Crankworx Les Deux Alpes - Hutchinson Dual Climb
Dual climb's all about the lung-busting haul to the top and taking the plunge back down against the competition. The heavens finally opened this afternoon and a classic alpine light show began with the qualifying. Luckily it didn't get torrential and the racing went full steam ahead.
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 Until now we've been pretty spoilt with the conditions at Crankworx. Just as things were about to kick off this afternoon the thunder gods served up some payback. |
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| Filip Polc receives some stabilization before getting his snap-on. |
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| Polc at the top trying to make it around the awkward turn around. |
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| Only a small amount of liquid actually accompanied all the thunder and lightning. |
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| Sik Mik rallying back down the course. |
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| Thunder buddies: Polc and Walker avoid being struck by lightning. |
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| Perfect Kiwi climbing gear modeled by Matt Walker. |
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| Concentration face or feeling thirsty? Alexandre Sicard tastes the rain. |
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| Sicard tears up the turns. |
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| The 'Toucan Wings' copter was soaring overhead for the aerial scoop. |
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| Kerr digging in. |
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| Filip Polc climbing his way up to the top. By the last few heats, many of the riders could hardly make it up the last section without walking. |
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| Sik Mik waiting to power up to the top. The threat of lighting storms and heavy rains was huge today. Fortunately it held off long enough for the course to not get too slick. However, tomorrow's DH practice could be a different story. Rain in the forecast for the next few days. |
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| Hannah's a fitness king... almost as fast to make it up as down. |
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| Walker mixing it with the factory jersey pros |
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| Matt Walker roosting out into third place. Dark clouds lay in the distance ready to unleash the worst. |
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| Mick Hannah and Jamie Nicoll go head to head on the decent. |
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| Kerr was like a whippet out the starting block for his first few runs.... then it kicked in. All the riders were almost completely fried after a couple of laps. |
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| Benard Kerr placed second today after a moment of puking between semi finals and finals. After coming to, he charged up like a champ. |
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| Quentin Derbier stretches before the brutal climb up to the top and taking the win at the Hutchinson Dual Climb. |
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| Quentin Derbier making his way down far ahead of the pack. |
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| Lungs of steel medalists Derbier, Kerr and Walker. |
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| Makes sense to wrap your chopper in this day and age. |
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