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Race Face UFC IV - The first 4 |
Maybe I'm getting jaded. I guess I've spent more time than most checking out videos and perhaps that's why this year's first group didn't exactly ring my bell. I guess I should say there was one exception but you can read on to find out about that.
There are a few changes to the program this year and the first one is that Race Face has decided not to tell us where each of the riders is from. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure it out for the most part but it still feels different. Despite my patriotism I think this is probably a good idea. The folks at RF want you to vote on the rider you think is best even if they are from Upper Bumfork.
It's always easier for us to evaluate riders who live close to us though. Video makes large moves look small and when we see someone ripping something we have experienced first hand we know exactly what they're pulling. But let's try to even the playing field and vote on rider merit.
Let the best ripper move on.
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Dave is a
return contestant from last year. Last year's footage as I recall
was pretty race focussed but this year he pulls out some great street
and park moves. Last year he did some back flips but this year
he seems more into bar spins and threes. Riding the big bike he
pulls some sweet Vanderham-style moto whips and rides everything with
a powerful smoothness. In 2004 Dave went out in the first round
to eventual winner Wayne Goss. |
Dave
McLaughlin - age 19|
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Jesse has
some nice style in the air, flattening out a burly road gap from about
5 different angles. We don't get much variety in his video though.
It's clear he can go big and with quite a lot of chutzpah but there
isn't as much personality to his riding and his video as I'd like to
see. |
Jesse
Meerkerk - age 19 |
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Jadyn can
ride the skinnies like a budding Danger Dan and it seems he has his
own Flow Show apparatus as well. Jadyn also has some trials skills and
he pulls a nice little bench hop move (I don't know trials lingo) without
any set up or recovery hops a la Ryan Leech. Jadyn also took a drive
down to Virgin to ride some of the Rampage lines. He goes big
but without the style most riders in the UFC usually seem to possess.
He gets versatility points for the different riding styles he brings
to the table though. |
Jaden
Welch - age 21|
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Whatever dude. I think it's some kind of video
editing trick. They took a lad with two arms and then pasted in
a waving sleeve to make it look like Dustin is dropping these road gaps
with only one hand on the bars. In all seriousness what Dustin
accomplishes with one arm is truly off the sichter in my books.
I have seen many of the moves Dustin pulls in his video in person and
they are large. Dustin is clearly a remarkable athlete who doesn't know
the meaning of disability. The vast majority of four limbed freeriders
will never attempt anything as large as the moves Dustin pulls here.
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Dustin
Bryant. Age 21.There you have it. Once again there are issues to be sorted out here before a vote can be cast. Clearly Dustin's riding isn't at the level of the other riders in some respects. In the air he goes straight and he doesn't pull any release moves. Or you could argue he's pulling one large release move all the time. So do we take the challenge of riding with one arm into account or should there be a level playing field? That my friends is for you to decide and just one of the aspects that makes this such an amazing diversion every year.
You've got until next Thursday to view these videos and vote. On Friday the winner will be announced and the next four aspiring UFC honchos will go online.
