WC2 – Australia – Qualifying

In many parts of the event village and out on the course this was spot on... — In many parts of the event village and out on the course this was spot on…

Qualifying and everyone got a little quieter today, a little more serious and a little bit more focused! First up for the day was a practice session for everyone to see what the track was like after last nights rain, it should also be mentioned that riders were still deliberating on line choice so this practice was, for many, still about coming to terms with the track. The weather has really come into play, the course is running a lot slower and with so many rocks/roots there are riders slipping left right and centre.

During practice riders were cleaning their bikes after every run just so they could go up top and use them again.

Some were also cleaning more than bikes... — Some were also cleaning more than bikes…

With practice finished it was time to start qualifying and it was the junior riders that got the proceedings under way. It was a tough day in the office, many who are still coming to terms with racing at the highest level. Fast French rider Loris Vergier took the top spot, it was a mixed day for the Aussies with Aiden Varley the fastest in 4th immediately followed by Jackson Davis & then Max Warshawsky. Some of the other juniors had crashes which put them further down the list. It was much the same for the junior women, Australia’s highest place getter was Ellie Wale in 20th.

First round junior winner, Luca Shaw, was second in quallies today.

Not all the riders had it so easy though, there were a LOT of crashes out on the course today.

Look into my eyes!!! Riders were literally scared on many sections, after witnessing it first hand we don;t blame them!

Junior Men:

1. VERGIER Loris FRANCE 4:33.924

2. SHAW Luca UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 4:43.248 +9.324

3. VERNON Taylor GREAT BRITAIN 4:46.240 +12.316

4. HAMILTON Connor NEW-ZEALAND 5:05.033 +31.109

5. VARLEY Aiden AUSTRALIA 5:05.620 +31.696

6. DAVIS Jackson AUSTRALIA 5:06.154 +32.230

7. WARSHAWSKY Max AUSTRALIA 5:08.117 +34.193

The crowd filled out as the day went on, getting louder and rowdier too!

Moving on from the juniors it was the senior classes next on the track.

The senior classes kicked off and it was the women first on track, Rachel Atherton smashed the field by a whopping 18 seconds, it looks like everyone else has some catching up to do tomorrow! For Australia, Tracey Hannah, the local hope qualified a respectable 6th, we know she will want to do a lot better than that for the home crowd tomorrow.

Senior Mens was a totally different kettle of fish, times were a lot tighter, fittingly for ANZAC day it was a Kiwi on top of the time sheet, Sam Blenkinsop taking the first spot. It was the American Dream, Aaron Gwin in second, his second split time was blindingly fast, some 5 seconds faster than anyone else! Current world champ Greg Minnar was in 3rd, I think everyone was surprised with Ed Masters grabbing 4th and Same Dale 5th! For the Aussie contingent it was Connor Fearon in 9th, with what he described as an average run, crash included! Troy Brosnan was just outside the top 10 in 11th, the local boy, Mic Hannah looked good on course but had a crash which sent him tumbling down the placings, 34th in the end.

Senior Men:

1. BLENKINSOP Samuel 4:22.233

2. GWIN Aaron 4:22.961 +0.728

3. MINNAAR Greg 4:24.411 +2.178

4. MASTERS Edward 4:28.267 +6.034

5. DALE Sam 4:29.307 +7.074

Fastest Aussie qualifier Connor Fearon 9th.

11th for Troy Brosnan, with all the home town support he will be looking to climb the rankings.

Second fastest qualifier Aaron Gwin, his bike, just like most competitors gained over 10kgs in weight by the tie he got to the bottom.

Brook MacDonald's year hasn't gone as he would have hoped, 28th in qualifying still leaves lots of room for improvement! — Brook MacDonald’s year hasn’t gone as he would have hoped, 28th in qualifying still leaves lots of room for improvement!

You can never discount Greg, no matter what the track or the conditions, 3rd today and a threat tomorrow!

A crash for Sam Hill pushed him down into unfamiliar territory on the time sheet.

After a poor result in South Africa Gee Atherton is looking to wind things up a notch.

Danny Hart is use to the wet but not the heat!

Riders really had to crank to get any sort of speed in the thick mud.

In a lot of cases it seemed as though riders almost let there guard down after navigating some of the really technical parts of the track only to get caught out somewhere simpler!

We can’t wait for finals tomorrow! You know where to get all the images tomorrow!

Images: Jason Stevens Photography, JB Photomedia & in house images.

Our friends over at Captyvate Media have put together another edit for your enjoyment;A�https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsrnbkW2IHk

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April 25, 2014

WC2 – Australia – Practice

13 unlucky for some...! — 13 unlucky for some…!

Ahh what a day… Sunny, beautiful Cairns became wet, beautiful Cairns! Practice kicked off early in the morning with the Group B practice which comprised of junior, female and elite men’s riders that were ranked out of the top 100. Conditions were good and riders were enjoying the track, however, just before midday the skies opened up and down came the rain!

Walking up to the start line and about to start the day!

A couple of Aussies watch on, Tracey Hannah, Will Rischbieth and Josh Button.

Straight out of the gate and it is into a set of tight corners.

Ben Power hits the corners, being a QLD local he knows the drill.

If anyone knows the track inside and out it is this man, Rhys Atkinson, the track builder!

Once the rain started coming down people were getting creative with ways to cover their electrical goods! Ty from Captyvate media remained patriotic with his covering! Check out his raw edit from today; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnCxSSkozzY

There were other ways the action was being captured too!

The wet rock garden didn't seem to faze Sam Hill, everyone watched on in awe. — The wet rock garden didn’t seem to faze Sam Hill, everyone watched on in awe.

Troy's team mate Aaron Gwin didn't look exceptional today but then again no-one did! — Troy’s team mate Aaron Gwin didn’t look exceptional today but then again no-one did!

Brendan Fairclough boosted the jumps down the track something chronic! He did alright in the rocks too.... — Brendan Fairclough boosted the jumps down the track something chronic! He did alright in the rocks too….

Ben Hill, still no gloves! It didn't seem to affect him none the less. — Ben Hill, still no gloves! It didn’t seem to affect him none the less.

Boost! Some riders were not afraid to go massive despite the conditions.

There was a timed practice session today but many riders didn’t ride in it, Connor Fearon did get the second fastest time behind Gee Atherton. We saw lots of media whose cameras succumbed to the conditions but qualifying tomorrow will tell the real story….

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April 24, 2014

WC2 – Australia – Track Walk

Here we go! After 5 years the highest level of downhill racing returns to Australia. Cairns in far north Queensland plays host to round 2 of the UCI World Cup series. Today was the track walk and gave riders their first chance to look at what they will be racing on come Saturday.

It was time to head up for the track walk and everyone was excited to see what the track had to offer.

Make no mistake the uplift was pretty crazy itself!

Riders were keen to check out the track and straight of the gate there were a heap of tight corners before riders will be confronted with this! A pretty epic rock garden, Nick Beer checks it out.

Connor Fearon points out some lines while Ty from Captyvate Media looks on. Dean Lucas looks up from the bottom.

And then thinks about it some more.... — And then thinks about it some more….

You have to watch out for everything in Cairns, chances are they will bight or sting, regardless how small!

Getting out from the rocks revealed some wider open sections. The track had some contrasting technical areas then wide open.

It was pretty muddy in some parts... — It was pretty muddy in some parts…

Making it a whole lot of fun just to walk!

For some people their shoes were disposable by the end of the walk.

Riders were definitely scratching their heads at some points.

Others were just chucking a 'Super Mr Casual!' — Others were just chucking a ‘Super Mr Casual!’

This had everyone deep in thought and conversation. You would have seen the pics by now of the whoops section, There was a lot of talk about whether riders could quad the first part in a double... — This had everyone deep in thought and conversation. You would have seen the pics by now of the whoops section, There was a lot of talk about whether riders could quad the first part in a double…

This was also pretty interesting... Will Rischbieth stands up on the top left pointing out the landing bottom right.... — This was also pretty interesting… Will Rischbieth stands up on the top left pointing out the landing bottom right….

The iconic 270 corner leads riders into the aforementioned gap!

69 - Rumble in the jungle! — 69 – Rumble in the rainforest!

Check back soon to see the riders actually riding!

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April 23, 2014

Australia To Again Host World Cups!

How good is this?! Awesome news for Australian mountain biking.

Australian mountain biking has always stood apart from the rest of the world. As one of the flattest continents on Earth, we don’t have the luxury of 15 minute Garbonzo runs that you’d find in the US, Canada and Europe. Our trails are short, steep and gnarly – what we lack in distance and elevation we make up for with rough, technical trails that trained talent like Sam Hill (5x UCI World Champ), Rick Boyer, and Bryn Atkinson, as well as young guns like Troy Brosnan. In recent years Australia has consistently been a source of strong competition for the rest of the world, and now we get to challenge the world’s best on home soil.

2014 brings a new UCI world cup. Another series of amazing trails all around the world, each testing racers in different ways, to show who is truly the best in the world. In 2009, the nations’ capital held the UCI World Championships at Mt Stromlo for mountain biking and trials. The event was a success, though Canberra is one flat area. Cairns however, is situated in the temperate zone, surrounded by rainforest and tropical weather. North Queensland is also a mountainous area, brimming with keen local (and travelled) racers, who are over the moon after the QLD Premier’s announcement on the 18th of May that Cairns will host two future rounds of the World Cup circuit. We believe there is definitely a chance that Cairns may hold the 2017 World Championships, which they last held back in 1996. What does this mean for Australian Mountain Biking? It means the world. This event will not only spur a drastic increase in local support for mountain biking, it will attract mountain biking heroes and companies from around the world, to discover the true beauty of the Australian landscape and see what makes the Aussie riders such good contenders in the racing circuit. At this stage Cairns will hold the first round of the 2014 season, the track itself should be ready to go by September this year, we would love to see a National race or something along those lines held there first. All there is to do now, is mark your calendars, get a crew together and get to Cairns, to cheer our riders on and see the world’s best throwing down for the rainbow jersey. Downhill247.com will be there and let’s hope there are thousands of Aussies there supporting the race.

What’s not to get excited about?

Article: Jaime Black.

May 22, 2013