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“IT IS WHAT IT IS……”

Featured ~ BigMac ~ 1 Comment

THE DRIVE THROUGH THE HIGHLANDS TO FORT WILLIAM PROVIDES MANY STUNNING SCENES



The UCI Mountain Bike World cup at Fort William is legendary and, as a first
timer to the event, the nerves were starting to make themselves known as I drove
the amazing A82 that snakes it’s way through Scotland. The banks of Loch Lomond
signal the start of the epic views that leave you full of awe all the way to the
stunning Nevis range.



THE WORLD CUP COURSE ON AONACH MÒR LIES AMONG THE NEVIS RANGE WHICH WAS ONCE THE
TRAINING GROUND OF THE BRITISH COMMANDOS DURING WW2



STUNNING EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK

Preparations were in full swing on Thursday morning with the pits a hive of
activity for busy mechanics and team personnel who were getting ready for the
four days ahead.



MEDIA PASS COLLECTED AND NEW MASCOT ATTACHED TO THE BAG FOR THE WEEKEND

Quick catch up with Moore Large/O’Neal riders Douglas and Roger Vieira in the
team pits. Douglas was still carrying an injury on his ankle from a nasty crash
here 3 weeks ago and was unsure how it would hold up over the course of the
weekend.



DEADLY SERIOUS AT ALL TIMES WITH THESE GUYS….

And we were soon off in the gondola to the top in the blazing sunshine, a very
welcome change from the usual Scottish summer weather.



LAUGHS AND SMILES. FOR NOW…

The track walk was very enlightening for a first timer like myself. Everything
you have seen over the years on videos does not do this place justice. The
rocks, drops, jumps and overall gnarliness are all multiplied by 100 when you
see the place first hand.



THE FAMOUS FORT WILLIAM START HUT



ROCKS. MANY MANY ROCKS





THE BOARDWALK SECTION THAT CARRIES THE RIDERS OVER THE BOGGY PARTS OF THE COURSE
AT THE TOP





MORE HUGE ROCKS.





THE BOYS CHOOSING THEIR LINES UNDERNEATH THE GONDOLAS



TIME FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH NICK ON THE WAY DOWN





THE INFAMOUS WOODS SECTION THAT WOULD PROVE TO BE SOME RIDERS DOWNFALL COME RACE
DAY.





ALL SMILES FOR NOW BUT UNFORTUNATELY NOT FOR LONG.

Friday morning and the sun was still doing it’s thing as last minute checks on
the bike and kit were done before the first practice runs got underway.



TOP 60 PLATE FOR DOUGLAS AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF THE WORLD CUP IN CROATIA.



ALL KIT CHECKED AND CLEANED BEFORE THAT EXCITING FIRST RUN.



DOUGLAS TACKLING THE STEEP ROCKS ON HIS FIRST RUN.



SPEED TUCKING THE BOARDWALK.



THE ROCKS ON THE EXPOSED TOP SECTION ARE NEVER ENDING.



DOUGLAS TRYING HARD TO KEEP THE POLYGON ON IT’S WHEELS TO KEEP THE SPEED UP.



STYLE FOR MILES.



THE TRACK WINDS IT WAY DOWN THE EXPOSED MOUNTAINSIDE OF AONACH MÒR WITH GLORIOUS
VIEWS THAT STRETCHED FOR MILES.



ROGER PINNING DOWN ONE OF THE MANY ROCKY CHUTES



DOUGLAS STYLING IT UP PAST THE SILVERLINE WALLRIDE.



MOVING DOWN THE COURSE AND THE ROOTS PROVED NO MATCH FOR ROGER AS HE LEAPT HIS
WAY DOWN.

Friday practice finished, it was time to head back to the pits and discuss how
the days riding went. Douglas’ ankle was very painful by now and he was unsure
whether he would be riding the following day.



THE WEEKEND FORECAST DIDN’T LOOK VERY PROMISING ON FRIDAY NIGHT



THE LOCALS DIDN’T SEEM TO CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT THE WEATHER FORECAST.



THE GLORIOUS SOUND OF BAGPIPES FILLED THE AIR ALL WEEKEND.

