Downhill cycling
Currently there are two tracks one on Igman and other on Bjelašnica, both featured tournaments on international level. Heavy use of the brake during the descent would cause the brake to over heat, melting the grease till it drained from the hub and required repacking.A World Cup track called the Planai is located in the city of Schladming. This series is widely regarded as one of the best regional race series in the world.
The trail was renamed 94 Downhill, and is still ridden by many downhill bikers today. A typical race weekend in the Irish NPS consists of practice day on Saturday with uplifts being provided using a tractor and trailer set-up to bring the racers to the trailhead.
As the name of this discipline implies, downhill races are held on steep, downhill terrain with no extended climbing sections, resulting in high speed descents with extended air time off jumps and other obstacles. Famous racers include world cup winning Sam Hill, Nathan Rennie, Jared Rando, Jared Graves, Ameil Cavelier, Will Rischbieth ,Josh Button, Ben Cory and Bryn Atkinson.
The downhill courses and events are limited in the area however, because of the alpine winter and snow. The main series in the UK is the NPS series.
Practice is also allowed on Sunday, it being raceday practice ceases at 10:00am and the riders then get their two runs as part of the competition. The 2008 Irish Downhill Champion was Colin Ross from Northern Ireland. Within the UK most downhill tracks are in Scotland or Wales, as these countries are more mountainous. The bikes used were based on beach cruisers that had a single rear brake that worked by pedalling backwards.
Racers qualify to compete in World Cup races by earning UCI points, which are gained by being a top ten finisher in certain races, usually national. In the U.S., NORBA, as part of USA Cycling, runs the National Mountain Bike Series, and the NCCA is the governing body for collegiate cycling. Ten riders descended 1300 feet of Repack in about 5 minutes; the winner, Alan Bonds, was also the only one to make it to the finish line.
National Championships were held at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. There are numerous graded biking trails down the Åreskutan fell. Sweden s most southerly DH bike park is called Vallåsen Bike Park and is located on the north side of the Halland ridge between Skåne and Halland.
Another method commonly referred to as Shuttling , uses motorized vehicles to transport multiple riders to the top of the hill. Riders are timed with equipment similar to that used in Downhill skiing.
There are also a lot of firms producing high-end parts like Rohloff, Magura or Tune. To prevent a metal to metal brake from snatching it was always filled with grease.
Vail, Colorado was the site of the 1994 Downhill Championship. Downhill bikes and freeride bikes are very similar but there are some slight differences.
However, some tracks provide access to ordinary cars - such as Kuranda Downhill in Cairns, which runs down the Smithfield side of the Macalister Range and uses the road as access. Courses used in competition typically feature several lines through or around the most difficult obstacles. In the small town Willingen is a former World Cup Downhill and Four Cross Race Course.
In 1999 Åre was the host for the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and it hosted the Nordic Championships in 2007. Wales, along with its scenery, has all the qualities required for downhill bike racing as it has numerous hills and mountains.
It is visited by around 25000 spectators and 1200 riders. For example, the A line might be a very direct line with a large jump landing on rocks, the B line might be a smaller jump with a clear landing, and the C line might completely avoid the obstacles, but be much longer. The dramatic scenery of the French Alps is home to many downhill routes and events.
Other tracks such as Carrick in Co.Wicklow are closer to 5:00 minutes. In Germany is the Europe s biggest Mountainbike Freeride Festival hold, called iXS Dirt Masters.
Vallåsen opened in 2008 and attract riders from not only Sweden but also Denmark due to its relatively close location to Copenhagen. The 2006 U.S.
The World Cup has been held there in 2005 and 2006. Among the most famous tracks in the country is the Sanremo Downhill, a rocky, technical and dangerous course won in 2007 by Fabien Barel.
Ferncliff and World s View are great in Pietermaritzburg. As mountain biking grew enormously during the 80s, downhill riders continued to use either rigid or limited suspension travel (under 2 inches) bicycles, and purpose made downhill bikes were not made until the 90s.
The placing is determined by the fastest times to complete the course; races are often won by margins of under a second. This inaugural event was won by Greg Herbold. Modern downhill bikes weigh between 16 to 21 kg (35 to 46 pounds), and usually feature full-suspensions and frame geometries that lean back farther than other mountain bikes.
The 2009 Downhill World Champion is Steve Peat from UK. Slovenia s riders also perform very good and managed to speed their way on the top 3 many times. Downhill racing isn t such a big sport in South Africa, but is rapidly growing.
Also the mount of Bromont , situated in Bromont , Quebec , and Mont-Sainte-Anne near Quebec City are greats places for Downhill biking Slovenia s vast hilly landscape and undamaged nature makes very good conditions for downhill cycling, thus one of the world s top, not only tracks but riders are also in Slovenia. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park in Whistler, British Columbia hosts the annual Crankworx and Joyride Huckfest racing events.
Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds (seeded from slowest to fastest), on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. They provide quite technical, but fun courses.
A large majority of Austria s downhill tracks are accessible via lift shuttles. As of 2006, 203 mm (8-inch) is the norm for suspension travel however some commercially available big mountain freeride bikes can have as much as 300 mm (12-inch).
