Last week I was somewhere hot, dusty and full of amazing people from all of over the world. No, I wasn’t in Barcelona, Monaco or Naples, I was in fact up in the Scottish Highlands enjoying the 2nd round of the World Cup downhill at Fort William.
When I say I was enjoying it, I don’t mean to say that this was a holiday. No, far from it! I mean who wants to hobnob with mountain biking royalty, see prototype bikes that have never been seen before, and enjoy the insanely good weather while getting paid for it? That would suck, right?
Ok, it wasn’t all sun, sangria, and haggis. There was that Saturday afternoon when an ocean’s worth of water descended on us and Ben Cathro single-handedly saved the WIFI from flooding. Then there were the midges that seemed to enjoy the taste of a sunburned ginger. Oh, and I can’t forget the fact that my shed was robbed while I was away, so overall it all balanced out.
Danny Hart, duckface extraordinaire
My job during the World Cup was to cruise around the pits and snap photos with my averagely sized lens, but when I wasn’t capturing images of Danny Hart’s duck face, I was on the hill capturing the action or in the stuffy media tent fighting with crappy wifi speeds.
In total, I shot around 1500 photos in and around Fort William and although the majority of them were in focus and not of my own feet, we only have space to share a handful of them with you. Below you’re going to see a collection of photos that I shot while up at Fort William along with a few words trying to explain them.
For those of you interested in such things I used my own personal Sony 6000 mirrorless camera with Sony AE 55-210mm SEl55210 lens. If you like what I’ve shot here you might also want to follow me on Instagram.
Andi and Ross arrived at Fort William early and were able to shoot spy photos of Miranda Miller’s prototype DH bike.Sick Bicycle Co had the Titanium DFA full suspension bike up at Nevis Range.Rémi Thirion seems to have a constant smileRachel Atherton takes a tumble in the new forest section.Even after this crash Rachel Atherton still came 3rd. Oh, she snapped her chain too!Another photo of Commencal rider Rémy Thirion, this time stomping on the pedals.Aaron Gwin’s luck wasn’t with him at the Nevis Range. Let’s watch to see if things pan out better in Leogang.The same corner as Gwin, but Syndicate rider Loris Vergier appears to dance around the trees.The motorway section is as fast as ever and gives riders a chance to really open up.Spotted these guys near to where we were staying.Downhill is one of the only sports where you can chat with superstars like normal people.Brook Mcdonald enjoys a bite to eat at the Nevis Range cafe.Loic Bruni hits the wall ride just a few turns away from the MotorwayAmaury Pierron drops into the finish area for the win.That moment when you know you’re going to take the win.Take a close look at Tracy Hannah’s bike and you’ll see various sensors for reporting telemetryI like to see a photo within a photoFinn Iles super tucked up before dropping into the river gap.This photo does not do the new forest section justice. It’s as rough and rocky as hell!A Mondraker mechanic handling a rear shock like it’s about to go off.Alexandre Fayolle rode the current Polygon DH bike at Fort William. Will he move to the prototype for Leogang?Thomas Estaque pulling on the bars to clear the roots. This was a tricky landing thanks to a tree in the middle of the trail.Amanda tries and fails to contain her excitementAnother shot of race winner Aumery PierronTahnee Seagrave on form again, taking the win at Fort William!
So that’s that for my top shots from Fort William 2018. Before heading to the comments and roasting my technique please keep in mind that I am not a professional photographer! (Ed – well, you got paid to take these pics, so technically…)
Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.
Nice action there.