Video: Pinkbike Racing's Course Preview for the 2022 Val di Sole DH World Cup

Sep 1, 2022 at 4:28
by Ed Spratt  

Pinkbike Racing take you down the final track of the World Cup, in memory of Italian downhill racer Walter Belli.


Pinkbike Racing is supported by Continental, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Shimano, Reserve Wheels, Five Ten, Deity, Bluegrass, Dharco, Ohlins, Outside Magazine, Swatch & Cushcore.






Pinkbike Fantasy Downhill League in Association with Specialized

photo


Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
3,063 articles
Must Read This Week
Pole Bicycles Has Filed for Bankruptcy
62924 views
Kona Bicycles' Parent Company Appoints New CFO, Intends to Sell Brand
62448 views
Randoms Round 3: Dario's Treasures
41403 views
Downhill Bikes of Sea Otter - Part 1
37721 views
Pinkbike's DH Fantasy League: Get Your Team On The Line - Fort William is in TWO WEEKS!
37712 views
Randoms Round 1 - Sea Otter 2024
36861 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Araxá XC World Cup 2024
36851 views
Brian's Randoms from Sea Otter 2024
36115 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

71 Comments
  • 57 0
 Intersting to see Cathros lines compared to the two guys in front...
  • 21 1
 Yeah I thought his lines were excellent
  • 8 1
 They’ve also probably had very little time on course as of when they filmed this. I’d assume they were all just improvising and just trying to make it down at this point.
  • 8 0
 I assume it's partly to create variety to see which is fastest and make video better
  • 1 0
 @lochussie:
Yea I thought the same.
  • 6 0
 That's why he's the 'line guy'.
  • 3 0
 You might say he has excellent vision
  • 39 0
 Just watching the video already made my arms tired...
  • 5 13
flag RedBurn (Sep 1, 2022 at 6:47) (Below Threshold)
 MSA is a cake next to that!!! GWINNING TIME ????
  • 5 4
 This is a great POV. Course is a bit bike-parky though.
  • 4 0
 @BenPea: yeah, almost a rail trail.
  • 1 0
 @BenPea: Danny Hart thinks differently www.youtube.com/watch?v=usckyikHX6s
  • 29 0
 The scary thing is, I've been to Val di Sole and all these POV videos make it look much smoother and less steep than it really is. However hard you think it is, it's worse.
  • 4 0
 Yeah if you look closely, that track is steep and those rocks and roots are huge and chunky.
  • 5 0
 Agreed. I did track walk day at Worlds last year, and that course is crazy steep. And the drops are way bigger than POV makes them look.
  • 3 0
 POV footage never does the terrain justice. you have to know what you are looking at to understand what the terrain is actually like with POV. This is why Remi Mettalier's vids are so impressive to me.
  • 2 0
 Yes, most of the gaps look perfectly doable in these vids
  • 4 1
 This is a horrific enough course as it is, even without the storms forecast for the weekend. I don't have enough fingers to watch through.
  • 1 0
 you are right .... www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6iEikXwQNs&t=400s different view of Black Snake
  • 12 0
 RIP Walter, I know the track is steep with massive drops everywhere, that footage didn't do the track justice. Looking forward to racing.
  • 12 0
 Now THAT'S a DH course!
  • 9 0
 Wow, that's one brutal track, I have sore bones just watching this.
  • 9 0
 Good ole downhill track, not a bike park jump line.
  • 6 0
 The italians really know how to make a DH track.
Back on the 90s the Nevegal (yeah, that's where your Kenda tire got it's name from) track was ahead of it's time,long rough and steep.
This VDS track is a worthy sucessor.
  • 3 0
 And think about the DH bikes of that time compared to today's.
  • 5 0
 @mcharza: Every single one of our 'Trail' bikes and ESPECIALLY modern eunduro bikes, are light years ahead of everything we had in the 90's. Intense is a mail order bike today (they are working on changing that), but the impact of the M1 cannot be overstated. Very few others (maybe Sunn & Cannodale) had anywhere near the impact. It changed how companies looked at DH bikes and changed DH riding
  • 1 0
 Thank you Smile
  • 1 0
 @bman33: you forgot the most important bike of the early history: the v-process.
  • 3 0
 Remembering Nevegal ... it was 1999 and I went to see the world cup ... watching the Giant team (which at the time had 4 or 5 riders) going down the track screaming and laughing convinced me to buy the Giant ATX One DH within 4 months ... at the time it cost 10,800,000 lire on the list ... a disproportionate amount ... I was getting about 1,300,000 lire as a worker (I was young)
  • 7 0
 Looks like riding on paint can shaker.
  • 6 0
 "It's going to be a super tough race" And that's if it stays dry. If it's wet this track will be terrifying. RIP Walter.
  • 4 0
 Soooooo different from Les Gets !
=> a lots of rocks
=> less speed parts
=> no road gaps
=> no tables

