Fort William Downhill WC 2015: Wet Willy - Practice Day
Wet and wild hardly begins to describe the extremity of today's highland practice session... Plastic-wrapped riders trickled down the legendary gauntlet in dribs and drabs, leaning into gusting wind and blitzing downpours while desperate media clung to the shelter-free, Scottish tundra in attempt to continue to capture the action. The rains arrived as forecast almost exclusively for the Fort William area, supplied by pretty ferocious winds that now threaten to put tomorrow's practice and qualifying entirely on ice. Those in attendance of the BDS last month need no reminder of the painful consequences of high winds, but rather than repeat the format of a half lap with pushing up or shuttling it appears a fairly unanimous vote from team managers and others at the helm to rather postpone all action to Sunday, as the course for qualification must remain the same for finals. The results of a dramatic sounding, early-morning, 'crisis meeting' will determine the schedule, so here's hoping for a calmer turn to keep things as they should be and let this gnarly version of a classic play out to the fullest...
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 After spending 7 hours in the pouring rain and heavy wind, it's hard to imagine that this was actually the weather we woke up to this morning. |
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| High winds drove the rain more than a little sideways, but thankfully they weren't strong enough to shut down the lift and stop play. |
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| Rain or shine, it must be a nice feeling to start the day with the fanciest plate on the hill. Yellow number one, fastest rider on the fastest team. |
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| Emmeline Ragot's helmet ready to roll with a new Adidas prototype roll-off system. |
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| It was bright and dry somewhere today, but that somewhere was definitely not on the slopes on Aonach Mor. |
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| CRC videographer, Salva Moreno, fully prepared with dual cameras dressed appropriately. As it turned out, one couldn't be prepared enough. |
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| Out of the gate at into the grey with the pink. Tahnee piloting the #copparide Devinci that could be yours. |
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| Emilie Siegenthaler battles the high wind at the top of the track just moments before the dark clouds and rain moved in. |
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| The fog rolled in and reduced visibility to about twenty feet. When it receded, the heavy rains kicked in. |
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| Moses moments on every turn... Fort William weather can be unfriendly at the best of times, but today really took things next level. |
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| Umbrellas were the photogs' best friends until the wind picked up and started tuning them all inside out. |
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| There were brief respites from the rain when the skies lightened up, but until 3PM, it was just a general deluge. |
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| Mick Hannah muscles through the massive holes that have developed in the new bog section just below the first woods. If the sun ever does come out, this section will get really nasty. |
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| By noon, we might as well have been gathering animals two-by-two. |
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| It was all shorts n t-shirts from here. |
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| Wet wasn't even the word for the media crews stranded mid-highland deluge in gale-force winds. Ian Lean gives his left eyeball some shelter from the rain. |
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| Dean Lucas goes to war. Can he build on his impressive recent form, spurred on by the return of former champ team mate, Stevie Smith? |
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| Rachel Atherton wasn't on the gas today and she was last in timed training. However, that means she will be going full-out on Sunday. |
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| Wyn Masters, getting aggressive in the top section. |
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| Bryceland slipped out in practice and smacked his arm pretty good, but his foot was fine and he quickly got back to it. |
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| Ratty, shaking off the crash with a quick grimace. He would also be ending his day with a bit of a bang. |
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| Brook MacDonald leads out junior colleague, Laurie Greenland over some slick bedrock. |
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| Mike Jones, sporting the #3 plate is looking to back up his open round podium appearance again this weekend in Scotland. |
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| It was a trash bag kind of day today in Fort William. Heavy rain, cold temps and stinging wind meant a lot of spectators and media were caught out from not being prepared. |
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| Stevie Smith is back. He was out in A group practice, but the number 87 plate kept him out of timed training. |
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| Smith skipping down the river towards the mid-track deer-gate . |
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| The heavy rain has kept the thick mud at bay, but that hasn't made it any easier for riders to keep their vision clear. |
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| A forty minute course hold had some pinned down under their umbrellas for a Tinder break. Tinder wasn't working, though, so they switched to Grinder. |
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| Gee Atherton wants nothing more than to win in front of friends and family here in Fort William. |
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| Jumping out from the void. Visibility was impaired on several levels today. |
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| Emmeline Ragot won here last year, and she already has a win for the season under her belt. Will she repeat come Sunday? |
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| Harry Heath, sucking it up near the top. |
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| Last time Marcello Gutierrez made the top 10 was at the brutal Cairns round last year. Maybe he can find another top result in the wet come Sunday. |
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| Thibault Laly took second in timed training for the junior men. |
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| Aaron Gwin was seventh in timed training today. Will he make a repeat of his performance at Lourdes, or will teammate Brosnan have the fastest time here at Fort William? |
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| Loic Bruni looks fast, composed, and very comfortable in the #1 plate. |
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| Andrew Crimmins, popping off the first jump. He was fifth in timed training today. |
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| Manon Carpenter sporting her new Monster helmet was fastest today in timed training for the ladies. |
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| Tracey Hannah is riding Fort William with an aggression we have not previously seen from her on the Fort William track. |
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| After a rough start to the season in Lourdes, Casey Brown is looking fast here in Fort William. We all know she has the speed to get on the podium so long as she keeps it together in her race runs. |
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| Mark Wallace dips below the fog just above the midway point on track. |
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| Mick Hannah had a bit of bad luck at the end of the day, dislocating a finger and possibly damaging some ligaments in the process. He was off to the hospital straight away, but is hoping a little tape will be all that's needed to take care of things. |
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| Joe Smith just dominated the steepest track in the UK at the BDS. Look for him to keep that kind of pace this weekend alongside youngster Mike Jones. |
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| Mondraker's Markus Pekoll looking pinned in the wet, riding the 81 plate after his rib-busting crash on the steep chute section at Round 1 in Lourdes. |
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| Brendan Fairclough up to speed and looking fast as he drops into the foggy cloud layer that filled in much of the wide open upper slopes today. |
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| Full day-glow and a solid 7 plate for Fairclough in the murky swampland of Aonoch Mor. |
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| Remi Thirion, sending it into the steep rock section up top. |
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| Thirion was on fire at Lourdes all weekend prior to his flat in finals. While 10th place is Remi's best result at the Fort, his wildman skills could surely take him all the way to the top steps. |
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| Brosnan clearly won't be letting this track title go without a fight, setting some blistering pace with a 4:47 in today's TT. |
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| Danny Hart knows how do dress or the horrendous Scottish weather and certainly isn't one to let cold and wet conditions faze him. |
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| Tahnee Seagrave drops into the slick rock garden as the worst of the rain began to fall. |
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| The infamous Scottish Dust is set to be flying through the air in abundance all weekend |
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| Still thirsty for more? You betcha. Riders, media and superfans alike will be back in the thick of it tomorrow, fingers crossed on the lifts! |
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Aaaaaahhahahahahhahahahahha
That is, hands down, the funniest Pinkbike picture caption I've ever seen.
It looks like it. Probably because he's boozing it up in most of the This is Peaty films as opposed to drinking their fizzy, tooth-dissolving, super-concentrated-sugar syrup, obesity juice.
Booze is the healthier option.
Maybe Jager could sponsor him?
Oh wait that's Vital MTB...
Either way, I like Gwin (I own one of his old Yeti frames after all) but he's never done well in the slop.
well then
Group A is only the top80, right?
Cool shots, so atmospheric!