 Follow Gee through some gnarly testing in San Remo - and a brush with the Italian Police! Then there's a much gentler tour of the Endura Factory en route to sunny Fort William and the second round of the UK National Series! It's a big ask for Gee and Rachel this weekend, returning to the scene of last year's major injuries for the first time. The psychological elements of racing are definitely taking their toll on the siblings as they share their apprehension in the start-gate. Gee speaks openly of how disappointed he is not to have put last year's hip dislocation behind him in order to reclaim his famous Fort William pace. Charlie walks away from a Finals crash but there are celebrations too with a hat trick of victories for Rachel, Kade and Atherton Academy's Luke Williamson.  MOONHEAD MEDIA  MOONHEAD MEDIA
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 PHOTO: Martin Bissig In their latest edit “Home of Trails” Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori shred through all five destinations of Graubünden within five minutes. But the work that went into creating this fun-loving and action-packed piece took months of preparation and a 10-day shoot in Arosa Lenzerheide, Davos Klosters, Engadin St. Moritz, Flims and Scuol Samnaun Val Müstair. The only thing that needed no planning was the cheeky commentary by local hero and Downhill World Cup POV star Claudio Caluori. 84 meters, 14 stitches and 6 flats… Shooting “Home of Trails” was a challenge for both man and machine, but it was a hell of a lot of fun as well. Take a peek behind the curtain with the Behind-The-Scenes-Clip and see how the Cut Media team worked with Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori in the Swiss alps. Director Stu Thomson, Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori comment on a few fun-facts from the shoot. 84 meters After the location check Danny decided it would be a good idea to ride a line on the Landwasser Bridge crossing the Zügenschlucht, a deep gorge leading to a river 84 meters below the rickety wall. Understandably the whole team was a little nervous facing this one. “I had hit my head shortly before and was a still a little dizzy so I was preoccupied with trying to ride in a straight line on the bridge”, laughs Claudio. “I could tell the whole camera team was nervous, but Danny was as chilled and relaxed as ever and it seemed as though it was an every-day thing for him.” Director Stu Thomson adds in hindsight: „The bridge was a location that had jumped out as a great spot from the start. With the huge gorge and train line running alongside, it captured a lot about the area that we wanted to show off. When it comes to riding, it’s always Danny’s call though. I get far more nervous than Danny on those types of lines… Danny is super confident with these things. He wants to do it and argues that he has ridden along walls like that his whole life and that the size of the drop makes little difference, as it’s just as easy to do for him. I fully trust Danny as a mate and as a rider. That said, I always want to get these shots in the bag as quickly as possible and get him off there.”  