...but if all the same would be boring Wink

It's going to be rock and roots !!!
  • 5 0
 From what I can see Walter died in 2022 and had his life changing accident in 2014.
  • 2 0
 exactly
  • 2 0
 yes, the yellow t-shirts worn with the Wal7er inscription are in memory of Walter Belli, a great downhill and trial athlete. More info at walter7.com/en
  • 2 0
 Anyone else watch these and pick lines? Lots of times its, "yeah thats the one I would have taken, but a good amount of the time its, "I would have placed my wheel there or tried to link that turn there". Super fun seeing the courses in a POV and trying to imagine what it would be like.... albeit with a serious go-pro effect. Endless rocks.... damn.
  • 7 0
 It's more like " that's where I'd crash" on repeat...
  • 2 0
 unfortunately Walter died on February 4, 2022 at the age of 41. There is a documentary on the story of him www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WvCBnOGG3c
  • 1 0
 Great track preview. Love seeing the different lines that the riders took. I really like hearing Cathro's commentary but understand why it was omitted this time.
  • 1 0
 Cathro was pinned the wee Scotsman.... might see if I can squeeze him into the fantasy team .
  • 16 0
 Think this must be the first time he's ever been described as "wee"
  • 5 0
 @mashrv1: in my head I just call him Lanky Noodle Arms.
  • 2 0
 I think Ben is closer to 2x a Jackie Stewart
  • 2 0
 That track looks really fun.
  • 8 0
 * on someone else's bike
  • 2 0
 Where is the official preview?
  • 2 1
 Jackson, redbull youtube
  • 3 0
 B. R. U. T. A. L.
  • 3 1
 Watch Jackson's POV for a proper preview
  • 1 0
 Yeah. Jackson is moving at warp speed. Rocks? What rocks?
  • 2 0
 You'd think they could add some rocks to this track or something.
  • 2 1
 Just looking at it gave me armpump, this is rough!
  • 1 0
 Gonna go down completely silent. Yeeeeeoooowww!
  • 1 0
 That gave me Skid marks in my pants
  • 2 0
 Oh, man - Belli died?
  • 3 0
 Same reaction here. I was aware of Walter and his accident but had read nothing about his death. It hasn't been addressed anywhere on the internet that I can see. What the hell?
  • 1 0
 @SoddenDeath: I know! He really did his best to stay active and involved, and to be an advocate, after his injury.

Plus, dude was a hell of a bike rider.
  • 1 0
 It'd take me 3 hours to walk my bike down this course
  • 1 0
 Ping-Pong trail
  • 1 0
 Respect
  • 1 0
 Rough and tough.
  • 10 12
 Wow I wish I had more jumps, berms & flow. You know the kinda' stuff suitable for 200mm travel bike's & the world's most skilled DH racers.
  • 5 4
 It's downhill racing, not a jumpline
  • 4 0
 @nickfranko: m.youtube.com/watch?v=eVxFJUqyEkk
  • 5 0
 @nickfranko: Wooossh....
  • 4 0
 @nickfranko: I was kidding, best track going.
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.029134
Mobile Version of Website