So you’ve seen how you can get to Fort William World cup on a shoestring here, but now you want a little more information about the race itself.
For everyone who doesn’t know where Fort Bill is….
X marks the spot.
The weather is looking promising for the weekend too.
The Track:
The Downhill is a full-on, flat-out, no-compromise charge down the face of Aonach Mor, the 9th highest mountain in the UK. Riders need physical strength, quick reflexes, superb bike control and an unerring eye for the right line as they speed down the 2.8km long course. And a lot of bottle!
“The permanent Nevis Range Downhill track has received some radical upgrades over the past three years, adding new features and making it one of the toughest most demanding courses on the circuit. For 2013 there are some, new higher speed lines being developed just after the wall ride.
Starting beside the top station of the gondola the course descends 555m. Most of the course is visible from the gondola (the mountain cableway used for skiing in the winter, which provides access for riders with bikes and spectators), giving great views of riders as they charge down below you.
The fast top section of the course is framed by stunning views of Ben Nevis, the sea lochs of Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil, and the islands of the Inner Hebrides. Rock gardens, rock slabs, big jumps and technical natural sections will provide plenty of challenges all the way to the magnificent finish section and the incredible noise of the best spectators in the world.”
Here’s what the track was looking like at last year’s World Cup.
A detailed map of showing you how to get to Puggy Pipe, Disco Hips Kicker and the trotter.
DirtTV from last year’s finals
Here’s how everyone did last year, are we going to see a different top 5?
Previous winners at the Fort
A quick look at the provisional schedule for the weekend.
Thursday 6 June
16:15 – 18:00 4X Training
Friday 7 June
08:30 – 11:30 Downhill training – Group B (All other Riders)
10:00 – 13:00 Downhill training – Group A (Elite Men ranked in top 150 of latest UCI ranking list)
13:15 – 14:45 Downhill timed training- Group B (All other Riders)
15:00 – 16:30 Downhill timed training- Group A (Elite Men ranked in top 150 of latest UCI ranking list)
16:30 – 17:00 On foot inspection – Riders/Teams
16:30 – 18:00 4X Training
18:15 – 19:15 (est.) 4X Pro Tour Qualification
Saturday 8 June
08:30 – 10:30 Downhill training – Group B (All other Riders)
10:45 – 12:45 Downhill training – Group A (Elite Men ranked in top 150 of latest UCI ranking list)
13:15 – World Cup Downhill Seeding – Men Junior
14:30 – 16:30 (est.) World Cup Downhill Qualifying – Women and Men Elite
16:30 – 17:00 (est.) On foot inspection – Riders/Teams
16:45 – 17:00 4X Rider into Top 4 Women and Top 4 Men
17:00 – 18:20 4X Training
18:30 – 19;30 (est.) 4X Pro Tour – Followed by Awards Ceremony
Sunday 9 June
08:30 – 10:00 Downhill training World Cup Finals starters Men, Junior and Women
10:15 – 11:45 Downhill training World Cup Finals starters Men Elite
12:00 – 12:15 Rider intro Top 5 qualifying & WC leaders
12:30 – Junior Men World Cup Downhill Finals
13:45 – 14:20 (est.) Women’s World Cup Downhill Finals
14:30 – 16:34 (est.) Men’s World Cup Downhill Finals followed by Awards Ceremony
4X Pro Tour video from last year
And remember the Avon Skin So Soft
For even more information check out the Fort Bill website
