The track at the Innerleithen IXS Cup was a hit with the riders this weekend and was largely unaffected by the rain that fell all weekend, staying in prime condition for racing. A lot of the World Cup big guns scared of being stuck in the US in a possible ash cloud resurgence came out to play, padding out the top 20 nicely and providing fierce competition. Local kid Lewis Buchanan (MS/Evil) showed his cards from the off with an impressive seeding run time ahead of World Cup podium riders like Fabien Pedemanud.
Stu Thomson got married on Saturday and several riders stayed up late to celebrate with him, one of whom was Ben Cathro (MTBCut/Orange) who after relatively little practice on the track posted fastest time of the day beating Lewis and Matt Simmonds (CRC/Intense). For the first time the IXS Cup series visited the UK, everything went smoothly apart from some serious crashes, I hope the riders heal up quickly.
