Team Wideopenmag’s top dog Big Dave K gives us all the insight into what is likely to go down at the World Championships in Lenzerheide this weekend.
World champs, the one shot one kill race of the season. The one race that gives you the chance to wear rainbow stripes for life.
In some cases, it’s the title that eludes riders and it quite often has a surprise winner who will have pushed the boundaries and ridden on the edge enough to secure the coveted Rainbow Stripes.
Only the winners are remembered, the phrase ‘second place is the first loser’ is particularly apt for the World Champs races.
It’s also a special week with some seriously stiff competition in picking teams to represent their country. Factory teams role out special one off kits, bikes and trick parts to make it extra special. Cycling federations also have big buy in into the event with proper support teams other than just the Factory teams supporting the riders.
This year the World Champs is held in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on a part man-made, part natural track initially built in 2013/14 with input from Steve Peat. It’s held 3 DH World Cups on the bounce, but this is the first champs on the track. The track itself has got it all; it’s steep, fast, rocky with some big jumps, off camber sections and big corners. The track has seen some minor tweaks and the addition of some fresh sections for this race.
Times will be around the 3 minute mark for the men and 3.30 for the ladies. In the 3 previous World Cup races there, Minnaar has won twice, Hart once; and Atherton twice, Nicole once.
Who are the threats?
Men
It’s tough at World Champs to call out who is going to win like you might be able to at a World Cup. Everyone steps it up to another level when the prospect of being a World Champion is on the table. It’s a down to one run, no qualifying and no overall to worry about.
After a super dominant year in the overall, any of the French riders could take the title and Bruni is the defending champ.
Aaron Gwin.
Gwin has never won a World Champs despite his multiple overall titles. He’s always had some bad luck with brake failures, punctures and other mechanicals always putting paid to his chance. However, this year he has had to rehab his thumb and rest up, so you be sure that he has his sights firmly set on that rainbow jersey this year.
The Brits.
A perhaps slightly controversial team this year is in Lenzerheide, but they all met the criteria for selection, so have earned their spots. Let’s be honest, GB has one of the biggest depths of riders that are eligible to race World Champs, so there is always going to be some controversy over the riders selected and if the last World Cup is anything to go off, being one of the top DH riders doesn’t guarantee you are going to be on the podium.
Hart won here in 2016 before going on to win another two World Cups and a World Champs, and podiumed last year, so he has got to be a contender.
Wideopenmag Alumni member Laurie Greenland is also in with a good shout. He won here as a Junior and podiumed last year along with Phil Atwill. He has been on the cusp of a World Cup victory for two years and has a World Champs silver medal already, could this be the year that becomes gold?
Women
Like the men, it’s a difficult one to call for the women. Who can remember the controversy last year at World Champs with crashes and timing issues and other riders having the run of their life resulting in Miranda Miller wearing the stripes for 2018.
Rachel and Tahnee have been battling all year with Rach hitting a patch of form and overcoming some early season misfortune to take the World Cup overall, but it came down to the wire. She has got the chance of being the most decorated World Champion in downhill mountain bike history with a win this weekend.
PomPon started the season where she had left off with a win in Croatia, but a big crash mid season left her with a heavily bruised back which made her shift her focus to World champs. She won here on 2017 on her way to the World Cup overall and with a traditionally strong French cycling federation support team at worlds, she has got to be a top contender.
Who do we think is going to win?
Dave K
Rachel Atherton
Aaron Gwin
Pete S
Loic Bruni
Rachel Atherton
Jamie E
Matt Walker
Tahnee Seagrave
