That's it boys and girls, welcome to the 2017 UCI MTB DH World Cup! For the third straight year, the season kicks off with a bang in Lourdes, France - a track that was an instant hit with the riders when we first came here to race in 2015, and with good reason. Mixing steep, tech, big jumps and high speeds, Lourdes delivers world class racing - which is not lost on the huge, noisy crowds that typically line the track come race day. To further spice it up this year, the organizers have made a few rad tweaks to the track, incorporating more natural sections which will favor bold line choices. Dive into this exclusive, hot off the press preview feature to see what awaits!
The Top Section
If you're sitting in this start gate, you're one of the best bike handlers in the world. That's good news, because you'll need all your skill to tame this beast of a track!
The weather is currently pretty nasty, but it's set to improve throughout the week. There is a chance of more rain come race day though, which would certainly make things unpredictable. Most of this track deals with water quite well, but there's no doubt a little H2O adds to the challenge here.
20 seconds after leaving the start gate, things get serious already. Go high right for the quickest line, or left if you prefer to play it "safe" here. This track has teeth, and it wastes no time baring them for all to see!
The organizers tape the track wide where it matters, and they also use the tape to make sure the trickier lines come with the biggest rewards. This nasty little rock huck is a great example, the tape making the go-around a lot slower here. Huck at your peril though, because it's not exactly a smooth landing!
Looking back up that section, rowdy is the word that comes to mind:
Once through that first test, catch a little air and maybe your breath with a fast and flowy rhythm section. They've added a bit of lip to this bridge jump as well by the looks of it:
The Wall
A mythical part of the track here in Lourdes, The Wall will keep you on your toes. Steep and nasty, it will catch you out if you show even the slightest bit of hesitation. And that's when it's dry!
The Woods
Congratulations, you made it down The Wall. Push through a few berms, and carry as much speed as you can pumping your way through the small hips and rollers in the woods.
We now arrive at the first major change for 2017. Instead of going straight into a big berm, the track builders have cut a whole new section through these two big turns (you can see the old track continuing to the right in this shot):
Hopefully you held it high to the right in that new loam section - because you now have the option of a brand new inside line. It features a tricky, off-camber step to get into it, and you'll need to be on your game to stick the exit, but we think this line will reward the brave with a good chunk of time off the clock. Tasty!
If you carried enough speed out of that tricky new section, there's a wheel-eating huck to rockbed that looks like it's on too:
The Bike Park
After pinning across a grassy, off-camber field, we come to the next bit of news. The crew continued to look for ways to incorporate more natural sections of track, and they found another option here in the old "bike park" section. We found Aurelien Heraud, the person responsible for the track, putting the final touches to his masterpiece, here's what he had to say (audio provided for those who want to practice their French too):
"We tried to add a few more natural sections to the track. We've removed a few berms and some of the bike park type jumps and replaced them with more technical sections, incorporating more roots and rocks as well as making the track steeper in parts."
The fastest line through this new section is straight - but there's a solid huck and some rowdy roots and rocks waiting for those who send it. There's a gap to gap to lily pad to gap thing hiding here that we can't wait to watch in real life...
Back on the old track again, and there's airtime on the menu! A few fresh berms will let you hold it wide open, and you'll need all that speed to tackle the two big road gaps looming up ahead.
After you land road gap number one, hold it wide open to make sure you have enough to get over number two.
Not for the faint of heart, road gap number two is a proper sender. Look closely, and you'll see they've added a bit of slope to the landing this year...but that also means you'll pay a bigger price for casing it!
Darkness
The woods after the road gaps are dark and foreboding, full of slippery, off-camber roots and rocks. Fight gravity as you try to work your way back to your left, this whole next part is all about your off-camber skills - and let's not forget the infamous Rock Huck ready to humiliate you if you mess it up even the slightest.
With the Rock Huck in your rearview mirror, get ready for the next challenge! A nasty rock and root chute sets you up for the gully...
The Gully
Another classic section, the gully is a test of nerve and skill. There's a scary huck on the rider's left, but even without that option, the gully is no pushover at race speed. Come race day, thousands of fans will flock to this area, ready to push the riders to give it their all. Chainsaws and cowbells rule this spot!
Almost there! Just a few impossible off-cambers and the odd little drop line to negotiate. This safety net saw a lot of action last year, and with good reason - it's a lot more off camber than it looks here:
The Finish
Keep your speed up through another rhythm section, and hold your line on a narrow goat path. You're 20 seconds from the finish line, but things can still go wrong here...just ask Loic Bruni!
And there you have it! The 2017 edition of the Lourdes World Cup track looks SICK, and we can't wait to see some action. Stay tuned!
Photos and words by Johan Hjord
4/26/2017 6:27am
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