DH World Cup Round 1: Building the Lošinj Track - Video

Feb 28, 2018 at 1:34
by Pinkbike Staff  

MTB team Trbovlje has been really busy this winter building a world cup track and organizing the first downhill event of this magnitude on the Lošinj Island in Croatia. The team has been organizing races since 1999 in their hometown Trbovlje in Slovenia, and five years ago they have started collaborating with local club AC Lošinj and hosted some races for Slovenian and Croatian Cups, and last year also a UCI C1 class race.

But the World Cup is a whole different game. There is no access for machinery, so practically the whole track had to be hand build (exception are first 200 meters from the start). Water and all building materials were carried on foot, and human power was used to create all of the lines.

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97 Comments
  • 82 12
 It's gonna be beautiful and bring some change. Some bros won't like it, they can go and race Sea Otter DH in spandex instead
  • 34 4
 Not sure you could rule out spandex on the bottom part of this course seeing as it is a road. Also I doubt the people who would criticize this course would have anything good to say about the sea otter dh course either.
  • 12 2
 Time to move see Sea Otter to a proper ski resort with a proper downhill course. It’s a shame that there is no World Cup downhill race on the West Coast of United States. How about more stops for the season, better television coverage. In the United States all of the major sports has tons of TV coverage and shows about the athletes. World Cup downhill could use a few these type of shows the feature the athletes and bring more excitement to downhill racing. Best sport in the world. More money for the athletes, they deserve it. Top baseball players make over 20 million, benchwarmers make millions still.
  • 20 0
 @krypto8: Bike racing is just a sideshow at the Sea Otter. It's an Industry wank-fest and I mop up the free beer.
  • 3 0
 @endlessblockades: did you say free beer? I think I finally need to attend.
  • 5 4
 @krypto8: paying downhill racers millions of dollars will ruin the sport. The beauty of downhill is that it's a load of very professional amateurs who love being there and happen to get paid for it if they are doing well. Compare soccer to rugby for how the attitudes change with money.
  • 1 0
 @ermoldaker: Money really ruins everything. Pro DH racers would hate to make money and have to try even harder... Way more fun to be an amateur Pro like the World Cup racers of today. Competition is such a drag on style and fun. Keep it fun right?!
  • 66 1
 Cool to see how much passion and thought they are putting in, I hope for their sake the track doesn't get slated for it when it comes down to the race though
  • 42 1
 Props to these guys for working so hard on this. Instead of taking the rocks out of the tracks, they're putting them in. Nice.
  • 10 5
 not so natural at the end of the day
  • 10 0
 @carbonbraap: You should see the track man. In it's natural form is f*cking gnarly. They are preventing injuries from flying sharp rocks. Rode it 3 times, probably never again lol
  • 41 1
 Gwin is going to come away from this one with a flat. Guaranteed. Minaar will crack at least one frame in practice.
  • 9 0
 a flat and a win, haha
  • 34 3
 I think the track will surprise a lot of people and be really good. Riders have been saying for years they want more natural tracks... now they have one.
  • 12 6
 Nothing natural about the road section. Top looks ok, committing for sure and hard on the bike. Shame it's not longer, wider and with more line choice. Something new tho, perhaps less chance of a weather lottery than some early season races.
  • 18 5
 Looks like a nice track but all those sculpted berms, bags of concrete, and machined sections didn't exactly scream "natural" to me.
  • 19 0
 @catweasel: lime stone + rain = spectacle
  • 10 2
 Natural obviously means different things to different people. Natural to me is where you ride a line over and over until your wheels make a trail. Maybe you'll cut trees that fall across it so you don't have to go make another natural trail.
  • 8 0
 @SJP: then head out to some random field with a bike and a chainsaw and rough in a world cup track for us. I bet it will be way better than what pro racers design and build.
  • 2 0
 @Bigernmcracken: most of the time they are being paid decent money to create tracks that will draw tourists to a resort, their name being associated with it brings it kudos and therefore visitors. That means their hands are tied though, no resort is going to pay big bucks for somebody to design a hardline-style course because tourists won`t be able to ride it. I`m not saying every pro racer is capable of designing a good track, but a lot of them could do a lot better if they weren`t working within the guidelines set out by the people who are paying their wages.
  • 1 1
 What's natural about trucking in dirt for big jumps and building stone walls with concrete holding them together?
  • 2 0
 @westcoastmassive: come Stateside and see what Neko and Sean are doing at Windrock.

