And here I am again to tell a journey, again in the van and again around Spain!
By now I know these streets better and I am more friendly with the locals in this area than with those of my homeland! but this life is a show!
You will wonder what I went to do around Spain more precisely in the principality of Andorra and why !?
Simple, I participated in the first round of the European Mass start series in Vallnord, which became famous among mountain bike enthusiasts for the world cup event!
the journey of hope with my crew mates is always very pleasant with the beauty of twelve hours spent in the van, my second home, which for nomads like us is the maximum expression of freedom like the one you breathe entering the principality of Andorra surrounded by the green Pyrenees and the many ski lifts for us lovers of bike parks! unmatched feeling!
I left for this adventure with the same energy as ever
THE RUSTICK ITALIAN DOWNHILL MARATHON TEAM!
Participating in this adventure were:
Gianluca Pinardi super-grandfather to whom they dedicated the 60 years master 60 category, first persistent in this type of competition, for 14 years on the competition fields of Downhill Marathon registered for the Mangusta team!
Davide Zorzetto: - Master 30, infinite passion for this discipline since 2013
On the race fields, owner of the Gravity Bike store! An athlete with a European mentality
He runs with me on the Rustick Solutions team Downhill Marathon racing team!
Giorgio Righi: - a multi-purpose sporting background from the boards first to the bikes now. An agonist as long as there are fat wheels, a practicing MTB teacher and a technical sports consultant! Giorgio rides for the Olympia Bad School E-Team Sponsored by Oli, Campedelli Irrigazioni, Baraghini Compressori suomy helmets, Resolvbike
Vera Ramon a girl more unique than rare, riding steeds or mtb, do not scare her solo trips and the wild life with her inseparable van and strictly always with red nail polish
Io Stefano Poletti Rustick "adventurer by profession", connoisseur of thtto the Italian athletic panorama reporter captures every moment of any race or event on fat wheels an original reporter very attentive also to his own performance
Friday was the day dedicated to free practice, to study the trajectories and have fun with friends to round the jumps!
Qualifying day Saturday
As usual, before qualifying I run once the track at a fast enough pace to check that everything is in order from the physical to the mechanical means as well as warm up and break my breath.
The qualification:
Without a doubt it is the most important phase of the race as a qualification in the top 5 of the battery means starting from the front line in the final on Sunday and therefore having fewer competitors in front of you to overcome!
It should be added that the first 20 of each heat go directly to the Europe Cup Maxi Final!
Also there will be the Amateurs and Challanger finals for those who did not qualify in the top twenty!
The Rustick qualifications
Some data?
- 20 to 25 minutes of descent
–1500 meters of negative altitude
–Bike park, roots, pedaled, roots, stones, steep, tight curves, slow technique!
I start quite well around the eighth position but in the pedaling the most prepared athletes overtook me as if there was no tomorrow so I close my qualification in twelfth position, a earned Europe Cup final and start from the third row |
And vaiiiii! another European Cup final won and we fly to the Final…. However, I didn't remember a tough qualifying like the one on Saturday…. I think it's one of the hardest tracks I've ever ridden with the highest level I've encountered in my career so far!
The Rustick Gara ...
RUSTIC RACE
As usual, I gave it my all, get to the end of the race without energy and get the most out of this experience. The level in Andorra is very high and my dream was to finish in the absolute 30 and 15 in the category but I did not feel fit, I made a lot of mistakes and I could not go beyond an absolute 55th position in the second heat ... I remember that I am 600 subscribers
TACTICS and Path
In this race it was very important to do some good qualifying and start well because here in Andorra there are not many wide spots where it is possible to overtake the opponents, not to mention that after two initial corners the first part of the race takes place on a red track in the bike. park where the speeds are very high with panettone and banks….
The final part, on the other hand, is very slow, narrow, steep in pure enduro world series style 🙂
INFORMATION ON THE RACE OF THE PROS
Who won?
The race was won by Kevin Michel a great name in the international enduro who in his career has also mortgaged a third absolute position during the enduro world series of Finale Ligure just last year and currently fifth in the world circuit
The second position was conquered by the dominator of last year mister Youn Deniaud, another athlete of great importance in the world of gravity with top 10 performances in some enduro world series races as well as having won all the stages of the Maxi Avalanche circuit in 2018. .
Third place for Clement Charles, another young Frenchman always placed both in the Maxi Avalanche and in the French Enduro Cup.
Fourth position for Bruwiere Olivier another specialist of downhill marathon second in 2018 in the Italian stage of Cervinia
Albin Cambos great athlete always placed in the maxi Avalanche as well as having obtained the second absolute position in the Epic Enduro a few weeks ago.
