All the footage so far is very promising. It looks like a wild ride.
It's going to be much better than watching the 20th visit to a hard packed, one line motorway.
Wide taping, fresh cut, roots = all amounts to lots of line chose. That means bigger time gaps and a much greater opportunity for errors.
I have more excitement for this race than any since Danny was on his winning streak back in 2016.
I even have more excitement for the quali results than for most races.
Not looking to belittle anyone else's opinion, but it'll be so good to see a technical course which gives so much opportunity for creativity and interpretation - and which will favour the best bike handlers.
If only Sam Hill was making his DH comeback here.
I'm going to miss it...
Happily that's because i'm at Afan and BPW for the weekend...
So will catch up on Sunday evening 🙂
Still I'm wondering what is under the cover on Bruni's bike and if its so good, why does Finn and Chris not have it on theirs?
Bring on the random rough tracks. I wont be able to watch live, but I'm sure I'll be glued to every run, even if I accidently see a spoiler before I can watch it.
Here's hoping the camera locations are actually on the key bits.
Was 2019 Les Gets the race where we got to see the full run due to it being a sub 3 minute track?
Marine Cabirou injured it looks like 🙁
https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/Les-Gets-Road-Gap-Carnage,11216
You all just want to see loads of crashes, admit it 😛
It will be good as a spectacle but there's already a lot of riders out injured, I'm not keen to see more.
Anyway I'm just arguing for the sake of it now really, I'm sure it will be grand.
Cabirou has updated on her Instagram page, no broken bones just bruised heavily. No racing for her this weekend.
Front wheel slipped out on take off at the big road gap and she went straight to the right side of the berm. Ouch.
Was 2019 Les Gets the race where we got to see the full run due to it being a sub 3 minute track?
Pretty much.
It's worth reminding yourself how wild the winning run was...
what is under the cover on Bruni’s bike and if its so good, why does Finn and Chris not have it on theirs
If it's some kind of remote lockout, as speculated, I can't see it adding a lot of value for this event.
But generally, perhaps Loic doesn't want Finn to have it?
But generally, perhaps Loic doesn’t want Finn to have it?
I've never quite got the spesh team dynamic. Is there some bad blood between them? You're more likely to see Loic hanging with Loris - or am I getting the wrong impression from the coverage.
I’ve never quite got the spesh team dynamic. Is there some bad blood between them? You’re more likely to see Loic hanging with Loris – or am I getting the wrong impression from the coverage.
Dunno, but perhaps Loic thinks Finn is an arrogant little shit with ideas above his station.
Just 'cos that's the vibe I've got from Finn in the past.
😀
Marine Cabirou Pulls Out of Les Gets World Cup Following Road Gap Crash
Sounds like they took some of the roots out before the road gap to make it easier, but still causing issues..
You all just want to see loads of crashes, admit it
There'll be crashes for sure, but I like the idea of different line choices and a more natural track.
Finn does come across a little jumped up at times.
Just ‘cos that’s the vibe I’ve got from Finn in the past.
Glad its not just me. I would have excused it in the past when he was winning in the Juniors, but this is his 3rd? mens season, and he's still acting like a 15 year old.
Of course he's Mr Whistler, so his fan base is going to be bigger than purely race results would suggest.
Is there some bad blood between them? You’re more likely to see Loic hanging with Loris – or am I getting the wrong impression from the coverage.
I don't think bad blood, I think its more Finn is a team mate and Loris is actaully Loics friend, they've been buddies for years, sure I saw something showing pics of them being really young and riding bikes together.
I don’t think bad blood, I think its more Finn is a team mate and Loris is actaully Loics friend, they’ve been buddies for years, sure I saw something showing pics of them being really young and riding bikes together.
I was going to say aren't Loic & Loris really good mates. Are the Specialized team all on the same suspension (should have looked it up)? It could just be that Finn doesn't want to run whatever it is and Loic likes tinkering to wring every second he can out...who knows?
@chakaping we chatted with Finn at Fort Bill after the race a couple of years ago. In no way did he seem arrogant. He was very polite, very friendly. His folks were with him, and they were also lovely.
I don’t think bad blood, I think its more Finn is a team mate and Loris is actaully Loics friend, they’ve been buddies for years, sure I saw something showing pics of them being really young and riding bikes together.
For sure they are best mates, but on track/practicing I would have thought team/job trumps this unless there is an issue between them.
Was it Gwin and Mulally at YT that had a falling out and wouldn't practise together?
I don't like the big fast grass ending, and it could do with a few horrible massive rocks, but it still looks ace to me. Hopefully it works out as lots of options rather than it being more about finding the superior ones. Some bits look like they properly separate the geniuses from the merely brilliant...
I guess the two risks are that with it being so unbuilt, the track could change a lot over the race day, especially if there's weather- could easily have earlier riders on lines that don't exist by the later ones, you can already see that in practice. And it might not look the best on camera, especially if the directors go with the easy wide shots and don't have much focus on the steep woods. But as a rider's race it looks damn fine.