PHOTO: Martin Bissig 25 attempts Danny describes the “Front Flip to Flat” off the wooden roof in Val Müstair as being one of the most difficult tricks he has ever done on a mountain bike. And still, the 32-year-old Scot stuck the landing cleanly on his 25th attempt. „Myself and Stu spent a week scouting all over Graubünden looking for locations for the film. On the last day we visited a nice wee place called Val Müstair. After riding some amazing local trails we had a look around the village and a sloped wooden roof caught my eye. It was basically a perfect ramp. Originally I thought about a wall ride on the building next to it, but in my wildest dreams I also thought a front flip might be possible off the thing; a trick I hadn’t yet done on my mountain bike. During the shoot I tried it onto mats first to see if it was even possible to get the rotation. After a few goes the mats were removed and the cameras were in place. To add even more pressure, I had biking legend Claudio Caluori following me in. I took a couple of run-ups to gauge my speed. Then I just went for it! Amazingly myself and my bike rolled away in one piece. I was absolutely buzzing on landing one of the biggest tricks I’ve ever done on a bike!“ 14 stitches While the crew was waiting for the weather to clear at the top of the Weissfluhjoch in Davos, Danny and Claudio decided to get a few photos done. Claudio fell unluckily, cut his cheek and had to get 14 stiches. “We had been waiting for the sun to appear all morning. There was only a small spot on the mountain, which was reached by the sun. I made my way over but I was a little too slow so my front tire got caught between two rocks and I flew over the bars. In hospital the doctors tried to mummify my head. I told them that they didn’t need to bother with all the bandages. Being a former professional rider, you just know you have to suck it up sometimes and just carry on.”  PHOTO: Martin Bissig 40 hours Cut Media collected 40 hours of footage during the 10-day shoot in order to create the five-minute edit: „It’s generally not too difficult to bring it down to around 10 minutes of the best clips and lines but once you’ve reached that point you need to get brutal for the edit. I’ve always been a believer in only having the clips in that showcase the riding, character and story the best. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your favorite shots and that’s not easy. At Cut Media we’re lucky enough to have an amazing team of creatives and filmmakers nowadays, so it’s very much a team process. It’s come a long way from shooting and cutting myself! Our studio is definitely a super collaborative place with all the team being able to add their input.” 3,022 meters a.s.l. Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori had to stay over night at the summit of Piz Nair, so they could film the opening scene with a stunning sunrise. „We stayed in some amazing hotels on the trip but the highlight had to be in the lift station at the top of Piz Nair. Looking over St. Moritz, the glaciers and surrounding mountains, it was almost surreal! We stayed in the top station so we could be up at sunrise and it was pretty awesome to be standing there beside the Ibex the next morning, taking in the views and more importantly scoping out the trails we would be riding later that day! It’s times like that I think to myself‚ I really do have a dream job”, Danny explains. 6 flat tires on one trail During the shoot on the Green Valley Trail in Flims alone Claudio had to deal with six flat tires, hinting at how close to the limit he rode: “My mechanics must have thought, I would be riding uphill all day and mounted the lightest tires to my bike. They didn’t cope with all the action when riding with Danny. I was surprised to see how hard Danny was pushing it, so I had to go all in as well”, says Claudio grinning. “Once we had changed to a heavier casing, it was all fine though!” For further information about the trails Danny and Claudio hit, head to www.homeoftrails.com A video by Cut Media 