Luckily, Saturday morning proved the weather forecast wrong for a change and it
was straight into practice and then qualifying in the afternoon.

Unfortunately this was a day to forget for the team.



A QUICK VIDEO INTERVIEW IN THE PITS TO START THE DAY.



PRE QUALIFYING VIDEO’S DONE, IT WAS TIME TO HEAD BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN.

Douglas was first down in morning practice and a crash near the top didn’t get
the day off to a great start. With his ankle proving too painful, he made the
decision not to ride again or attempt qualifying in a bid to heal the injury for
the upcoming races.



DESPITE THE CRASH FURTHER BACK ON THE COURSE THERE WAS NO STOPPING THE STYLE
FROM DOUGLAS.



LOOKING MORE LIKE HE CAME FROM A BOXING RING IT WAS WEEKEND OVER FOR DOUGLAS.



DOUGLAS WILL HOPEFULLY BE BACK TO FULL STRENGTH FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF THE WC AT
LEOGANG.

Roger was on track shortly after and although he was fast all day Friday, he was
even faster and absolutely flying in practice and was looking for a good
qualifying position for race day.



LAST MINUTE BIKE CHECK



ROGER WAS PINNED ALL MORNING AND ANTICIPATIONS WERE HIGH FOR THE AFTERNOON.

And then it was over.

As Roger came into view of the finish line he overcooked the drop down the
“wall” and landed virtually to flat at the bottom and crashed heavily. The
impact seeing him crunch sickeningly onto the bike then tumbling across the
track, thankfully in front of some off duty medics who looked after him until
the course medical team appeared shortly after.



A JUST CONSCIOUS ROGER IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE HORRIFIC CRASH IN QUALIFYING.



HIS O’NEAL HELMET STAYED INTACT AND HELPED PREVENT ANY SERIOUS HEAD INJURY.

A long, anxious wait as Roger was prepared to be stretchered down to the medical
centre where he was looked after by the medical staff until taken away to the
local hospital.



THE MEDICAL STAFF WERE AMAZING IN THEIR RESPONSE AND PROMPT ACTION.

Roger was kept overnight in hospital for observation but was thankfully
discharged on Sunday afternoon with bruised lungs and ribs, many scratches and
bruises all over but miraculously free of any serious injuries.

And that was the weekend over for the team. Not the finish to the weekend the
team wanted but at least Douglas and Roger walked away to race another day.

Race day itself was a bit of an anticlimax with no team riders. Luckily the
forecast rain appeared after the racing had finished and Scotland had proved to
be an unforgettable weekend for many.



MY LASTING MEMORIES OF THE WEEKEND ARE OF ROGER SENDING IT HUGE OFF THE SCOTLAND
SENDER.



AND OF DOUGLAS RIDING THE WALLRIDE WITH MORE STYLE THAN ANYONE ALL WEEKEND.



 LOCH LEVEN SUNSET



SCOTLAND. YOU WERE EPIC

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HTTP://WWW.ONEAL.EU/EN/

HTTP://WWW.POLYGONBIKES.COM/

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HTTP://WWW.SRSUNTOUR-CYCLING.COM/HOME/

HTTP://WWW.JOES-NO-FLATS.COM/

HTTPS://WWW.THEMUDHUGGER.CO.UK/

HTTPS://WWW.BOXCOMPONENTS.COM/

HTTP://WWW.DUCK-SMART.COM/

HTTP://WWW.INVISIFRAME.CO.UK/




 


SOUTHERN ENDURO. MILLAND 2020


September 29, 2020September 29, 2020 ~ BigMac ~ Leave a comment

The Southern Enduro series finally got underway in 2020 much to the huge relief
of riders from all over the country, all desperate for their racing fix in what
has been a disastrous year for race organisers, riders and photographers alike.

The socially distanced race village and sign on was a chance for everyone to
meet up after many months of non racing and the atmosphere amongst the riders
was buzzing as Milland always provides fantastic race events with stages worthy
of any Enduro in the country.

Luckily for everyone involved, the rain and mud of 2019 was very much absent and
replaced with fast, dry tracks and lots of dust although still very cold and
windy. The morning saw very challenging light conditions for riders and
photographers with a deforested open section at the top. The light soon changed
halfway down where the tracks on stage 1 and 2 plunged deep into the dark woods.

