A good BL anime should showcase healthy, loving, and consensual relationships regardless of the storyline. Older, more problematic titles have gradually been overshadowed by more wholesome and beautifully-written stories such as Given and Sasaki and Miyano. Positive LGBT+ representation has become more normalized newcomers can find anime that depict healthy queer romances. RELATED: 10 Must-Read Boy's Love Manhwa For BL Fans Fortunately, the BL genre has evolved along with the anime industry as a whole. Many of the relationships depicted in manga and anime damage the LGBTQ+ community. Given this, much of the criticism BL-specifically yaoi-receives is warranted. While the representation of LGBTQ+ romances is invaluable, BL has propagated various toxic tropes over the decades. Best or most memorable result: Qualifying 1st at the 2009 US Open of DH as an Amateur which placed me in top 20 pro times.The boys' love-also known as " BL" or " yaoi"-has a problematic history.It was 37-pounds, which was freakin light back then! Favorite downhill bike owned: 2010 Giant Glory.Riding style: Aggressive style with the ability to muscle the bike around I enjoy riding the sides of the trail, looking for different lines, and trying to be creative on the bike.Best or most memorable result: 2013 Cat 1 19-29 US National Champ, or any US Open race from Diablo Freeride Park (now known as Mountain Creek).Favorite downhill bike owned: 2015 Giant Glory 27.5-inch.Loves looking for tech flow lines and pumping trails. Riding style: Over the front of the bike with chin over handlebars.Best or most memorable result: All the urban races in Taxco.Favorite downhill bike owned: Turner DHR or Intense M1.Riding style: Upright yet aggressive, always linking natural trail features to generate flow and speed.Best or most memorable result: 30th place, Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup 2016.Favorite downhill bike owned: 2013 Specialized Demo.Enjoys a sneaking straight line or ripping jump trail. Riding style: Relatively upright with weight more rearward than most.With a few years between them and differences in riding style, setup preference, and body dimensions, the one similarity they all share is that it has been years since they lined up at a US National. Piloting our test bike was Vital’s own Jason Schroeder and first-time testers Dennis Yuroshek, Willem Cooper, and Alf Garcia. Well, at least that was the plan when we arrived at Mountain Creek. And ultimately, our goal was to see which bike would emerge victorious on race day. In true Test Sessions fashion, we wrangled together four testers to gain a diverse impression of where each bike excelled, fell short, and what nuances set them apart. With a short gondola ride that allows multiple runs to be knocked out per hour, and accommodations conveniently located at the base, Mountain Creek served as the perfect location to conduct our test. They are well known for their impressive variety of trails, featuring a mix of rough, technical rock gardens, high-speed chunder, steep rock rolls, and flowy jump lines with ripping berms. Situated only an hour from New York City, Mountain Creek has hosted multiple world-class events over the years. To do so, we headed to Vernon, New Jersey, the home of Mountain Creek Bike Park and the site of round two of the 2022 US National Downhill Series. With racing so intertwined into the DNA of downhill, we figured what better way to test this year’s bikes than in a race environment. Many brands invest endless resources into developing World Cup-winning bikes that can navigate the most demanding terrain and withstand the abuse of the world’s fastest racers. With gobs of travel, slack geometry, big rotors, and tiny gears, downhill bike performance has always been synonymous with race pedigree and success between the tape. Welcome, to Vital’s 2022 Downhill Bike Test Sessions! We are back with another multi-bike test featuring four descent-hungry machines from Mondraker, Propain, Canfield, and Nukeproof.
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