Between the women he win was the very strong Estelle charles who set times to make even the boys tremble
MAXI KID
Excellent turnout of kids from 7 to 14 years old and as a fan of this discipline I can only congratulate the organization for having created a format for the youngest who compete for 50% on the track where the champions of this discipline. Then there is no question why the French are so strong (Rustick's note)
What did I feel in this race?
The Maxi Avalanche are one of the few things that make me understand what the meaning of the word FEAR and PANIC means, in which I feel the tension that devours me while I am in the starting gate and the adrenaline that makes me travel trajectories outside the normal during racing runs in order to overcome the opponent in front of me
You know those beautiful trips with friends in which you have the only desire to get up in the morning, gas all day in the bike park up and down with the chairlift at full speed between panettone, parables, roots until they close the lifts praying that the controller let me go up again to make the last climb even though the closing time is long past!
Here is what I expect from these races called adventures #maxiavalanche!
and here are the wonderful sensations that these races transmit to me!
INTERVIEW WITH RUSTICK SOLUTIONS ITALIAN DOWNHILL MARATHON CREW
In the meantime, I also had the opportunity to interview my fellow adventurers who tell their experience firsthand ...
Let's start with George Righi the most creative of the bunch! How did your race go?
Ready to go, sloth departure fifth, sixth.
A few clashes in front and a good pace in the pedal and I returned to second position
when the left crank arm comes out.
Luckily I was near a shop and I went in and asked for two Allen screws, repaired and restarted I finish my race heats in last position!
second run
Starting sloth d again
reassembly up to the second
hook the first
the technical stretch begins and I have disconnected
I ended the race unexpectedly fourth in the absolute despite the first heat went very badly!
what did you like in particular about this trip?
The company
Now let's move on to the veteran of the Nonno Gianluca Pinardi group
Rustick: - how did your race go?
Gian: -DI M ... I could have finished third!
Rustick: - Why what happened?
John:-I got off to a very good start, too bad that during a direct collision with another competitor in the first heat he compromised the functioning of the rear brake! And from here I went back by cable car. a real shame because I could play for the podium of the M60 category
And now the word to my team mate mister Davide Zorzetto aka Zorzi ...
Rustick: - How did this race go?
Zorzi: - My race went badly as I had an accident in the first heat and my bike got jammed with another bike during the initial stages causing the gearbox to break
I solved the problem by losing about two minutes, and lastly I started off again with determination and managed to recover up to the eightieth position.
Second heat
Given the bad experience in the first heat I decided to change the position on the starting grid and I moved to the left but unfortunately at the first corner I find myself far behind again, I try to make some risky overtaking in order to recover positions and when I see the Rustick few position in front of mine I decide to risk everything to overcome it but unfortunately the line I chose proved fatal as I broke a spoke and cut the tire and consequently I had to retire.
Rustick for the whole crew: - What did you like most about this trip to Vallnord!
Crew: - la company, location and the quality of the trails
Rustick for the whole crew: - You who have been hanging out in the world of downhill marathon how do you see this race?
George Righi:-In my opinion, it's mountain bike racing because it combines all the characteristics of the biker: Crosscountry, enduro, downhill
Rustick for the whole crew: - while what do you think of the level?
John:-Since I have been doing them since 2005, the level has increased dramatically, the times have halved, the driving technique has evolved.
Rustick:-What would you like to say to those people who have never approached this world? who don't know what they are Downhill Marathon? how can we explain it to you in short?
John:- at the start there are over 500 competitors from the avid enduro world cup rider or downhill but also many amateurs who don't mind walking down from the more technical points.
Furthermore, in addition to the race, we can run in some of the most beautiful areas in Europe like this one here in Vallnord
Rustick: - What drives you after all these years to still participate in these races?
John:- One passion for this sport and the second reason is that the Maxis act as pschanalist for the problems and strees accumulated at work
Rustick:– What do you think of Rustick solutions italian downhill mass start team
Crew: - It is wonderful to share this passion with a group of friends united by the love for the downhil marathon and it is wonderful to share human and sporting experiences with everyone around Europe!
All these guys have several years of experience in this discipline while I only approached towards the end of 2017 during the Megavalanche at the Alp d'Huez where I found myself by chance among the participants and from that day I fell madly in love with it. format.
I will never stop thanking the crew for teaching me so much by giving me advice on the technique to use in the starts at the trajectories.
A PARTICULAR THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUPPORTED US IN THIS RACE
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