There's a fair bit of this on the new re-route up top: turf. If it rained overnight, there'd be roosting action here unlike anything that's been seen on the WC circuit since the first year at La Bresse. It gives the track a distinctly old school start before diving into the rock filled woods the riders both love and loath.
A+ score on this re-route at the top, eliminating the lamest first corner ever; you can see the old line with the massive rock at the apex of it. Now it's a turf to a tighter left with a mini berm in it.
M6 Motorway here now at the top section of the track as the course veers away from the berm bashing goodness of the last three years and goes full on old school down the neighboring piste. It's more or less straight as a string, full throttle, go as fast as your balls will let you for what seems like forever. "I'm going to take a minute off last year's time with this track," chortled a gleeful Claire Buchar.
Once into the woods it's business as usual: wheel wrecking rocks and loads of them.
"I don't ever really get tired of tracks like this. Every year there's something new: an erosion line, a shift in the woods... something that keeps it fresh." -Greg Minnnaar.
Huck to rubbish. It's a pity that this portion of the track - at one time an intimidating line, now a simple huck into a sketchy pavered berm - didn't get the old school make-over that the upper portion received.
The motorway below the first woods is the same as it ever was, although the curve into the left woods below is a bit flatter.
The last vestige of single track on the this beautiful monster of a track appears to finally be getting widened out by track designers. Even last year this line was so tight riders had to watch it a bit to keep from clipping bars. Now? Not so much...
More motorway and then into the axe heads of death right hand sweeper 30 seconds or so above the hip section under the gondola. It looks tame at this point, but more tires were blown here than almost anywhere else on the track in previous years.
The fadeaway right rolled immediately into this fadeaway left. Erosion's taken such a toll here that now the riders will be hugging the tape as inside as they can in order to gain entry onto a freshly built flat turn that leads into the hip under the chair. This line looks smooth, but it's tight, and as riders cut the inside, look for rocks to start creeping to the surface.
Another track re-route, this one below the infamous hip; rather than veer left and then straight, the track is veering right before hooking left to careen into the woods for the main rock garden.
Duncan Riffle checking out a rock strewn line below the hip.
The infamous rock garden. These slabs may look smooth...
...but there are plenty of ridges to grab chainrings as racers bob and weave through this section.
It's bone dry here for a change. Mostly. But in the deep woods, there's still some loamy hero dirt.
With no 4X to cater to, the track now rolls straight-away through the old 4X rock garden before veering down and finishing on the old 4X track. It's fine for 4X bikes as the track rolls to the finish; but it will be damn hard for exhausted racers to mash through that last bit.
Velirium - the bike festival attached to the Mt St Anne World Cup - is all about bikes. There's a gorgeous looking pump track under construction here for a pump track competition on Saturday.
Danny Hart's rocking the number 4 plate after Ft William. "I wish I'd turned it on a bit sooner, because I'm in the same place right now that I was last year at this time. But it is what it is. And we'll see where I am after Sunday."
It's so dry it seems almost ludicrous to be cutting tires, but the Atherton's mechanics are hard at it. Mt St Anne has a reputation for wet every bit as much as Fort William does. It may be bone dry right now (with the exception of those few sections of hero dirt deep in the woods), but it doesn't take much rain here for riders to be calling for spikes.
A day like today is a welcome one for riders; it's a down day. Time to go spin out the legs and not stress too much about the race. Minnaar's more stressed about having a proper seat angle right now on his XC bike than he is about the track. But then again, he's raced here every year since 1998; for him, this track is an old friend.
If I was a betting man I'd Have have the 1,2,3,4,5 - Gwin Minaar Hart Peaty Gee
It's a very physical track and the likes of Sam Hill and Brendog are better suited to tracks with less pedalling.
It's getting harder and harder to pick who the top 5 will be as everyone has upped their game I mean even Marc Beaumont has come on a tremendous amount these past few years!
@Tundy123 Funny how Hill won world champs here in 09? This course has a mix of everything, its anyone's game. Besides Hill took 4th at Fort William, plenty of pedaling there.