Trail shred in the Orient - Iran
Chain Adventures - India AES Nepal 2018
#mtbmagasia #iran #india #aes #nepal #enduro #trailbuilding #shredding #race
 The WallRide Park in Hyderabad, India was the location for the 4th stop of the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship where India’s best battled it out on the Velosolutions Asphalt Pump Track for their place at the World Championship final later this year.  Winners    PHOTO: Hannes Berger Since joining YouTube in 2008, the edits of Austrian trial and mountain bike star Fabio Wibmer have accumulated over 125 million views. As just recently the number of his subscribers closed in on the mark of 1 million, it was clear to Fabio that he wanted to do something big to celebrate this milestone with his followers. The result is Fabiolous Escape 2!!  2018泉林越野系列赛
暨GDL广东速降联赛 第一站 赛事公告 指导单位： 广东省自行车运动协会 主办单位： 广州自行车速降运动协会 广州市广播电视台竞赛频道 联合主办单位： 广东泉林大河体育文化有限公司 深圳市自行车速降运动协会 独家运营及执行机构： 广州聚能体育发展有限公司 战略合作专业媒体： 美骑网Biketo、REnextop、MTBmagasia 战略合作电视媒体： 广州广播电视台 媒体运营单位： 聚能传媒 MegaV 协办单位： 中山泉林欢乐世界 深圳金辉煌体育管理发展有限公司 RST苏州达韦工业 广州恒泰电力工程有限公司 FIFTY-FIFTY 专业自行车配件 广州拓狩射箭俱乐部 POLYGON专业自行车 广州宏扬体育用品有限公司 技术计时支持单位： 燃情单车网 赛事服务： 广州宏扬体育用品有限公司 媒体支持： 野途网、轮火竞赛、CBChinabike、酷玩户外、骑行家、OKBIKE 救助支持单位： 广州红十字会山地救援大队 一、赛事时间： 2018年5月12日 星期六（训练日） 速降赛官方训练时间：10:00——16:00 车手签到、领号码牌、车检：10:00——12:00、14:00——17:00（签到处设在赛事主会场） 2018年5月13日 星期日（正赛日） 排位赛时间：9:00——12:00; 决赛时间：12:30——16:00; 颁奖：16:00——16:30 组别顺序为： 青年组（U18） 大师组（40+） 公开组（U39） 公开组（U29） 女子组（WOMEN） 精英组（ELITE） 特别注意： 1. 比赛当天各参赛选手直接在山顶发车点检录； 2. 参赛选手需根据赛前公告制定的选手发车时间提前抵达发车点并向发车裁判登记，错过发车时间的选手将不具有发车资格； 3. 选手发车时间可在比赛前在主会场公告板查阅； 4. 选手在比赛中途超越前方选手时，应大声地提醒前方选手让道，将被超车的选手应主动停车靠边让道，否则将被取消成绩计为DSQ。任何情况下，被阻挡的选手将不作重赛。 二、比赛场地： 中山泉林欢乐世界大河山地车公园 手机导航：中山泉林旅游山庄 赛道全长2026米，海拔落差247米 三、 比赛组别和人数 精英组（Elite）：比赛当年为16-60周岁（1958年1月1日至2002年12月31日出生）报名限定30人； 公开组（U29）：比赛当年为19-29周岁（1989年1月1日至1999年12月31日出生）报名限定40人； 公开组（U39）：比赛当年为30-39周岁（1979年1月1日至1988年12月31日出生）报名限定40人； 大师组（40+）：比赛当年为40-60周岁（1958年1月1日至1978年12月31日出生）报名限定30人； 青年组（U18）:比赛当年为12-18周岁（2000年1月1日至2006年12月31）报名限定30人;比赛期间必须有监护人陪同。 女子组（WOMEN）：比赛当年为14-50周岁（1968年1月1日至2004年12月31日出生）报名限定10人；不足18周岁的选手、比赛期间必须有监护人陪同。 四、参赛资格 1、参加精英组比赛的选手资格需满足以下条件： 在2017年12月31日前参加广州自行车速降运动协会主办的速降赛的精英组比赛中取得前十名成绩；或在公开组比赛中取得单站冠军的成绩； 2、2017 GDL 精英组年度积分前十名和公开组年度积分前三名的选手，必须参加精英组比赛，超过40岁的选手可选择参加大师组； 3、所有组别的选手可以以注册车队的名义或个人名义报名； 4、参赛选手必须符合本竞赛规程竞赛分组设置的要求，且每个分站只能参加一个组别的比赛； 5、参赛选手应具有良好的身体健康状况，要求无视力、听力和语言障碍。 五、参赛车队 1、凡参加比赛及需要更新信息的车队须在2018年4月30日前向广州自行车速降运动协会提出注册申请，并填写申请表（联系人：李振杰 13826095694）； 2、车队必须有两名或以上的参赛选手； 3、车队必须有统一的比赛服装； 4、车队的参赛队员增加或减少必须及时向组委会书面报备。当个赛季过程中，离开原车队加入其他车队的参赛选手，不参与新车队的车队积分计算，其离队前为原车队取得的车队积分不作变化；以个人名义参赛的选手，可以随时加入参赛车队，其加入前的个人积分不计算车队积分。 5、注册车队可享受如下待遇： 5.1由组委会授予2018 GDL注册车队牌匾。 5.2比赛主会场预留注册车队帐篷位（3米*3米，需自行搭建）。 5.3可参加车队积分排名，排名成绩在组委会官网、微信公众号、微博等公布。 5.4组委会官网展示车队介绍。 六、报名时间： 2018年4月21日至5月8日前 各组名额报满截止。 赛事咨询联系人：李振杰 手机号：13826095694 邮箱：race@gzdhsa.com 所有车手必须提供相关证件办理保险（身份证/护照/台胞证/通行证）复印件或拍照发至邮箱注明参加的比赛类别、组别即可。 七、报名办法 1、进入广州自行车速降运动协会微信公众号（gzdh-sa），选择菜单-》GDL-》比赛报名，或点击“阅读原文” 进行报名。 2、或进入燃情单车网页（http://m.zestbike.com/match/introdetail/match_id,1262）或微信公众号进行报名 zestbike01；手机微信关注公众号“燃情单车网",注册登录后点击菜单“赛事-赛事报名” 。本赛事提供微信直播服务，现场照片和比赛成绩将通过微信实时发布。报名咨询及团队报名请直接联系客服盈盈：电话 020-89888802 (工作日9:00-18:00）。 3、报名信息：报名信息必须真实可靠，以本人身份证实名为准，车龄由车手自己申报，主办方复核，只接受网络报名及缴纳报名费用，比赛日不再接受现场报名。 4、报名要求： 1）、参赛选手可以以个人名义或车队名义报名； 2）、参赛资格需符合《2018 GDL广东速降联赛竞赛规程》中的相关要求； 3）、以个人名义报名不计算车队积分； 4）、未满18岁青少年在报名参加比赛时，需执监护人有效书面许可的《赛事免责声明》，比赛期间需由监护人陪同； 5）、用餐、交通、住宿以及旅游等费用自理。 