Madison Saracen Factory Team: 2015 UCI World Cup - Round Four, Lenzerheide

Lenzerheide, a new venue for the World Cup and a new track for the riders to tame. We were all looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint, from the drive into the mountains to the high speed track that had a little of everything.

Practice was an evolution of the new track as the World Cup riders gave it a work out, moving rocks and dust and creating braking bumps and roots. With the racing line changing by the hour it was a race to figure out the track and the bike set up to get the best of it on race day.










Blessed with sunshine for the whole weekend, fast, loose and dusty were the key words. At just over three minutes the track wasn't too long but with so much going on it seemed like it was much longer. In qualifying Manon found her groove and slotted into a decent third place, knowing she could build on the run come final time as her confidence built on the dusty hill. Matt and Sam where up against it and on such a fast track times were tighter than they have ever been at a World Cup race. Even the slightest mistake would cost them dearly. They both put in solid runs and prepared to go faster in the final.













The crowds rolled in from early in the morning and by race time in the afternoon they lined the track and filled out the finish arena. The scene was set with a spectacular Swiss mountain backdrop and riders leaping down the finish area drop to greet the fans. In the women's race Manon had a great run, putting aside the misfortune of previous weeks she looked back in charge and strong, crossing the line without a mistake was a relief for the 2014 World Champion after the Leogang mishap, she did that and more with a fine second place to add to her World Cup podium tally.












For Matt and Sam it was a tough day in the office, fighting to carry speed as the rocks and roost morphed into one and the fastest way down the hill evolved through the day. Tough in these conditions to balance your race run between smooth/carrying speed and aggression/attack. Again the times in the men were close and Matt managed to hang on for 22nd place and despite a slide out and meeting with a Swiss tree, Sam slipped into 33rd. Both of them hungry now to start converting the speed they have in to podiums as the team heads home to the UK for BDS racing and the British Championships, before resuming World Cups in Monte Saint Anne.


www.saracen.co.uk/team

Photo credit: Duncan Philpott

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MENTIONS: @SaracenBikes / @duncanp / @LazerSport

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