So dark in fact I spent the first half of stage 1 cursing the lack of light only
to curse the bright blue skies at the top.

A photographer is never happy as anyone who has ever listened to me moan about
the conditions will testify!

Stage 1 was the pedal stage that demanded stamina and fitness from the riders
with a fun, flowy track. This was followed by a series of sprints between tight
corners in the woods and the relief of the riders faces as they completed the
first stage was plain to see.

Stage 2 was the best, photo wise with a ton of features and of course the
bridge! I love that bridge as you will see in a second. A huge log step down
right at the start led into some sandy and dusty corners with a couple of cool
jumps and step downs. Into the woods the pace picked up with some tricky rooty
sections that led to the swamp crossing near the end.

And then down to the bridge.

Did I mention I love this bridge? With the moody light, dark ferns and swampy
ground it looks like a scene from the Hampshire location of Jurassic park and
I’m sure I heard some distant roars, or that may be have groans as the riders
sprinted down to the finish!

Stage 3 consisted of loose and loamy corners right from the start gate and was a
twisty techy ride through the trees. It seemed to be one of the riders favourite
stages but not a photographers one as it was tricky to shoot.

Stage 4 was a fast blast out the start gate and some interesting features all
the way down from step downs into 180 degree berms to the narrowest gap through
the trees imaginable! Some sprint sections and a couple of small jumps and drops
led to the natural bowl that was the finish line for several of the stages.

Stage 5, well I could say that stage 5 was more of the same as 4 but as I didn’t
shoot it I can’t show you! But was it another fast stage with some really tight
action through the trees that saw the riders finish into the arena. Despite the
exhaustion, all competitors enjoyed another epic Southern Enduro at Milland.

The Southern Enduro series has really proven itself to be one of the premier
enduro series in the UK with it’s slick organisation and fantastic courses. And
it’s down to Mr Enduro himself ,above, and all the team do an incredible job
every race so a huge thanks to them, the marshals, medics, timing guys and
catering.

Roll on Pippingford for the next round.


RIDERS IN THE STORM


June 6, 2019June 6, 2019 ~ BigMac ~ Leave a comment

The blue skies and wall to wall sunshine of 2018 were sadly missing this year
for the Moore Large/O’Neal race team for round 2 of the UCI Mountain Bike World
Cup in Fort William.

Thick mist, high winds and sideways rain were the theme for the race on Aonach
Mor for 2019 and the events on track were certainly a match for the storm that
was brewing over the highlands.

With 3 riders racing at the very highest level for the team, there was no time
to waste in slipping the waterproofs on, getting up onto the mountain and brave
the elements that would challenge riders and photographers alike.

This was Fort William in 2019…..





 

 

 

 























Sion Margrave. Junior men.



Sion is the teams youngest rider and had the great honour of not only
representing his team but also his country in the team GB kit this weekend for
only his second ever World Cup.

Friday was a good day that saw him dial into his new bike very quickly in the
awful conditions and was soon up to speed and feeling confident for his
qualifying run on Saturday.

Unfortunately a big crash in the high speed rock section saw him lose a lot of
time and even though he was quickly back on his feet the tumble put paid to a
place in Sundays final.

The weekend was a huge learning curve for the young rider that will put him in
good stead for his next World Cups later this season.























Roger Vieira. Elite men.

Roger started Fridays soaking wet practice full of confidence on a track he
loves but a tiny mistake on one of his first runs saw him crash down a large
drop, bashing his elbow hard on one of many rocks that litter the top of the
course. This saw him him miss out on a lot of track time as he was in the
medical centre having some stitches on his arm.

Saturday practice came and, putting the pain behind him, he was soon up to speed
but a mechanical on only his second run saw him lose more time and would see him
miss the last run in the morning session.

This was not the preparation he needed for qualifying and a lack of track time
and some errors in the woods meant that a place in the final 60 was not to be
for the young Brazilian.







PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE PRICE PHOTOGRAPHY







Douglas Vieira. Elite men.

Douglas left Fort William this weekend wondering what might have been.

