A lot has changed since Les Gets last held the World Championships way back in 2004. That, infamously, was the scene of Steve Peat's last gasp slide-out which ensured the win went to Fabien Barel and extended Peaty's fabled hunt for the rainbow jersey ever further. Nearly twenty odd years later, the bikes, kit, riders, track and the sport as a whole have moved on, but the basic principle and raw DNA of what makes downhill racing so great lives on as the world’s best prepare to lay it all on the line in pursuit of the greatest prize in cycling - that rainbow jersey and accompanying precious metal.
The race track remains largely unchanged - certainly no bad thing - from our previous visit to the French Alps following its welcome introduction last season with a variety of fresh cut, steep and technical woods, as well as some big features to test the riders. It’s the perfect setting for the biggest race of the year with a bumper crowd expected to turn out in support of their home heroes of which there are many. Will it be a French frenzy on Saturday or will someone else manage to spoil the fun in legendary fashion?
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