This time around UCI MTB World Series racing in Andorra was like a rollercoaster ride, full of ups and downs. We can only hope that the first of the 3 back-to-back race weekends was the wildest and the pace will go back to normal after this. The race that was heavily impacted by the extreme weather and the venue setup ended with lots of positives for our team.
For Léona this was an important weekend, first race after the big crash in Fort William and skipping the European champs. She did couple of days on the DH bike before coming to Pal-Arinsal, but the world cup race is a different story. But she once again proved how though she is and quickly got on pace and did all of the big features in her first runs. On Friday it wasn’t enough to qualify for the semi-finals, but the base for the next two rounds was created and our girl can go ahead with higher confidence.
Ben on the other hand didn’t hesitate much and was quickly testing which lines are faster on the track that was drastically changed from the time of the track walk to the time of the first practice. The dust was gone after the heavy storm, the organizers repaired the most damaged parts and many ways the track became even better. It’s worth mentioning that a lot of new sections were done on the track, including the whole new last part. Good job guys!
Ben was on pace and went to the qualies with confidence. No obvious mistakes, but he right away admitted that some parts weren’t good. After a long wait he fell out of the top-60 that go ahead to the semies. He’s very close, but not close enough. The analysis showed that he lost all time between splits 2 & 3, in every other sector he match top-40 riders. There is no time to stress about it, the next race is just around the corner.
Kudos to the team for making it happen in the challenging conditions and lots of movement from the remote paddock to the race track. Jure, Čonč & Ange did a very good job in giving the support to the riders, so they could focus on their racing.
By the way – how do you like our new red & grey kit? We love it!
It’s now time for a day off in La Massana and the drive to Loudenvielle, north of us in the Pyrenees. We’re all pumped up for next race weekend, with the goal to get both riders to the semi-finals and maybe even higher!
Photos by Grega Stopar
