RACE SEASON IS GO! Last weekend was round 1 of the World’s best national race series – the Shimano British Downhill Series. With a deep elite field, a brutally rocky track and a brand new North Wales venue there was no way it wasn’t going to be a great weekend.
Feast your eyes on a mountain of photo-bangers and the first of many Wideopenmag photo essays of 2014!
Marc Beaumont – the quiet Atherton but the highest placing of the weekend. 5th place.
Taylor Vernon is BACK! We couldn’t be happier to see him. Good luck for a great season youth!
Dr Steve Peat! Steve treated us to a viewing of Won’t Back Down in the local pub on Saturday night then a viewing of him destroying the slate-grey track on Sunday. 6th place for Peaty!
Rachel Atherton. Was there ever any doubt? First place.
It was a bad day’s racing for Gee Atherton and his new 650b GT race bike. He crashed in seeding, crossing the line 40somethingth. He came down early in elite race runs, but despite going fastest of the day through the speed trap (33mph!) couldn’t go faster than 8th.
Josh always looks faster than lightning and smoother than Versacci on track but by his own admission his took some time to get into Antur. Saturday morning was “hard work” he told us and a few crashes and messy runs left him without his usual confidence. Forget that though, by his race run he was charging with style and aggro riding. Second place for Ratboy.
We predicted the win could go to Gee or Danny. Gee crashed in quali and put in a disappointing final run and it was Danny that took the win.
Danny told us that he’d made the 4 hour drive from Redcar to Antur three times over the winter to practice, but wind and snow allowed him just 6 runs in total. Fortunately on race day the sun shone, the wind wasn’t too bad and Danny put it together. He’s often overlooked, but Danny is absolutely one of the most talented mountain bike racers in the UK, if not the world.
Huge thanks to the newest member of the Wideopenmag family – photographer Ian Lean. Ian joined us for the first time at Antur Stiniog and everything you see here his his work. Check out his website here.
