The city of Grasse in the south of France is made to organize an urban descent as the slope is present as well as its many natural obstacles. More than 300 steps, narrow streets, a tunnel, larger portions... Its organizer, Xtrem Events, has added many modules such as a wall ride, cambered turns and stepping stones, whether to pass above the roads with the famous road gap or for the arrival jump of more than 10 m long. 60 riders from six different nations were starting with the Czech Tomas Slavik (winner 2016), the Grasse native, back after his victory at Taxco, Remy Metailler, the English Ben Moore and Harry Molloy, the champion of Portugal José Borgues, champion from Finland Petteri Leivo, the Belgians Nico and Mathieu Simon and many French including Camille Servant, Nico Quéré, Seb Claquin, ...
If you add a large and warm public, you get a 4th edition that was very spectacular under the beautiful sun of the French Riviera.
In the first two timed runs, the first thunderclap was the unlucky Nico Quéré's chrono last year with a chain breakdown at each run, who this time went downhill in 1: 59.330 when only Tomas Slavik had managed an exploit last year being under this famous 2-minute Mark. Only 5 riders finally made it through : the rider from Grasse, Remy Metailler clocked at 1: 59. 423, Nico Quéré, Camille Servant clocked at 1: 59.307 and the surprising Portuguese José Borgues who, clocked at 1: 57.107 was only half a second away from the leader Tomas Slavik who was clocked at 1: 56. 603.
The Super Final with the Top 20 brought this memorable day to a close, a run to reset the clockwatch and where the 4th edition classification of this crazy descent was definitely going to be sealed. Would it remain a little energy to our tightrope walkers of the day as this track was technical and physical with the arrival of riders exhausted and out of breath, we could also ask the question...
We didn’t wait for the answer too long as 13 riders of this Top 20 made it through even faster on this super final than the previous 2 runs and this time 6 of them below the 2- minute Mark.
A final in apotheosis with Remy Metailler who grabs a place and repositioned 4th in front of the 5th Andres Biersteker who managed for the first time to pass under the 2-minute Mark. For the podium, it was shared between Slavik, Quéré and Borgues. The Frenchman Nico Quéré improved again and was clocked at 1: 57.487 before the Portuguese José Borgues hurtled in the home stretch with a little advance on Quéré, but victim of a slow puncture making him unable to exploit all his power in this last schuss, and being clocked at a time of 1: 57.915, ranking 3rd place. Then, being the last to start, the Czech Tomas Slavik gained one second on his best time and achieved the stratospheric time of 1: 55.738 on this long track of 1,200 kilometers.
Technical and powerful, Tomas Slavik dominated this race by winning the 3 run chronos
6 different nations at the start and 3 on the podium with the Czech Tomas Slavik king of Grasse, the Frenchman Nico Quere 2nd and the Portuguese Jose Borgues 3rd
Unhappy last year with 2 broken chains, Nico Quere gave everything this year to take a superb 2nd place
Portugal's champion, Jose Borgues, also Top 10 on the EWS final and 4th of the Mega Avalanche, made a splash by taking to the podium
An air of Tour de France with the crowd near the cyclists except that there is a sequence of 139 steps taken at over 60km/h for the best
youtu.be/52rSvP22FIk
Yep, totally. Guess it's time time to hang up my racing stuff, I'll never compete with 36,001 KpH necessary for the winning time...
əˌpäTHēˈōsəs/
noun
noun: apotheosis; plural noun: apotheoses
the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax.
"his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career"
the elevation of someone to divine status; deification.