Tahnee Seagrave is one of a number of World Cup insiders who have taken to social media to speak out against the new woods section in Fort William.
Without a doubt, the woods was the hardest section of the track (maybe even the hardest World Cup section in years) and almost certainly proved to be the deciding factor as many racers such as Loic Bruni, Danny Hart and Tahnee herself went down there in race runs.
There had been grumblings all weekend about it from the riders but in the end only some taping changes were made.
Many riders commented on the woods on Instagram but Tahnee was the most vocal, saying: “I don’t usually speak out about stuff like this because it is what it is and I don’t like moaners, but when something can clearly be helped I feel the need to voice an opinion. Yesterday was awful. To see even the top 20 male riders tripod down and struggle in a small 15 metre section on a 5 minute track was frustrating. The section was clearly a mess and dangerous- not because of its difficulty but because of its maintenance. All week riders were making suggestions to improve the quality of the wood section to make a better and more exciting race.
“We work so hard to be at the level we are, and for something as silly and easy as not listening to the riders was a little disappointing. I speak out for many athletes this week end – whether they were winners or back of the pack. This is racing – not an entertainment or joke for viewers. We all want the sport to move forward and progress, so why not work together?
“Never the less I was blown away by some of the performances out there and history was made. Mega happy for those who owned it. Hopefully we can all learn from this race and improve on future.”
Alan Milway, coach of Brendan Fairclough and Manon Carpenter, was also not happy with the section. He said: “his is the entry to the most controversial section we’ve had in a World Cup in a while. Natural = yes. A peat bog to ride through = yes. I’m all for natural – but we all have enough experience to know when a peat bog in the rain is not going to be ideal. ”
What do you think? Did the amount of crashes spoil the race or is it all just part of the game? One thing’s for sure, we’re unlikely to get something similar next weekend in Leogang!
