Practice - Pietermaritzburg DH World Cup 1
Each day at the World Cup presents its own theme. What was today's? Well speed had to be top of the bill. The gully section was as staggeringly quick as ever, but by the end of practice, the majority of riders had tackled this famously smooth course like the old days without a care for the new levels of hostility. It now seems fair to say the track modifications have changed the face of a venue that has taken some stick over the years.
Almost every rider was loving it as the corners dried and roughed up, gaps were stomped at almost 70kph and there were grins as even the big names struggled to choose a safe path through the freshly laid boulders. The track is of course on no more of a mountain; steeper angles and shorter travel will endure, but there are so many brutal lines to catch you out, so many jumps to case or get bucked and so many calf cramping sprints. Make no mistake, only the best downhiller can win here. After timed training and the small matter of 3 previous wins, you would be a bit of a jackass not to bet on Minnaar slaying this one all over again. It would take some kind of mutant locust to stop him.
Almost every rider was loving it as the corners dried and roughed up, gaps were stomped at almost 70kph and there were grins as even the big names struggled to choose a safe path through the freshly laid boulders. The track is of course on no more of a mountain; steeper angles and shorter travel will endure, but there are so many brutal lines to catch you out, so many jumps to case or get bucked and so many calf cramping sprints. Make no mistake, only the best downhiller can win here. After timed training and the small matter of 3 previous wins, you would be a bit of a jackass not to bet on Minnaar slaying this one all over again. It would take some kind of mutant locust to stop him.
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 Timing is everything. |
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| This is the game here in Africa. Multiple riders crammed into the first shuttle of the day as we made our way to the top of the track amongst police cars and semi-trucks. |
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| Giving all the Polygon bikes a once over the night before practice... And officially weighing in Sik Mik's prototype Polygon. |
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| All dressed up with nowhere to go. That was the story for defending champ Rachel Atherton's bike today as she was laid in bed with the flu. Let's hope she feels well enough to give it a go in qualifying. |
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| This is 100% the most slimline Sam Hill we have seen in some years does it correspond to greater pedal power? |
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| New sights and smells are lurking in the pits here at the first World Cup. Sven Martin and Dave Trumpore check out Mick Hannah's 31.6 pound Polygon prototype... |
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| No beard, no ride. |
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| Flip-flops no more. Eddy Masters, pro racer, with his Bergamont team bike. Some promising results and his special brand of marketing paid off. Let's hope a well-pressed factory racing costume doesn't salt his game. |
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| Find the rider. Each years these trees grow bigger and bigger while the riders stay the same size. |
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| This is not the place you want your back wheel to kick up. Luckily for Nick Beer he rode this moment out. |
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| South African bike, South African jersey, and South African rider, all getting a bit more familiar with the South African dirt. Meet the new and more manly Pietermaritzburg. |
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| Greg Minnaar's win at Worlds here last year was perhaps the only fitting outcome for that particular race at that particular time. After a knee injury at Leogang, Minnaar had surgery and has been spending the off-season rehabbing the knee. Another win here would be massive for Greg, who has won 3 out of the 4 PMB fixtures. He was fastest in timed training today, but Mick Hannah could be the guy to snatch the win from him. |
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| With a second and third and a second, Mick is the next best thing to Greg in South Africa. So close at champs last time and with Australia looming he we will want to tuck harder than ever and finally shut this race down. |
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| It's what you do with it. Sometimes a big job calls for a big lens... |
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| Marcelo Guttierez cuts through the thick dust on one of the new and improved sections near the top of the track. |
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| Friendly person, Lorenzo, provides intimidating death stare. He is happy afterall, however. |
 | The course is much more all-round downhill. I'm happy. With the really tricky rock gardens I guess now we finally have a challenge for everyone and a chance with proper downhill bikes. I'm even thinking about taking off the dropper post! Lorenzo Suding - Norco |
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| Famous Wyn Master style back for 2014. He can throw down the power when he needs as we saw with his top 20 at the champs last year, but surely is more at home smashing corners. |
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| Death Grip. Casey Brown probably could ride a lot of this course without brakes, lets hope she doesn't actually try it here. |
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| Pom Pom isn't afraid of a little speed and was one of the fastest women coming into the big jumps. |
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| With sister Rachel sitting the day out, Gee was left to fly the Atherton flag solo. He has never finished outside the top ten at PMB |
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| Manon is looking in top form after the winter, going hard today, hitting all the gaps and tearing up the rock gardens. If Rachel is out this could be a heck of start to her season. |
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| Tracy Hannah looking very committed and eager to podium, before getting even more eager in Cairns. |
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| It's a jungle out there bru. |
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| Mitch Ropelato is absolutely flying on his 29" wheels and single crown fork. If 2013 was any hint as to what he could do here we should all expect to see a solid result on Saturday. |
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| Ropelato is just waiting for a result to match his bottomless cycling skills. Yeah the elbow juice is from a fall, but the way he is hitting this ultra high speed course, with the new rough sections, on a big wheeler, is really just exceptional. He is tackling brutal compressions and gapping roots like he's at the pump track. Do not miss his run on the live feed! |
| People are kind of asking ' ahh how's it working??' with the single crown and everything. It's the same as all their bikes I just have to be a little bit more precise. I'm thinking hard about my line for sure...if I get off it's gonna be bit more hectic, but as long as I don't do that. The bike was rolling really good and apart from the rock sections you're really picking up speed everywhere Mitch Ropelato - Specialized Racing |
