This weekend we're returning to Cairns, Australia, for the second round of the 2016 UCI DH World Cup series. In a forest full of nature's most venomous species, conditions are made that much harder given the downhill track is peppered with huge rocks, peanut butter-like mud, and step-downs the size of double-decker buses. Let's not forget the painful pedal to the finish line either.
This time out we'll be seeing the survivors from Lourdes heading to compete in the heat and humidity of Smithfield Regional Park, just around the corner of James Cook University in the state of Queensland. There's free entry to spectators on Friday, and for $22 at the gate, you can watch the DH finals on Saturday. Why Saturday you ask? Well, Cairns is also playing host to the first round of the UCI's Cross Country World Cup, which is the main event on Sunday. Looking ahead, Cairns will be hosting the UCI MTB World Championships next year, so there's even greater pressure for riders and organisers to make this weekend count.
The downhill track starts around 300m above sea level in the dense rain forest, although if you hang around too long, you'll be joined by plenty of curious spiders and snakes. Last year was a complete mudfest with riders sliding down the volcanically-infused mud without any hope of grip. Crowds were aplenty too - with three designated spectator sections - it was a jolly affair, although let's hope the UCI bring in ample double taping this time around to keep spectators away from flying bikes and riders.
With egos bruised, hearts broken and hope rising, we'll be seeing another weekend of joy and pain from the world's greatest downhill racers. Who will fortune favour this year? Last time it was an all-Atherton celebration, with Gee admitting it wasn't even his kind of track. Did that matter? No, but one has to wonder whether if the rain were to come down again, would those riders who are used to gloppy, slidey conditions akin to riding in the UK fair better than those used to riding bone-dry dirt?
Who doesn't wish for a sea-view balcony under a sun-kissed sky to build your bike up after a flight from the geographically opposite side of the world? Life looks pretty tough for riders like Red Bull Hardline 2015 winner and Unior Tools Team rider Ruaridh Cunningham.
WHAT DO THE RIDERS THINK?
What do the riders themselves think about the Cairns track and what do they think is the most memorable bit about it for them? We asked a few and here's what they said:
Manon Carpenter, Madison Saracen Factory Team My most memorable feature on the track would be the rock garden at the top. Most of the track is dirt and roots but there's one section that's just a mass of rocks. You have to be really precise and careful where you put your wheels, I actually crashed on it in my race run last time...I'm sure it won't have gone anywhere so will be looking to master it this year!
Neko Mulally, Gstaad-Scott The thing that sticks in my mind is the root section after the rock garden. It was straight and gnarly, and the type of section where I always felt like I was going too fast. With how slick it was, I was only making it through half the time whether I went fast or slow, so I just pinned it and hoped for the best! Watching back on the reply it was cool to see myself really go for it there. Truly gnarly!
Wyn Masters, GT Factory Racing The jungle!
Gotta love that Far North Queensland tropical rainforest and eveything that hides within!
PREDICTION
Crashing in Lourdes won't have hurt Loic's confidence. Checking the split times from a fortnight ago shows his huge pace. We're bound to see more control from him in the Aussie jungle. Gwin will be chasing the Frenchman and hopefully some home advantage will push Brosnan back up to the podium.
For the women, I may be a bit of a bore to predict the next podium by copying the last, but Atherton is seemingly unstoppable when it comes to race runs. Tahnee did put the hammer down in Lourdes qualifying but has she taken the edge off Manon? The ex-World Champ from the valleys will be coming back to Cairns guns blazing. - Paul Aston, Pinkbike's World Cup Soothsayer
THE WEATHER GODS SAY
Looks like we're in for another peanut butter-fest thanks to predicted showers every day in the run-up to and during finals. Bear in mind the weather is pretty changeable in such a tropical climate, so things may swing to full blown sunshine on race day. Even so, I wonder who's remembered to bring flats this time?
QUALY ON FRIDAY BE LIKE
Filmed back in 2014 at the last Cairns World Cup, riders were really showing their exasperation at the track conditions and their qualification results.
I really miss these interviews with Rob. Candid and raw, it was a great insight into what the riders were really feeling. One can only hope that no Colins were offended in the watching of this video.
Adam Brayton doesn't do things by halves. He knew it wasn't going to end well and as the woman in the video says, you can hear Mr. Brayton remarking on this very fact whilst he's whizzing past her at warp speed.
Luckily for him, it was a mere 9" scratch and nothing else. What happened next is a whole different story.
BAD DECISIONS MADE WITH GOOD INTENTIONS
On seeing a crash with a rider down and being attended to, some people are brave enough to assist in getting the bike off the track and out of the way. Not many people would then think to ride that same bike down one of the most technically challenging tracks in the world...apart from Ben Bunny McGowan, that is. And he didn't even bother putting on a helmet, let alone knee pads.
After a five-hour operation, our intrepid do-gooder was finally on the road to recovery. A broken shoulder and back, topped off with a concussion was the price he paid for what was seemingly - in his eyes - just a helpful thing to do. Last year I asked him whether he would do it again… "Hell no. I can deal with breaking my shoulder, but a broken back...I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy".