Friday practice was again, despite the dreadful weather conditions, a successful
day for Douglas and entered day two brimming with confidence. However, the ever
changing conditions in qualifying saw him making some minor mistakes that would
out his time just 3 seconds off the time needed to go through to the finals.





PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE PRICE PHOTOGRAPHY











 

Scotland always provides a spectacle whether it is the passionate fans, the
friendly locals or the stunning scenery



 

 

 

















All in all a disappointing weekend for the team but quite a few positives to
take away and the experience has only made the riders stronger and hungry for
the next few rounds where I am sure the team will go from strength to strength.



As we left for the long journey south, the weather changed dramatically and the
sun made it’s first appearance of the whole weekend.  Another Fort William Word
Cup was over but certainly not forgotten.

 


THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL


September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 ~ BigMac ~ Leave a comment

The excitement was starting to build as the wheels lifted off the ground on
BA170 from London’s Heathrow airport to Zurich en route to Lenzerheide in the
south of Switzerland. The destination was the venue for the 2018 UCI mountain
bike world championships, the biggest race of the year on the DH calendar.

After a short flight I found myself on one of the most spectacular train
journeys I have ever taken as the double decker train snaked it’s way through
the beautiful Swiss countryside.



 



 



 



 



The incredible train journey ended at the city of Chur where I was met by the
ever smiling Roger Vieira, who would be one of the two riders I would be
shooting for over the next 5 days. After picking up his brother Douglas, we were
off to the race village for the track walk for the start of what would be a very
emotional race for the young brothers.



































Track walk completed and I had wanted to get some shots of the new bikes that
the boys would be riding. Polygon had provided the new XQUARONE DH9 and, as this
is the world championships where riders race for their country, the new bike was
decked out in custom Brazilian colours for the week.











Thursday was first practice of the week and, as well as custom bikes, the boys
were keen to put on their new Brazil kit and get onto the track.



























Practice runs finished and Roger and Douglas were happy with how they were
performing on track with both of them enjoying the dry and dusty conditions.

And then Friday morning arrived, where we woke to a very wet and muddy track
that would change the direction of the world champs for Roger.







The low cloud and cool conditions meant that the track would stay wet and slippy
for morning practice.











The afternoon had brought the sunshine back just in time for the Brazilian’s
qualifying  runs.









Qualifying runs over and the boys faced a long and nervous wait to see where
they would place for Sunday’s final.





As the last riders were finishing their runs it was clear to see that
unfortunately Roger hadn’t made the cut to get through to the finals. A
difficult run saw him lose time in one of the rock gardens and never managed to
recover. To finish an agonising few seconds just outside the top 80 left Roger
heartbroken.



Although Douglas had also had a run that included a few mistakes, he managed to
get through in 76th place and was relieved to had made it into his first ever
worlds finals.



An understandably upset Roger congratulated his brother and left to prepare his
bike for the whip off competition that was happening nearby that evening. We
made our way to the venue as the sun was setting. The riders faced a very steep
run in that led to a huge jump that would test every rider.

After several tentative runs up to the jump Roger was soon launching himself
skywards. Judging was by the one and only Steve Peat and when the final 20
places were announced, Roger was in. As the finals progressed there were some
incredible moves going down and Roger finished just outside the top slots to
finish the day with a smile.









Saturday was quite a chilled day with only a couple of hours practice for
Douglas in the morning, the sun was back and here to stay until race day.









Douglas finished practice full of confidence for the next day’s finals so all
that was left to do was last minute bike tweaks as I took time out to enjoy the
sights and sounds that made up this incredible event.















And then it was race day. The sun shone brightly again and the nerves were in
full flow for both rider and photographer.





Douglas was 16th down and it was an anxious time waiting at the bottom watching
the live feed. The noise of the crowds all around was incredible and the
atmosphere was like nothing else.

























A few small mistakes including a crash off the bike saw Douglas finish in an
ultimately disappointing 71st overall. Even though he managed to shave 10
seconds off his qualifying time it wasn’t the position he was looking for.

We left Lenzerheide with Roger and Douglas vowing to work harder than ever over
the winter and to come back stronger for 2019.

