Season 2, Episode 3 – and we’re back in Schladming for my first ride of the year in one of Austria’s roughest bike parks. Known for its endless bumps, brake bumps, and tech, I was finally riding it on a proper downhill bike — and super hyped to feel the difference.
This ride was a mix of stoke and struggle. My friend Hector was back too, but had a nasty crash on the very first run. He gave it another go (respect for that), but ended up having to call it after the pain was too much.
To end the day, I pushed myself a bit and rode the Schladming World Cup DH trail for the first time ever. Steep, rough, and blind — I took it slow and survived, but I’m already keen to hit it again with more speed next time.
If you like real POV riding, rider stories, and iconic trails, you’ll enjoy this one.
_LOCATION
Schladming, Austria
https://www.planai.at/de/sommer/mountain-bike
_FOLLOW ME
https://www.instagram.com/peterjamescoyle/
_IN THIS EPISODE
https://www.instagram.com/hectorbenedi/
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[Music] [Music] Yo, did you crash? [Music] Hi, welcome everyone to another video. Apologies if it’s a little bit echoing here. I’m in the gondola here in Schlabing. It is my first time in Schlabing this year. Uh I did Schlabman quite a lot at the end of last year, but I was on my old uh trail bike and Schlabing super bumpy and uh yeah, not ideal for sort of a lower travel suspension bike. So, I’m really looking forward today to the first time riding the new Scott Gambler full downhill uh here to see how much difference it makes. And I am meeting up with Hector. Hector’s come all the way from Gratz this morning. So, he’s not here yet. But I’m going to do a warm-up run and then I’m going to go all the way back down, get a lap in, and then go meet him in the car park. So, warm up run. Probably going to try the rookie downhill first, which might be a bit of a breakthrough, but we’ll see how it goes.
To the top. Right then, rookie downhill. First run of the day. Try not go too mental. Oh, I zigzaggy. Didn’t see that coming. [Music] It’s so dry today. Oh, I tell you what, it’s immediately nicer being on a downhill bike here. First few turns. All good. Taking it easy. Trying to remember all these courses. Go. Huh. [Â __Â ] It’s always [Â __Â ] bumpy here. I think there’s a drop here somewhere. A little rock crawl. Way more dug out than it used to be. Woo. Okay. Little bit of arm pump already. Okay. I need to get better at not being on the brakes. Like an absolute [Â __Â ] wooden drop that I screwed up last year. No problem this year with the difference. [Â __Â ] Absolutely case the saddle though. [Â __Â ] It’s so bumpy. I’m getting to the point where I really need to sort my suspension out. I don’t really know what I’m doing with it, but feels like it’s working against me sometimes. Still on mission. Need to get way better at carrying speed through the burns this year. It’s my biggest weak point at the moment, I think. Just lack of trust in the bike. I didn’t want to jump that. I didn’t know how much speed I needed. One day I’ll hit that drop, but definitely not today. Well, I can say it’s definitely more fun on a downhill bike than it is on a trail bike, but still bumpy as [Â __Â ] Hey, cows. I love cows. Whoa. Bottomed out first time. Oh, I’m going off the course. Ah. Yep. Bottomed out. without me down. Warm up run. That is the most intense warm up run I think I’ve ever done. I got to wait for Hector. Grab myself a coffee. [Â __Â ] hell. Knackered. Well, Hector’s here. Second run down rookie downhill. Going to take a chance not to [Â __Â ] this section up with the little zigzag that I missed out last time. My back tire I think is [Â __Â ] floating at the moment. You good? I’ve lost Hector. That’s okay. Ah,
I need to get used to this [Â __Â ] again. 5 minute man. This is slow. And this is also really not fill up the brakes or something. Look at this [Â __Â ]
Maybe we can get them bled.
They’re not working. Maybe we get maybe have a look at them at middle station.
Yeah,
cuz you don’t want to have no brakes here.
Yeah. Or at the bottom. [Music] So dusty. Woo! I love this car, man.
Yeah, same. Whoa. Woo! Oh! Wa! [Music] Oh my god. And he died. Yo, did you crash?
Yeah, [Â __Â ] me.
Are you all right?
I don’t know. I think I think it’s okay. But [Â __Â ] What happened? [Music] I’m just down on one of the corners. [Â __Â ] He crashed. You all right? [Â __Â ] man. That was
What did you do?
[Â __Â ] me. I was too I was I pissed myself. So, I was like, “Fuck, I’m going to break.” It didn’t break enough, I guess, or something.
And I was [Â __Â ] enough slow to just hit with the front tire on the on the landing.
You all right?
I hurt my finger. I hope it’s nothing [Â __Â ] hurt.
You bend it.
Could be broken. I’m looking I’m feeling I didn’t want to remove the glove. Oh, I think Hector is hurting bad. That was a bit of a [Â __Â ] case he took. I think it’s the same jumper I hit, but I think I cleared the front wheel and he didn’t. Woo. Right, we’re going to go have a coffee or a tea or a Coke or a beer and uh see what the damage of Hector’s crash is.
How is it? Sore.
Right. Anyway, it’s fine.
Yeah. Broen your leg, huh?
Yeah. It could have broken your leg.
Yeah.
Actually, let’s not say that.
Right. I’ll follow you. Here you are. If you want, you can go first.
No, no,
I will for sure go slower than you. That’s fine.
That means I can get closer to you.
All right.
Get closer to you. This zigzag so sketch. Whoa. So dusty, eh? Massive respect to Hector for riding with basically a broken thumb. Stay down. [Â __Â ] man. No.
Easy boot. Ah, every [Â __Â ] bump is a pain.
