New to the UCI MTB World Cup presented by Shimano in 2015, Lourdes
will be one of three rounds – with Fort William and Leogang – 100%
dedicated to Downhill. A regular French Cup stopover, the city in the
south-west of France will kick off the season. The riders will no doubt
enjoy its demanding track that offers a stunning view of the city.
"The 2015 season of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano
opens with round 1 of the downhill series, in the new World Cup venue
of Lourdes, France. However, while Lourdes is new to the World Cup, it
has a strong gravity resume, having hosted French Championships and
National Series competitions in previous years.
The town of Lourdes lies in the southwest corner of France, part of
the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range. While the town has only
15,000 residents, it attracts some 5 million visitors on an annual
basis, visiting on pilgrimages to the Sanctuary of Our Lady, where the
Virgin Mary is said to have appeared and miraculous healings from the
waters have taken place.
The 2,000 metre track begins at 900 metres of elevation, losing over
half of its altitude (477 metres) over the run, for an average grade of
nearly 24%. Riders and spectators ride a funicular tram from the base
to the start, with the course zig zagging through tunnels under the
tram on the way down.
The course is rough, rocky, rooty and, mostly likely, wet and
slippery. From the start house riders immediately face a series of
sharp turns and rocky, open terrain. From there, the course becomes
fast and flowy, dropping in and out of lightly wooded sections dotted
with roots and a couple of gap jumps. After this slight recovery,
riders hit the final extremely steep rock-strewn portion of the run
before a final jump into the finish bowl.
This is not a pedalling course, but one that requires tremendous
technical skills and the ability to resist losing speed by touching the
brakes. Any mistake is likely to have a huge impact on run time.
In the Women's field, all of the top riders are entered, with
reigning World Cup Champion and World champion Manon Carpenter (Madison
Saracen Factory Team) sporting the Number 1 plate after her
breakthrough season last year. She is expected to resume last year's
battle with countrywoman and former World Cup champion Rachel Atherton
(GT Factory Racing). Others expected to be in the fight for podium
spots are Emmeline Ragot (MS Mondraker Team), who could receive a huge
boost from riding on home soil, as well other French riders such as
Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Vallnord) and Morgane Charre (Solid-Reverse
Factory Racing).
The Men's field will see 2014 World Cup champion Josh Bryceland
(Great Britain) with the Number 1 plate. This will be a chance to see
if Bryceland is fully recovered from the serious foot injury he
suffered at the UCI World Championships last fall. Others sure to be in
the mix are former multi-time World Cup champion Aaron Gwin
(Specialized Racing), UCI World Champion Gee Atherton (GT Factory
Racing), Troy Brosnan (Specialized Racing), Sam Hill (Chain Reaction
Cycles/Paypal) and former UCI World Champion Greg Minnaar (South
Africa), who is coming back from a hand injury. The big French hope
will be Loic Bruni (Lapierre Gravity Republic).
The action begins on Saturday with timed qualifying runs, followed by
the World Cup on Sunday. The Juniors Men start the racing at 12:30,
followed by the Elite Women at 13:15 and the Elite Men at 14:00 (all
times European)."
2015 Lourdes World Cup From France
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