WE ARE BACK! After what seemed like the longest off-season ever (it always does), we're in Lourdes this week for the start of the 2016 World Cup racing season. Lourdes was a brand new venue for the World Cup last year, but it turned into an instant classic with an awesome track that produced great racing. So good in fact, that it was awarded "Best event of the Year" by the UCI, and it's fair to say that we were not alone in agreeing with that call. We're stoked to return in 2016 and to help get you in the mood for racing, here are 13 things you should know before it all kicks off:
Lourdes pulled 35,000 spectators last time around, and they were LOUD.
The track in Lourdes is no joke, with high speeds and plenty of rough bits to catch you out in a split second. Check out these hair-raising hucks and calamitous crashes for proof:
As much as this track can punish you, it can also reward you. A mix of tech, speed, and air means there's something here for everybody. The riders put on quite the whip-off on the first of the two road gaps last year. Will we get a repeat? As of practice on Thursday, we're there!
Three years ago, Lourdes hosted a French Cup DH event. A monsoon showed up and the least you can say is that this track gets a bit scary in the wet. Note that there has been a lot of work done to the track since then, some sections might hold up better, but some might be even scarier...
After crashing in qualifying, Aaron Gwin stomped an epic run and took the first of his four wins for the season on the way to a third overall World Cup Champion title. He came out of the gate on his A-game, but with a new bike and team, what will the story be for 2016?
Greg Minnaar gave up 141 points to Gwin in Lourdes, due to a hand injury sustained in Rotorua. By the 5th round, Gwin was only ahead of Minnaar in the overall by 70 points, and although Gwin went on to win the last two rounds, you can never tell what might have been with more pressure from Greg. Remi Thirion qualified 2nd, proving that he has the pace to contend, but a flat tire torpedoed his efforts in the finals. Gee Atherton also rode with a hand that he broke in practice (what is it with hands? Seriously?) and managed to secure enough points to hold onto his spot in the A-group for the following race in Fort William. And of course, how could we not mention Sam Hill? His crash a couple of weeks before the season opener left him unable to race in Lourdes in 2015, on a track that arguably suits him to perfection. We'll certainly be looking forward to seeing what he can do here this week! In the women's class, Tracey Hannah fired a serious warning shot when she qualified 1st by 6 seconds, but a crash in finals would rob her of what seemed like certain victory. Whether or not that messed with her head for the rest of the season is anybody's guess, but it's a fair bet that she'll be looking for revenge in 2016.
We had a dramatic off-season full of team and equipment changes, and if history teaches us anything, it's that it usually takes a while for everybody to settle in and get up to speed again. Here are the most notable movers and shakers of 2016 - how will they fare in the first race of the season?
Lourdes is a holy place for those of Catholic confession, as it is said an apparition identifying herself as The Immaculate Conception was sighted here by peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous, later declared a saint by the Pope. As a result, this sleepy town of 15,000 nestled in the foothills of the French Pyrenees receives over 6 million visitors per year, making Lourdes the second-most visited city in France after Paris. 270 hotels make sure they all have somewhere to sleep.
It's ALWAYS steeper than it looks. About 30-40 seconds into the track, this section is called "The Wall" and there is absolutely nothing pretentious about that name at all. If anything, it sells this gross piece of real estate short. Standing at the top and looking down, the very last thing on our mind when we first saw it was riding a bike down it.
Do or die. The clock doesn't lie. Millions of dollars of investment on the line. Careers are made and crushed. Only one man and one woman win. Should we go on?
KamCrew
4/5/2016 3:12 PM
kev.1n
4/5/2016 10:33 AM
Looking forward to probably the most exciting season of world cup racing ever!
You guys should have also mentioned the current weather in Lourdes right now, rain!
iceman2058
4/5/2016 10:48 AM
bturman
4/5/2016 12:56 PM
hamncheez2003
4/5/2016 9:27 AM