It’s been many years since the Downhill World Cup was last held in Cairns, Australia. We’re talking decades here.
However, from today it will be packed full of the world’s best mountain bike riders, training for round two of the World Cup circuit which kicks off with the qualis tomorrow!
So, what do you need to know about the Cairns leg? Dirt Magazine have created this handy infographic with all the ‘dirt’ (geddit?)
Well, it’s spread over four days with riders taking on the 1.9km track through the muggy rainforest. The course is set to push the riders to their limits with a mish-mash of giant roots, drops, boulders and moto-style ‘whoops’!
Torrential rain has meant the riders are getting off to a slippery start. Just check out this raw video footage from practice today…
Who else looks set to do well? Gwin Manon smashed it in round one at Pietermaritzburg with her first World Cup win, but it’s likely Rachel Atherton (who has recovered from her illness) will be hot on her tail, despite the mud…
Meanwhile in the men’s heat, Aaron Gwinn is look strong as always. He just pipped Aussie rider Mick Hannah to first place in Pietermaritzburg. However, Hannah is now back on his home turf, so the competition will be heating up.
The Aussie hails from Cairns and it’s been reported that he’s had his say in the course design. There’s even a drop named after him! So it’s likely Hannah and his sister Tracey will rank very highly on the leaderboard this weekend.
You can check out the full schedule below…
