Here is a walk through with 30 photos of the Leogang WC DH track. It's a mixture of steep rooty technical sections, interspersed with pedalling bits. The longest pedal is mid track and connects to 2 major tech sections and features a bunch of small jumps and berms.
Check it out
The rooty bits are going to be mental if the predicted rain shows up! There is slick grass, slick roots and gravel with tons of grip. Steep berms, big drops into huge holes and more than a couple of pointy rocks.
Leogang is on the schedule for 3 years, it's going to be fun!
Welcome to Leogang!
It get's started right out of the gate with a steep left hander into steep, deep berms. It's gonna be hectic in the wet...and you haven't even started.
more big old berms.
Another weird feature...a wooden berm/bridge wall near the top of the track.
Crazy weird bridge underpass.
What it looks like from underneath.
Part of the mega pedalling bit, mid course.
I mentioned the roots, right?
American Katie Holden ponders the roots. This course, in a nutshell.
The venue is spectacular. Big mountains. Big track. Big Paddock!
technical but you will still need some power on the pedals, i think Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar will do well here, Sam Hill would also do well, but he isn't racing. i think it will be 1.Gee 2.Greg 3.Hannah
i would too but he came 18th at fort william, he hasn't has much off-season training due to promotionals ect. but if he can get a good run together he will do well
Rode there 4 years ago for 2 weeks - it's changed a bit since then - but it's still epic. There's Saalbach just over the hill where the Slopestyle stuff happens (bit of a trek though as the lifts don't link up), but if you want a bit of backcountry riding, epic flowing singletrack, lots of well built shore, huge hucks and a LOT less crowds then Morzine/Les Gets, then get yourself to Leogang. It's pretty cheap out there too! Sadly though, the big huck on the shore park ain't on the course: http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/2034628/
What a techy course this is. Some crazy features as well. Would love to rip this course. My predictions gonna be. 1st Gee A. 2nd Sick Mick 3rd Peaty (going out on a limb) 4th Minnar 5th Aaron Gwin (top Amercian) 5th overall....so far
Peaties going crap. no training in the off season due to doing stuff for sponsers. what bout blenkinsop and Fairclough excuse bad spelling. there shredders ont he techy stuff. my moneys on brendon
the 4x looks incredible!theres finally a real 4x course with some tech, big doubles and this bridge you jump onto and the you can drop off the back it looks pretty cool. also the downhill looks fun! should be a really good race.
I think the rain will make this track very tricky also the grass bits will become mud so tire choice will be difficult thick mud, forest ground+roots, and gravel
Theres a flat spot on the track with a sharp entry into it, So one of the power houses could do well also. My moneys on Gee after Fort Bill performance!
i just dunno how they manage to work out how to ride courses after walking it, walking dh courses scares the shet out of me, but when riding it i find em fine lol, this looks like a super sweet course.
when your racing (especialy at that level) walking the track can let you see faster lines that you can try when you ride... thats why somtimes youll randomly have one person who has like 2 seconds lead. but yeh. this is on freecaster right?
i know why you walk courses, i have a habit of doing a slow run down, then pushing back while spotting lines, then go full guns blazing. walking tracks whether ive ridden them or not still scares me. dunno why if i know i can ride then.
No doubt Sam would smash the competition on this one, sad to see him out of it. The track's super sick in the dry, but let's face it. It's going to be dreadful to watch, those roots on the wet? Sloooooow...
"Even" in Maribor everyone was going "slow" (of course they had to), imagine what's going to be like here... |: