Cairns World Cup 2 - Practice -

Cairns has some interesting wildlife but we are not the Irwins so let's get on with it... — Cairns has some interesting wildlife but we are not the Irwins so let’s get on with it…

Here we are, Cairns in far North Queensland, for the second round of the UCI World Cup series. Everyone remembers 2014 and the mud bath that was… After a dry track walk everyone was positive. Unfortunately there was some rain that fell during the day that made the rocks super slippery. The track itself hasn’t changed much from last time we were here but the forecast is looking positive for a drier race.

Riders at the top before they drop in and start their runs... — Riders at the top before they drop in and start their runs…

There were a few crashes over the day that meant practiced was put on hold and time on the bike was shorter than expected but let’s look at the action.

Rachel Atherton taking on the course early in the day.

There are a lot of juniors racing this weekend, their green and gold jersey was easy to spot.

Even the world champion wasn't immune from the rocks... — Even the world champion wasn’t immune from the rocks…

Aaron Gwin is holding the number 1 plate after the first round, he was 5th in timed practice, Loic Bruni was the fastest.

The juniors is as hotly contested as ever, we hope to see an Aussie on the top step.

We would love to see an Aussie on the top step in the senior classes, with Tracey Hannah fastest in timed practice this is definitely a possibility.

Brendan Fairclough going OTB! He went down hard and wrecked his helmet but we saw him punching runs fast later in the day so he must be okay.

He got up and kept charging later in the day though!

The wooded sections were quite dark when the clouds rolled over throughout the day, Troy Brosnan laying down a top 5 time in timed training.

Sam Hill looking to drop his number at his home race!

The juniors were walking the track after practice.

Check back for qualifying tomorrow!

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