2012 World Cup DH6 Val D'Isere With Monster/Energy Specialized
Monster Energy / Specialized Racing was in Val D'Isere, France this weekend for the sixth round of the UCI MTB World Cup, where MITCH ROPELATO took home a career best 13th place, and SAM HILL returned to vintage speed.
The track for the first ever World Cup stop in Val D'Isere was rough, high speed, and got more so as the week went on as hundreds of riders took to the course. The braking bumps got deeper and deeper, making it tough to carry speed through corners and maintain control. Weather conditions varied between sunshine, torrential rains, and even hail, as riders tackled the sub two-and-a-half minute course laid out on the steep exposed ski run.
Sam dropped into his race run in usual style only to fall a couple turns in, then quickly gathered himself before crossing the first split in 73rd place. He dug deep and made up spots on the way down, eventually finishing 27th on the day. Mitch came down a few riders later holding onto a relatively smooth run landing him in 13th overall for the day.
Ropelato was happy with his run, despite an error at the top of the course. "My run went good. I had one mistake but the rest was muy bien. I came down 6th and ended up in 13th place, so I'm pretty stoked. It's my best world cup so far and I'm happy to be able to take advantage of this opportunity that has been given to me."
2012 Val d'Isere WC With Team CRC
The team made the trip to Val D'Isere for the next round of the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on board their new Nukeproof Pulse frames. Simmonds managed 14th place while some of the other riders were disappointed with their result. Check out the video here.
Filmed and Edited by MTBCut
2012 Pro GRT Course Build And Preperation
2012 USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour
In its fourth year, the 2012 USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) has expanded to six races and continues to raise the level of competitive gravity racing across the United States. As the country's premier gravity calendar, the Pro GRT aims to provide a consistent stage of international-caliber events for elite gravity racers to showcase their downhill skills.
The six stop series will begin April 26 - 29 in Port Angeles, Washington and wrap August 3 - 5 right here at the Northstar California Mountain Bike Park. Each of the six stops will offer series ranking points to top finishers, resulting in overall individual titles for professional men and women. The racers with the most points throughout the six-race series will be recognized as the best gravity athletes competing on U.S. soil.
2012 Pro GRT, Bicycle, Downhill, Downhill Mountain Bike, Downhill Racing, Pro GRT |