@poozank: The builders cant pick the terrain they are hired to build on and if the terrain isn't naturally rocky what are they supposed to do ? Make a flow trail so you can bitch about that?
  • 1 0
 @Bigernmcracken: Maybe loosely pile stones and dont build berms? Courses that evolve as they get ridden are interesting. Of course its hard to say without being there in person so I'm just talking out of my ass.
  • 3 0
 @poozank: I believe they say in the video that the course has one berm. I am also guessing that they get more rain than you do in LA, I am sure that the concrete is to prevent erosion.
  • 37 6
 Way to ruin a Daft Punk classic
  • 4 1
 My ears, it hurts where they are.
  • 5 1
 I threw up in my mouth a lil'bit!
  • 24 0
 Sad not to have Lourdes stop this year (which is 50km from home), but I'm so happy to finally have something new on the WC circuit. It really needs new tracks. Hopefully Madeira will be in the agenda very soon!
  • 4 0
 Liking the newness too, they’re putting graft in and the track looks challenging & fun. Can’t wait!!!!
  • 22 1
 Has anyone watched the full GoPro run? Personally I think a tarmac/street section like this has no place in a dh World Cup. youtu.be/JJWD8nF-Hfk
  • 8 10
 Wow. What a shitty track ... hope it’s not the WC one!!!!
  • 10 1
 @RedBurn: yeah I agree, I really hope its not part of the WC track
  • 9 0
 wonder if the urban ending was by design or necessity? I smell 29 downduros....
  • 7 1
 I mean how different is that from the boardwalks at fort bill?
  • 4 1
 @KingColin08: this course is the same length as the board walks
  • 16 0
 Funny thing is that i tried beer for the very first time in Veli Lošinj (20 years ago)... It was hard time going uphill with four feet on that very old rocky shepherd trail. Who could imagine that one day it will become a DH WC track. Crazy. Anyway, see you guys there, wouldnt't miss it for nothing!
  • 18 2
 Legit, old school, natural and brutal. Love it that there is so much passion and excitement for DH in other parts of the world, crews are willing to come out and build tracks by hand in order to make it happen!
  • 9 3
 Natural has so many different meanings. Track looks sick, just far from natural. Berms, placed cemented in rocks, carefully sculpted drops? Fun but not raw natural terrain.
  • 6 1
 @orastreet1 too bad Vouilloz ain't racing anymore. My money on his godson: Thibaut Daprela. Even if the recruit of Team Commencal is a first year junior, he can win the scratch on this course.

@sunringlerider: Obviously you don't know what you're talking about. Regarding the berms, one and only one is man made. And that's the one depicted on the video.

The cemented rock and the way they do it with the help of cement from time to time, is how civilized people have been doing it in similar location -like South of France or Italy- since the good old days of the Roman Empire.

The roughest part of the course is natural. The few cemented stuff there and there are here to help the track drain.
  • 3 1
 @Euskafreez:
Yup nailed it. I’ve never even picked up a shovel. Come to think of it I’m not sure what one looks like.
Ok so they’ve been cementing rocks since the Romans, still doesn’t make it natural. Not hating on the track. It looks awesome just not natural. Ya there are also naturally occurring berms and transitions on trails, just not ones built with a wheel barrow.
  • 2 0
 By "Natural" I think we can all agree it is the opposite of bike park. I don't think anyone would want to ride some un-raked garbage with loose sticks and dead trees in the trail. There is nothing like this currently on the circuit. And I don't know why the pros complain about bike park tracks - if it is so easy, just ride faster and win.
  • 14 0
 I guess we can call it a rocky start to the '18 WC? Cap d'Ail comes to mind.
  • 10 0
 Was that race footage before or after the C1 race? Natural it may be but there was a lot of digging, earthworks and concrete going in there....
  • 10 0
 That video gave me a hard on for building. Track looks awesome. Roll on the first world cup of the year!
  • 9 0
 Nice to see some new places on the WC circuit! Might be a shorter track but should make for an exciting race
  • 7 1
 I'm all about it. I think it might be the race of the year. Times will be tight as a duck's arse.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: except for mechanicals
  • 13 3
 "natural"...pass the cement please
  • 3 6
 I heard Portugal’s economy is going better since they hired a lot of masons for the build lol
  • 5 1
 I think the track looks great! Love all the hard work these guys are putting into getting the race and making the track, which is why they got selected for the race. I do hope that it is a good race and the racers love it as it is a beautiful country and great looking track!
  • 8 0
 track looks sick
  • 6 0
 This couldn't get me anymore excited if it tried!! The season really isn't that far away at all now!
  • 6 0
 Well, I for one think that looks like a blast! Loads of rocks around there, hope they feature lots on the track Smile
  • 7 0
 Props to this crew for putting in the work.
  • 4 0
 I saw the gopro run from the track and thought it looked fun, challenging and totally different from other tracks especially tight twisty bits at the finish.

