ONE FOR ALL MOUNTAIN.
internet commentators were quick to complain about what appeared to be a lengthy urban pedalling section to the finish. Rather than pass judgment, we spoke to two riders who’ve raced there, Britain’s Josh Lowe and Austria’s Markus Pekoll, to get their take on things. Both agreed that, while the track may not be steep and loamy, its rocky technicality won’t make things easy.
“I can reassure the sceptics that the videos don’t do the track justice,” said Josh. “The first section is a series of rock steps that can be gapped, and if you come up short, then say goodbye to your wheel! Let’s just say, you wouldn’t want to crash.” Markus, who won the 2017 Unior Cup there, explained that the slower speeds make going fast a different kind of challenge. “You have to be precise and not smash your wheels into rocks,” he said. “The winner will be a smooth rider who takes clean lines and carries good speed.”
Markus was less convinced about the final urban section, though. “In my opinion, that part shouldn’t be in a World Cup track,” he said. “But I think we should give the race a chance before we get too negative.” Josh echoed this positivity, saying that variety in downhill is important and it’s good to visit new venues – “especially ones that finish on the beach!” “Hopefully the organisers are going to take on rider feedback from last year’s race and mix up the urban section by adding wallrides and the like,” he said. “It’d be a shame to end such a good top section with ‘filler’.”
While Lo inj may never compete with the likes of Schaldming for gnarliness, you can be sure it’s going to produce some nail-biting action come race day. You can watch round one of the DH World Cup on April 21 live at www.redbull.tv.