THE ELEMENTS

The track snakes down from a very exposed start area, down the barren mountainside at the full mercy of the wind until you reach the ‘deer gate’. This is a point of salvation for the riders as it is close to one–third of the way down and you now enter the tree line and away from the worst of the sideways wind and rain that you have probably been subject to until that point.

Aerodynamics may be deemed a dirty word in downhill, but it really does play a part in conditions like these. At the inaugural running of this event Chris Kovarik demolished the field by over 14 seconds. The biggest winning margin ever, and achieved in a skin suit and flat pedals. Did his kit play a part in the demolition or was it sheer talent and power that created such a margin? I would say a combination of these factors, but the speeds are so high and the track is so open that back in 2008 Chris Porter’s Mojo riders were contracted to wear a special skin suit for this event. Chris is a big proponent of aerodynamics (and improving every aspect of performance on the bike for that matter) and his riders made a big case for the benefit of skin suits by posting fantastic results, with Ben Cathro finishing inside the top 10. I have written an article about this subject (published in Dirt and well worth a look), but this really is a track where you will see riders tuck where they can, and when you overlay footage of one rider on to another over the bottom jump section, there is a clear difference between riders who are tucking–in to an aerodynamic tuck, and launching up and being a wind sail.

The weather in the Highlands is often very changeable and you must prepare for wind and rain. And if it isn’t windy, prepare for midges. The little buggers are hard to deal with, and the top tip is Avon’s Skin So Soft lotion, which seems to be a very good midge repellent! We have had some amazing weather there, and there is no better place in the world to be when the sun shines, but then I have also hiked up and down that track all day in brutal conditions with soaking wet feet for nine hours solid, so be warned!

THE TOWN

Fort William is a small Highlands town, set far, far away from almost anything. Unlike many of the alpine resorts that we visit– that have interlinking chairlift networks, varied accommodation and big bucks winter season infrastructure – Fort William is somewhat isolated. However, with the quality of the track, and the fervent support of the UK fans, it becomes a real destination and thousands upon thousands of fans make the yearly pilgrimage up the A82.

This is where a real issue for riders and teams comes to light; accommodation. I can tell you now that many of the team managers will have booked their accommodation years ago (seriously). After one too many sub-par experiences, when you find a place that works, you grab it and stick with it in Fort William. The town is full of small residential B&B’s, with just a few hotels available. None are walking distance from the venue, and many are a relatively long cycle ride. If you are late booking up, you may really struggle to find anywhere suitable to stay, which does add to the stress or preparation.

Linked with this is actually finding somewhere to eat. You will be up the hill all day riding one of the world’s most brutal tracks, then head back in the car to the B&B, change, and then instead of relaxing/flaking to eat food and rest, will have to get back in the car and head in to town to try and find a restaurant to grab dinner. I have seen riders walking up and down the high street well in to the evening searching in vain for a table. The restaurants are always packed out, and it is can be a lottery to find anywhere to eat. I know of a World Cup winner who had to resort to a McDonalds the night before the race as they simply couldn’t find somewhere to eat. Strange but true.

At Trek Factory DH we have tried to work around this by booking a house away from town and bringing a chef who cooks every meal, so when the riders return from riding there is no rush or panic to try and get food. Yes, this is a luxury and we know it, but at Fort William it really comes in to play.

Although fans are an amazing benefit and addition to the racing, they aren’t without their challenges from a logistics point of view. Sponsors, friends, family and media all want to be a part of this weekend (especially for the UK riders), and the riders certainly want to accommodate, but it does add an element of pressure, time commitment and focus. Most races may have a few people dropping by the pits to say hi, but at Fort William there are crowds who all know the riders and want to hang out. Big sponsors often choose this race to visit so you must give them due attention, the BBC, or mainstream media outlets often send someone up, and the pits never look so full! I have witnessed riders trying to negotiate a 400m cycle from finish line to pits, and take 15mins at walking pace as there were people to say hi to, take photographs with etc. All between crucial practice runs, it is a tricky balance.

If you haven’t been to this race, please make a point of trying to go, it really is the essence of ‘Downhill Mountain biking’. If you can go this year, grab a chainsaw, remove the chain, fill it with 2 stroke fuel and take it with you to make some noise and pay respect to Stevie Smith, whose loss I am still struggling to get my head around. Long Live Chainsaw.