Leogang World Cup 2011 - DH qualifying in photos

Clay is like any water. Sort of. It can exist in 3 distinct states, just like good old water. There's solid and baked by the sun, which just gets better as it gets blued in by tires; then there's wet, which is slick as shit; and last, there's drying out and sticky as a shirt tail relative after you've just won the lottery. Of the three states, some would label slick as the worst. But it takes just one pass through a gooey patch of the sticky stuff to realize that 5 extra pounds of terra firma attached to your tires does little to aid your efforts in getting down the hill.

George Brannigan made the right tire selection for his qualifying run and broke through with a solid showing after two dismal races.

Luke Stroble sends the roost flying in early morning practice. The mud was DEEP, and every single spectator and photographer up top was getting pelted with heavy clay and rocks.

Peaty shows how much the track dried out in less than an hour. No more roost, nicely bedded in lines. Ask the anthill boys just how sketchy it was... they moved about 45 seconds before they would have lost a phantom RED camera to Ben Cathro getting horizontal and catapulting over this berm. Sketchy!

It would appear that before the clay in the upper section of the track got sticky, it was a bit slick on this corner.

Markus Pekoll of Austria is a home town hero here and has a massive cheering section. He did about a zillion runs today getting ready for race day. The clouds started to roll in across the valley just before qualies.

The wet clay and roots of Champery in 2008 cemented Sam Hill's legend as a "wet" rider, and he himself called this track "beautiful" as he walked it, but he's been struggling a bit to get in the zone. Qualifying nearly 14 seconds off the pace did little to ease his frustrations.

Sabrina Jonnier is finally starting to shake off the effects of the bruised tailbone she suffered in March; between South Africa and Fort William she was completely off the bike. She likes the track here...

Floriane Pugin qualified first today for the ladies. She has enough style that a lot of the time she looks like one of the men on course. Apparently she carries their speed as well. Go Flosser!

Shaun O'Connor. Still ginger, but no longer junior or slow. The ginger bandit is on the cusp of making it. Can he crack the top 10 here at Leogang? Turns out he took a trip over the bars and landed on his head.

Yeah, it's out of focus - it happens - but Shaun O'Connor's off the bike ejection was a thing of beauty. He lost 9-10 seconds and failed to make the cut. But Yeti's still in business, Eliot Jackson made it.

Brendan Fairclough has been having a bit of trouble lately but it seems he may have gotten the monkey off his back. Brendog's in at 29th on the day.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Almost 300 DHers would agree this week it seems.

Sick Mick Hannah of GT. Not having a super sweet season is no reason not to have a bit of fun on the bike.

Not the typical sign seen course side at a World Cup DH race.

Full focus by Justin Leov.

That kind of focus is what it takes to thread the needle on this line going flat out.

Canada's pride and joy. Steve Smith of Vancouver Island. 3rd to last out of the gate tomorrow. Give'er Stevie.

Danny Hart was on fire this week, but the rain seems to have damped his spirits a bit during qualifying as he was about ten seconds off pace. With a sunnier forecast for tomorrow, another podium is not out of the question for the young Giant rider.

On the bubble sucks. You desperately want to make the cut, but you have no idea if some unknown is going to take you out, especially when you are at a world cup with 257 racers lined up to qualify.