Ax 3 Domaines hosted the second stage of the French Downhill Marathon Cup as well as the last stage of the Maxi Avalanche circuit. In the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees, the Ax 3 Domaines ski resort, connected by cable car to the spa town of Ax-les-Thermes, offers ski lovers three ski areas – Bonascre, Le Saquet and Les Campels – for a total of at least 80 kilometers of slopes. Which in summer are transformed into MTB paths. We are an hour from Andorra on the Spanish border.
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MAXI ROUTE AND RACE MAP AX
As for each stage of Maxiavalanche, free practice on Friday (not mandatory), qualifying on Saturday and race on Sunday (2 heats). The qualifications, divided into 4 heats, are used to decide the grid positions on Sunday: the first 100 run race A (Scratch) while the others run the Challenger. The qualifications also decree the starting rows: the first 5 of each heat, first row (A), from 5th to 10th, second row (B) and so on for the other riders.
After the victory in Pra-Loup, Arnaud Garanger took a liking to it. The Frenchman, a Master card who rides a Marin bike, puts behind a PRO athlete like Theo Galy (Team Sunn), 33rd in the last EWS test in Loudenvielle. Glenn Macarthur of Santa Cruz France closes the podium.
Three Italians at the start: Davide Zorzetto (53rd), myself (Davide Finetto, 17th) and Gian Luca Pinardi, who has been in the Maxiavalanche world for 20 years and also this year winner of the M60 stage.
Among the women, success for the Frenchwoman Nastasia Gimenez ahead of Claire Chabber and Maelle Escudero. No Italians at the start in this race.
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The usual 365mountainbike vlog video is arriving in the next few days.
MEN'S RANKING
| 1 | GARRANGER, Arnaud (101) | LE HANGAR DU VELO BY |
| 2 | GALY, Theo (2) | SUNN FRENCH CO |
| 3 | MACARTHUR, Glenn (201) | SANTA CRUZ |
| 4 | GAILLOT, Baptiste (102) | TROPHÉE ENDURO DES A |
| 5 | FROM THE MASO, Raphael (302) | VTT ALTERNATIVES |
| 6 | VERNHET, Axel (1) | GIANT FRANCE |
| 7 | PEREZ ESTEBAN, Borja (202) | EXTREME SHOX RACING |
| 8 | PEREZ, Robin (301) | JPA ENDURO TEAM |
| 9 | MACAGNO, Antoine (203) | BATI CONCEPT |
| 10 | DURAND, Remy (104) | L DISCONFIDENTIEL NUKEP |
| ... | ||
| 17 | FINETTO, David (214) | MARBLE HEADS |
FEMALE RANKING
| 1 | GIMENEZ, Nastasia (210) | From | MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB L |
| 2 | CHABBERT, Claire (110) | From | JPA ENDURO TEAM |
| 3 | ESCUDERO, Maelle (10) | From | LACHTOUTEAM |