The only person to unwittingly benefit from the terrible affair was Steve Peat, who was able to get a second run in after being red flagged on his first. Peaty - the only man to have ridden Cairns in both 1996 and 2014 - crossed the line in seventh place.
I just hit a tree in my run, spectators were awesome, couldn't thank them enough. The guy who took my bike down was a good man, no idea why he hit the whoops but I don't blame him they were sick! I think he's OK, though. He was in my ambulance on a spine board and was pretty knocked out. - Adam Brayton, Hope Factory Racing, speaking in 2014 immediately after the incident
THE WILDLIFE
I suppose I could go into detail here about the precise species found in the area, their Latin names and useful things like how long it would take for whatever they are to kill you. But I won't because it's all too frightening.
Back in 1996, the likes of Andrew Crimmins, Laurie Greenland, and Joe Parfitt hadn't even been born let alone ridden a bike. Meanwhile in Australia some guy called Shaun Palmer shunned the lycra, put on some MX gear and rode like a bat out of hell down the then slightly longer Stinger track.
Alas, it wasn't his day and he lost against the mighty Vouilloz by 0.15 seconds. No rainbow jersey, no gold medal. Let's not forget Leigh Donovan missing out by only 0.18 seconds to the mighty ACC either. Racing can be as cruel as it is exciting.
This video from the archives is rare footage of those moments for both Donovan and Palmer; the pain and anguish were all too apparent but thanks to Palmer, it proved to be a turning point in mountain biking history.
WHERE TITLES COME UNDONE
Back in 2014, all eyes were on Greg Minnaar. He was clocking up his World Cup appearances - Cairns was his 99th - and based on his wealth of experience and racing pedigree, he was also in the running for the overall World Cup title. Unfortunately, on his race run, Minnaar fell foul to the UCI rule on exiting and re-entering the race track and was disqualified. Zero points meant his ambition to take his fourth overall World Cup series title was rudely quashed.
WHAT'S BEHIND YOU DOESN'T MATTER
ELITE MEN RESULTS - CAIRNS
DATE
POSITION
NAME
TEAM
WINNING TIME
GAP
2014
1st
Gee ATHERTON
GT Factory Racing
4:00.70
-
2014
2nd
Josh BRYCELAND
Santa Cruz Syndicate
4:04.93
+4.22s
2014
3rd
Neko MULALLY
Trek World Racing
4:07.63
+6.93s
1996*
1st
Nicolas VOUILLOZ
France
5:31.94
-
1996*
2nd
Shaun PALMER
USA
5:32.09
+0.15s
1996*
3rd
Bas DE BEVER
Netherlands
5:32.27
+0.33s
ELITE WOMEN RESULTS - CAIRNS
DATE
POSITION
NAME
TEAM
WINNING TIME
GAP
2014
1st
Rachel ATHERTON
GT Factory Racing
4:50.57
-
2014
2nd
Manon CARPENTER
Madison Saracen Factory Team
5:02.23
+11.65s
2014
3rd
Myriam NICOLE
Commencal Riding Addiction
5:16.42
+25.84s
1996*
1st
Anne-Caroline CHAUSSON
France
5:27.58
-
1996*
2nd
Leigh DONOVAN
USA
5:27.76
+0.18s
1996*
3rd
Missy GIOVE
USA
5:31.37
+3.79s
Note: * denotes UCI World Championship race.
TAKE A WALK IN MY SHOES
As we know, Gee lives in Wales. He's used to riding in mud and rain and is happily clipped in for when he does but in Cairns he felt that the track has such tight, awkward corners that there was no advantage to using clips. The slight problem was that he didn’t have any flats with him. What do you do in that situation? Most people would just grin and bear it but Gee applied some good Ol' fashioned British ingenuity and started asking spectators if they had his size shoe.
By some fluke of fortune Gee managed to find a helpful chap called Sam who happened to be wearing a pair of the right size of Five Tens. The rest, as they say, is history.
Stay tuned to Pinkbike.com for all the latest news from the second round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup 2016.
@JamieMcL: I just miss the old Warner full stop. Red Bull is clearly polishing him. And while the Warner - Caluori combination is great, they've gotten it wrong. Neither is in the role that suits them best. Warner really should be the color man, and Caluori should be the straight man. Reversed, they struggle a bit.
Be nice if they weren't told how to commentate...hearing these two give out info on Red Bull network or upcoming events sucks....unleash them for sure.
Palmer would have won that race had he not been so dead set on ushering in MX gear and baggies and shunning lycra. I personally thank him for his sacrifice.
Great article! Getting on a plane tomorrow morning and I'll be spending a week up in Cairns, girlfriend wanted to go and it just so happened to coincide with the World Cup................... ;-)
The story for me in the last photo isn't Gee wearing homeboy's shoes, but the reporter wearing toe shoes and jeans. What kind of decision making is that?!
