Photo Epic: XC Preview - La Bresse World Cup 2018
It's hard to believe we got here so quickly. World cup finals are at a new venue in La Bresse, France, and the course is a good mix of classic grass, rooty tech, and a bit of bike park for added flavor. It's been an exciting season in XC with Nino leading the charge and Gerhard Kerschbaumer heating things up the last few rounds. Let's take a look at the course and some of it's more interesting bits before the racing gets going.
It starts here, it ends here.
Emily Batty is looking to follow up her MSA result with another podium.
Chloe Woodruff makes the pass on the inside.
A little log booter into loose loam and rocks.
Directional arrows just to be sure.
The bike park sections will be rolling fast.
Climbing sections that fold back on each other like spaghetti.
There will be speed carried into these rocks. Cut left to keep the speed up.
Safety first.
Fast rolling dusty single track with passing points.
Just yesterday this was a drop. Not a big drop but a drop. Now ramped and rugged.
Mathieu van der Poel wearing some extra dirt and blood on the dusty tracks.
Nino leads the squad though the dark pine forests.
Plenty of punchy climbs on this course.
Rob Warner sends the new and improved Shimano arch.
More classic grass turns.
Grass turns for days.
Only the finest French granite will do in this walled berm.
Big logs, boulders, and rollers. A little 4X for good measure.
Out and back flyovers.
Punchy climbs and long grinders. La Bresse has em both.
The last standing gap.
More bike park speed and corners to rail.
Rain. These trails desperately need some.
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I'd say it has more to do with only timing the descents.