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| Earlier in the week, Aaron Gwin was rumored to be joining Ropelato in the 29/single crown club, which he previously used to win at sea otter. Instead he went for the 650b Enduro Evo with Fox 40s... A decision that may have been made after seeing the increased course gnar. |
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| Troy Brosnan was aboard a very similarly equipped short travel bike. Though we can't start reading too much into the results of this afternoon's timed training where he took 2nd, it is interesting to see just how many short travel bikes are up in the top twenty. Still, the only real way to get a grip on this is when the dust settles Saturday. |
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| Bryn was out storming training on the prototype carbon Norco, with what could well have been significantly increased pace and power. |
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| Jill Kintner has expanded her Norco International team this season adding on Lorenzo Suding and Isak Leivsson. Jill's background in BMX racing should give her an advantage in the pedal section where a lot of other competitors can struggle. |
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| Brendog is still looking real enduro this week in Pietermaritzburg. One of the crew sticking to their light-bike guns despite the changes... |
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| This is the point of transition where the track goes from a steep freeway to a flat drag race. The speed carried through these jumps is a tell tail sign as to how quick a riders will fare further down the track. |
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| Blenkinsop looked wildly quick today and put in third for timed training. Lapierre is a powerhouse this year; both he and Loic will be aiming for a win or two this season and Ragot is again looking like a contender for the women's overall. |
| It's good to have a bit of a change-up. Feels like I'm at new place, a whole new track really, with the trees so different. It's more technical so people aren't gonna be able to ride trail bikes n stuff so easy. There's still some people riding them, but I like my downhill bike I guess, eh Sam Blenkinsop - Lapierre Gravity Republic |
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| Going from strength to strength each race you have to wonder if the blue and silver quarters will propel him all the way to the top. Today he was beyond fast. |
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| Josh Bryceland wasn't the fastest today in timed training, but who doesn't want to see him go big on the jumps on the lower section? Last run of the day, might as well have some fun with it. Day one gave us some glimpses into who seems fit and ready for the season, but this track has never been the strong suit for the guys who let it all hang out in the steep, rocky, rooty, muddy courses. That said, never rule anyone out. |
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| South African freeriding. |
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| Peaty blazing through dust while following Minnaar into the gully before the mega booters. |
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| Picking on the little brother he never had - Ratboy. The old sailor can still take down the young guns on and off the course. |
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| Needles takes an afternoon cool down spin. He has only hit the top ten at PMB once, coming in 2012, but as a national he will push harder than most. |
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| It's good to see Taylor Vernon back out amongst it after breaking has back last year mid-season. If he can get back up to speed he will be a major contender for the Junior title. |
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| The only man here running flats on the extremely pedal oriented course is Sam Hill who is looking deadly fast as always.. |
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| Gwin and Hill are the only two taking an outside line on Slip and Slide in the amphitheatre, the spot Sam came off at Worlds last year. It looks sketchy, fast, and massively impressive all at the same time. |
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| Taking into consideration the time it takes to get to the top on the uplift, Paris opted for a clapped out motorbike as his mode of trackside transportation. The tires are near slick and it coughed, wheezed, and spun its way grudgingly up the road. He may decide to go on foot tomorrow, though it was fun while it lasted. |
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| The Scottish Greg, back on track after his collar bone break here at the champs last season. |
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| With long uplifts and hot temps through the day many riders waited until the very end to lay down hot laps. |
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| Scouting for the last high speed projectiles in the forest. |
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| Nick Beer aboard the same bike Steve Smith rode here at Worlds last year, and in fact, all of Devinci Global Racing is on board this bike. Beer had the fourth fastest time of the day in timed training. Minnaar was on a full DH bike. Brosnan was second fastest of the day, also on a short travel bike. So let the argument proceed, and hopefully qualies will shed a little more light on what bike will be fastest here. |
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| As the sun sets and the riders head home the work is just beginning for the mechanics as they prep bikes for tomorrows qualifying runs. |
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| Fun was had by fans of fast and loose. |
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| With the exception of a few teams, this is the standard pit set up. It tends to look more like a shanty town than what we are used to seeing at a World Cup downhill race. These tents provide refuge from the sun and give the odd impression of a level playing field, even though that's really not the case. |
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| The end of day one. George Brannigan hops in the rental van with the bikes for the ride back to the condo. It's a little like roughing it here in Pietermaritzburg without the presence of big team rigs. Teams go for the most functional vehicles they can get their hands on, which doesn't guarantee the most comfortable option. Yes life as a pro racer is tough... unlike being a pro photographer. Now pass me the caviar. |
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Doesn't matter if you would use a AM bike, you are not a worldcup rider. They are and the tracks need to be at a worldcup level, the tracks need to be at the standard of those riding them. When you see riders not even needing downhill bikes there is something wrong with having that track on the circuit. I'm not saying the track is bad I'm sure its tonnes of fun to ride but for a wc race its not worthy in my opinion.
I'm betting most are on DH bikes. Some are taking risks riding the AM bike. That's the way it is in a lot of sports.
I actually think it makes it more interesting.
It is a good point and I do enjoy the changes in the bikes it throws some more excitement into the mix but even the fact riders are saying, we are faster without a downhill bike brings up the question if it should be on the calendar. We are watching the best in the world race downhill but they don't need downhill bikes? there is something wrong with that picture.
Where's Claudio's go-pro view though!? That's pretty much just as entertaining as the race.
Ropelato getting it wrong in the rocks... vimeo.com/91654234
Where did all the REAL DH courses go? Seriously?