6）、所有有参赛人员，必须签写《赛事免责声明书》 5、报名费用每人¥280元，选手包包含以下内容： 1、选手卡； 2、比赛号牌； 3、两日赛事意外保险； 4、官方训练日无限次缆车票和比赛日两次缆车票（价值368元）； 5、广州拓狩射箭俱乐部提供的1小时体验券（价值138元）。 6、本次比赛采用电子计时。 7、进入中山泉林欢乐世界园区需另外收取5元/人次的门票，园区内设有大型免费停车场。 八、赛事规则 详见《2018 GDL广东速降联赛竞赛规程》。 http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zj9YRGTKhcYrLa86FS0kEw 九、奖励 对各组成绩排名前3名的选手授予奖牌、奖状和比赛纪念品。 对各组成绩排名第4-8名的选手，授予奖状和比赛纪念品。 十、其它 参赛队员必须遵守本次比赛各项程序与规定，组委会拥有对本次比赛规定的解释权与裁决权，有权根据《自行车竞赛规则》对赛事规程细则进行相应更改。 未尽事宜，另行通知。 GDL自行车系列赛组委会 二〇一八年四月二十日 2018 GDL广东速降联赛免责声明书 致参加2018 GDL广东速降联赛的车友： 感谢你对2018GDL广东速降联赛的支持与厚爱，感谢你的参与，但是自行车系列赛是有风险的，为了对彼此负责，我们一起来了解活动的风险和免责。 当你了解了这份《免责声明》后签定这份《免责声明》，务必签好参与人名字，请不要代签此份声明。 此声明文件涉及有关责任的豁免、权利的放弃、风险的承担。本人已经详细阅读，完全知道和理解文件条款和内容。 首先本人明确知道自己所参加的“2018 GDL广东速降联赛”为非赢利性质活动比赛，不是商业比赛，也不是旅行社组团旅游。活动比赛全程遵循“安全、环保、自助、互助”的原则。 一、参与活动信息的获取 本人是从社会、朋友、电子媒体、QQ、微信、微博等信息平台获取参加的2018 GDL广东速降联赛信息，信息平台提供所有参与活动者的交流信息，并不承担召集人的责任，并知道所有信息提供者并非活动组织者。本人参与比赛不是受任何人的动员、邀请，本人也不承担动员或邀请任何人参与比赛的义务。 二、风险的承担 本人自愿参加此“2018GDL广东速降联赛”，理解、同意、签署此有关责任的豁免、权利放弃和风险承担的声明文件，且唯有最终签署本声明文件方可参加比赛。 本人是完全民事行为能力人，本人郑重声明：如在比赛中发生非他人的侵害行为造成的人身及财产等意外损害，活动比赛的其他参与人不承担赔偿责任，由受害人依据法律规定和本声明依法解决。 本人知道活动比赛主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商对活动比赛进行组织协调，但活动比赛性质属于自愿参加，本人明确知道他们不可能也无须对本人的安全负责，一切风险将由本人承担。 本人知道此次活动比赛中主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商对活动比赛进行组织协调，但活动比赛性质属于自愿参加、风险自担、责任自负，参与者均应为完全行为能力人，主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商不对任何个人或机构承担民事赔偿责任或补充民事赔偿责任。 本人知道主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商对本次活动比赛仅提供赛事组织服务，并不担保或提供任何参加人的人身和财产的安全保障。主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商的组织和发起本次活动比赛之行为，在任何情况下不构成违反对设施设备未尽安全保障义务，不构成违反服务管理未尽安全保障义务，不构成违反防范制止侵权行为未尽安全保障义务，也不构成对未成年人、无民事行为能力人、限制民事行为能力人未尽安全保障义务。 三、关于豁免责任、放弃权利和放弃赔偿的声明 本人知悉，“2018GDL广东速降联赛”本身存在固有风险，在本人参加活动比赛过程中可能遭受或引起损失，根据这份声明，本人在整个活动比赛中愿意服从2018 GDL广东速降联赛组委会的管理、听从指挥，除此以外本人自愿接受和服从以下条款： 1、本人理解户外活动比赛可能对身体和精神方面都有严酷的要求，可能包括在崎岖地带和恶劣天气中进行活动比赛，可能远离救助和医疗服务。当参加活动比赛时，发生的风险有可能使自己受到伤害，甚至死亡。这些风险包括并不限于跌坠，落石，闪电，过河，失温，霜冻，冻伤，咬伤，刺伤，犬咬，车祸，溺水，野兽袭击等各种意外。本人清楚理解赛事主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商及其他参与者均无法全面预见该活动比赛中所有风险和不利。本人理解以上所列的风险并不完全含括了活动比赛中所有可能的风险，并且同意本文件中关于免责和放弃权利的声明并不仅限于以上所列的风险中。 2、参加“2018 GDL广东速降联赛”，包括但不限于全程中的骑行、徒步、露营、汽车驾乘，登山、游泳、负重远行、山路乘车等，在此本人同意，如果因为参加此活动比赛（包括途中）和在活动比赛中受到伤害，本人放弃向主办、承办、协办单位、发起人、赞助商和其他参加活动人员追究和要求赔偿的权利，免除同行成员的法律责任。 3、本人理解并清楚知道身体运动和装备的使用是有潜在危害的。本人也理解健身和休闲比赛也包括有导致受伤，心血管疾病甚至死亡的风险。本人同意承担和接受任何伤害  GDL Guangdong Downhill League First stop
Saturday, May 12, 2018 (Training Day) Downhill official training time: 10:00 - 16:00 Driver's sign-in, collar number, and vehicle inspection: 10:00 - 12:00, 14:00 - 17:00 (check-in is at the main venue of the event) May 13, 2018 Sunday (the race day) Qualifying time: 9:00 - 12:00; Final time: 12:30 - 16:00; Awards: 16:00 - 16:30 The order of the categories are: Youth Group (U18) Master Group (40+) Open Group (U39) Open Group (U29) Women's group (WOMEN) Elite Group (ELITE) Location: Zhongshan Quanlin Happy World River Mountain Bike Park Mobile Navigation (Search on map with your phone): Zhongshan Quanlin Tourist Villa The track is 2026 meters in length and 247 meters above sea level Categories: Elite: limited to 30 people in the 16-60 year old (born from January 1, 1958 to December 31, 2002). Open Group (U29): limited to 40 people in 19-29 years of age (born from January 1, 1989 to December 31, 1999). Open group (U39): limited to 40 people in the 30-39 year old (born from January 1, 1979 to December 31, 1988). Master Group (40+): limited to 30 people in the 40-60 year old (born from January 1, 1958 to December 31, 1978). Youth Group (U18): limited to 30 students for 