2020 UCi MTB world champs
Finals:
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- what a race in Leogang in 2020
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- snowing at the start
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- the end of a dream...
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- Brook was fighting hard in his first race on world cup level...
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- not happy, but happy to be back.
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- Laurie maxed out his possibilities after he ripped the ligaments in his thump.
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- no luck at that day.
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- disappointment.
This was not what we have hoped for. With the weather forecast on the horizon, we knew it will be a gamble and we hoped for being one of the winners of this lottery.
Eleonora showed some good performance during the training days even in those with miserable conditions and finished 5th in qualification. In the race she had a good upper section, but a small rock got stuck between the tire and the fender and ended Eleonora’s dream of a medal in this race.
This world championships, was the comeback race of Brook. 1 year after his big crash at the last world championships 2019 in Mont Sainte Anne/ CAN Brook came back to the stage of international racing on world cup level. 1 year ago, this was what we were hoping for, but this was also something, which we couldn’t expect. Brook made it possible with an incredible effort and strong will. This comeback has a way higher value to us that the rainbow jersey this year and we know he will be back in the position to fight for it.
For Laurie the season ended with this race. At the crash in his qualification run, he ripped the ligament in his left thumb. We managed to get him to a specialist, which formed a special cast for him so he is able to race world champs, but not being 100% in these conditions won’t lead to a medal. Laurie had a pretty good run, but also his pretension got stopped in the last wood section of the challenging track in Leogang.
Even this race hasn’t end with podium pictures and medals, we are happy and want to thank the organizer for making the event happened under the difficult circumstances because of the omnipresent Covid virus.
Practice day 2:
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- over the clouds...
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- nice B&W shot of
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- Mike is helping Brook and the rest of the team with lines...
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- deep tracks in some parts...
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- Brook with some crash marks on his pant
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- Laurie testing his thump brace...
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- Eleonora looked more confident on day 2 training.
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- roots are coming out...
2nd day of training was pretty good for us. Laurie got back on the bike and was able to make the cast work, which supports his thump. Brook and Eleonora got their training runs in as usually and grow their confidence in some parts of the track, while Mike was working on the track to find the best lines for finals. The track will be even more difficult on race day, as it will rain all night and snow is forecasted down to 1500 meters.
Qualification/ Seeding:
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- Laurie checking the course in B practice
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- Ele caught some some rays on the top...
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- miserable conditions further down the track.
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- Brook's special red Bull helmet representing NZ with the far leaf design
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- very slippery wood sections...
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- difficult roots...
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- ...but manageable
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- Laurie after his crash with a sore thump
Well this is not how we wanted to start in the 2020 UCI MTB world champs. 3 riders in the race and all 3 crashed and 1 handicapped by an injury. The conditions for qualification/ seeding were as hard as expected. Eleonora was on a good run, crashed and still managed to finished in 5th place. Men’s race was a bad moment for us. Both our riders didn’t make it to the finish line. Brook crashed and couldn’t finish his run because of a mechanical and Laurie crashed with the 2ndfastest top split. Laurie dislocated his thump, which end into a ripped ligament. Laurie saw a specialist right after, to get a special cast for the race. As both Laurie and Brook have a protected status, we will see both racing on Sunday.
First practice:
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- Brook MacDonald back in action
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- one of the key factors- good brakes.
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- Brook looking strong and confident...
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- Mike Jones in a different role this weekend- line spotter for the team.
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- Laurie got his set up sorted and looks fast on track
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- Eleonora benefited from the training with the boys in the last couple of weeks. Very strong performance from her.
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- Brook also with a more than strong performance.
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- Nico Kölbl supporting Elle this weekend... good progress on the technical site.
First training showed that this track in this condition will separate the wheat from the chaff. Tricky conditions with almost unrideable sections will show who is going to be the best rider in 2020. Eleonora struggled a bit at the beginning, but found her confidence after some runs. Brook and Laurie like the track and couldn’t wait to race it- bring it on.
track walk day:
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- winter is close
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- closer than we thought
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- not the usual bike park stuff
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- creeks down the track
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- separat the wheat from the chaff
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- red Bull jump
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- over the infamous river gap
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- Ele and Brook
Here we are- back with proper racing on world cup level. In the past Leogang wasn’t the favorite track of the circuit. It was okay, but with all the bike part features not technical enough for the majority of the field. This has completely changed for 2020. The track got changed to the better in some parts of the track. Very steep lower section, which they left very natural, ending in a decent drop down over a river, which is called the river gap. Conditions are very different to previous years as we have October and we facing deep temperatures, a lot of rain and even snow is forecasted for race day.