 

https://www.facebook.com/moorelargeraceteam/

http://www.oneal.eu/en/

http://www.polygonbikes.com/

https://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-us/

http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/

home/http://www.joes-no-flats.com/

https://www.themudhugger.co.uk/

https://www.boxcomponents.com/

http://www.duck-smart.com/

 

 

 

 

 


DUST AND (BROKEN) BONES.

July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 ~ BigMac ~ Leave a comment

Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely hate mud with a passion when it comes to
this photography lark. It gets everywhere on your kit and clothes and with the
usual dark gloomy woods it brings, it’s just miserable to shoot in. And it
usually appears every time I cross that Severn bridge. But a little bit of the
wet stuff would have been welcome to combat the Sahara like conditions that
would prevail this weekend.

Driving along the M4 corridor in the wee small hours of Saturday morning the
forecast for the weekend was for some serious sunshine and the hope of mud in
its dry powdery state.

Well, the third round of the British National Downhill Series at Rheola in South
Wales certainly delivered both of them in spades!

Rheola is a long, high speed technical course that challenged every rider in the
dry and very dusty conditions. A course that would prove to be a difficult one
for many racers to master. I have never seen so many red flags over a race
weekend and with a very serious crash on the Sunday it definitely wasn’t for the
faint hearted.



DID I MENTION THE DUST….

The sun was already blazing as the Moore Large/O’Neal team assembled in the pits
for Saturday practice. Well, when I say team, I mean the ones left that aren’t
injured or enjoying a well deserved break.

Which leaves us with three riders then for a weekend of racing at the highest
level on the British calendar with a track to match.



THE OBLIGATORY TEAM MANAGER INSTA VIDEO.

 

Sion Margrave has been putting the miles in during training this year and is
definitely due a big result. He was looking forward to getting stuck into what
would prove to be a very tough race for a lot of riders but unfortunately this
would be a race to forget for young Sion.



SION LOOKING GOOD ON HIS FIRST 2 RUNS ON SATURDAY MORNING

 



UNFORTUNATELY THIS WOULD BE SION’S LAST RUN OF THE WEEKEND.

 

A high speed crash on the middle woods section would prove to be Sion’s
downfall. A nasty crash saw him tumble off the bike onto the roots and rocks and
he was soon off to hospital with a suspected broken wrist.



THE BOY’S STILL SMILING.

 

And then there were two.

Ellie Dewdney was the next rider due down in practice in between numerous red
flag stoppages. A lot of riders were finding themselves coming into the tricky
sections a bit too hot in the very dry and loose conditions and finding
themselves in a bit of trouble.



ELLIE WAITING FOR THE UPLIFT BETWEEN DELAYS.



SATURDAY SAW ELLIE LAUNCHING OFF THE VARIOUS DROPS THAT LITTERED THE TRACK.



THE TOUGH “STAR WARS” SECTION MADE LINE CHOICE VERY DIFFICULT.

 

Ellie had a great practice day learning the track that was constantly changing
due to the loose rocks and inches of dust that covered the whole course.
Unfortunately this would catch out a rider later in the afternoon stopping the
proceedings for well over an hour. This led to Ellie calling it a day to prepare
for whatever race day would bring.

Next and last down was Douglas Vieira representing the team in Elite men and the
young Brazilian was relishing the chance to get down and tackle the challenging
terrain. And right from the first run Douglas was absolutely on fire.

A quick stop to look at the infamous “star wars” section was all it needed for
him to pin through that section with incredible speed.



MULTIPLE LINE CHOICE DOWN THIS VERY TRICK SECTION.

 



BUT DOUGLAS MADE SHORT WORK OF IT.

 



FLYING.

 



STILL FLYING.

 



YOU ARE STARTING TO GET THE PICTURE OF HOW DOUGLAS RIDES….

 

Douglas had a fantastic Saturday practice to finish second fastest in Elite men
which filled him with confidence for race day.



DUSTHUGGER???

 

Sunday morning saw the sun  once again shine bright and hot. Some rain was due
to fall by early afternoon so the riders were eager to get up on the gondola,
sorry, landrover and get on with practice.



HOLD ON A MINUTE…..

 



THIS AIN’T NO GONDOLA!

Ellie was again first down and a solid practice and seeding run saw her sit in
sixth place going into the single race run.



ALWAYS SMILING.

