Hunting for grip - Dirt

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Hunting for grip

Day One action from Lenzerheide

Is it still a bike park? Lenzerheide is biting back this year. Dust blown out, rocks weathered into jagged teeth and each corner littered with holes and loose gravel. This is no easy ride.

Photos: Seb Schieck

Brook was one of many getting bucked by the rockery

There were plenty of spills yesterday, most prominently in the top rock garden that’s more like a shark’s mouth than a mountain bike course feature, in truth, we’re not sure anyone’s found the perfect line through it yet.

Sylvain Cougoureux finding himself pointing the wrong way in the rock garden, he did well to muscle this back round.

After that you’re into the usual Lenzerheide riddle, where’s the grip? With big holes contrasted with marbly dirt, both suspension set up and tyre choice are a bit of an enigma at the moment. Troy Brosnan and Tracey Hannah made the most of it yesterday but today will provide the real test of who has conquered this tricksy track.

Vallnord's winner, Myriam Nicole, has kept it quiet so far but make no mistake, she'll be hoping to leap-frog Hannah in the virtual overall this afternoon
Early morning start for the B-practice bunch. Miranda Miller gets the ball rolling
Exiting the berm straight into a speed tuck, Troy Brosnan on his way to fastest time of the day
Brendog doing Brendog things
Kaos Seagrave gets our vote for the most sideways today
Matt Walker gets high. With not much to separate riders on this shot track, you have to use every inch of it.
It’s not often you get a shot of Gwin looking pineed in practice as he goes about it so methodically, but it’s pretty hard to slow down here in Lenzerheide
Jack Moir was gapping over this brow that most were rolling over, he’s looking rapid here on the 29er Intense
Manon Carepenter had a few scares in a loose day up on track today but she'll be hoping to lay down a smooth one in qualies
Mark Wallace has that top ten plate locked down, so great to see him back at the top.
Tracey Hannah is on form here and loves these flat-out tracks
There's dust and plenty of it, apparently it's been baking hot here for weeks
Finn laid down another strong marker yesterday. How much is left in the tank for him and the rest of the field?
Kade Edwards managed to pull this one back around, unlike in Fort William
Mick Hannah didn't even bother with a track walk here yesterday, clearly no issue for the Aussie hard-nut
Finn Iles on line as Walker looks on
Despite the fact his triple huck has been taken out, George Brannigan was fourth in TT. He loves it fast!
Straight over the top seems to be safest for now for Vergier but nobody has found a comfortable line through the rocks garden yet
Danny Hart knows this track well having won here last year, but there's always milliseconds to be found
Emilie Siegenthaler hopped into second place in timed training
Tracey Hannah slashes through the Alpine meadows, you can't deny the prettiness of this course
Gutierrez is one of those men who just grips and rips, expect big speeds from him this weekend
The focus of a champ.

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