Other ski resorts turning to mountain bike parks in summer are Pila, Italy (this spot killed America s bow legged junior because his knee s hit really hard), Sestola and Livigno. South Africa held the first round of the 2009 UCI World Cup, which was in Pietermaritzburg(Greg Minnaar s hometown), which Greg Minnaar won. The Sea Otter Classic, held each April at Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, is a major riding event that opens the racing season (course map).
The popular style of technical downhill freeriding that involves many man-made trail elements originated here. In the UK, British Cycling controls mountain biking as well as road and BMX.
The coming of age for downhill biking was its inclusion at the first UCI Mountain Bike Championship, held in 1990 in Durango, Colorado. The area of Finale Ligure, near Genoa, offers year round tracks that end on the seaside, served by shuttles.
The most popular area for downhill in the French alps is the Portes du Soleil including the two more popular resorts of Morzine and Les Gets. With 3 cup races, Thuringia, in the middle of Germany, is the center of gravity riding.
Due to the country s large population the sport has developed quickly in Germany. Another downhill course in the region is Les Deux Alpes which sometimes hosts other downhill events.
Number of riders can go up to 600 at races. It has several World Cup tracks like Champery or Portes de Soleil .
In Australia, MTBA controls all disciplines of Mountain biking. Cross-country · Downhill · Freeride · Dual slalom · Four-cross · Marathon · 24 hour · Enduro · Epic · Trials . All the tracks are built and maintained voluntarily by individuals and mountain biking clubs who take it upon themselves to do so.
In Scotland the main race series is run by the Scottish Downhill Association or SDA. Monenyscalp is one of the shorter tracks with times for Elites coming at just over a minute.
The major race series in Wales is named the Dragons run mainly by Jason Carpenter. Many of the NPS rounds take place in Wales including the amazing track at Caersws.
Places Like Lousã, offer a big variety of single tracks, and big down hill circuits. Bosnia and Herzegovina is rich with mountains especially around the capital city of Sarajevo,in which a downtown race is held, although MTB and downhill especially are still developing to become known sports in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are more and more riders which use mountains like Igman, Bjelašnica and others for downhill racing. Freeride bikes have a steeper geometry and a higher bottom bracket height, so that they are better for jumping and stunts, however freeride bikes sometimes use single crown forks, which are smaller and lighter than the dual crown forks often used by downhill riders, dual crown forks usually have around 200 mm (8-inch) of travel, and single crown forks are usually around 180 mm (7 in) maximum. All-mountain bikes are generally for those who like to be able pedal up hills as well as down them, and are slightly heavier and tougher than trail bikes. Downhill gear features body armor and full-face motocross-type helmets. Many ski areas are converted into biking venues in the summer, (Such as Whistler Mountain Bike Park) however there are also many other hills with Downhill Mountain Bike trails built on them.
A mechanism came into operation causing a conical metal (bronze?) brake shoe to be wound on a thread into a conical metal hub. Ticknock wood in south Co.
These raucous crowds often cheer on or heckle racers by yelling, ringing cow bells or sounding air horns. Downhill biking (DH) is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event.
Racing on these short tracks is highly intense and allows no mistakes. The Pohorje track has been considered as the second best in the world.
While the large majority of Australia s downhill riding and racing is accessed by shuttling in cars, buses or by walking to the top of the track (push runs) the venues at Mount Buller and Thredbo provide lift accessed tracks during the snowless summer. Vallåsen holds an annual DH race at the end of the season called the Vallåsen DH Challenge. Despite being the flattest continent on earth Australia has produced a large number of internationally successful downhill racers.
Helderkruin (West of Johannesburg), Klapperkop Google map: http://maps.google.com/?q=Klapperkop&sll=-26.201038,28.045349&sspn=0.930298,1.778412&ie=UTF8&ll=-25.780146,28.208985&spn=0.014588,0.027788&t=h&z=16 (Pretoria) and Gillooly s Farm in Johannesburg. Downhill tracks in Germany are not as steep as in Switzerland or Canada and the difference from top to bottom is less, but the main parts of an average track are everywhere in Germany.
The province of British Columbia is also home to several other large lift-serviced mountain bike parks, including Sun Peaks in Kamloops, BC and Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon, BC. Normally utility vehicles or 4WDs are driven up off-road tracks to the top of the courses.
According to the law it is illegal to ride in the forests. It was considered one of Vail Mountain s hardest venues. Some of the notable Russian downhill venues are ski-complex Metallurg (Bannoe lake, Magnitogorsk), Mashuk and Chaget mountains. Portugal is the host country of a Unique variety of down hill races, the Urban Down Hill, know as Down Town races, Lisbon Down Town, helded in May is the start of a new down Scene.
Most recently, a world cup was held for the first time in La Bresse. Located right in the Alps this country has a lot of places to downhill race. The most famous track of all, The Boneshaker , is still in frequent use by the downhill, cross-country and hill walking community. Irish tracks in general are more technical than tracks found elsewhere though ironically there are no official downhill tracks in Ireland.
In the southeastern United States, Snowshoe Mountain is well known for its extensive mountain bike park, camps, and even freeriding areas during the summer. It includes one iXS German Downhill Cup Round, a 4X Race and a slopestyle contest.
