Hunting for Gold - XC World Championships
Here we are, just a day away from July 1st at the XC World Champs in the Czech Republic. Why so early? Easy. It's an Olympic year. With the Olympics in August and most of the teams all but announced, it's time to crown our new World Champions before they head to the Games. Typically, Nove Mesto usually falls right around Albstadt in the World Cup schedule and that usually means rain, but so far we have been greeted with warm weather and a dusty track. Sure, we had an afternoon thunderstorm today but we aren't complaining.
No matter what the weather decides to do we are in for some exciting racing. The track at Nove Mesto weaves its way through the arrow-straight pine forests around the Nordic ski center. The hill isn't exactly what you would call big, but they've made the most of the terrain that they have here. The 4.1-kilometer course has plenty of long climbs and technical terrain. The track is almost entirely laced with roots that will make for a rough ride, tiring racer out quickly. There will be plenty of dual suspension rigs out there to soften the abuse, and dropper posts as well. As for predictions for this year's winner? We might just hold off on that. Sure, the usual suspects are at the top, but they could be saving their peak for Olympic gold, leaving it open for someone to attack for a World Championship title. We are just going to have to wait and see.
What trip to Nove Mesto would be complete without a stop in Prague?
If a city could be described as art, Prague would be at the top of the list.
Marionette dolls are a big part of the fairy tale feel of Prague.They are in many of the shop windows in the old city.
Tourists on the streets of Prague on a lovely summer evening.
Saints look down on Prague from up high.
Perhaps the perfect whip for the staff race? Ride the Absinthe Rocket.
How to make a living in Prague. Step one - buy boa constrictor. Step two - buy Pharaoh costume. Step three - charge five bucks for people to take their picture holding said boa.
Ready to get your climb on?
It's quiet here now, but soon the wildest fan horde in the world will be causing quite a ruckus in these woods.
Meat. There's plenty of it in Nove Mesto.
France take their first win on a BH prototype.
A non-stop bed of pine roots is how to best describe Nove Mesto. Throw in a few gnarly rock sections and you have a course that is challenging and exhausting. No matter what the weather has in store this will be an interesting race.
Many riders will be running SRAM's new Eagle group set.
The pace in the pits at this early XC Worlds is a lot less hectic than what we are used to at a dual discipline Worlds.
Here's your average World Champs setup. The World Cup pits transform into tent city as national federations jump in to support riders. Some pro teams choose to provide support nonetheless.
No ghosting around at Ghost. If you're fast and need to make your way up the field, this might just be the secret weapon.
Gluing, gluing, gluing. Keeping Scott Odlo running means gluing the custom Dugast tires never ends. Luckily these are the stock for the Games in Rio. It's good to be ahead of things.
The Dugast production line.
For World Champs riders mostly choose to ride brand new gear. New cranks, brakes, chains and cassettes. Lots of work for mechanics, bleeding, building and adjusting.
There are some essential items to bring to the World Champs.
Jolanda Neff might be pouring the best shot of espresso in the pits.
Alvaro Dominguez is all smiles as he strips down Sergio Mantecon's bike and cleans out the dust.
Cool carbon weave from the folks at FRM.
Practice will be down to just a couple laps at race pace, the rest will be sighting laps. It's best to save it for race day and then go full gas.
The Skoda Vertical Drop is just one of many technical features riders will have to contend with here in Nove Mesto.
World Champs is always a challenge with pits spread about and secretive business going on as brands bring their newest gear.
Some riders' preparation for Worlds is loose.
Matthias Fluckiger's new, lightweight dropper post. Weighing in at 380 grams, it sheds over 120 grams over its rivals. Matthias has been working on it for over a year now and continues to fine tune his design. The dropper is actuated by the new Fox Transfer remote, operated from the left side of his handlebar.
Matt said the upside down design improves rigidity as well as improving sealing and lubrication.
Matt's Fox Transfer remote mounted underneath his handlebar. Weighing in at 20 grams and offering light actuation, it's his remote of choice.
Something new in the cassette game?
Heavy rains changed a dry course into a flowy river. Predictions vary for the coming days, so we will have to wait and see what will happen.
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Is this normal, or a particularly technical XC course?
I'd say about 2/3 of the courses in the last 2 years have been pretty awesome. MSA and La Bresse were sick.
'bout bloomin' time
*shakes head*