Posts
4907
Joined
6/26/2009
Location
Boise, ID
US
Fantasy
66th
Edited Date/Time
6/5/2024 11:34am
The 3rd World Cup DH of 2024 is on this weekend at the classic Leogang, Austria, venue. While Leogang is no joke of a track, it's quite the respite from what we just witnessed at Hardline! We'll have the goods on site with pit bits, raw, slowmo and Vital Fantasy (which should open around mid-day PST on Thursday, June 6 after official rider confirmation list is out).
Official Racebook for Leogang (PDF)
There's also an EDR going on, so plenty of heavies in the house.
Schedule of events
email blast from whoop/disco/wbd about leogang (copy/pasted, so links look goofy)
2024 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES
SAALFELDEN LEOGANG - SALZBURGERLAND
WHEN IS IT? WHO IS RIDING? HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION?
After a two-week break, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returns this weekend with a double delight of Gravity action as the UCI Downhill (DHI) and Enduro (EDR) & E-Enduro (E-EDR) World Cups take to the bike park of Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria.
We look at everything you need to know about the Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, including when the Enduro, E-Enduro and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to follow the action.
WHEN?
The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria, starts with the UCI Enduro World Cup at 8:30 (UTC+2) on Friday, June 7 and concludes with the Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 15:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, June 9.
Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CEST):
Friday, June 7
08:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup
Saturday, June 8
08:30 – UCI E-Enduro World Cup
12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite
14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite
15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite
Sunday, June 9
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite
15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
There will be several ways to follow the action at Austria’s only UCI World Cup round of the 2024 Series. For Friday and Saturday’s Enduro and E-Enduro racing, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on
the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Sunday, June 9 and broadcast on Eurosport 1 at 17:15 (UTC+2) on Thursday, June 13.
For the third UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, you can watch the finals live anywhere in the world. Both the men’s and women's Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be broadcast live and for free on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services. Pre-show starts at 13:45 UTC+2, so set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin and Aaron Gwin live from Austria:
NORTH AMERICA
Canada – Flosports
USA – Max
SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Puerto Rico – Max
All other territories – Staylive
ASIA
Azerbaijan – Staylive
Bangladesh – Staylive
Bhutan – Staylive
Cambodia – Staylive
China – Zhibo.tv
Hong Kong – Staylive
India – Staylive
Indonesia – Eurosport
Japan – Staylive
Kazakhstan – Staylive
Kyrgyzstan – Staylive
Laos – Staylive
Macao – Eurosport
Malaysia – Eurosport
Maldives – Staylive
Mongolia – Eurosport
Myanmar – Staylive
Nepal – Staylive
Pakistan – Staylive
Palau – Staylive
Philippines – Staylive
Singapore – Eurosport
South Korea – Eurosport
Sri Lanka – Staylive
Taiwan – Eurosport
Tajikistan – Staylive
Thailand – Eurosport
Turkmenistan – Staylive
Uzbekistan – Staylive
OCEANIA
Australia – Stan
New Zealand – Staylive
AFRICA: Staylive
EUROPE
Austria – discovery+, Redbull TV, ServusTV (digital)
Belgium – Eurosport app, Eurosport 2
Czechia – Max, Eurosport 2
Denmark – Max, Eurosport 2
France – Eurosport app, Eurosport 2, La chaine L’Équipe
Germany – discovery+, Eurosport 2
Hungary – Max
Ireland – discovery+, Eurosport 2
Italy – discovery+, Eurosport 2
Netherlands – discovery+, Eurosport 2
Norway – Max, Eurosport 2
Poland – Player.pl, Eurosport 2
Portugal – Max, Eurosport 2
Romania – Max, Eurosport 2
Slovenia – Max
Spain – Max, Eurosport 2
Sweden – Max, Eurosport 2
Switzerland – Eurosport Plauer
United Kingdom – discovery+, Eurosport 2
Rest of world – Staylive
RIDERS TO WATCH
The Epic Bike Park is home to some well-trodden paths for most Gravity competitors – the Saalfelden Leogang venue has been a mainstay on the UCI Downhill World Cup circuit since 2010, while it also hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2012 and 2020.
Although it only made its debut in the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups last year, the recently awarded UCI Bike Region of Saalfelden Leogang is sure to put on a show once more, with riders pushed to their limits on the testing, handcrafted trails.
RUDE AND COURDURIER THE ENDURO RIDERS TO BEAT
In the Men’s Enduro competition, last year’s winner Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) has had a disappointing start to the season – 19th last time out being his best result of the opening two rounds. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) finished second at this venue in 2023, and it’s hard to rule out the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner going one better this weekend.
