Team Videos: Val di Sole Downhill World Cup 2018
Trek Factory Racing
This weekend was insane! Val di Sole has always been a favourite with the team but this weekend was positively savage with thunderstorms and changing conditions creating a constantly shifting havoc on course throughout practise and qualifications . There were crashes and disappointments galore with Charlie nursing a fractured scaphoid sustained at Leogang and Gee going down super hard in practise injuring his hand. Undeterred he had Polish Pete velcro his strapped hand to the bars and set about delivering very solid quals and finals runs, proving once again that he is hard as nails! Mille claimed her second World Cup but Kade couldn't put together the run he so badly wanted. Rach laid down a scorcher and for a while it looked like victory was well within her grasp …
Video by TJ Smith.
MS Mondraker
With Laurie’s 2nd place, Patrik’s 3rd place in juniors and Brooks 9th place we won the team ranking of the day- an amazing result for us for sure. Check out the impressions of this weekend captured by Björn Hunger.
Music credits:
"broken pieces" by Not Scientists
"blue pill" by Uncommonmenfrommars
Commencal
Myriam Nicole is injured and Amaury Pierron makes it a hat-trick.
Unior Devinci Factory Racing
The « Black Snake » bit again.
Check out why Dakotah Norton didn’t race this past weekend in Val di Sole, Italy. UDFR rider Tanja Žakelj was there for the XC race along with Keegan Wright, who was on the field representing New Zealand at 4X World Champs. A first time experience for the Kiwi.
YT Mob
After just rolling out of the start house yesterday in qualifying and not completing his run, it was clear that the slide out crash which reinjured Aaron’s thumb was going to be the question mark over the 5 Time World Cup Champion coming into today’s race. After getting some training runs in today Aaron decided to give it a go and do what he could to stem the point loss. Impressively he finished 31st today after man handling the bike down the steepest and most technical track of the season, using his legs in places to press against the frame and relieve the pain and pressure from the thumb, it was a champion’s ride, and he now sits in 4th place overall, just 10 points from 2nd.
VoulVoulRacing Team
After a successful weekend in Les Gets / France with Baptiste winning the Mont-Chéry DH Race and Marine finishing second the moral was high going into Val di Sole for the 4th stop of the UCI MTB World Cup.
Val di Sole is one of the team’s favorite venues due to it’s track length and the variety when it comes to line choices. The wet weather mixed things up on qualifying day and was quite tough for our riders. Florent had a crash during practice before qualifying and did not make it into finals for the first time since he started racing. Baptiste kept his 12th position from qualifying and Kevin Mary was able to get his best ever result with finishing 36th.
Now it’s time to pack everything up, head to Andorra and do it all again next weekend! See you all there!
Polygon UR
Luckily the Black Snake dried out for finals!! What a week of tough riding for the team on such a demanding track.
This weekend was insane! Val di Sole has always been a favourite with the team but this weekend was positively savage with thunderstorms and changing conditions creating a constantly shifting havoc on course throughout practise and qualifications . There were crashes and disappointments galore with Charlie nursing a fractured scaphoid sustained at Leogang and Gee going down super hard in practise injuring his hand. Undeterred he had Polish Pete velcro his strapped hand to the bars and set about delivering very solid quals and finals runs, proving once again that he is hard as nails! Mille claimed her second World Cup but Kade couldn't put together the run he so badly wanted. Rach laid down a scorcher and for a while it looked like victory was well within her grasp …
Video by TJ Smith.
MS Mondraker
Music credits:
"broken pieces" by Not Scientists
"blue pill" by Uncommonmenfrommars
Commencal
Myriam Nicole is injured and Amaury Pierron makes it a hat-trick.
Unior Devinci Factory Racing
The « Black Snake » bit again.
Check out why Dakotah Norton didn’t race this past weekend in Val di Sole, Italy. UDFR rider Tanja Žakelj was there for the XC race along with Keegan Wright, who was on the field representing New Zealand at 4X World Champs. A first time experience for the Kiwi.
