No Stone Left Unturned - Val Di Sole World Cup Practice
Fast cars, spicy meatballs and uncompromising terrain for mountain biking... Surely the hallmarks of the Italian nation. Today riders went to war on a course that didn't stand still for two minutes. They were flying and so were the pine needles. That and a cavalcade of big round stones, set on their way by dented rims and the stumps of mech-hangers gone by. Racers were under more pressure than ever to get to grips with the ever-changing face of the beast in time for qualifications- already upon them tomorrow. Many looked to be on fine form section by section, but Val di Sole is no place for a win from anyone but the most consistently dialled-in racer.
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 On the hunt for retribution in the forest. More than a few are looking to spit out the bitter taste of Fort Bill... Wyn Masters is one such vigilante after a sorely-felt exclusion from the final cut last weekend |
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| Matt Simmonds could have well been on the podium in Fort William had it not been for a wheel wreck. He qualified extremely well - and he didn't have a chain guide or chain for most of that run. He's looking quick again this week and blasting out runs with Sam Hill. |
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| One in the pink... Hill's annual tradition continues on his new Nukeproof Chain Reaction Cycles team this season, to raise money for breast cancer research. |
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| Stay tuned for info on how you can win this one-off piece of strawberry flavor goodness. |
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| Sam's looking fast, however he had a quick excursion through the tape early this morning, no doubt loaming-up his pretty kit a little. Don't worry, it won't cost extra in the auction. |
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| Brook MacDonald may be untouchable this week. He's looking ludicrously fast already and it's only day one. It's a good thing though, as the new practice schedule is extremely short. |
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| Saturday morning at the Post Office... The alterations to the practice and race formats have seen less time on track and more time leaning. And timed training just got cancelled. |
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| Roosty goodness, courtesy of Andrew Neethling. As predicted, as the pine needles were scoured off the track, the loamy dirt started offering all kinds of roost opportunities. Steve Smith evidently hit one corner hard enough to feel the roost smacking the back of his helmet. |
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| Minnaar peers through a section of thick Jurassic fern like the predator he is. There's a sick line there somewhere and he won't let it let it get away. |
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| Phil Atwill must have been a cat in a previous life... the kid was riding like he was on fire, loose as all get out, but somehow keeping the rubber side down and looking absolutely golden. |
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| "How many fingers?" Bryn Atkinson getting checked out by the medics after a close encounter of the tree kind. Bryn was fine, just a bit rattled, and pushed on for 2-3 more runs. |
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| It's all about line choice in the rock garden. There definitely IS a main line, but when 312 riders storm the course, lines change. The rock garden in particular saw some evolution as a pair of bomb holes developed below the stump dead center of the frame--the main line. Riders like Ragot were quick to finesse a rock rider's right of the stump to skip over the bombholes. |
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| Service cards were stacking up at Fox Racing Shox with rider requests from damn near all the top riders. This track is definitely a suspension testing ground like few others. |
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| A team of two halves says size matters. Brendan Fairclough prefers 26 inch wheels, same as Floriane Pugin. The rest of the Gstaad-Scott squad, including Team manager Claudio Caluori, are repping 27.5. |
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| Slugger warping into the Snake Pit. Beaumont's won here in the past, but he seemed to be spending most of the day on cruise control. But then again, a lot of the faster riders never look fast until you check the clock. |
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| The track is loaded with rocks, but flats are not the danger here; but rather strikes to the chain guides and bash guards. 3 years ago Dougie Fresh from Santa Cruz stacked up 3 bash guards on Rat Boy's V-10 in an effort to keep his guide in one piece |
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| Re-hab from Fort WIlliam. |
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| Greg Williamson is on Trek World Racing this year and the Scot was having loads of fun all day today. He seems at home on the steep stuff. |
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| Aaron Gwin was picking the track apart this morning section by section, planning his attack for tomorrow. |
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| Welcome to the team, Loic Bruni... Jon Cancellier giving the youngster's new Blackbox Boxxer legs a post service wipedown. |
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| An elusive fellow it would seem... Loic avoids auto-focus through the safety netting. |
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| Remi Thirion, the new kid on Commencal/Riding Addiction, seems to spend as much time in the air as on the track. Top 20 last week, can he push harder? |
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| Post practice compression tights walk to sort lines. Smart riders were on the track the second practice was over to see how the lines were evolving. The loose duff was getting pushed around in practice, allowing more rocks and roots to emerge, and a few multiple guess lines to emerge. |
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| Stay tuned to Pinkbike for the qualies results tomorrow afternoon! |
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| Final run of the day and AG turned on the heat. Eye of the Tiger. |
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Brooke 1st, Gee 2nd , Hill 3rd :-)
He qualified 2nd, and I hope he does well. It'll turn this into a very exciting beginning to the season. If he continues to do poorly, it'll just be sad. But you can't deny that if someone is changing bike sizes in the middle of things like this, something's ain't right.
Have you ever heard of Pizza or Pasta? Or the good wine? A shame ...
Wish: 1. Fairclough, 2. Hill, 3. Hart, 4. Gee, 5. Simmons
Most probably: 1. Bulldog, 2. Gee, 3. Minnaar, 4. Gwin, 5. Hill....
The question mark is: in 9 months riding a Demo for training, he never realized he needed/liked the bigger size?