Track Walk Photo Epic: 2 For the Price of 1 - Maribor DH World Cup 2020
Photo Epic presented by Five Ten
We've barely had time to process the madness that took place a couple of days ago in Leogang with the attention already swinging to the opening round of the 2020 World Cup downhill "season" which, like last year, will take place in Maribor, Slovenia. Riders and teams didn't have long to get ready for the action to kick off again with a Covid test each side of the border and a 5 hour drive in between before attention could even switch to setting up and focusing fully on the race week ahead.
It's a unique schedule with the UCI keen to make up for lost time and cramming as much in as they can, this week will see a double header event with a race taking place on both Friday and Sunday. It'll be the same plan for Lousa in a few weeks time. The track remains largely unchanged between the 2 races aside from 4 different sections where the the tracks split from one another for a brief time which will help to keep things that little bit fresher and more interesting.
Track action kicks off tomorrow and it looks to be dry with good track conditions but that looks like it's set to change on Thursday with some more rain forecast. It shouldn't quite be on par with Leogang levels though...
Covid O'clock here in Maribor... again. Riders and media are getting tired of having their nostrils pillaged.
Anyone who has been tested is sure to concur... those swabs go in way too far.
Many questions floated around about the fate of the 2020 season. Safe to say, Maribor is a go.
A little piece of history being packed away complete with the mud gathered on that wild winning run.
Bernard Kerr gets his daily quota of wheelies in.
What can the new World Champion do this weekend with a lot of extra attention on him?
'Snow from yesterday' - the translation of a German expression meaning 'old news'. But this actually did fall yesterday at the top of the track.
It really won't be long till these are back in action with winter looming large.
Autumn is taking hold of the Slovenian forests.
Things kick off just as they did last time around in 2019.
Greg the Goat out line-hunting for some muddy redemption
Wyn kicks off the walk of this curious 'dual course' arrangement.
Tracey Hannah was riding strongly in Leogang but like so many others her speed was hidden by a crash. She'll be out for revenge here.
The first split in the 2 tracks is right at the entry to the woods.
Distinctly Maribor. The Slovenian venue has its own unique taste.
Both versions of the track will be open tomorrow for practice. Not exactly ideal for photos or video, and pretty confusing for riders.
Upset alert! Martin Maes loves nothing more than to pull the rug from under the feet of the dedicated DHers.
Gotta love pumpkin spice season.
4 different sections have been taped differently to offer variety between the 2 races.
Many a gap and many an off-camber root landing.
Snakes and ladders out of the woods.
The Cabirous might be on different race teams but they still team up for tactics.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Reece Wilson, the freshly crowned king.
One of the very few sections of track out of the woods. It's also one of the more "urban" feeling venues on the circuit.
A most refreshing sight after the horrors of Leogang; a perfect dirt bobsleigh.
On top of the world; Cam Balanche.
Will the rainbow high bring out another top step performance from the Swiss champ?
Finn Iles will be keen to lay down a run that'll show off his strong form at the moment. World Champs didn't go his way but he can easily turn that around here.
Maribor's main theme; undulating smooth dirt with rooty interruptions.
The roots await the heavy rain in the forecast for Thursday.
Last year's winner Loic Bruni will be hoping to repeat that same success.
Root nests for landings all the way.
George Brannigan and his bust pinky. Shakas for all.
Track conditions are looking good for the moment but there is rain in the forecast.
There's certainly no shortage of roots in Maribor.
The final split section for the 2 races will use a fresh cut section over the traditional line on the right.
The infamous rock garden half way down the Maribor course is the stuff of legend.
Crash on this course and be torn apart by the wolves. Alright, it's actually the Suntour team dog.
The Santa Cruzes take a gander at the rockery.
Florent Payet inspects the infamous Maribor rock garden.
The rock garden is out to claim as many bikes and bodies as it can.
The deep woods.
The man with the wildest run in Leogang last week? Quite possibly. Remi Thirion is back at his brilliant best.
That's a sizeable gap right there. Riders will either be able to double or triple this section if they're feeling brave enough.
They'll need to.
Loic Bruni points out a line to his mechanic Jack Roure. Quite a few sections of the Maribor track feature wide taping which will help riders get creative.
No one gets hurt in the air... Brook and the Greg put a plan together.
It really soothes the eyes to see a course that isn't waterlogged or ripped to shreds.
Andy 'Frix' Vathis gives us a preview of things to come tomorrow.
Tahnee Seagrave had a hellish time trying to get down the new Leogang course last weekend. Time to turn on the gas here through the natural terrain.
More massive dirt rollers. More roots.
The classic senders mid course giving riders a quick pause from this tough track.
David Trummer was quiet during the walk. He's got big plans for the end of this season
Sneaky inside line will be forming by end of the first practice day. They've changed the tape but creativity will prevail.
The Canyon team looking at what root to hop off of vs when to stay planted.
If it does rain, the off camber sections will be tricky. Add some roots in and it might turn into an ice rink.
Danny Hart was one of the first down for inspection. He'll be looking to redeem himself on this track after a tough Worlds.
The closing section of track is more manmade and features lots of rollers, jumps and berms.
Benches in place of the grand stands at the finish. Definitely different times at the races for the foreseeable future.
The finish line will see double the action this weekend.
The city of Maribor sprawls out below the forested mountainside that hides the World Cup track.
Author Info:
Member since Apr 25, 2010
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
41962 views
41962 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
I thought about Leogang fresh cut section in the rain when i read this.
Those roots, off camber and the rock garden could be spicy if it rains.
Rain please