12-18 years old (January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2006); guardians must accompany them during the competition. Women's group (WOMEN): The competition is for 14-50 years old (born from January 1, 1968 to December 31, 2004). Limited to 10; riders under 18 years of age must be accompanied by guardians during the competition. Prices: Medals, certificates, and souvenirs will be awarded to the top 3 players in each group. For the 4-8th ranked players in each group, awards and souvenirs will be awarded. Registration: Enter the Guangzhou Wethill Sports Association WeChat Public Number (gzdh-sa), select the menu - "GDL-" contest registration, or click "Read the original" (if you have Wechat) Or enter the racing bike website (http://m.zestbike.com/match/introdetail/match_id,1262) or the WeChat public number to register zestbike01; the mobile WeChat pays attention to the public number “inflammable bike network”, after registration, login Click on the menu "Events - Event Registration". This event provides WeChat Live service. Live photos and competition results will be published in real time via WeChat. For registration and team registration, please contact customer service Yingying directly: 020-89888802 (working day 9:00-18:00). Registration information: The registration information must be authentic and reliable. It should be confirmed by the identity of the individual. The age of the vehicle should be declared by the rider himself. The organizer should review it and only accept online registration and payment of registration fees. The competition day will no longer accept on-site registration. More INFOS check the Chinese Version (Use Google Translate) (such as rules and insurance)  PHOTO: Dan Hearn Rachel Atherton first met Mille Johnset in 2012 when Mille was a flower girl at Hafjell handing Rach her 15th World Cup. At the tender age of 11 she had already been racing for a year and had won the 2012 Norwegian Championship. Mille said “ My first race was a small local race in Drammen called Aron cup, I loved the excitement, the speed and the feeling of flow. I was already hooked – even though I was the only one in my class! I know Rachel had the same experience many times” In 2013 she was a World Cup course sweeper and seeing her ride the steep and technical track the team all agreed that this was somebody that they be should be keeping a close eye on! Rachel said “Even aged 12 or 13 Mille was so strong! Its so exciting to be able to help her develop her potential on a bike.  PHOTO: Dan Hearn Part of the ethos of the Atherton Academy is to provide a pathway to World Cup success without the pressure of young riders having to deliver results or be too much in the public eye. but after her 2016 season, when in addition to the British Downhill Series she also swept to victory at Red Bull’s Foxhunt there has been a definite surge of interest in Rachel’s protégée! Rachel said “Mille is so mature, she is so sorted with regards to how she presents herself, her instagram account gives a real sense of this girl’s dedication and drive, she is having fun riding her bike, training with her friends, she doesn’t feel the need to strike sexy poses or to wait for some editor to come along and organise a shoot, she is telling her own authentic story – and she has almost 10,000 followers already – she’s so switched on. It’s exciting how a few of the girls coming through into Juniors now are all so good at promoting themselves and their sport , I follow them all!” Mille said “I love being part