 



THE OPEN MIDDLE SECTION WITH SOME GLORIOUS VIEWS.

With the expected rain now falling steadily it was time for Ellie to make her
way up on the excellent Pearce Cycles uplift ready for her run. Unfortunately a
very serious crash for one of the young female riders led to the event being
stopped for nearly two hours as she was cared for by the medics.



SUN SHINING AGAIN ELLIE WAS ON HER WAY DOWN.

 



FOCUSED…..

 



LAST JUMP DOWN TO THE FINISH ARENA.

 

The long delay and some minor errors on track let to a race to forget as Ellie
finished in seventh place overall against a tough field.



TEAM SPIRIT.

 

Hiking my way up to near the top to catch Douglas on the fast open section in
morning practice was all in vain as he crashed literally in front of me!



CHECKING THE BIKE OVER.

 

But he was soon back on and the crash didn’t seem to bother him too much.



LOVING THE O’NEAL GOGGLES.

 



OH LOOK, DOUGLAS IS IN THE AIR AGAIN…!

 

Seeding runs done and again Douglas was lying second fastest with high hopes for
his first British national series podium finish.

With the rain starting to drizzle again for the elite men the track would become
even more treacherous.  The loose dust turning to a muddy mess that would
challenge the riders even more.



WHERE’S THE SUN GONE?

 



FAST AND LOW AS THE RAIN FALLS.



PINNED.

 

It was with nervous excitement as we waited in the finish arena for Douglas to
appear.



BLASTING INTO THE FINISH ARENA.

 

Something had obviously wrong as Douglas’s time was seconds off first place and
his body language and dirty kit didn’t look good.



NOT HAPPY.

 



THAT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.

 

It turned out that he had a huge over the bars crash at the top and lost
precious seconds over his rivals.  A distraught Douglas thought he had lost his
chance of a podium but despite his crash he still finished a brilliant fourth
place.



EMOTIONS RUN HIGH FOR THESE GUYS.

 



A SUPERB FOURTH PLACE FOR DOUGLAS VIEIRA.

 

All in all a very challenging weekend for the team with hopes that the bad luck
that has plagued the team so far in 2018 is behind them for the rest of the
season.

 

https://www.facebook.com/moorelargeraceteam/

http://www.oneal.eu/en/

> Official site



https://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-us/

http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/home/

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https://www.boxcomponents.com/

http://www.duck-smart.com/

http://www.invisiframe.co.uk/

 


A VIEW TO A THRILL

June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 ~ BigMac ~ 1 Comment

LITERALLY BREATHTAKING VIEWS

The Crankworx festival, just outside Innsbruck, was the latest venue for the
Moore Large/O’Neal race team, and they were hoping for a change of fortune this
weekend. The last two UCI World Cups were ones to forget. Crashes, injuries and
mechanical woes were the story at Fort William and Leogang. The team were
hopeful that the bad luck was behind them.

Innsbruck lies in the shadow of the Nordkette mountain range and is often
described as the jewel of the Alps and rightfully so. Everywhere you look is
just jaw-droppingly  beautiful with views that one could never tire of.



I’VE A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN BRITAIN ANYMORE

Crankworx is a four-round series that starts off in New Zealand and then hops to
Europe with this weekend in Innsbruck followed by a round in France. The circus
then heads to Canada for the finale at Whistler bike park.

The event is split between the downhill race at Götzens and the slopestyle,
speed and style and whip off competitions at nearby Mutters.



GÖTZENS WAS THE VENUE FOR THE THRILLING DOWNHILL RACE



SMALL PITS. HUGE BACKGROUND

The sun shone bright for Friday morning practice and it was the first chance for
Douglas and Roger Vieira to get the Polygon downhill bikes out onto the track.



ROGER THE BIKE WHISPERER



DOUGLAS WARMED UP BY CASUALLY WHEELING THROUGH THE TECH AREA.

Last minute bike maintenance and warm up finished, it was time to head up in the
gondola to the start line, high above the pits with even more breathtaking
views.



ANOTHER COUNTRY, ANOTHER GONDOLA.



YEAH, IT WAS ALRIGHT…..

