2009      LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTEr

• Sabrina Jonnier kills it with a nine second victory.
• French riders once again dominate the women’s podium, taking all five places.
• Minnaar scores back to back victories.
• Peaty was on a high. He had just won at the second round of the World Cup in La Bresse and at round 3 in Andorra and was wearing the leader’s jersey, but this time around he ‘glanced’ a tree, which knocked him off the podium.
• A new rock section appears in the 4X track.
• Tracy Moseley crashes in the final and finishes 15 seconds back in 7^th position.

“rider’s bikes and bodies are battered from the constant pummelling of four and a half minutes of Scottish grit, bog and slab.”

I remember our first World Cup in Fort Will clearly, all of us that hadn’t been there were preparing for the muddiest race of the year, the French were complaining that the track was like a parking lot and the crowds were pouring in by the bus load. That Sunday night was also very memorable, I remember hearing some giggling and then my door opening quietly, unfortunately it wasn’t a hot ginger nurse, but Missy (Giove) and Fionn (Griffiths) who had snuck in to the Ben Nevis Hospital at 1am to see how I was doing. I was on a decent run down the narrowest and roughest parking lot in the world, and as I dropped down in to the finish bowl, I veered slightly right hitting a huge drainpipe and ‘touched my toes’ properly. One night in the Ben Nevis under observation for damaged organs and I was good to go.

I have also had some great memories, winning on the Honda RNO1 in its debut race in 2004. And then racing Honda’s final race in DH in 2007, it definitely didn’t end off the way it started. I had another visit to the Ben Nevis that year, I had crashed in the woods section dislocating my shoulder and breaking my scapula, not knowing at the time I got back on the bike and ended up fourth. I argued my way out of spending a night at the hospital, they wanted to put me under general anaesthetic to put my shoulder back in, I told them I was supposed to be at a team dinner and after that I needed to be at the after–party (World Champs is always big). I convinced the doctors that I didn’t need to be put under, so they gave me that laughing gas stuff and slipped my shoulder back in . A couple hours later I caught dessert at the team dinner before tearing up the dance floor.

I bounced back from 2007 with back to back wins in 2008 and 2009. There has been a lot of mixed emotions for me in Fort Will, but with three wins, two visits to the Ben Nevis and a whole load of Saffa’s supporting, it feels more like a race at home than the World Cup in PMB.

For Dan and I, Fort William has been our favourite weekend of the year for 10 years now and holds some incredible memories. For me it all started back in 2001 when I helped Andy Groom run the National Series event on the new track. The event was a great success and it was the first race I ever announced. I remember it well as they opened the track that year and Mike Jardine (one of the main organisers of the FW World Cup) crashed and broke his nose.

In the following February I walked the track with Christophe Burri (UCI Coordinator) as we tried to persuade him that the venue was capable of hosting a World Cup. It was dark and cold and the rain and sleet where coming in sideways. He kept shaking his head and I never thought they would get it but the UCI had no alternatives so they got it and ran the first World Cup event four months later. Chris Kovarik won by miles on flat pedals, but I’d lost my voice getting overly excited so Dan called the last few riders on his own. It was the event of the series.

Dan’s top memory is Steve Peat’s win in 2005. What an incredible experience. I did my usual, “if he wants to win he needs to appear in the next 10 seconds”. The crowd counted down and as they said “1” Steve appeared. The crowd went nuts and for the next 60 seconds Dan and I were drowned out as Steve stood in the finish with his bike over his head. Gives me goose bumps just writing about it. Dan said, “Your World Cup champion is Steve Peat” and again the crowd went bananas.

It’s always great fun to announce at Fort William and it’s the crowd that makes it. They are incredible!