Track Walk of Doom! Cairns World Cup Downhill Course, Of Snakes, Spiders and Stinging Plants

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<b>Welcome to Australia, where downhill mountain biking and paradise collide, right?</b> -Duncan Philpott
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<b>Balmy temperatures and ocean views greet riders out of the gate. Nothing could be finer, don't ya think?</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Oh, wait, the real Cairns DH experience begins. Bryceland in audio.</b> -Duncan Philpott
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<b>Are we hyping up the scary bugs and critters? Yeah, but the photos don't lie. #gordosafeintheofficewritingcaptions</b> -Boris Beyer
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<b>She's definitely not scared of the snakes, spiders and stinging plants. And no, it's not Casey Brown.</b> -Boris Beyer
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<b>If snakes, spiders and stinging plants weren't enough, you've got KOVARIK to contend with! There's a 100% chance of rain this weekend. Raining blood, that is.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Eventually you're warned of the trackside dangers, but by now, it's too late. Don't turn around, there are at least 30 spiders and snakes following you.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>With no spectator or media path to follow, we're already looking for replacements for Sven and Duncan for round 3 of the World Cup, should some creature make a meal out of them. #insurancepaidup</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>There are a couple of long, rough, multi-lined rock gardens that will be tricky under wet conditions. Lots of looking and stopping and timing will be happening here over the next few days.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Dirt Bags. Appropriate in today's conditions. </b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Bernard Kerr and Eliot Jackson discuss the size of this triple. Is it 40 feet or 60 feet? If 40 then it must be hit first run. If bigger, it may take a run-up or two.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Bernard and Eliot discussing possible plans of attack on the whoops section. There is talk of taming and shaving the lips down before practice.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>A good mix of everything here in Cairns. The lower portion of the track is riddled with roots and plenty of line opportunities. </b> -Sven Martin
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<b>With all the recent afternoon thunderstorms, work has been done to ensure the track still runs fast and flowy, especially near the end just before a long sprint to the finish line.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Bug spray is mandatory. You will be eaten alive without it by the millions of mosquitos. Cam Cole lubes up while Bryceland bones out in the audio.</b> -Duncan Philpott
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<b>Emmeline Ragot was more than a little upset not to be included in Vital's Power Rankings (which I had no part of), so she swung on a vine and delivered a roundhouse Kangaroo kick to my solar plexus.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Remember those images from the 90's where you'd stare at a pattern to have a 3D image pop out eventually? This is the organic Aussie version.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Ride the Cairns world cup track and experience switchbacks, rocks and big senders. Rachel Atherton in audio.</b> -Duncan Philpott
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<b>This section is a series of large ledge drops, it was still being taped when we arrived as there have been some last minute changes to the track.</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>Jandals and slippery roots, can only be a Kiwi. Eddie Masters with the slip and losing a dollar in the process. (If you hand-dab during trackwalk, you owe everyone around you a dollar. It's just how things are.)</b> -Sven Martin
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<b>The clouds have lifted! Practice day 1 is set to be sunny and dry, however the forecast for Saturday is constantly changing. Who knows what race conditions will be like when 10 minutes of rain can vastly effect the track. Stay tuned for all the action as long as the crew isn't eaten alive in their sleep!</b> -Duncan Philpott
So we may be hyping up the scary jungle factor of the Cairns World Cup DH course a bit, but it sure is exciting. Snakes, spiders and slipping greeted riders in Northeastern, Australia as the 2014 UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Downhill circus makes its 2nd stop of the season. The course is narrow with dense, angry forest on each side. The dirt is slippery thanks to afternoon rains and the jumps on the track have the experienced vets excited about the possibilities. Take a tour of the Cairns DH course without the bug bites thanks to Sven Martin, Duncan Philpott and Boris Beyer. It's gonna be a wild one!



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Take a run down the Cairns DH course with Claudio Caluori


Win a SRAM X01 DH drivetrain with Vital OTB, Cairns


8 comments

View replies to: Track Walk of Doom! Cairns World Cup Downhill Course, Of Snakes, Spiders and Stinging Plants

c50 LucJanuary2012
Acadian
10 years ago
hell yes....
the track walk was equally good.... good job and keep the good coming.
can't wait for practice to start.
1
c50 Sharp jedi 3 copy
Mr. P
10 years ago
Looks like primo conditions for buying some look alike toys spiders and having some fun.

P