares my thoughts with me, he says yes, even the technique, however papal and papal he told me that this is the fashion of the moment, mind you, not the need, the fashion of the moment. And we must follow it as far as possible: speed and spectacle. Boys with a tuft, young modern bikers, were born in Bike Parks and it is normal to offer tracks with these characteristics.
I'm considered the old man, I've always criticized everyone and everything, but I think that in the end it all comes back, that is, in the sense that we talk about the same things, but we talk about the same things in a different way and this only pleases me because obviously I'm not saying then just bullshit.
Just to create a summary of this year's edition? Did you like it?
Absolutely, I liked it, because finally after five years they managed to give the track a different imprint. That is, the track needed it, but already when I was there it needed to make some interventions. So congratulations to the organizers, they have done a great job, an excellent job for what are, I repeat, the needs of the moment also dictated by these directives (UCI/Discovery). The organization is something never seen before: they will have more than 100 people who trace the route, mind you, under the vision of Cristian Vender, the one who manages the park here in Val di Sole.
Lots of cameras, two drones, never seen so much stuff in the woods and believe me I saw all this evolution here, because in the early years there really were those who ran with cameras on foot to follow the riders. The race itself I didn't see so many people, there wasn't that full of people that there have been over the years, although I read everywhere that there is a lot of interest in this discipline (DH), but once they come in Italy it was not followed well in my opinion by the public. Then yesterday you saw the cross country? There was the world.
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