Race Preview: American Continental Championships DH 2022
Continental Championships give top national athletes a chance to measure up against the best from other countries in their continent. These championships are an important stepping-stone between National Championships and the most prestigious international events such as World Cups and World Championships. American Continental Champs include both North and South America.
This competition logically raises the level of riding on the continent, reinforcing the sterling work carried out throughout the year by our five Continental Confederations to develop our wonderful sport. The COPACI is the Continental Confederation for Americas and the acronyms represent COnfederacion PAnamericana de CIclismo and is also an opportunity for directives to meet and choose a host for the following year.
For 2022 Costa Rica will for the first time host a Continental Championship organized by Asosioacion Costaricense de Downhill (@asociacioncrdownhill on IG) lead by its president Giovani Castillo and will be held at Finca La Lucha on the track called "El Cabuyal" honoring the cabuya plant. Cabuya is an exotic plant endemic to South America also known as Cabuya, Pita, Penco, Maguey, Chuchao and Coquiza. It belongs to the Fucraea family and was brought from Colombia to Costa Rica and is used for its natural fibre called Fique used for making sacks for agricultural packaging (such as coffee, flour, beans, etc) and ropes.
Part of the midsection of the track delimited by Cabuyal plants forming a rosette of sword-like leaves.
Race Program:
Feb 17th: Track Walk
Feb 18th: Training from 8:00 - 16:00
Feb 19th: Traning for UCI riders Elite and Junior 11:45 - 13:45 // Seeding Runs 14:00 - 18:00
Feb 20th: Training 8:00 - 11:00 // Final runs 11:30 - 14:00 // Award ceremony 14:30
Track specs:
- 2.1 km long.
- Starts at 2,100m (6,890 ft) above sea level and ends at 1,600m (5,250 ft) above sea level: so 500m (1,640 ft) drop.
- 3 sections; forest on the top, open cabuya section on the middle and a Pine Tree forest at the end with loam floor.
The soft soil and loam of the forest parts get eroded fast as bikes pass.
Root exposure will also change as bikes pass.
Off camber parts with loose soil.
Mateo Negri from Peru trying the soil with his shoes during the track walk. Eyes on this guy he is looking for a second Pan American medal as a Junior and is going to try some luck at the World Cup season.
Sebastian Alfaro choosing lines at the rock garden, this guy was only 2 secs away from Neko Mulally and the win last weekend on this track.
Berms make people look serious. The guy with the tourist look and arms crossed is Takumi, owner and operator of the only Push Suspension Center in Latin America and is behind the suspensions of some top riders like Alejandro Paz (37) to his right who is racing for the first time as a Master and is looking forward to the Masters World Champs to be held April 2022 in Argentina.
More pics and results after the seeding runs. Big thanks to Tadeo Carmona for the pics @carmonaperu
Check out the full results from the Costa Rican Open Of Downhill 2022 held last weekend below.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/results-mariana-salazar-and-neko-mulally-win-the-costa-rican-open-of-downhill-2022.html
Confirmed riders and Start List:
https://www.asociacioncrdownhill.com/inicio
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