Gwin in the new colors. Overheard, "I reckon this calls for a sand wedge." Gwin smoked 'em here last year. -Dan Hearn
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Are you ready? Thankfully Peaty found a way to Lourdes. -Sven Martin
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Andy Kyffin rejoins Peaty for his last hurrah.
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Troy escapes the crowd to dissect one of the steepest sections of trail. -Duncan Philpott
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Gold bits and bling for the finishing touches of Troy Brosnan's bike. -Sven Martin
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On a roll from World Champs to Crankworx and now to Lourdes? Loic is undoubtedly one of the top contenders for this round and on home soil, too. -Duncan Philpott
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Cut tires in Loic's quiver. -Sven Martin
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Matt Walker with the Schwalbe tread cutter; depth gauge and all .-Sven Martin
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From muds to some mids. -Sven Martin
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Brage Vestavik is well-looked after. @maddogboris
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Gee Atherton with a lot of testing and already a race win under the belt. -Sven Martin
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Trek Factory Racing with fresh builds for the weekend's season-opener. -Sven Martin
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Rachel Atherton ready to start off where she left off. -Sven Martin
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GT Crew sit down yesterday after setting up their new pits for the first time. A celebratory beer of the highest order was called for. -Sven Martin
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With Pom Pon out with another broken collarbone, she roamed the pits doing an impromptu body fat test. Sam Dale gets inspected. -Sven Martin
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InstagramTattooBet Part2! Follow @Phil_Atwill or @InnesGraham and help them to win! @maddogboris
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Crowds are already streaming in thick for the season opener here in Lourdes. It will be standing room only come Sunday. -Sven Martin
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Evan Warner doing the rounds, making sure of the finishing touches for his squad of riders. -Sven Martin
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Nigel Reeve finishes up Stevie Smith's new bike. -Sven Martin
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Dave Garland in the Giant pits getting wheel locked and stocked for some World Cup rampaging. -Sven Martin
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Oui, Baggette! NS Bikes are sure to embrace the local attire -Duncan Philpott
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Welcome to the Pyrenees. -Sven Martin
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Who cares about the Old Dogs when you have sick New Kids on the Block? @maddogboris
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Lots of blow-down shrapnel ready to eat up some derailleurs this weekend. -Sven Martin
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Brendog1 cashes in on some interview incentive early season. Count the ca-chings. -Sven Martin
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New pits, new teams, new riders. Some confusion of who goes where. -Sven Martin
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Eddie Masters team boss taking heed of the local rules when it comes to protection. -Sven Martin
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Party hat and Business hat. @maddogboris #RoadToLourdes -Duncan Philpott
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Needles and crew re-unite after a winter apart. -Dan Hearn
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Laurie Greenland tried running this section at race pace and got a bit rowdy -Duncan Philpott
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Last year Mike Jones kicked off his season with a 3rd place here. A year later with more Elite racing experience, he's a danger man. -Duncan Philpott
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Another wave of rain arrives at the bottom of a somewhat-unchanged track from last year -Duncan Philpott
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For some teams this is the first track walk the riders have had together. The new GT team will hopefully be bagging some good results and having a lot of fun this season. -Duncan Philpott
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Pedals have scraped here. There isn't much grip on this rock -Duncan Philpott
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Sony VX2000 and the Century Optics "death lens." Joe Bowman back to the future. #glitchesbitches-Sven Martin
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Josh Bryceland about to Instagram his new bike that Dougie Fresh has just dialed in. -Sven Martin
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The weather was certainly changeable today with wind and rain hitting the exposed top sections -Duncan Philpott
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With the sun out in periods today, the local wildlife came out to soak up the rays -Duncan Philpott
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Claudio washes his bike after what was a "very slippy" course preview. Not quite the asphalt pumptracks he's used to lately! -Duncan Philpott
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It's been a long off-season and now the World Cup is in full swing. Nothing settles the nerves more than a couple of Duvels -Duncan Philpott
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Is Martin washing Aaron's Car or is the new deal that good? @maddogboris
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Road to Lourdes. Hopefully we see this ball of fire again before the race weekend is over -Sven Martin
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Bikes primed and ready for practice tomorrow. -Duncan Philpott
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Stay tuned. It's going to be nuts! -Sven Martin
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Description
The off-season wait is officially over as the fastest downhill mountain bikers flock to the anointed city of Southern France that is Lourdes. Back on the circuit for the second year in a row, the Lourdes track is ruthless and brutal with steep, rock-filled features and, as of now, slick soil.
Sven Martin, Duncan Philpott, @maddogboris and Dan Hearn introduce the nerves and excitement of the first World Cup DH race of 2016 with stunning photos and in-depth rider interviews. It's going to be insane!
View replies to: The 2016 World Cup Downhill Season Begins - Lourdes Track Walk Slideshow
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