FOX RACING SHOX
NEWS & EVENTS
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After the two World Cup races in Quebec, and a visit to Trek's headquarters in Wisconsin by the XC and DH team riders, the two DH men headed to the MTB Mecca, Whistler Mountain, about 2 hours outside of Vancouver.The event boasts more than 10 different competitions and events, with our guys opting for the Dual Slalom, Air Downhill and Garbanzo Downhill.
The Garbanzo Downhill, at around 14 minutes in length, is considered by most to be the hardest downhill race in the world. Starting way up at the top of the Whistler Bike Park, it then drops 3,400 vertical feet into the town square. Training the course is almost impossible due to the length, but both riders got at least one run in. Justin has finished 2nd here before and knew the pain he was about to experience. Check out his trepidation on the latest video pre race interview.
http://www.trekbikes.com/twr
With the course record set by Gee Atherton (GBR) last year at 14mins 27secs, Justin smashed the time with a 13min 44.55secs, with 2nd place going to Chris Kovarik (AUS) - 13m 46.61secs and third Sam Hill (AUS) 13m 48.31secs. This was Justin's first big international win for Trek World Racing, and a testament to the Session 88 which was light enough to make racing that distance less of an issue, but strong enough to withstand all the heavy hits on the way down.
Justin said afterwards: "I couldn't even speak after I crossed the line, I didn't even know where I was! Man that was a big effort. At some points I thought I was being too smooth and conservative, and then other time I really started to step it up. I have learned some things in testing which really helped me here, and I'm stoked to be where I am right now in my training".
Team mate Andrew Neethling finished 6th, despite having a full day of Dual Slalom racing in his legs. This is a real testament to the guys' fitness going into the World Championships course, one that is sure to be conquered by a rider of fitness.
The second podium for the team came a bit later in the program, with the Air Downhill on the famous A-Line course that has nearly 100 jumps on it. Andrew Neethling finished 3rd despite an error close to the finish which most say cost him 2nd.
Andrew said: "The A-Line course is a really fun track to ride, but to race it can be tricky as you're coming into the jumps really quickly. It has a ton of pedaling and is very demanding. I planned to pedal and attack each section hard as I could as you cannot afford to leave anything behind. There is not much to separate the riders. I knew Brian Lopes would be quick being on a smaller bike but felt the Session 88 handled the task so well. I made a mistake coming out of the last woods. I over-jumped and landed on the flat. I saw this line in practice but at race pace, it didn't work out so well. The crowd loved it though!! I'm happy to get a podium leading into Worlds in Canberra."
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