Myriam was the only woman to do the road gap in quali’s ... should have had her in my team! The men’s race is going to be super tight unless the weather messes things up. I need Danny to do the business to get me some decent points but this could be a French masterclass.
Is it me (or the Augustiner), but does Wyn Masters look really stiff on the bike?
And screw me, but I find Elliot Jackson's voice seriously grating.
Have a listen to the Bruni interview on the Downtimw podcast to get Loic's thoughts on Iles - "I think why does ee act like zat? Ah yes, because ee is a reetard!"
Apologies for the terrible allo allo take off..... Bruni is actually much less self confident and more considered than I would have expected for a multiple world champion, I really like him
Is the race today? What time does coverage start?
Elite women's finals start at 12.30 CET and mens' at 13.30 CET. (they're an hour ahead of the UK)
Bugger, guess I'll be watching on the road (wife driving)
Seagrave lost quite a lot of time in the last section. But it's raining. Will it be enough?
Could a interesting fit the men's race.
Might work the the Brits favour.
Weather forecast doesn't look good. Hopefully we get a level playing field. It's crap when the track falls apart half way through the race.
Forgot how dodgy the redbull site could be. Worked fine at the start of the race now 3 browsers cant get it to load up again :/
got it going on the phone now though.
Is Vali cursed?
oooft, poor lass thats going to do her confidence no favours at all
Red bull app on the PS4 for me works flawlessly. Might be able to get it on smart TVs?
Gutted for Nicole she would have won if it wasn't for the early crash
I've got the Red Bull app on my Sky Q box and the live feed for the men's race was just a constant loop of the post race analysis from the women's race🙄
Working fine on my Xbox though
Track getting slicker
I really regret taking Daprela out of my fantasy team. I foolishly thought a massive head injury and biting his own tongue off might slow him down a little.
You and me both!
I know right? Nails, that lad
Think this one is done and dusted with the rain coming in now, I know from personal experience how slick that mud gets.
I don't think there are many in the top ten who could take this....
Other than the obvious names.
That last jump over the stream on the off camber grass section is getting seriously gnarly
That whole section is terrifying to watch.
EDIT: Thank **** for that.
Jeez, Wilson was on fire and then wow, so glad he got up.
How many spectators did Reece Wilson just murder?
I had daprela and Max H in my squad.
I changed it to have pretty much everybody who has fallen so far. Bugger.
Glad Wilson got up from that, awful game of buckaroo
Is the road gap still in the course?
if it is seems crazy not to have a camera on it.
Wasn't the road gap the jump that Wilson crashed on?
No, road gap is up top of course, think the one at the bottom is the creek gap.
Right you are. They did seem to have a lack of cameras on the top section, which seems odd considering how difficult so may of the field seem to be finding it.
Great riding from all the competitors. Really glad no one seriously spannered themselves.
Compare and contrast Wilson getting up and finishing his run with all the play acting in the football later.
Really good to see a new course like this, super steep but natural, with so many insane lines if you’re good enough... but the weather took the edge off it for me. Nothing anyone can do about it obvs but for the last few coming down, they must have known Daprellas time was untouchable.
Wilson’s crash was a real oh please please get up moment, it’s the worst crash I remember for a long time.
It's a bit of a bummer when the race is won so early but Thibault's run was a banger and fair play to him for even getting out of bed after his crash last week.
There was some real heroic efforts from the top boys but no one was going to put down a tidy run on that slick clay. Regardless of the rest of the track, there was no chance of getting across that grass to the jump at anywhere near the speeds of the earlier riders. The run up to that woodwork was terrifying!
How's this for a screenshot?
I've just watched the replay, disappointing the weather made it a final of two halves but I'm pretty pleased duprela won after his heroics so far this season
As a few said above, I also took Daprela out of my fantasy team….error. What a beast. And Reece’s crash 😵. The most entertaining race I’ve watched in a long time, even if the rain did mess the field up.
Just watched the replay, did not enjoy watching the grass before the jump... Hell, I don't like those in the dry but that was just a bit too dangerous imo especially since every mph there gets carried right to the end . Who was it that had the amazing save, Kolb, or maybe Coulanges, where they lost it completely but managed the crash all the way down? That could have gone horrible...
Lovely story though for Daprela, seeing him stick his tongue out, aaargh. Wee special mention for Minaar, one of the latest riders to really make a mark in 7th, on a track that doesn't really suit him that well at best.
pictonroad
Full MemberIs the road gap still in the course?
if it is seems crazy not to have a camera on it.