of the Atherton Academy – trying to follow Dan down his crazy tracks in Dyfi is amazing and I was stoked when he said that I ride like Rachel used to when she was my age! But Rachel is my inspiration – she’s so kind to me with loads of tips and advice. It really is like being part of the family ; when I come and stay in the UK with the team I usually stay at Gill’s (Head of Communications) house and get woken up with her kids jumping on me – I’ve got a little brother the same age so its like being at home! I’m pretty good at packing my bike (less than 10 minutes) but its great to have mechanics Pete and Joe around for any more serious fixes!  PHOTO: Dan Hearn I’m pretty serious about my training - I go to the Norwegian School of Elite Sports. It’s great because we have time to train during school hours. Every morning we go for a 2-3 hours ride –its hardcore! I do have a less serious side, I love just hanging out with my friends, having a laugh, Brage Vestavik has been a friend on the Norwegian training squad for about 4 years so I’m super excited that he’ll be here for my first World Cups, I have a girly side too – I’ll always get my nails done before a race – I guess its pretty balanced in the end!” Team Director Dan Brown said “ Our primary objective for Mille has been for her to gain some solid race experience. We took racing pretty easy in 2016, just the IXS Cup and a couple of rounds of the BDS; unfortunately Mille was off the bike for 10 weeks after a crash left her with internal bleeding, 2017 was a bit more intense! Because of UCI rules and how they apply to Juniors, Mille will be racing this year’s World Cups for the Norwegian Federation. (Atherton Academy isn’t a trade team) Whatever shirt she’s wearing, we will be supporting her 100%. We haven’t set Mille any targets for 2018, except to have fun. It’s a massive step up to World Cup level and often riders find that first year of Juniors very disorientating, I know that our new team-mate Charlie Hatton has talked to Mille about his own experience of struggling to make that necessary leap of confidence. All that said the thing about Mille is that she is so stoked to ride her bike, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that Norwegian jersey on a podium very soon!”   Words: Gill Harris
Images: Dan Hearn, Thomas Killgenbeg  RIDER: Brook McDonald / PHOTO: Rick Schubert What a start into the European Series 2018! Among 400 riders from 33 nations Laurie Greenland and Myriam Nicole took the first title of this year’s EDC on Maribor’s legendary race track. After three years, Maribor (Slovenia) finally returned to the international stage this weekend with the first race of the iXS European Downhill Cup 2018. It soon became clear that Maribor did not lose an inch of its popularity during these years, even if the track has changed a lot since the EDC’s last visit. The whole section after the renowned Rock Garden has been reorganized, without harming the track’s special characteristics. Even despite the extremely difficult conditions due to heavy snowfall during March, the organizers managed to present a perfect course this weekend. Despite the early date for the race this year, the overall conditions could not have been better. After all, warm temperatures and dry conditions are not a given in April. More than 400 riders from 33 different countries – and among them the world’s downhill elite – made their way to Slovenia to fight for the first points of the rankings and to prepare for next week’s World Cup in Losinj (Croatia).  