YT Mob
After just rolling out of the start house yesterday in qualifying and not completing his run, it was clear that the slide out crash which reinjured Aaron’s thumb was going to be the question mark over the 5 Time World Cup Champion coming into today’s race. After getting some training runs in today Aaron decided to give it a go and do what he could to stem the point loss. Impressively he finished 31st today after man handling the bike down the steepest and most technical track of the season, using his legs in places to press against the frame and relieve the pain and pressure from the thumb, it was a champion’s ride, and he now sits in 4th place overall, just 10 points from 2nd.
VoulVoulRacing Team
After a successful weekend in Les Gets / France with Baptiste winning the Mont-Chéry DH Race and Marine finishing second the moral was high going into Val di Sole for the 4th stop of the UCI MTB World Cup.
Val di Sole is one of the team’s favorite venues due to it’s track length and the variety when it comes to line choices. The wet weather mixed things up on qualifying day and was quite tough for our riders. Florent had a crash during practice before qualifying and did not make it into finals for the first time since he started racing. Baptiste kept his 12th position from qualifying and Kevin Mary was able to get his best ever result with finishing 36th.
Now it’s time to pack everything up, head to Andorra and do it all again next weekend! See you all there!
Polygon UR
Luckily the Black Snake dried out for finals!! What a week of tough riding for the team on such a demanding track.
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12 Comments
- 42 2
AlanMck
(Jul 9, 2018 at 0:11)
youtu.be/2mXBtTja_SE Gwin discusses his thumb in the team truck.
- 3 1
lexylea
(Jul 9, 2018 at 2:52)
genius.
- 3 0
AlanMck
(Jul 11, 2018 at 2:58)
@lexylea: the thumb is a tremendous boon to the mountain biker. 'Elps with work, ya know what I mean?
- 12 2
powaymatt
(Jul 8, 2018 at 23:38)
YT is seriously killing it. 10yrs in business, and they’ve forced their way into the big leagues. Way to pull of a new business and investing in key players at the same time. Well done.
- 6 0
DropperPost
(Jul 9, 2018 at 9:17)
GOOD LUCK TO NEKO AND ANGEL FOR ANDORRA , GOOD HEALING MR G !!!
- 7 1
rockyflowtbay
(Jul 8, 2018 at 20:15)
Gwin must be tired talking about his thumb.....
- 1 0
Pininator
(Jul 10, 2018 at 0:00)
I've been off the bike for just over two months due to tendon surgery on my thumb and I'm nowhere near the level Gwin is...I just work at a bike shop. I'm beyond tired of explaining it to customers, sales reps, etc. I think it's safe to say your assessment of Gwin is spot-on.
It's not a large part of your body, but it's amazing how injuring one can totally throw you off your game...even in the most simple and everyday things you do.
- 3 0
colincolin
(Jul 10, 2018 at 0:39)
@Pininator: We're one of the only animals with opposable thumbs and they're there for a reason. In nature we'd be pretty effed without them.
- 5 0
anythingforadrenaline
(Jul 10, 2018 at 9:21)
@Pininator: broke my thumb at a big race and I work in surgery. Needless to say my coworkers were pretty pissed at me for awhile
- 4 1
joedave
(Jul 8, 2018 at 16:42)
Does Gwin have a squeaky toy attached to his bike? Lol hope that’s a new damper or something, cracking me up! Can’t say is want a damper that loud.
- 5 0
gibbon-on-an-orange
(Jul 9, 2018 at 4:42)
I dunno, I'm half tempted to cable tie one of the dog's toys into my linkage and hit the trails for a laugh.
- 2 0
kmorgan
(Jul 11, 2018 at 5:18)
Love the YT segment, especially Gwin helping his team mate out with lines, want to get faster at riding, follow someone who is faster than you!
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