One rider who will be trying to stop him is teammate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – the 31-year-old Polish rider narrowly missed out on his debut win at his home race in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, three weeks ago. Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) spoilt the Polish party, and the current series leader will be looking to cement his position at the top of the table with another consistent performance in Austria.
Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) remains the rider to beat in the women’s Enduro – the Frenchwoman returning to winning ways in Poland after having to settle for second in Finale Ligure, Italy. Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) is pushing the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner to her limits though, while Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is overdue a race-winning performance.
GILCHRIST, BORGES, AND ESPIÑEIRA THE E-ENDURO FAVOURITES
For the women’s E-Enduro, it’s hard to look beyond Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team). The Chilean has taken maximum points from the first two rounds of the 2024 Series, and with her closest rival Tracy Moseley opting not to race in Saalfelden Leogang, expect Herreros to dominate proceedings on Saturday.
DUNNE TO DUEL WITH BRUNI, WHILE HÖLL AIMS TO RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AT HOME
In Downhill, the reigning UCI World Cup overall winners Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) didn’t have it their own way in Bielsko-Biała – Höll crashed on her finals run to finish sixth and Bruni settled for second with Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) taking his first UCI Downhill World Cup win.
It’s hard to look beyond Höll though on her home course. The 22-year-old won at the venue last season and will be looking to make amends for her slip in Poland. Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) and Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) have both tasted success in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland though, while Marine Cabirou’s (Scott Downhill Factory) win in Bielsko-Biała shows that the Frenchwoman is back to her best.
In the men’s, local favourite Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) gave the partisan crowd a double victory to cheer last year, but the Austrian will have his work cut out to repeat the feat. Dunne looks to be in imperious form, winning Red Bull Hardline in between UCI DHI World Cup rounds, while Bruni will be looking to get back on the top spot and repeat his win from 2019.
WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series DHI Ambassador, commentator, and four-time winner in Saalfelden Leogang, Aaron Gwin said: “The first two rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup have been incredibly close and show the racing at this elite level is as competitive as it has ever been. The course in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland has historically provided some of the tightest racing our sport has seen, and I predict more of the same this year. The course here is an all-out sprint, there’s no room to rest and you have to maintain that level of intensity from your first pedal out of the start hut to the finish. We had a first-time winner here last year and with the depth of talent that we’ve seen already this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another one this weekend”.
Racing gets underway on Friday, June 7 in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland.
Full schedule and event details are available HERE.
Leogang pre-race show is live!
0:00 - Intro
2:04 - Southwest Downhill Series this weekend
8:43 - Leogang venue & track analysis
13:33 - Is Leogang a bike park track?
17:48 - Why Leogang is so difficult in the wet
20:17 - Breaking down the motorway section
22:05 - John discusses Aaron Gwin's chain less win at Leogang in 2015
33:11 - A fan trying to sell John Aaron's broken chain for $3,000
38:25 - Weather report
39:03 - Injured reserve list for this weekend
44:33 - Fantasy strategy 49:10 - Junior Women race predictions
57:28 - Junior Men race predictions 1:04:15 - Elite Women predictions
1:18:30 - Elite Men predictions
As we wait for all the fun to begin tomorrow, I was watching RAWs from the past few years at Leogang to get hyped and figured I'd share the stoke. #astroturfing?
I'll astroturf some more; that clip of Mitch scrubbing the road crossing/the underside of the tape is one of the sickest clips of all time!
pit bits 1 gallery is up
https://www.vitalmtb.com/pit-bits-leogang-world-cup-downhill
I knew Loic's rainbow buttons looked familiar.
to me it looks more like MotoGP bikes controls. How top athletes like Bruni process information at the speed they're going is pretty nuts!
Gotta put those Call of Duty skills/reaction times to use. Only thing thats missing is the headset to join the voice lobby after the race to discuss the other racers mothers...
Those blue and black buttons on the right hand side are relatively new. I wonder if there is an actuated link in there as well as shock modes?
updated interview with Phil Seton and the *Pole* Factory Racing team. They made it to Leogang with the help of GoFundMe and are hoping to get to Les Gets next!
https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/living-prayer-and-gofundme-phil-seton…
Pit bits vid with some cool stuff
Contents
0:00 - Troy Brosnan's Brake Setup & RockShox / SRAM
2:09 - Prototype DT Swiss Downhill Rims
2:36 - Danny Hart Going to Medium GT Fury
3:11 - Seton Tuning DH Pole - HELP THEM OUT!
