Photo Epic: A Brief Intermission While We Get Underway - Day One, DH World Championships Vallnord 2015
The clouds have been looming. Rain has been sporadic the past couple of days but never any real big deal. In fact the soil had remained relatively dry despite Mother Nature's sprinklings. But the forecast was threatening a cold front with heavy rain, possibly snow. The end of summer. Or so it feels. Thunderstorms moved in during the wee hours of the morning and a thorough soaking commenced. Juniors and women were greeted with a greasy track this morning. Then the rains let up and the dirt started to come good. Excellent even. Just as the elite men were getting into their groove and getting up to speed, mother nature threw a wrench in the works. Heavy rains, large hail. Things became slick, especially the wooden features. An hour and a half before the end of practice a red flag was issued on course as a rider had a bad crash on one of the bridges on the lower half of the track. The helicopter was called in and the rider was air lifted out. With that the day was all but done. Five riders took a run in those last few minutes of practice. Of note on the day, Remi Thirion and Brook MacDonald were charging hard. Loic Bruni took a pretty big spill but is ok and was riding around the pits all smiles. The Syndicate had a party in the pits. With a better forecast on tap for tomorrow look for things to pick back up and riders to start to show what they have in store for us.
About the Photographers
Matthew Delorme • Age: 40 • Years Shooting: 8 Matthew DeLorme is just one of Pinkbike’s motley crew of World Cup Photographers. He currently lives out of a Ogio bag, and calls the road his home. Delorme works for Trek Bicycle, covering their MTB racing programs. He can usually be found laying in the dirt trackside, cracking jokes and saying things that make little to no sense. He enjoys capturing accessory moments and the journey every bit as much as catching the action shot.
Dave Trumpore • Age: 35 • Years Shooting: 4 Dave spent the bulk of the past 17 years racing professionally before realizing that despite qualifying for the random World Cup final here and there, the next generation was just way too fast and way more talented. Upon hanging up his racing boots in 2010, it would be a few years until Dave picked up a camera and started shooting the odd race here and there as a way to stay in touch with all the friends he had made over the years, and the rest as they say is history. In just a few years time his photos have graced the pages of just about every MTB magazine and major media outlet, while his commercial client list includes a who's who of the cycling industry, and he is lucky enough to shoot regularly with some of the best riders on the planet. Currently at Pinkbike, Dave shoots the Downhill WC and the Enduro World Series as well as contributing to the occasional editorial story.
Nathan Hughes • Age: 28 • Years Shooting: 2 Nathan Hughes was snared as mainstay Pinbike media crew for the 2013 World Cup season and has been trapped behind the lens and the keyboard ever since. In between the biggest bike events of the year Nathan can be found on client shoots, making far-off travel stories and trying to catch a moment to spin the pedals himself. A great appreciation of the wilderness, the fear of a normal life and the quest for the perfect picture will have him hooked and looking to raise the bar for years to come.
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 Welcome to not so sunny Andorra. |
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| Looking up the track to start the day, we knew we were in for something special. |
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| Pompon radios down to her team mates on track after one brutal first run to find out if it's worth waiting a little longer for the weather. |
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| Nicole's all new Supreme now supremely dirty. |
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| When those around you look like they're headed out for a surf in mid-winter Alaska, you know your plans for a nice pleasant day on the hill taking pictures are in tatters... Delorme sorry to disappoint. |
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| Loic Bruni was surprised with a special one off bike hand polished by his mechanic, Jack. |
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| Laurie Greenland was looking good in a brief bit of sunshine. His eyes are set on one thing. Gold. |
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| Andrew Crimmins and Laurie Greenland have been battling it out al season. Come Sunday will he have what it takes to beat the young Brit? |
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| Italian junior hope, Loris Revelli, ditches the Mary's for Dan's after one run. The switch to muds was pretty much a no-brainer for everyone this morning. |
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| Martin Maes is making an appearance in the Junior race and is definitely a wild card for gold. |
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| Pom Pon has all of Commencal and Andorra cheering her on this weekend. |
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| Tahnee Seagrave in her custom FOX leopard kit. In British colors of course. |
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| Jill Kintner of track and doing America proud. |
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| If she pushes hard Tracey Hannah can make the top three. |
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| Rachel Atherton is on the hunt for another title. Baring a major mishap it's hard not to see her on the top step. |
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| Manon Carpenter through the upper woods. |
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| Steve Peat may not be on the World's Team for the first time in decades but he is still here as a course pre runner. |
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| Andrew Neethling is back in action this week. |
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| The Rat takes flight. |
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| Stevie Smith doing a little slashing when the going got steep. |
