Slowly but surely the season comes to an end, and on top of the World Championships and the World Cup Final there are also the last two races of the European Series on the programme. With that in mind, there will be four thrilling race weekends ahead of us.
Straight after the World Champs the cup will be travelling to the downhill mecca Portes du Soleil, more precisely to Châtel in the French part of the region. The cup returns here already for the fifth time. The race will be held on the Bike Patrol run, which is graded black for a reason. The 1.5 km long course with a drop of 300 m is not the longest course, but who visited the region before knows that everything that makes a great course will be here. Up until now riders from 14 different countries have registered already, with many of them racing for important points to win the overall series.
The icing on the cake at the end will be an all-time favorite. The German classic Todtnau is fully back in business since it’s been relived from its narcolepsy in 2011. The legendary trail is back from its long sleep, still heading downhill, with more than 300 riders taking on the 3000 m long course with a drop of 500 m.
At the moment Johann Potgieter (RSA - Canfield Factory Team) leads the series with 397 points, but there are only 4 points in between him and the second Robin Wallner (SWE - Team Åre Bikepark). But there is also hope left for Markus Pekoll (AUT - MS Mondraker) and Damien Spagnolo (FRA - MS Mondraker) with 350 and 301 points. In the elite women Emmeline Ragot (FRA - MS Mondraker) is still in the lead ahead of the Swiss Champion Miriam Ruchti (SUI - SC-Intense) and Zarja Cernilogar (SLO - Crn trn GT). In the U17 category Marcus Hansson (SWE - Hanssonbil.se) already has a comfortable buffer leading the category, but nothing has been decided here either, as Ferdinand Brunold (GER - Mag41.com Racing Team) hasn’t given up hope yet.
One thing is for sure: Those will be two exciting races to come, and if it’s getting a bit hectic at the end, the riders will have plenty of time to relax in the off season, which will be long enough. More information can be found at ixsdownhillcup.com or at facebook.com/iXS.Downhill.Cup
Photos: © Thomas Dietze