RIDER: Myriam Nicole / PHOTO: Rick Schubert Seeding Run After Friday’s obligatory track walk and first training runs, the seeding run was on after the training session on Saturday afternoon. For the Elite Men category this was the only chance to qualify for the Super Final and to fight for the podium on Sunday. And, of course, it was also a chance for everyone to collect some first points for the overall rankings. In the Elite Women category Myriam Nicole (FRA - Commencal Vallnord) set the best time of 4.06,275 minutes, followed by Tracey Hannah (AUS - Polygon UR) and European Champion Monika Hrastnik (SLO - Blackthorn) as her strongest competitors. In the meantime, Amaury Pierron (FRA - Commencal Vallnord) went fastest in the Elite Men category with a time of 3.31,629 minutes, finishing only split seconds faster than Troy Brosnan (AUS - Canyon Factory Team).  RIDER: Amaury Pierron / PHOTO: Rick Schubert Final Runs Sunday welcomed the riders and visitors with perfect weather conditions under a bright and shining sun and after a last four-hour training session the race was finally on! In the Masters category Fabrizio Dragoni (ITA - Alessi Racing Team) finished fastest in both seeding and race, leaving Dominik Dierich (GER - TREK AmperRad) and Billy Caroli (SUI - Fabien bike tramelan) in second and third place. U17 & U19 After that all eyes were on the youngest riders of the series in the U17 male category. In the end, Simon Chapelet (FRA - Polygon UR Development) dominated the race setting a time of 3.42,845 minutes, followed by Blake Ross (NZL - Revolution Products NZ) and Chris Cumming (ITA - Wideopenmag), while Siel van der Velden (BEL - VDV) succeeded in the U17 female finishing 20 seconds faster than in her seeding. In the U19 category Valentina Höll (AUT - Sram Rockshox Factory Racing) succeeded with a result that would have landed her in third place in the Elite Women category and once more boosted her self-confidence for her World Cup debut this season. Lisa Gava (ITA - 3stars) and Ottilia Johansson Jones (SWE - Propain Gravity Juniors) completed the podium in second and third.  RIDER: Valentina Höll / PHOTO: Rick Schubert Elite Women After that the Elite Women riders provided the crowd with some high-class racing fighting for the Red Bull Hot Seat. When Nina Hoffmann (GER - Santa Cruz Bicycles) first delivered a time close to Saturday‘s best time which not even Petra Bernhard (AUT - Friesis Bikery) managed to beat, suspense kept growing more and more. Then Monika Hrastnik took over finishing seven seconds faster than in her seeding, before Tracey Hannah finished even faster with a seemingly solid 8-second lead. Who could have known that Myriam Nicole would manage to cross the finish line even faster?! In the end, Nicole set the best time with 3.55,398 minutes, followed by Hannah and Hrastnik.  RIDER: Myriam Nicole / PHOTO: Rick Schubert Juniors In the U19 category George Kerr (GBR - Propain Dirt Sixpack) was one of the first riders down the hill after he did not finish his seeding run. With a time of 3.51,172 minutes he came close to Saturday’s best time and had some time to sit back and relax in the Red Bull Hot Seat, before his competitors took over again. In the end, Kye A´hern (AUS - Canyon Factory Racing) finished fastest with 3.31,371 minutes (faster than Saturday’s Elite Men best time, by the way). Henry Kerr (GBR - Propain Dirt Sixpack) finished in second place, followed by Stefano Introzzi (ITA - Scout / Nukeproof) in third.  