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| Aaron Gwin was slapping ruts today before the rains. "It's such a good track. I just wanted to keep taking runs, but the rain really made things slick. I saw some pretty hard crashes." Gwin is still looking for that World Champ Title, and this seems like a track he could do it on. |
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| Aaron Gwin kept it smooth today, trying multiple lines in the slick woods. |
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| Danny Hart isn't afraid of a little mud. |
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| The chainsaw massacre riding the big berms bare-back. |
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| The Bulldog was quickly going full smash. Wyn Masters reckons he was up to full speed by his second run. |
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| The dirt here is magnificent. |
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| Brendan Fairclough giving it full beans on his first run. |
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| Manon Carpenter, apparently more likely to hug a tree than chop it up and make you a new garden shed. |
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| Carpenter is the number 1 and don't you forget it. Looking very solid in practice all morning. |
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| Remi is back. He was on a burner right from the start. Just think back two years to this track and imagine the possibilities. |
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| Isak Leivsson stomping the slippery, hard-pack turns out in the open, |
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| That's what it's there for... |
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| Marcello Gutierrez for sure did the most runs today and kept the session going right up to the very close of play. |
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| Sik Mik...for a reason. |
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| Smith making all the right shapes on the smaller-than-they-should-have-been CG jumps. |
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| Troy Brosnan is on everyone's short list for a title. He and Gwin will be duking it come Sunday for those stripes. |
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| Could Ratty pull off a win here? He's had a solid season despite his injury. This is where he could pull one out. Especially if it gets a little greasy. |
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| And then a river began to run through the track. |
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| Gee Atherton looking to keep the rainbow stripes on his back. |
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| Italian national champ, Francesco Colombo, doing the hokey-pokey. |
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| Markus Pekoll and Bernardo Cruz on the rain train as two of the few to brave the storm this afternoon. |
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| No shelter for Cruz out in the open during the hail-storm. |
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| Minnaar was one of the first to walk the track after practice. |
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| Far too much shiny fresh kit got plastered in Andorran filth this afternoon. |
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| Gutierrez was one of about 10 riders to brave the conditions and stick it until the end. |
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| Almost no one who came down in the pouring rain did so without a crash or three... |
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| Mark Wallace... Filthy. |
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| Sam Hill mid 'complete track disintegration' mission. |
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| Andorran dust was stuck to everything at the close of practice. |
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| Just one run after the rain and the mud was clogging up everything. |
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| Sam and Bam Hill enjoying some time together in the pits. |
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| After tumbling down the track about 50 meters and getting covered in mud, this poor F-stop bag had a pretty rough day. |
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| What's a little more water when you're already soaked to the bone? |
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| Peaty raises a mighty beer. The Syndicate had an impromptu after party int he pits when the rains washed out practice. |
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| Peaty won't back down. From anything. |
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| That's all for today. We return to the steeps tomorrow and more DH madness. |
About the Photographers
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Member since May 11, 2011
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Ba-dump cha!
Thats for you Brits ,I know how you love the slapstick.
Your welcome.
is it based on the standing last year in worlds?
www.descent-world.co.uk/2015/09/04/vallnord-world-championships-practice-day-1
Elite plates numbered according to overall UCI points (not to be confused with world cup points)
I dunno, maybe it's just me but the expression on his face seems really bittersweet.
Sam Hill for the win... No, Gwin... Thirion.
And that's the beauty of the world championships.
I hope Danny Hart wins it, but no one deserves it more than "No chain"!
All forks should have a dedicated mounting solution for attaching a fender. Snaps, screws, clips, or whatever. The current solution of zip ties or velcro is pathetic compared to the refined technology of everything else on the bike.
Mark my words, all fork manufacturers will figure this out in the next few years. There will be mounting holes and bolt-on fenders that look and function as a real product should.
At least DVO has figured it out already:
www.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-dvo-diamond-fork-prototype-2014.html
Newer fenders are way better, & mounting at the arch is smarter, but those same guys were thinking about it a long time ago.
Vote for the best kit here.
My vote goes to Troy Brosnan.
This is gonna be carnage.