Yeah, I’m not surprised. Well, let’s do the flow do the flow line then.
That’s easier. That’s going to be the worst bit every time. Nice. Understandably, Hector has decided to call it a day. Uh, he’s pretty sure he’s um broken his thumb and it looks pretty bad to be fair. So, he’s going to scoot his little self off to the hospital to go get an X-ray. Fair play to him for carrying on for another run. He tried, but ah, he was in so much pain. So, I’m going to go back for a couple more runs on my own.
And I’m going to try and take a run that I’ve not done before. Like one of the pro downhill or not pro downhill almost, but one of the other downhill runs. But I’m going to go steady because I’ve never done it before. Yo. Oh, somebody’s taking that pole out. Good on them. Woo! Skitty skids. Woo! Oh, I can never get that one right. I think maybe down here. So, this is a bit I’ve not done before. So, I’m interested to see what it’s like. [Music] Okay. It’s way more tight on the BMS. Okay. I know this bit. Ah, okay. I could have done the other bit I know to get back to this bit which I probably prefer. This here is the jump I absolutely cased last year. It looks a bit different now, but I tried to pop it and this I think this little lip here was way more of a ridge and I just caned the front of it and ended up [Â __Â ] making contact with this wall there. Ah, [Â __Â ] hurt. That’s how you’re going to do it. [Â __Â ] sender. This is the start of the bit I’ve not done before. So, let’s see what it’s like. Bit of a drop. I’m going to miss the jump. Not sure of the speed. Okay. Probably. Yeah. Easy for that one. Not sure how big that one is. [Music] Okay. This is not bad. Okay. [Music] Uh, no idea where I’m going here, but take this cut up route here. Down. Oh, [Â __Â ] Through the needle there. How you turn this? Okay. Woo. It’s not so bad. He says so far. I mean, the guys I’ve seen today have been actually sending it. [Â __Â ] It’s so bumpy. [Â __Â ] me. I didn’t want to do that. I think I’m going to miss that one. Could have probably made it, but ah, okay. Uh, I go this way. Woo! [Music] Woo! This is so bumpy. [Music] You just got to ride them and hope that you carry the speed. [Â __Â ] hell. That top bit’s actually all right. Um, it’s like super bumpy. Like I know slab meanings bump in general, but I think some of the bits is like it’s actually harder if you go slower because uh if you’re going faster, you sort of clear a lot of the stuff and just glide over it. And when you’re going a bit slower, like me, [Â __Â ] hit everything. Actually really fun. I think once you know where you’re going a bit more, I don’t really have a clue. Yeah, once you know where you’re going a bit more, it’s going to be way more fun cuz you know what you can clear and what you can’t and maybe what lines to pick and stuff. So yeah, [Â __Â ] is hot, right? Going to get down this last bit. Not sure what it’s like, but find out in a minute, I guess, won’t we? Right. Drop. Okay. Would have been good to know. Okay, so I’m going to turn on these bitoo. [Â __Â ] You need some speed to clear these. And I haven’t got it. Woo. [Â __Â ] me. You need to absolutely glide this stuff. And I’m so slow. I’m going to cut this one. B. [Â __Â ] This is brutal. The hands, man. Some of these guys have been lapping all day and it’s just just absolutely wrecks you. Okay. It’s bit steep than I thought. Okay. Onto the wall ride. It’s steep. sprung here. Oh, it’s a gap this year. [Â __Â ] The rides are for the first time and it’s like completely different from the year before. Yeah, this is different as well. Used to just be a straight line. Now it’s kind of these BMS slightly more technical B section. Woo. Can I pop that? Yeah. I think I’ve got this one as well. Yeah, easy. last section of this rookie oh World Cup downhill now. Back on the big boys track. Oh, it’s [Â __Â ] steep. Okay, this is nicer actually. Oh, going so slow. Uh this way. No man, I [Â __Â ] it. Okay. I know this bit anyway. Okay, just roll this. No, I wouldn’t have cleared that. Going to just drop this bit. Don’t laugh at me. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this. So in the comments, I know you can probably go quicker. I think I want to go that way or I know I want to go this way. I saw this. Oh, I’m so on the brakes again. Come on, Pete. Get off the brakes, you [Â __Â ] [Â __Â ] Oh my god. [Â __Â ] hell. Not how to do it. Believe it or not, I think that’s my first fall of the season. And I’m going to blame it on not knowing where the [Â __Â ] I was going. Woo. Ah. So [Â __Â ] sloppy. Come on. Oh, into the forest. I guess I rideoo. Oh, come on. H straight. I didn’t realize this line had so many different roots. I mean, ways down, not not tree roots. Oh, tree roots as well right now. [Â __Â ] me. Ah. Wow. That was that was brutal. That was [Â __Â ] brutal. Oh, wow. That was heavy. [Music] If that was my first fall of the day before, that was very nearly my second. [Â __Â ] hell. Oh my god. How the guys ride this more than a couple of times a day? I have absolutely no idea. [Â __Â ] hell. I know I’m making a load of noises on this video. It’s probably super annoying to listen to, but [Â __Â ] me. Right, I’m [Â __Â ] I’m going to do the exit now and then when I get to the bottom, I’m just going to die. So, thank you for watching. First day here at Schlabing Dun. Uh, Hector’s broken. I’m nearly broken. Uh, yeah. Glad I ticked off that more pro downhill line now. So, that’s a good one to end with and get in the books. So, yeah. Thanks for watching. See you next time. Uh, stick around to see me do a really [Â __Â ] jump. Second one definitely was [Â __Â ] [Music]