You wouldn’t assume that a group of people who have chosen a career in gravity sports to be so fearful of large boats, but let’s put it simply: we all lost a bit of sleep imagining various Titanic-ish scenarios; However, isn’t it always good to face your fears?
The 15-hour ferry ride over the north sea was comparatively a great deal budget wise, and we found out where we maximized our value when we saw where we were sleeping; literally, “Under Da Sea” on the 2nd level below the car deck.
Yes it was a long boat ride, and yes we would do it again.
We awoke to Amsterdam’s water wind turbines and a 6 hour drive from the ferry terminal Hamberg HQ. Torge welcomed us home with a fridge full of meat for a BBQ, updated tent walls, and the anticipation of a restful week, training rides and an epic German holiday.
Our five days in Hamberg allowed us to dial in our trailer and van set up. This looked like Mark putting his other talent of woodworking to use by building a bike rack, Darren installing a solar panel on the roof of the trailer, and Holly and Jon re-dressing the tent walls for a more professional look. Once the work was done, we had to wait 100 hours for the bike rack paint to dry, Torge led the crew on a bike path ride to Dr. Oetker’s house. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at home making pizza, but it was worth checking. We bid tschüss to Torge after pizza and ice cream at the Baltic sea, and prepared for the 916km drive to Bielsko -Biala, Poland.
Poland
8 hours into the drive there were still no mountains in sight, as Poland is a new venue for the World Cup circuit, we really had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, the last 45 minutes of the drive, rolling hills blanketed in green deciduous trees appeared before us.
Mark and Jon woke up early to get back on the DH bikes at the Szcyyrk Bike Park. A bike park pass for under 50 bucks and no lift lines made up for the gentle grade of the hill. While the boys strzep laps all day, Darren and I needed to come up with a creative new solution for our pit set up. All Non-Elite Teams were unfortunately placed in a paddock space 15 minutes away from the lift. You may think, “that’s not bad!They’re pro mountain bikers, wouldn’t that be a good warm up for them?”
In this case, the time it would take for riders to ride to and from their pit, they would lose practice time, and valuable mechanic time. Not only that, but the road was littered with broken glass and heavy vehicle traffic. It is these nuances that are a reality, and we do not take the responsibility of athlete performance and overall well being, lightly; which means staying positive, being resourceful and working together to find a solution.
We found an empty parking lot beside a sea-can bike shop, and an incredibly helpful Mechanic named Rafael. Thanks to those guys, we could set up our pits in their parking lot. Another example of how it’s the people who make this industry great.
Dziekuje Raf!
A team debrief that night led to some interesting conversations about track predictions, firmer bike set ups and tire choice.
Track Walk - 16/05/24
With only a teaser video of the course and some local Intel, we approached track walk with the anticipation of a first date. Walking slow, asking questions and making acute observations. The top section of the course felt like walking on peanut butter vegan cookies, dry ones. Lots of jumps, yes, as well as boulder fields with rocks that would make interior BC riding proud.
The date was going well, and when we reached the bottom sections, we knew there was more to it than the eyes could meet. The idea of how much the track would change and the excitement of trying brand new lines made for a giddy group of riders!
This week track walking felt a bit like walking downtown Vancouver on a long weekend, although the comradery among different teams is great on track, the people traffic did make it difficult to see various lines, and other places to anticipate change.
Mark and Jon eagerly went home to our Polish digs to prepare for the second date.
Practice Day - 17/05/24
“Darren and I changed my bike set up by reducing spring force and increasing the compression tune to provide the support from hydraulic instead of spring/air. This can provide more control and traction in the varying sections of the track. First practice session was dry and dusty, the track was quickly becoming more blown out. After 2 runs I made a switch to a more aggressive tire to dig into all the soft dirt. Just as the first session was ending a big rainstorm came over the hill. It quicky changed from a dry dusty track to a full-on mud fest. Tires changed again to the even more aggressive option to keep the mud from packing between the treads. Second practice is a live track, so each rider gets a live time; this is helpful to see where you stack up against other rides. There are many different strategies that riders use in this session, trialling lines, finding pace throughout the whole run or sometimes just one or two sections. With the quick change in weather, it was a hectic session to say the least! After dinner as a team, we analyzed the times and video from each sector to see what areas of the track need the most of our attention the next day.”
“I had an unlucky crash on my first practice run, which left me a bit shook up, but after I knew I was okay I got back on the bike to get a few more laps in. I rode conservative, but I gained confidence in how good the bike felt in the wet conditions. After trying some different stuff at fort William, I felt like moving in a similar set up direction as Mark.”
Line choice changed throughout the day as the weather turned practice into what felt like 2 days of practice rather than one. We really do get to see the grit, resilience, discipline and focus it takes to perform in this sport when conditions change as they did on practice day.
Working on bikes with high quality hardware, makes Darren’s life easier and more enjoyable as a mechanic, especially when the vegan peanut butter dough hugs every inch of the frame.
What a day.
Qualifying Day -18/05/24
Jon struggled with keeping up race pace on the track that was considerably drier than his practice run in the morning. Not qualifying for finals was a hard one to swallow, but we’re thankful he walked away from the weekend with more experience and no injuries. Junior Jon is getting hungry for redemption in Leogang.
P – 31 (3:18.915 +10.661)
Mark increased his race pace from Timed Training to Qualifying and to Semis. Two full pinned races in one afternoon are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting, and we’re beyond pleased that Mark came out of this weekend faster and hungrier than at Fort William.
Qualifying:
P – 22 (3:07.199 +5.903)
Semi-Finals:
P – 32 (3:06.214 +6.327)
Although we didn’t race on Sunday, Jon and I went track side for Junior Men to see race lines in the lower woods and took in the wild race atmosphere at the bottom. Being at a race and not having anything to do on race day is a tough position to be in and feels like a setback; but in reality, it is further motivation to get up to pace sooner. In Fort William we felt like we were a day behind, and in Poland it felt more like a run behind. Momentum. This is momentum.
The race and the venue at Bielsko Biala was great! The track was an unforgettable first date, and we enjoyed getting to know everything about it. The course was challenging and fun to ride, and Poland in general was a cool place to spend a week. Great perogies and great people! We hope it is on the calendar next year!
Currently we are driving to Vienna for Mark and Jon to fly home. 10 days at home will be a good reset to come back for the next 5-week block with 3 races. Darren and I are going to stay in Europe to organize a few more infrastructure details, do some riding and hopefully a few days of rest!
Expect the next update on Monday June 10th after round 3 in Leogang!
Until then,
Mark, Jon, Darren and Holly
P.S