239 metre descent... About half that of Lourdes. I just don't think this track is worthy of a World Cup round. Yes it's a cool destination and a unique track, but that doesn't make it suited to testing the riders raw downhill skills. What sort of downhill track has a sprint to the finish like that?
Also, surely a range of different tracks is good for the WC competition overall, so the most all round accomplished rider (tech, fitness etc.) will be the eventual winner, rather than just tackling tracks like Lourdes and Champery.
I will tell you why, EXPOSURE for fans and potential fans.
It was chosen by UCI Committee and not a DH Racer... Sometime's us Aussie's like to be included in things, and seeing as though our Athletes are usually in the top 15 it is nice to include an AU round sometimes.
"What sort of downhill track has a sprint to the finish like that?" This one does, deal with it.
It could always be worse... They could be racing in Canberra.
@darkmuncan: Canberra actually has incredible downhill tracks, that have a heap more vertical than this track. Stromlo is very Mediocre. We should be seeing a round at Thredbo!
@Larkey1: there is better tracks around than Stromlo for sure, it's a lot more to a worldcup facility than a sick track. everyone needs accommodation, room for pits and the entourage that comes in, food outlets transport to the venue and so on.
@darkmuncan: Australia has some amazing tracks, witch is clearly evident from all the nationals that take place. This track though is ironically totaly different from what i typically associate Aussie dh racing to be. (rocks, dust, plenty of gnar, and pretty much allways full on. This tracks most distinguishing feature is its smooth tight bike park style berms. The only tech section last about 20 feet. Im all for different styles of tracks being used for the world cup but this one doesnt really qualify in my mind.
@LiamRenaut: Good point but Whistler is close to the coast so the mountain goes from 2100 m to nearly 0 m, Thredbo goes from 2000 m to about 800 m on the valley, Whistler is still more vertical.
@dazzhotchkin: Whistler is pretty much the same. The village is at about 700m. And although Blackcomb is slightly higher the bike trails aren't lift accessed and go from about half way up, not to mention the peak isn't accessible.
There are way better options for downhill in Australia! We should be seeing a world cup round at Thredbo or Buller! Why do we get stuck with tiny hills like Cairns or Stromlo for our Aussie rounds.
because its up to those places to actually put forward the proposal and foot the bill - cairns made it happen. Also a pretty good UCI requirement that there is a large Hospital less than an hour away - makes pretty good sense id say. Anyone who's been injured in thredbo will tell you how incredibly inconvienent the drive is to Cooma, or even all the way back to Canberra...
@off-tha-trails: Is that 1 hour away by vehicle or helicopter? Surely anyone seriously injured is flown to Canberra by chopper and I can't see that taking more than an hour.
@rstwosix: look, I dont think event organisers are allowed to RELY on a heli evacuation. I have heard rumors that Thredbo are building up to a world cup hosting, but given they are just opening only their third decending trail, i wouldnt count on it happening in the near future
@StanMarsh: Really wish we could get another UCI round at Angelfire, I would make the trip without question. I'm guessing it didn't work out too well for them financially last time, but they're a completely different bike park nowadays, I wonder if it would work out better now.
if you look at the profiles of both Cairns and Lourdes, the distance and average speeds are not that different. Average speed for the winner in 2014 Cairns was 17mph (in the slop), and about 20mph at Lourdes 2016 (in the dry). According to the actual track map (not the thing above) Cairns is 1.18 miles. Lourdes was 1.08 miles.
I'm guessing they used a slightly different track for the men and women back then. Same start and finish, but I think they took different options in certain sections.
If not, she's even more of a badass as I remember her being back then!!!
seems like nico was just running a bigger chainring then everyone else...and no knee pads
and palmer was killing it until he stopped pedaling too early before the line...he had it
I remember rach saying last time, that she felt like she could run faster in some sections then riding! Haha hope that's not the same this time around.
i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/006/026/futuramafry.jpg
i.imgur.com/OqNDHko.jpg
Hahaha. I wish Warner still did these interviews.
Also, surely a range of different tracks is good for the WC competition overall, so the most all round accomplished rider (tech, fitness etc.) will be the eventual winner, rather than just tackling tracks like Lourdes and Champery.
It was chosen by UCI Committee and not a DH Racer... Sometime's us Aussie's like to be included in things, and seeing as though our Athletes are usually in the top 15 it is nice to include an AU round sometimes.
"What sort of downhill track has a sprint to the finish like that?" This one does, deal with it.
It could always be worse... They could be racing in Canberra.
Mt Buller: 1,805 m
Thredbo: 2,037 m
Canada -
Whistler: 2,182 m
Blackcomb: 2,436 m
We've got the elevation, just not the forward movement of getting World Cup's in these locations.
lourdesdhworldcup.wordpress.com
www.mtba.asn.au/mtbworldscairns/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/2016_DHI-Course-Map_FINAL.pdf
Nicolas VOUILLOZ 5:31.94
Hmmm..