The track would prove to be a riders favourite over the next 3 days. Around 3
minutes long and just a complete tech fest from start to finish. Roots and loam
were the main features as the riders pinged and roosted their way down,
threading the needle between every tree,  which would later prove to be the
downfall of several riders.



FAST AND LOOSE STRAIGHT OUT OF THE START GATE.



YOU WANT ROOTS? YOU GOT ’EM.

A few boardwalk sections gave very slight relief on an otherwise full on track.



ROGER SPEED TUCKING THE BOARDWALK SECTION HALFWAY DOWN THE TRACK.



THE LIGHT WAS JUST RIGHT ON THIS SPOT AS DOUGLAS KICKED UP THE LOAM BEHIND.



THE SOUND OF ALPINE COW BELLS COULD BE HEARD ALL WEEKEND.



MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS DURING THE FESTIVAL….



THE LIGHT WAS JUST GLORIOUS AT TIMES.



DOUGLAS FLYING DOWN TO THE FINISH.



DUCKSMART PRODUCTS BEING USED TO WASH AWAY THE LOOSE DUST AFTER PRACTICE.



WORK TOOLS.

First practice runs finished, it was time to wash the bikes, pack away and head
over to Mutters where Roger was scheduled to ride in the whip off competition.

The whip off  was another gondola ride to the top of the mountain and, well,
this was just something else.

I don’t think there will ever be another venue I will ever shoot at again as
epic as this. It literally took my breath away and no words can describe the
scene in front of me.



IMAGINE JUMPING OVER YOUR HOUSE AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD.



UNBELIEVABLE VIEWS.

As words won’t suffice I’ll let the photos do the talking. All I will say is
Roger made the finals with some incredible riding and it was something I will
never forget.









WOW. JUST WOW.

The whip off was over all too quickly and it was then back to the chalet to
prepare bikes and riders for the upcoming downhill race. Saturday saw more
practice for the young Brazilians and they arrived at Götzens Sunday morning
ready for the day ahead. After 3 days of spectacular weather, the talk in the
pits was of rain to fall mid afternoon, just as Douglas and Roger were having
their runs. Thankfully, this was to be proved wrong and the sun shone all day
long.



BIKE AND KIT PREPPED AND READY FOR DOUGLAS.



KENDA HELLKAT’S WERE THE TIRE OF CHOICE FOR THE BROTHERS.



DO AS THE STEM CAP SAYS.

Douglas was first on the track and a slight brake problem on the first section,
chain issues and still nursing a injured ankle saw the younger brother finish in
27th place overall. Finishing less than ten seconds behind a stacked field of
world cup riders, this was a great achievement.  Once back to full strength and
free from any niggling injuries, Douglas will only reach higher up that leader
board in the future.



OFF CAMBER ROOTS WERE PLENTIFUL.



SUNSHINE STREAMING THROUGH THE TREES.

 



DID I SAY IT WAS STEEP IN PLACES?



LOVED THIS SECTION WITH THE GORGEOUS LIGHT.



TOO FAST FOR MY CAMERA PANNING SKILLS.

Roger was the next rider down and eager to set a fast time.



NEW HELMET FOR ROGER AFTER HIS HORRIFIC CRASH IN SCOTLAND.



DREAM. RIDE. SHARE.



PINNED ON HIS RACE RUN.



ROGER LOVED THIS CORNER



MORE OFF CAMBER ACTION.



THIS HUCK WAS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED.

Roger was full of confidence going into his run and, although he held a little
bit back to have a safe run, he absolutely flew down this tough track to take
the hot seat as overall leader. A superb sight to see for all the team.

YES!!!!!



A VERY EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR THE TEAM.

Roger remained in the hot seat for a considerable amount of time but as the
later riders completed their runs he slowly moved down the leaderboard. As the
dust settled and the final rider went past the timing beam, Roger’s position was
an incredible 15th, just a fraction over five seconds behind Danny Hart and
Samuel Blenkinsop.

Having both riders inside the top 30 at a world class event was a great
achievement for the team. This can only surely boost both riders confidence that
will lead them through to hopefully greater results as the world cup seasons
rolls on in 2018.



FITTING TO HAVE A FINAL SHOT WITH BOTH BROTHERS TOGETHER.

 

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