I bet Brendog is gonna sneak a few laps in on that pump track! I'm always rooting for Gwin, but I hope Brendan can pull out a good result this weekend. He's be struggling lately.
this year is the first year that i have made the effort to follow the dh session and am shocked to see everyone looks fast even the women. i thought Gwin was just sum average pro from america (shows how much i follow dh racing) lol. have since looked to find out what all the hype is about and i get it. dont care who wins as long as they style it up on the way dwn. whips should b mandatory over all big jump or face a half second penalty lol. good luck to all
He is beatable...but on a track like this probably only if he makes a big mistake...or two. Or maybe if it pours rain Hart might get an edge. But Gwin loves wide open tracks so the reroutes should be good for him, and I imagine he will also kill the 4X finish as well as anyone.
I hope Peaty is ready to go, anyone know his status?
I sense some amazingly sick videos will be coming our way in the days to come.
Gwin would have to be the odds-on favorite, BUT I'd say there's no less than a dozen other riders capable of busting out a winning run...especially if/when it rains on race-day. At that point, I'd lean towards one of several UK riders.
Curious to see the part of the track that joins the 4x track, otherwise this is likely the most balanced WC course out there right along with Ft. William. Stoked!!!
If your wondering why everyone has their shirts off, it's because its 41Celcius (105F degrees with the humidex at MSA), Ridiculously hot. It's suppose to go back to normal temps by Friday and this weekend. I'm off Freeriding there today and tomorrow and will position myself for the race on that rock garden at the bottom (definitely one of the nastiest rock gardens on the world cup).
I'm hoping Steve Smith comes out a winner this year (he came so close last year) but remember Sam Hill always dominates MSA (he loves the place).
I reckon they could all do with getting buff. Not a six pack or a bulging biceps in sight. I wouldn't get my shirt off if I looked like that I tell thee.
My bet is, Hill for the win. No, Gwin followed by Hill.
As a DH pass holder at MSA, I cant be happy to see that! If it rains, the track will be destroyed and close for almost the rest of the summer after the WC and National champ. !!! There is some way to built trails that you can keep in good state after a race. There is a word for that: SUSTAINABLE!!
Yep I'm with you on this. Not been there though so possibly it's just the pictures which make it look tame - perhaps all the good such wasn't pictured...
Not too many tracks where you can just rail it @ 50-60kph. It's not as smooth as it would appear, either. Lots of baby-head rocks (some sharp as a knife) waiting to destroy wheels. Add at least 2-3 woods with some gnarly rock lines over 4 minutes and it's actually one of the more well-rounded tracks on the circuit.
As bunkey said, watch one of at least a few of the helmet-cam runs - your forearms and hands will be sore from just watching. I promise!
I got a summer season pass at MSA for 4 years, so I know this track very well , even I did the track yesterday !!! Of course its a very tough track but Its not the funniest kind of track to watch and to ride as well !!
just saying ....
When too much carbon is never enough!
I hope Peaty is ready to go, anyone know his status?
Gwin would have to be the odds-on favorite, BUT I'd say there's no less than a dozen other riders capable of busting out a winning run...especially if/when it rains on race-day. At that point, I'd lean towards one of several UK riders.
Curious to see the part of the track that joins the 4x track, otherwise this is likely the most balanced WC course out there right along with Ft. William. Stoked!!!
www.farmzone.com/sevenday_forecast/sq023
it will be, gwin, smith, hill, atherton, minaar on the podium at mont ste anne
I'm hoping Steve Smith comes out a winner this year (he came so close last year) but remember Sam Hill always dominates MSA (he loves the place).
But, its gonna be a good race anyway !!!
www.google.co.uk/search?aq=0&oq=mt+saint+ann+quebec+wea&sugexp=chrome,mod=9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=mt+st+anne+quebec+weather
OTOH, I don't agree with putting flat corners in very fast sections like that. One of these days we'll see a nasty highside in one of these sections.
It's only a few sections. Watch the talkie cam run on Dirt.
As bunkey said, watch one of at least a few of the helmet-cam runs - your forearms and hands will be sore from just watching. I promise!