It is about 5 km long with an average descent grade of about 35%. Located in the Alps and surrounded by the downhill nations of France, Germany, Italy and Austria it is kind of a center for the European downhill scene. The 2009 Women s Downhill World Champion is Emeline Ragot of France. The 1st downhill time-trial race took place in Fairfax, California on October 22, 1976 on a fireroad now referred to as Repack Road, due to the need to repack the single rear hub brake after a descent.
Mcquillan and Matt Waterhouse. Some of these innovations included dual crown suspension forks and disc brakes, as well as very elaborate frame suspension designs. Later, riders from all disciplines of cycling began focusing on downhill.
The famous tracks that are included in the world cup are at ski resort Kranjska Gora in north-west tip of Slovenia, while the other track is on ski resort hill Pohorje at Slovenia s second largest city Maribor. Mount Stromlo, nearby to Australia s capital city Canberra, hosted a World Cup Round in August 2008 and which is also host to the 2009 world championships as a part of the MTB World Series.
. South Africa boasts some great tracks and riders, especially from the Western Cape and the Pietermaritzburg area in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the hometown of Greg Minnaar.
Downhill race bikes typically are much lower and have slacker head angles than freeride bikes, so that the bike is more stable at speed and in corners. Germany s top riders are Marcus Klausmann (riding for ATG Ghost and current National Champion), Maximilian Bender (Zonenschein), Frank Schneider (Nicolai Gates) and Erik Irmisch (Nicolai Gates). Bardonecchia, one of the Torino 2006 winter olympic venues, converts some of its ski courses and lifts for use by mountain bikers in the summer, and a number of downhill courses are present.
Large-diameter 203–5 mm (8-inch) hydraulic disc brakes moderate speed. Dublin was an important location, particularly for Dublin-based downhillers until Coillte, the Irish semi-state company responsible for forestry destroyed many of its infamous tracks as part of their tree-felling operations.
the first of the four-part 2009 Irish Downhill Winter League attracted 190 entrants to round 1 held in Moneyscalp, Co.Down. Irish tracks vary greatly in length and difficulty. With Germany being a high level industry country, there are many firms producing downhill bikes, such as Last Bikes, Zonenschein, Fusion Bikes or luxury downhill bike manufacturer Nicolai.
The style is often referred to as North Shore Style. Canada has produced many world-class mountain bike racers, including downhillers Andrew Shandro, Tyler J. The majority of Sweden s notable downhill tracks are situated around Åre, accessible via lift shuttles.
Other tracks in Wales include Moelfre, Afan, Rugog Farm, Glyncorrwg and Cwmcarn. With the Caledonian mountains forming the borderland with Norway this country has places to downhill race. In the Western Cape, the best tracks are Edeouth and Jonkershoek in Stellenbosch, Playgrounds in Paarl, Sir Lowry s Pass near Somerset-West (hometown of Andrew and Jonty Neethling), Zevenwacht near Kuilsriver and Witfontein in George.
Some up and coming junior riders that will be racing the world championships in 2009 include Laurie Dinham, Will Gower, Rhys Willimse, Tamyn Murrell, Ben Power and Shaun O Connor. Canada is famous for its downhill racing as well as other sorts of mountain biking. As downhill mountain biking has become more popular so has the call for more facilities and practitioners of this sport have begun campaigning with the state on this issue. The 2009 Irish DH NPS has 9 rounds and takes place on tracks the length and breadth of the country.
Switzerland is the home of parts manufacturer DT Swiss and frame manufacturer BMC. In Germany the landscape is quite diverse, reaching from flatlands in the north to medium-sized mountains in the center to alpine mountains in the south. Fort William in Scotland is Britain s only World Cup standard track and was the venue for the 2007 World Championships.
Bikers ride gondolas, trams or chair lifts to the starting point at the top of the mountains. The 2008 World Championship were held in Val di Sole. Downhill cycling has increased in Ireland over the past 10 years e.g.
You can find tracks in or near every city with high quality and a steep descent. UXO s are one of the reasons for slow development of this sport in a country with a such great potential for it. The Union Cycliste Internationale is governing body for downhill mountain bike racing.
The North Shore Mountains of North Vancouver, BC, are a famous downhill biking destination in their own right. The most popular race series is the iXS German Downhill Cup .
The most famous of which is the Mega Avalanche downhill race event in the Alp d Huez and Bourg d Oisans region. During a race event, racing fans line the course, congregating around the jumps, rock gardens or difficult sections.
Plattekill Mountain in the Catskills, Mammoth Mountain, the Northstar at Tahoe, Brian Head Resort, Attitash and Deer Valley ski resorts are also well known to mountain bikers. Rheola in the Vale of Neath is one such venue, near the town of Glynneath in South Wales.
Particularly, many BMX racers made the crossover, including champions such as John Tomac(Team Tomac Bikes), James Palmer (WAFW Bikes),and Brian Lopes.Their influence is seen in the increased difficulty of many courses, especially in the big air/ Hucking (biker term for big jumps and drops) aspect of downhill.
