No sooner has the dust settled on Fort Bill than they’re doing timed training in Leogang – and it’s pissing it down apparently.

Claudio in chainless preview run with Gwin…
https://dirtmountainbike.com/racing-events/claudio-caluori-leogang-world-cup-preview-aaron-gwin-chainless.html

Don’t forget to update your Fantasy League teams.

That’s the most entertaining preview run yet 😯
Hopefully Danny Hart can make a good go of it.

looks like that ‘grippy’ kind of wet…

(this post brought to you by ‘Internet Sarcasm-Detector Calibration Services’)

Looks like the track’s taped a bit tight, eh?

on Dirt saw bits are being changed after rider complaints. In particular rock gardens being smoothed

Blimey!

Wow.

And here I am struggling for grip on birdleways after a light drizzle.

I want Claudio to make a racing comeback, he’s flipping fast and smooth anyway so imagine how good he’d go if he wasn’t commentating at the same time.

Leogang was quite good last year, not just for Gwinns chainless antics, but for offering multiple lines that did affect the overall times.
Interesting bit of info in Claudio’s run where Gwinn told him he hit every jump perfectly on the chainless run so kept and even built speed as opposed to over-jumping them and having to pedal in-between.
Will be keen to see if the over-zealous taping has kept those multiple options open this year

good point, I was concerned about racers gettign DQed as it looks too easy to stray out the tape

Yikes 😀

chakaping – Member

I want Claudio to make a racing comeback, he’s flipping fast and smooth anyway so imagine how good he’d go if he wasn’t commentating at the same time.

He didn’t achieve much in the last few wcs he did… Though to be fair he couldn’t be as focused on the race as his team.

I’ve been following the Vital slideshows and some Instagram chatter. Everyone is having a right whinge. I for one would trade places with any of those racers right now. The track looks like a weird mixture of deep mud and concrete. It also looks like a building site. Not very inspiring but I’m sure it’ll ride alright. I hope.

Six rounds next year is crap.

He didn’t achieve much in the last few wcs he did… Though to be fair he couldn’t be as focused on the race as his team.

Purely as a backmarker, but on second thoughts he probably gets more exposure for Scott with what he’s doing now. Maybe as a one-off for charity or something.

Six rounds next year is crap.

Got to wonder why, with the sport getting more popular and Red Bull getting slicker and making more effort to push it. Not enough places bidding to host a DH round?

Not enough places bidding to host a DH round?

That’s probably it. Everyone points the finger at the UCI but I bet hosting an event is actually a gigantic ball ache. I bet only Fort Bill makes a profit given the price of tickets. All the other world cups I’ve been to were free and more like a BDS in scale and atmosphere.

Red bull’s budget only allowing Claudio to overdub his commentary in a portaloo?
Funny resonance, but at least he held it in while recording the sound

I thought it was just the waterproof housing on the gopro making it sound a bit off.

I can’t help but think of this guy when i hear Claudio speak

That’s probably it. Everyone points the finger at the UCI but I bet hosting an event is actually a gigantic ball ache. I bet only Fort Bill makes a profit given the price of tickets. All the other world cups I’ve been to were free and more like a BDS in scale and atmosphere.

Yeah if I ran one of the resorts I’d probably be happy to do one every other year or so, just to keep the profile up.

Probably one for another thread, but where would we like to see one?

Schladming? Verbier? Pila? NZ?

Genuine LOL Euro.

NZ DH WC would be dope. And an excuse to go back out there!

Looks like the track’s taped a bit tight, eh?

+1

It just looked like they were sending riders off track to kill their speed with random excursions up the grassy banks, taped off berms, and that bits where the trail went obviously one way, so they taped it off 4:45 (the corner looks like it’s either a lot tighter, or a lot wider, not the no mans land they’ve taped, 5:20 (added extra bit of corner when the trail and Claudio go straight round) and 5:50 (there’s a wall there, why tape it?).

It looked like the taping equivalent of Mrs Bucket telling guests not to step on the new stair carpet/trail.

It’s like an innerleithen dh trail, taped for an enduro race 😆 “And then you leave the trail and ride along a drain for a bit, then back up the hill, then you turn twice widdershins and ride around the road gap, then we’ve taped off the normal line so you have to ride up a tree…”

Troy Brosnan runs flat pedals for Leogang practice

Must be slippy.

I actually watched the course preview thinking they were not allowed to ride on some of the actual course.

Probably one for another thread, but where would we like to see one?

Whistler but I imagine they don’t need the hassle on top of Crankworx. Maybe Mammoth or Vail again. I can’t believe there isn’t more American rounds. Windham is a strange one.

Yeah something on the west coast would make sense – with so much of the industry out there and Gwin being the main man ATM.

I rode some of the new sections last weekend, 8 inches of off camber deep slop in parts.
The rock gardens were fine though.
The big table at the finish wasn’t open yet but it’s huge, a fair bit bigger than the old one. You don’t do the rock wall then a berm anymore, it’s straight down the wall to the table so it’ll be so fast.

Yikes, can see those off camber sections causing a few offs if it doesn’t dry up a lot.
Crazy speed through one of the rock gardens, even Claudio surprised himself.

Some great pictures from the practice day

Looks like it’s going to get really wet today and tomorrow, should be interesting 😯

Love to see one down here in hobart, it was on the table with cairns I believe. Nz would be great,

Rachel smashes everyone in qualifying 😯

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/qualifying-results-leogang-dh-world-cup-2016.html

Men on now

Some massive gaps out there

Looking at the split times it looks like a few big names have crashed during qualifying.

Live now on Red Bull

Manon didn’t have it today

TEN

That last jump is a bit of a monster eh? Rach is just ridiculous, it almost feels you’re watching everyone else race and watching her to see if she falls off or not (no disrespect to any of them meant by that!). Good to see Seagrave up there and putting in good times too.

Perfect season must be on the cards.