Yeah I wondered down for a look in the afternoon heats. First downhill race I've seen live. To be honest I surprised how slow most of them were. Much faster than I would have been, but not quite the crazy rippers I imagined.
The course was mostly long steps and a couple of purpose made ramps which, apart from a steep one at the bottom which was effectively a drop off, nothing too demanding for a full on DH rig. In fact you could have rolled down it fairly easily (but very slowly) on an XC bike. But I guess it's the speed that makes it hard.
Many riders seemed a lot like me - more gear than skills! Maybe 1 in 4 was actually going for it, although the guys that did hit the gas were pretty impressive.
Nice to see that kind of event come to town with such a great rider turnout. Urban settings are good for getting the sport noticed, if a little more tame than a real DH run.
Didn't see many old bikes, but a few famous one including the millyard bike. Also lots of two wheeled money left leaning against walls etc.. metres away from the nearest people, reminded me of how I used to dump my Apollo while we messed around on rope swings etc.. back in '91! Except these guys aren't riding Apollos! Can't help wondering if any went missing...