4:21 - Forbidden Synthesis
5:03 - Davide Capello's GT with BYB Data Acquisition
5:50 - Canyon Pirelli
6:39 - Giant Factory Off-Road
7:40 - Loic Bruni's Electronic Ohlins Suspension
10:26 - Ronan Dunne
downhill start lists (fantasy will be open in a couple hours)
elite men - https://chronorace.blob.core.windows.net/webresources/20240607_mtb/leog…
elite women - https://chronorace.blob.core.windows.net/webresources/20240607_mtb/leog…
junior men - https://chronorace.blob.core.windows.net/webresources/20240607_mtb/leog…
junior women - https://chronorace.blob.core.windows.net/webresources/20240607_mtb/leog…
BK's track walk video is up.
Ronans gone full F1 with the branded polo and cap!
Also Whoop/UCI are now doing track walk videos. Seems like a new thing, I don't recall seeing them before.
Benny Cool looking to do some additional clear-cutting in the woods after last year's tree clipping incidents 😂
Fantasy for Leogang is now open for picks
https://www.vitalmtb.com/fantasy/manage-team
Well WB/Discovery has somehow done the smartest thing I've seen so far. After the tried and true methodology of "Reading the Room"... They've stopped trying new BS nobody likes and started to just steal the content style of all the successful youtube accounts. (Including Vital RAW tbh. Seems they're uploading a version of those. Not sure who films them, Sleeper?)
And I can appreciate that. When in doubt, steal the methods of those who are already successful.
Excited to fail at another round of Vital Fantasy with y'all. And it's with great pleasure I reveal I've been able to hold a manual again this morning after fracturing my T5/T6 a little over a month ago. Still mostly keeping tires on the ground on flow trails but... Felt good to keep the nose up for over a second.
leogang press conference
jack moir's practice vlog
EDR course preview and practice highlights:
What happend to Jack Moir at the first stage @Leogang EDR?? +8.50 min
wyntv trackwalk
POV with gamux rider mike huter
new norco kits and paint for leogang
Details about the designs
BEHIND THE DESIGN: TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEWEST NORCO DH KIT AND BIKE
June 6, 2024 - PORT COQUITLAM, BC.
In celebration of our 60th anniversary, the liveries of the Norco Race Division will be updated and celebrated throughout the UCI DH World Cup season.
Concepted by creators Nick Larsen and Paul Bliss, the newest look will be represented by the athletes in Leogang, Austria, and Val di Sole, Italy.
For the first kit of the season, the Norco logo was the theme. The second design concept is about the riders – they’re such an interconnected group. Nick and Paul took the painted portraits that their friend, rider and artist Max Nerurkar, created for the Norco truck, and turned them into jersey and bike designs.
“I always enjoy working with Nick & Paul, they always give me a lot of creative freedom while also pointing me in directions I might not usually explore. I had never really painted portraits; it was fun to see how people turned out looking without being too attached to a particular result.” – Max Nerurkar
The paint theme continues on the jersey with an aerosol version of the rock on one arm, along with the paint stripes, combined with a mix n’ match of logos and graphic elements that are repeated across their Norco designs for the year.
The designs are influenced by a period in the sport when things were less professional – the homemade aesthetic of the garage bike brands that kicked off what we know today as the modern era of off-road bike companies, of which Norco is one. Norco has been around since the beginning and it’s a way to celebrate our heritage while looking ahead to what’s new and inventive.
The team will be riding for Lucas after his injury in Fort William, featuring his portrait on bike frames painted by Fresh Paints of Whistler so that he’s “with them” as they ride.
"We are a pretty tight-knit team, having Lucas get injured in Fort William was pretty gutting, we all missed him. We brought him back on t-shirts in Poland which was really cool and now the creative team have done a great job on the frames. To me, this is one of the best-looking frames we've had. I'm super excited to see it out on the track!" – Greg Minnaar
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes action as we follow the Norco Race Division throughout the 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup season.
About Norco Bicycles
Norco is a global leader in high-performance mountain bikes, known for its commitment to innovation, quality craftsmanship, and the pursuit of trail-blazing excellence. Founded as Northern Cycle Industries in 1964, operating out of a chicken coop, the brand has evolved over the years, but hard work, passion, and commitment to innovation have always been at the forefront. The mountains and trails of British Columbia are hard-wired into the DNA at Norco, and they will always be the ultimate inspiration for the character and performance of every Norco bike. Norco.com
Woof
I love the color palette and art style IF they weren't drawing humans...but let's be honest these portraits are hideous
This Norco paint is the kind of gooning DH needs and I'm here for it.
timed training results - https://prod.chronorace.be/angular/results.html#/uci/event/20240607_mtb…
must feel like a bike path for bernard after hardline LOL
The Norco stuff is awful. The "art" is worse than something my 1st grader would make. And the color combinations are like crayons selected at random.
That website is hilariously buggy. Wondering if they're gonna fix that each junior rider has ~10 entries thing. Too difficult to use atm
Any word on dat boy Asa?
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