I imagine Graves has been over in Golden, CO, the home of Yeti for a week or two now talking shop and riding the front range. I'd expect his SB-66 to be absolutely dialed and his body will have acclimated to the elevation. The guys jumping off transatlantic flights that rolled up to Winter Park with a few days before the start may be struggling with elevation and their internal clocks.
I'm expecting the locals to make some serious noise and will go ahead and put Joey Schusler on the podium with Graves and a tough day for the Euros. I expect Mav to go absolutely bonkers with Sam Blenkinsop rounding out the top three.
Be interesting not sure they will stack up to these guys and girls they are world class e.g a class above, barring mechanical I don't think the US riders will match these guys for fitness, need to see the trails to see what we get if its a big wheel fest then I give the US riders a good bat, but agree with you on Graves he will be a real threat, if he's going to win a round this year it could be here
I'd like to see a lot of these guys come race the Whole Enchilada Enduro in Moab. I would drive out there personally to see Clementz, Barel, and the three Nicos charge the red rock tech on Porcupine Rim. I don't think Winter Park will disappoint.
Hope you're right its about time the US ran an event at there best locations and trails, some of the best ever races pre 2000s were stateside, no doubt there is the trails tracks terrain as good as anywhere!
It sounds like we 'Mericans need to start hecking Mav to take a trip stateside. Come on Mav, take the $1 Naked Bus to Auckland and jump on a direct flight to San Francisco. A 4 hour drive into the Sierra Nevada up the Yuba River will get you to D'Ville. I'm sure we could work out a way to host you and lend you some camping gear for the raucousness at Wild Plum Campground. It is pretty damn cool to cross the line at Downieville on an Ibis, walk past the Santa Cruz boys, grab a fajita from Chris King himself, and go hang with Scot, Hans, and the Ibis crew (many of them who you just races against). Get on it Mav!
Haha maybe next year, need to be ale to bring my co pilot always the hardest thing, plus too dam busy at mo, but would love it definitely, liking the sand of that ending for sure, be awesome, I will have to rely on you to do that for me, as for Blienky he will be racing @ Andorra WC DH this weekend and thats looking sic as too, back on flat pedals and no gloves, like that bit about walking past the SC boys, I heckled a Nomad dude the other day while riding uphill as Im useless slow on hills especially fire road, my mate on his Froggy climbs fire road faster than me, but I passed this SC Nomad dude who's quite fit, told him he needed an HD both laughed good banter aye. DV would be so cool and hanging with the crew, hang ten for me dude!