Day 3 - 2013 World Champs - South Africa
Hey ma bru, howzit? All good yah? Well the riders hope for the affirmative because after today all they have left is (ridiculously) 2 half hour sessions. One is at 7am tomorrow morning and the other shortly before final runs on Sunday. The 'monster' 3 hour sesh today was mobbed by an albeit efficient, but inevitably lagging shuttle system and inconceivably... RAIN. Liquid has continued to appear from above all night and that will mean the ice rink effect if there's been too much or perfect tack if dosed correctly. Whatever the case, here's the day's finest, totes OMG moments... You do only YOLO once people.
 |
 Yesterday's gorgeous clear sunrise over the course was slightly modified today. The views still go on for days, but the weather has officially moved in. |
 |
| Sic Mic looks out on one hell of a race to come and dreams of his favorites...big air and Southern hem roost. |
 |
| That'll do it... Polygon on the loose. Mic's on a high after his two 2nd places at Crankworx, aiming to pick up on last year's 3rd place finish here. |
 |
| The jungle, recently verified as 'massive'. |
 |
| Stevie Smith said he was pretty much ready to race just after his first run on his new bike. Things are looking fast! |
 |
| Spin class with Mr Hart. With timed practice tomorrow, perhaps we will get a glimpse of who's got what on the pedals. |
 |
| Team spesh look marvelous in their assortment of race pajamas. Their train came rumbling across the roosty dirt, first elites of the day. |
 |
| Tim Bentley bending time with his front wheel. Most style points for the day. |
 |
| Masters always a hot contender for photog/crowd favorite. |
 |
| Spectating's a little different in Africa. You think that bit harder about where you put your butt. |
 |
| The man, the myth, the legend. Monk Dawg optimizing tire tread. |
 |
| Monk and Brook making sure all is up to the Bulldog spec. |
 |
| Speaking of DH heroes... Sam Hill is focused and working on his thug life look this week. Hard as, bru? |
 |
| Flat pedals fo' life... Number 4 crushing it. |
 |
| Brosnan taking the plunge down under on the (rider's) leftward 'Sam Hill' line. |
 |
| Good to see Peaty back at it after missing MSA. Hakuna Matata Sheffield! |
 |
| Greg Williamson broke his collar bone today during practice. Sad to see him out, heal up soon Greg! |
 |
| Nick Beer, the Swiss blur. |
 |
| George Brannigan line peeps on the Canadian King. As if you wouldn't too. |
 |
| Gutierrez just won the Garbanzo downhill. Think about that for a minute in relation to the current course requirements... Marcelo full throttle into the big hitters. |
 |
| Loic's a skill-smith on hucks and has pedal power to match, don't forget le garcon. |
 |
| 29er, 27.5er and if this axle is any hint, the next best thing is 12er... width. |
 |
| A moment of calm before some furious riding out there today from Gee, smashing laps on repeat off the shuttle. He was only a second off the pace last year and is at his career strongest right now. |
 |
| The number one plate acts as a vertical stripe and is therefore slimming. It'll be the new hot look for someone else on Sunday unless Morganne can fight them off. |
 |
| Canada's Casey Brown hucks it into the rocks. It's a far cry from Crabapple hits, but Casey still manages to make it look good. |
 |
| She's back...and her riding ain't whack. Ms Hannah shredded this place to victory last year and looked fully rad this arvo. |
 |
| Carpenter was 2nd behind Tracey here last season and hit 3rd at the champs. Rolling hard all day today she's more than a good pick. |
 |
| Spanner in the works though... It's healthy missy Atherton on 3 world cup wins out of 4 this season. |
 |
| Greg Minnaar. You can tell whenever he is on track, because the cheering gets ratcheted up quite a few notches. Here he jumps into the open section above the gulley. |
 |
| Andrew Neethling is giving it everything he's got this week in practice. The South African World Cup vet has the lungs and legs to do well here and could surprise quite a few... 8th last year afterall. |
 |
| Danny Hart was having fun all day today throwing huge whips when the wind would allow it and getting his drift on in the loose stuff. |
 |
| Sik Mik keeping real, real low.. |
 |
| Aussie menace number 2 out sharking 'till late in the day. |
 |
| And number 3, Jared's grave news: He is a major contender for the medals. |
 |
| A less than comfortable looking position quite ironically from number 69. He rode it out. |
 |
| Marc Beaumont all style. As fun as today was on the jumps.. the boys will be keeping low on Sunday. |
 |
| Florent Payet of France commits and goes wide in the upper rock garden. |
 |
| Blinky doesn't tend to ride straight down a hill on a normal day. |
 |
| Local knowledge saw the clouds coming well before they were at the horizon as things went a bit Inuit after lunch. Why the look? 'Shirts off on the rock' gets a better reception in Whistler. |
 |
| Things turned pretty sour about 3pm and it was freezing by African standards. Ice forming at about 10 degrees here. |
 |
| Blinky sending the massive booter amongst the African mist. The dry and extremely hot day quickly turned into a familiar rain. Hopefully it will dampen the track enough tonight to make tomorrows timed training perfect conditions. |
 |
| Graves keeping in visible range of Atherton across the misty wasteland from the shuttle to the start hut. |
 |
| The 'maritzburg superhero dropping in for one more. |
 |
| Greg shunts his special number board over the familiar boulders of his back yard. |
 |
| An eerie, quite un-African afternoon in the jungle. |
 |
| Big wheel Mitch gets lit. |
 |
| Neko into the dark, but illuminated. |
 |
| GM was the first man and last man on course today. One last run under the threatening skies and falling drizzle. |
 |
| If he doesn't win, he comes 2nd. Greg's set the standard here in the 3 world cups PMB has hosted, but you can bet he's upped the anti still further this time. It would take a real binge on the biltong tomorrow night to slow him down. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
...
1. Smiffy (650b)
2. Ropelato (29)
3. Gee Affy (26)
Proof, if any more were really required, that 650b is The Future TM.
2: Minnaar
3: Bruni
1: Carpenter
2: Atherton
3: Ragot