RIDER: Kye A´hern / PHOTO: Rick Schubert Super Final Elite Men After that it was finally time for the Elite Men Super Final! The first promising result was delivered by Junior World Champion 2015 and Vice World Champion 2016 Laurie Greenland (GBR - MS Mondraker Team) who finished with a time of 3.27,997 minutes. By this time, however, two thirds of the category were still waiting for their turn. But when even elite riders like Mark Wallace (CAN - Canyon Factory Team), Brendan Fairclough (GBR - Scott Velosolutions) and Brook MacDonald (NZL - MS Mondraker) did not reach his result all eyes were on Greenland in the Hot Seat, while three more riders were yet to come. Rain may have played a part in the final results as the last few riders dealt with moisture. First both Dakotah Norton (USA - Unior Devinci Factory Team) and Troy Brosnan failed to beat his result and then the clock revealed a +1.7 when Amaury Pierron crossed the finish line – crowning Laurie Greenland the first champion of the EDC 2018. Amaury Pierron and Brook MacDonald completed the podium, while Brendan Fairclough and Mark Wallace followed in fourth and fifth place. What remains to say is that Maribor delivered a perfect race weekend: the track even increased in its quality and popularity after the makeover, the atmosphere was incredibly good and the weather was even better than in some summer races last year! The next stop of the series once more takes the riders to Slovenia in June for EDC #2 in Kranjska Gora.  RIDER: Laurie Greenland / PHOTO: Rick Schubert   Alp Fops, Arosa / Lenzerheide PHOTO: Martin Bissig A Scottish and a Swiss mountain biker meet on a trail… What seems to be the beginning of a lame joke, is actually the beginning of a magnificent encounter. You can see what actually happens when mountain bike pros Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori meet up in Graubünden, Switzerland, in the new video “Home of Trails”. No summit is too high, no trail is too steep, no gorge is too deep for these two, as they hit the endless trails of the region. Naturally all the action and countless breathtaking views are accompanied by the witty commentating of Downhill World Cup POV star Caluori as he shows MacAskill around his home region.  Engadin, St.Moritz PHOTO: Martin Bissig The world of mountain biking would be unimaginable without these two: Danny MacAskill is not only widely known for his stunning street trials videos, but has also thrilled millions of fans on YouTube with his mountain bike skills as well. Claudio Caluori has made a name for himself with his fast-paced, eccentric POV runs during the Mountain Bike World Cup. This new video brings these two characters together and shows them discovering Claudio’s “Home of Trails”. “Scottish lines” in the Swiss mountains Caluori shows the Scot a portion of the 17,000 kilometers / 10,500 miles of trails available in the five bike destinations in Graubünden: no matter whether they hit the trails in Arosa Lenzerheide, Davos Klosters, Engadin St. Moritz, Flims or Scuol Samnaun Val Müstair, both enjoy every minute they spend on their bikes to the fullest. The tour starts at the summit of Piz Nair, where Danny waits for his enthusiastic tour guide at 3,000m / 9,842ft a.s.l. Claudio challenges Danny on the diverse trails of each destination, but Danny surprises the Swiss rider with a few cheeky “Scottish lines” on both dirt and brickwork as they make their way through the region. For further information about the trails Danny and Claudio hit, head to www.homeoftrails.com  Scuol / Samnaun / Val Müstair PHOTO: Martin Bissig |
