One more sleep - Andorra World Cup Dreaming
 |
 Focus... focus... Danny Hart preparing for battle like a kung-fu master in his own version of the Shaolin Temple. |
 |
| The world's most consistent racer rumbling down the mud luge this morning. He's certainly put in the time to get this track wired in. Irritatingly for him all the attention the course has had over the last few days will have quite possibly transformed every single switchback into an entirely different animal. It won't affect him much...Minnaar is just incapable of poor performance. |
 |
| After the heavy plunders of yesterday, Sam Hill's still looking entirely flat out. Could we be headed back down memory lane to the good ol' days with Hill on top? The weather is threatening rain, in which case all eyes will be locked on Hill and Hart...the world's wet weather legends. |
 |
| 'Stoked for Sunday, gonna be a nice one' promising Gwin tweetage... |
 |
| Marcelo Gutierrez (now suspected cat-burglar) stretching in ways we never thought possible after today's short practice. Yoga mat / stretching area in the Giant pit. |
 |
| Brendog roosting his way down to the bottom. |
 |
| Loic leaves the start hut 4th last tomorrow after coming down only 2.88 seconds behind Monster Energy's finest. |
 |
 | Yesterday was a pretty good day I just wanted to be smooth and not have too many mistakes. I was pretty surprised for my time. Now I'm quite confident for tomorrow, for the top 10 hopefully. In practice I always try to have a lot of fun because it's important for the mental stuff, but I try to focus as much as I can for the race you know. You have a time for playing and a time for racing so I try to have a different mind. At races I ride like I never have before, every time, you know. Riding today it was pretty dusty and rough so I'd prefer a little rain but not too much because after it will be so gnarly. We'll see tomorrow but it will be the same for everyone.- Loic Bruni, Lapierre Gravity Republic |
 |
| Needles has looked really strong here all week. The South African's been ripping innovative lines everywhere and pinning harder than ever. All the effort could easily lever him into prize purse territory tomorrow. |
 |
| Neethling's ride getting purified after the morning's lappage. |
 |
| A flat tyre prevented Myriam Nicole to do well in front of her bike's home crowd yesterday. Being a protected rider, she will get another chance coming Sunday. |
 |
| Manon Carpenter using a revolutionary new technique for memorizing the track, which consists of riding with your eyes closed during your second run of the day. (check it full size) Apparently it works. |
 |
| Pietro "Pedro" Palladino, the Marzocchi suspension tech, at home in his office: the Marzocchi mobile tech rig. This work space is like walking into MASH operating room: in come the walking wounded--forks and rear shocks blown up and abused on World Cup tracks around Europe--out comes rehabilitated suspension, ready to go to war. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Eddy Masters and the NZ guerrilla campers set up an xc heckle-station in a nice tactical position. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Walked up the hill today with Bryn Atkinson to check things out, gave him my extra camera and cut him loose for the morning. Bryn recently broke a small piece in his back and couldn't hold together a full run yesterday along with a small crash. So today, he became a photographer and gave us a run for our money with our jobs. - Photo: Bryn Atkinson Photography |
 |
| Fresh rotors with some quickly heated up marks. The steep track is full speed with 50% of brake on 100% of the time. |
 |
| Guy Gibbs of the Norwegian national team is fresh out of graduating mechanical engineering and now turns his hand to the less precise challenge of sending it on a bike. Yesterday he made the cut by an anorexic's fingertip to come in 78th. |
 |
| Yesterday was an awesome day. I qualified for my first ever world cup on a gnarly track and then got a smile from Emily Batty. Couldn't be more stoked.- Guy Gibbs, Ride.IO |
 |
| Rachel's arts n crafts get well soon card for junior fallen friend, Taylor Vernon... 'main butty' (best friend in Welsh speak). |
 |
| Gee Atherton getting back at it after sliding out into the brush about 2 meters back. The chute before runs into a hard catch berm that no one seemed to be making... Is it gonna be full throttle for Gee-man on Sunday, or will he ride conservative thinking ahead to the overall? What would you do? |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Bryn Atkinson Photography - Another awesome photo that Bryn took today of Peaty making his way down the track. Always love giving the camera to the riders. The athletes always have a great eye, as they know what looks good on the track. |
 |
| Fingers crossed for tomorrow's weather forecast! |
 |
| Steve Smith cutting some close corners this morning. He loves the course and despite a blip in qualis it probably loves him back. |
 |
| Kid gets sick air at Vallnord World Cup... ...mother doesn't rub in sun-screen properly. Fail meme. |
 |
| Polygon created a bad-ass 'bullet time' contraption with a stack of Sony cameras.... Stoked to see how this turns out tomorrow! Good luck with the editing JB ahem... |
 |
PB: So Sam, quite a day yesterday, were you happy with that one?
Hill: Yeah the goal was to try and qualify first and get some points back for the championship so it was good to come down on top.
PB: Does the qualifying success make your approach any different tomorrow?
Hill: Nah I'll just be riding my best and doing my own thing...Get down smooth and safe. I rode pretty steady and there's a few places I can pick it up pretty easy so I'll do that and hopefully it's enough.
PB: Some guys have had a bit of extra time on this course in the last weeks do you think that's going to have an impact in the finals?
Hill: Nah the tracks changed and is a lot different, so now it's kinda the same for everyone after a few days being here, so no excuses.
PB: So you've been sessioning a lot with the other CRC boys, do you help push each other along?
Hill: We have fun out there, talk to each-other about lines and that sort of thing. We've all got a few different lines we're taking going on, but its whatever works for each person really. Definitely it's fun to be able to ride hard with those guys and push it a bit more.
PB: The wind's picking up and it looks as if the weather could be coming in. How would that change things up tomorrow?
Hill: Not that much, its a lot about sitting in the rut anyhow so if it rains it will just be a little slipperier. Maybe it's gonna be a scary one if it does rain but for sure I'm looking forward to it dry or wet.
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Grinning when you're winning, Hill's in fine spirits and feeling good about the beeps on Sunday. Will he be dancing on the tables at CG's big party up in da club? |
Author Info:
Member since Jul 19, 2007
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Though I think there is something funny going on in there (Team Specialized). Sam now looks relazed and having fun again. Troy is Troy himself, and Gwin does not look happy at all.
My bet is, Hart to another team next year. Any suggestions? Lapierre? Every time he gets interviewed about the bike he accidentally lets on he knows everyone thinks it's not the best bike, but he's trying to make it work. This year he hasn't had the results and he's going to be blaming himself or the bike... I bet the bike loses.
(on a side note ONE Industries, please design a helmet that doesn't make Gee look like a Chuppa Chup)
( On a side note, anyone notice Loic Bruni's interview, "you know" is said twice! A catching phrase commonly used by the Atherton's)
The kids are getting old and loosing their coolness.
At least Sam is still cool
COME ON SAM, SMASH IT
I'm going to say
1) Sam Hill
2) gee atherton
3) hoping either brook McDonald or neko mullaly can podium (yes I ride a session lmfao)
4) Greg minaar
5) josh bryceland
Will they get rain?
Was Sam riding safe?
Will the Maxxis muddy Mary be a game changer?
1. Gee Atherton
2. Sam Hill
3. Greg Minaar
4. Steve Smith
5. Loic Bruni
... but then again I'm crap at predictions