I wonder why some of the pro riders are not so thrilled with it?
  • 9 1
 Define Natural.....
  • 5 6
 Concrete attached rocks .... joke of the month
  • 6 0
 Congrats guys, from Pécs City.
  • 9 4
 Natural track!!!!!! ...thats funny....next year ,make a rock garden made off concrete and gravel
  • 5 0
 This race should have 2 runs, if it's that short, like alpine skiing for instance, would be an interesting change.
  • 5 0
 ski racing for sure, but the hell with the 2 run gs format.......... go super g format.......track walk, then track roll, then race. throw down. no practice runs. find out who's the best of the best on that day. then, have another race the next day, same format......... 2 races already in the bank for the overall before may.
  • 4 0
 wait a minute...........

shouldn't every stop have two races?

cut practice in half, and race 2 races ,. one sat, one sunday, at every wcdh location stop.

the venue is there, the media, the fans, its all good to go............

why waste a day having more practice and gettin the course even more blown out.?

double headers every stop!!!!!

or is that just too easy for the uci?............
  • 4 1
 Trbowle, Slovenia, till Tokyo! B) Big Grin

Guys, you have all support and see you on Lošinj! Soooon! Smile
  • 1 0
 Didnt know help came from Slovenia.
  • 3 0
 @P4P5: yup, main part of crew is from Slovenia with some "important locals", as much as I know.
  • 6 2
 Calling Dan Atherton, we need you for all the world downhill circuits.
  • 2 2
 whoever neg propped you is a punk...don't they know he's the fastest Atherton
  • 4 0
 Hard Line World Cup Series
  • 2 2
 @nojzilla: men's course with girl's ride around section?

top 30 men only?

top 10 women only?

bigger purses?

no uci?

drunk warner?

sounds good to me!
  • 1 0
 @stacykohut: nah, females gotta hit the same lines. Blame Casey=)

everything else I dig though=)
  • 2 0
 www.trailforks.com/trails/greda

This is what i call fast rocky and natural Croatian DH track Wink
  • 3 0
 Great work, looks like fun times building it.
  • 2 0
 Wow.. looking nice. At 22 seconds.. that should be a wild section. Their dirt and gravel looks so weird!
  • 2 0
 Sam Hill comes back to race the first race of the year ONLY and WINS...yeah boy!
  • 2 0
 High level of tech riding to go fast on this track.... Stoked to watch the worlds best talents rip it up!
  • 2 0
 great work guys. not everyday you get a world cup event at the doorstep. can´t wait for the first round!
  • 2 0
 Tech hands will be doing a loooooot of wheel building..... Looking good!
  • 2 0
 So glad I am not dealing with that much rock at my trails.
  • 2 0
 Just want a Vital raw to judge this track
  • 4 3
 that's really old style track!!!
  • 3 5
 No
  • 2 0
 The party is back!
  • 1 0
 Over/Under on broken bones? 3?
  • 2 0
 5..
  • 2 1
 Ohhh this is awesome. Oldschool trail style shaking out all the screws Big Grin
  • 1 0
 this was allready my least favourite track, last year....
  • 1 0
 Cool video.....love seeing all the work going in to this WC round!
  • 1 0
 Hart, Blenky, Vergier...anyone?
  • 2 1
 Build ?? - Rake_n_Ride.
  • 2 3
 I ll triple that
  • 2 1
 Schladming
  • 1 0
 Champéry
  • 3 4
 Even out the strings for your hood please.... You look like a heathon!!!
  • 10 0
 You spell like a heathen.
  • 1 0
 Aghh, I can't un-see it now that you've pointed it out. Day ruined.
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