IXS EUROPEAN CUP #1 - Leogang, Austria

This past weekend was the first round of the IXS European Downhill Cup series which is the premier series in Europe. The field was stacked as many top world cup riders were there to get in some practise for the world cup there later this year. I knew it would be a big test for me as my shoulder is still not great when the track gets rough and Leogang is NOT smooth J

Never the less I was excited and keen to get on track. Friday practice was awesome, the weather was perfect and the track was so fast and loose! I squeezed in 5 runs on the Friday and the goal was to get comfortable on the track so that I could get up to speed on Saturday. I did just that and was ready for Saturday seeding runs.

Saturday rolled around and I got in 4 runs in the morning on a dry and rough track. I was ready for seeding but as this is Europe it decided to pour with rain for seeding which meant no idea what to expect in the run. I got the mud tyres on and headed up to the top. I wanted to just have a smooth run and not make any big mistakes as this is the first race of the season. I had a solid run and came down with a time of 3:48 in 78^th spot which was no was nowhere near where I wanted to be but I was not too worried as it was only seeding. However I knew I had some work to do on the Sunday morning in practise.

Race day was upon us with better weather,  I smashed out 4 runs early and was feeling great, I found some new lines and picked up the intensity over the whole track. I was confident that I would go a lot faster in the race run but at the same time I didn’t want to push over my limit and crash in the first round.

Anyway it was not long before race runs started and I was soon in the start gate ready to go! I heard the beeps and I was off! I pedalled hard and had a decent run while not getting out of control. I came down with a 3:32 which was good enough for 51^st spot 16 seconds off the winner. I was disappointed with the result as I knew I had more in me but at the same time it’s a solid start with that field of riders. The goal was to have a solid start, keep the shoulder improving each week and not go all out at the first few races. I am satisfied with that.

However I assure you I will be back on top very soon! J

Thanks so much to all the great people and sponsors who make this happen!

Thanks to INVESTEC, morewood, seattle coffee co, virgin active, my trainer John Wakefield @ science 2 sport, Red Bull SA, Cycles Africa ( Manitou, odi, hayes, sun ringle ), Spank, Csixx, Leatt protectives, Bell helmets, Adidas eyewear and Faithwear.

 

Until next time…