Can we have a thread for those of us who follow the world cup?

Come here to post predictions, gossip, conspiracy theories, let the riders know how you’d ride it given your years of experience, then post loads of ‘oof’ and ‘arghhh’ during the live feed.

Track walk was today. Training starts tomorrow. It’s been a long wait…

The weather looks suspiciously nice. The limestone track really doesn’t hold up when it’s wet and last time (2017 I think) it started peeing down in the middle of the race.

Eagerly awaiting Cathro’s in depth analysis.

Loving Bernard Kerr’s American school bus team truck! 😂

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbapKRfMuSd/?utm_medium=copy_link

I’m eager to see how Laurie does on his first race on the Santa Cruz. Also looking forward to see how Reece Wilson does this season.

I would absolutely love to see Tahnee Seagrave have a great season, I feel like she was on fire a few seasons back but hasn’t been able to capitalise on Rachel being away. The women’s DH seems to be hard to be call at the moment. Will Rachel come back?

Hope that Reece Wilson can string some results together. He can go as fast (faster?) as the best so hoping he’s on form.

I’m sure I read somewhere it was forecast to rain during the elite finals but it’s a forecast so who knows.
Would love to see Greg get another race win.

As for predictions I’ll go with Loic and Myriam for the wins this weekend and go as far to say the overalls as well!

I’m away with work so will have to watch highlights later.

I’ve just realised now that I’m Instagram free (6 months clean) I have no idea what all the individual riders are up to. I thought Rachel was racing but I haven’t heard anything yet. Is she even there?

I’d love to see Tahnee Seagrave have a good season but she always seems to be fighting a real mental battle. It’s like she hates racing and can’t just chill out and enjoy it.

Can’t wait to see Pierron back at it, fully fit and healthy. I think he’s the fastest there is when he’s on fire even if Bruni is better at winning races.

My money is on

1-Pompon
2- vali
3- thanee

1-Pierron
2- Reece
3 – loris

Although TBF there are about another 6 names I’d happily swap into the mens top 3

Find it hard to argue with ^.

Daprela will surely be up there though. I’m really hoping Laurie has a good season too.

In fact, I genuinely do not care who wins. I just love watching them hammer down them there hills. And I’m off to Fort Bill for the second time this year!

@sharkattack Rachel isn’t on the start list:

Which is a shame.

Will Rachel be able to race this year? Does she not need point to enter from other events? Unless she has so many and you only loose X amount a year.

More nerdy bike chat

Track walk

Hopefully some Vital Raw by this time tomorrow.

Really looking forward to this season. The number of potential race winners in both classes is as high as I can recall.

I would like to see Vali go well. I think with a bit of confidence she has the ability to take that women’s field to a new level.

I think Reece and Laurie will be in the mix, but an on form Amaury is a step above. Finn is my dark horse for this year, he’s never fulfilled his potential but one good result could see him get on a roll.

I will also be keeping an eye out for Dom Platt. First year junior who dominated domestically last year, regularly putting in top 10 overalls at national races as an under 16

1 Vali
2 Pom Pom
3 Tahnee

1 Amaury
2 Finn
3 Loris

Really looking forward to this season. The number of potential race winners in both classes is as high as I can recall.

Can’t disagree, but I think it’s the Frenchies to loose in the men’s isn’t it? Maybe Vali in the women’s perhaps, but with proper team support Hoffman might do well? Like others really excited to see if Reece can string a series of results together without exploding tyres, excited to see what Laurie can do.

Going to be an ace season, I can feel it in me bones

Can’t disagree, but I think it’s the Frenchies to loose in the men’s isn’t it

But which Frenchie…

Young pheobe gale to take the junior women.

Thibault Daprela for me. Just as fast as Amuary, but occasionally looks more in control 🤣

Can’t wait, it’s the only sport i give a s**t about these days

The henry quinney pinkbike tech talk posted above is excellent

Between RedBull, cathro and Kerr’s YouTube channels I’ve got more excellent content than I can handle

The other thing I can’t do without is the race previews on downtime podcast with the Irish coach guy -who really knows his onions

I can’t get my head around the last WC round here was in 2017, I thought there’d been loads of rounds there. It seems like a regular on the circuit

Is there a PB Fantasy Group this year?

3 locals riding in Lourdes, Rudy and Marine Cabirou, and Dylan Levesque. Hopefully some good results coming.

I’m going to go out on a limb and call an all French men’s podium.

Bruni, Pierron, Vergier, Diprela, Coulanges, not necessarily in that order.

Between RedBull, cathro and Kerr’s YouTube channels I’ve got more excellent content than I can handle

It’s quite a time commitment to follow it these days. During those double headers I lost about 5 days of my life to Youtube and RedBull TV! Don’t complain though, it might be all we have next year when the main event gets paywalled by a company with zero interest in mountain biking.

Is there a PB Fantasy Group this year?

Who’s in?

https://m.pinkbike.com/contest/fantasy/dh/?joinleagueid=16866

password

sudocreme

+1 looking forward to seeing Pierron riding again

Yes I’m also really excited to see how Daprela gets on, he must be gutted at how last year panned out. Such a brute force style of riding. Hope he can hold it together a bit more this year.

So much ‘content’. Give it to me baby

First really good look at the track,

It actually looks like a fun ride at the minute. Sadly, there’s rain in the forecast. It could turn into a nightmare.

The vital day 1 footage is bloody great . Wall section carnage, and pierron looking fast

That track looks brutal in places. Sounds brutal too! And nicely evidenced by some tyreless wheels!

That step-down, followed by the whoops, then that right-hander. Very impressive braking skills on display.

Oh, and Laurie’s course preview is a bit different to (from?) Cathro’s:

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/video-laurie-greenlands-lourdes-course-preview.html

Cannot wait.. track looks great, just hope the rain stays away!

Cathro is out. Doesn’t look like a crash but an old injury holding him back.

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/ben-cathro-to-miss-lourdes-dh-world-cup-witth-a-shoulder-injury.html

I’m having trouble telling who anyone is in the footage! It always takes a while to figure out everyone’s new look but with so many riders riding identical bikes in matching kit (Trek, Propain, multiple Commencal teams) it’s a nightmare.

Half an hour until the women’s broadcast starts.. any updates on the weather?

Inside The Tape for some last-minute line choice cramming:

Anyone just getting a holding screen on red bull TV?

Accuweather says 0% chance of rain.

My enthusiasm has been a little dented because I’ve been up with a poorly baby all night. Waiting for the women to start now.

Anyone just getting a holding screen on red bull TV?

Fine for me (Samsung TV).

Atmosphere is amazing!

Anyone know if Rachel Atherton is racing? I’ve got her in my Pinkbike fantasy team but she doesn’t seem to be anywhere to be found. Also is there an STW fantasy league this year?

That run by Balanche looked fast, I know sometimes that doesn’t count for much but she looked really smooth down there.

Anyone know if Rachel Atherton is racing?

No.

Both questions answered above.

The track is looking fast, thankfully looks perfect conditions. Pom-poms run was ragged af, Vali looked knackered by the end. Bring on the mens, going to be brutal.

Has Gee retired or is he still recovering from his crash last year?

SO far so good with my fantasy team…Parton in 11th and Tahnee 3rd. Some decent points!

The track is looking fast, thankfully looks perfect conditions.

Fast, but loose.. the women barely going faster than qualies (if at all).

Pom-poms run was ragged af

Contrasting runs from Cami and Pompon – the latter did well to hold on for 2nd after her ‘moment’. Great start to the season for Tahnee!

Is there a gap in the coverage? Mine dropped after the women’s finals, there is a link to live coverage but comes up “not available”?