The iXS European Downhill Cup is ready for another round! The third race of the season takes us to yet another highlight with the Crankworx Festival in Les Deux Alpes and there are some big names among the 300 riders from 28 different nations. Everything calls for an exciting weekend!
Last season, the cup already visited Les Deux Alpes (France) as a part of the Crankworx and we are looking forward to returning there for another exciting race! Everyone who calls him or herself part of this scene eventually knows the name of this festival. Those of you who don’t: do your homework fast! Imported from Canada, the European version of the Crankworx belongs to the creme de la creme of all Gravity festivals. This naturally calls for the top riders of the downhill elite and therefore makes it the perfect venue of the iXS European Downhill Cup.
But what exactly is it that makes it so special? Maybe the EUR 5000 for the Crankworx downhill champ? Or rather the fact that it will be broadcasted all over the world by Red Bull? Or the extremely fast and demanding track? Or maybe it’s just the perfect mixture of all those things and many more. Anyway, the riders were more than just eager to participate in this race. This season the list of starters includes the GT Factory Team with Rachel and Gee Atherton (GBR), Team Lapierre Gravity Republic with Loic Bruni (FRA), Polygon UR Team including Tracey Hannah (AUS), Trek World Racing´s George Brannigan (NZL), Commencal Riding Addiction with Myriam Nicole (FRA) and the Giant Factory Off Road Team sending Marcelo Gutierrez (COL) just to mention some of them. Last but not least, it came as a surprise that also Anneke Beerten (NED – Specialized Racing) will attend.
If you did not get the attraction of the race yet, let the topographical facts speak for themselves: 2700 meter in length, including a 700-meter descend, high-speed passages, huge jumps and many other surprises make it one of the most popular tracks of the whole season. Last year, Gee Atherton finished in only 3:35.62 minutes, proving how fast it can get out there.
And if you still need more input to raise overall anticipation and excitement, have a look at last year’s race!