Tasteless to record people dying 🙂
^those clips of Reece Wilson and his bike going into the crowd! Apparently his arse touched the rear tyre then he couldn’t unclip. Mullet and flat pedals FTW 😀
did not enjoy watching the grass before the jump
Me neither, Bruni took a way high route into that ramp and it still looked way too sketchy
Brilliant race to watch. Very pleased Wilson was able to get up and ride to the finish
I’ve just watched the replay, disappointing the weather made it a final of two halves
that’sa bit harsh. Troy came down early so has the better track conditions yet he was outside the top 40 which didn’t happen very often
Sooooo... all the people saying how great the course is, did it hold up well? 😛
Is the full replay up on redbull TV, I can't find it but that's probably because it's the most hateful of apps!
Sooooo… all the people saying how great the course is, did it hold up well? 😛
You're right it should been a line of hard packed gravel all the way down. Or they should've built a roof over it.
Everyone knew from day 1 what would happen if it rained on race day.
Roll on Maribor.
Sooooo… all the people saying how great the course is, did it hold up well? 😛
I thought the track held up fine. After all, it wasn't like it became an unrideable quagmire when it rained. It just became a lot more tricky which, imo, is what should happen to a track when it rains.
I'd rather watch a race where weather is the deciding factor than a race where weather doesn't affect things at all because the track is boring as hell.
Is the full replay up on redbull TV, I can’t find it but that’s probably because it’s the most hateful of apps!
Yep. Watched it myself this morning before the women’s XCO race, which was also pretty sketchy.
The replays can be found under “events”
I’d rather watch a race where weather is the deciding factor than a race where weather doesn’t affect things at all because the track is boring as hell
Definitely. That off camber approach to the jump where Kolb had his moment was nervous viewing though.
You’re right it should been a line of hard packed gravel all the way down. Or they should’ve built a roof over it.
I’d rather watch a race where weather is the deciding factor than a race where weather doesn’t affect things at all because the track is boring as hell.
Ah yes because those are the only two options.
Ah yes because those are the only two options.
OK, how would you design a track so that weather wasn't the deciding factor but was still interesting to watch?
Also, would you have every track in the WC circuit designed this way?
There is a third option
Warner said it was a large puddle on a flatter section before the 1st split that caused the later riders to lose time, most were at least 4 seconds down on Daprela by that point and had no chance of catching up. The weather did sort of spoil the race as it got steadily wetter and less grippy, but as already pointed out Brosnan was outside the top 40 despite being down quite early when it wasn't that wet. Personally I thought the track was everything a dh world cup should be, multiple lines the whole way down and loads of opportunities to lose/make up time. Tracks with one obviously faster line (Leogang original or Pietermaritzburg for example) mean fractions of a second can make all the difference, so riders hit higher speeds with bigger consequences if it goes wrong. I've heard several say it seems like tracks were being designed to suit TV broadcasting rather than challenging the best riders and the risks involved weren't worth it
Shame about the switch in conditions but it made for some edge of the seat viewing.
Unlike last year's weather-affected races, the post-race interviews seem pretty upbeat and accepting of the way the track turned out.
When you get sudden heavy rain during the race, it always skews the result, whatever the track.
I really hope they include this track again regularly, it'd be great to see a dry race or even a consistently wet race on it.
Update: World champs is there next year.
😀
Weather like they had yesterday will always skew the result. See; Lourdes 2017.
Asking if the track held out is just a daft wind up.
I was trolling a little just because everyone jumped on me saying the course didn't look great - and yes obviously big changes in the weather will change the track but having a section like that gap jump and the run in to it is just bad course design IMO.
I think rockier courses hold up better in the rain. I don't see many people complaining FW is boring even though it's a very 'built' track mostly.
I think rockier courses hold up better in the rain. I don’t see many people complaining FW is boring even though it’s a very ‘built’ track mostly.
Funny you should mention FW. If you remember 2017 that was a good example of a race that was actually ruined by weather and poor track design. The woods section was tiny but it decided the race and it was more or less a lottery if you got through there or not.
This race had nothing like that, as far as I could see.
I think it's easy to criticize any new track in hindsight, but TBH, most DH tracks are dirt on steep mountainsides, they're always going to to be more or less sketchy in the wet (for a given value of unridable for normal humans), and even Mont St Anne which is pretty rocky can be be brutal in the wet (see 2019)
I don’t see many people complaining FW is boring even though it’s a very ‘built’ track mostly.
The racers do complain that fort William is boring, and I certainly wouldn't mind if it had a bit of a rest.
It would be very exciting if we could have another UK world cup DH venue instead.
People have been saying Fort Bill is boring for 10 years. You don't follow DH do you?
I thought the track made for good watching and actually seemed to hold up quite well in the rain. People like Remi Thirion and Reece Wilson were still riding interesting lines in the wet.
I do agree though that the off-camber grass into wooden jump thing was nerve-wracking to watch (a fair few moments in the men's race), and the "sketchy corner into road gap" thing higher up caused a few injuries I think.
I'd be happy to see a return for next year on the whole!
