European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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weeksy
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

Post by weeksy »

Well it looks like the European Champs open tomorrow (i think) for entry.

This time we're heading to Spain. La Molina, which is just on the border between France and Spain, not a million miles from Andorra. It's over the weekend of the end of July and start of Aug. We've got all our accomodation booked for the drive down, along with the train over the water. Just waiting for both entry to open and also the paddock parking arrangements.
The boy is racing in Juniors this year which is the class due to his age... It'll be incredibly tough as always with all the super fast year 2 juniors who are racing on World Cup teams.... but it's all part of the adventure.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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Don't suppose you'll have time for sight-seeing but the area immediately to the north and north-east is :thumbup:

(Font-Romeu isn't far away and is the national altitude training centre and has the world's largest solar furnace. Livia just across the border is a little bit of Spain within France. Great hiking territory - we walked there, from the coast, but it'd be great for mtb expeditions).
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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Count Steer wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 8:48 am Don't suppose you'll have time for sight-seeing but the area immediately to the north and north-east is :thumbup:

(Font-Romeu isn't far away and is the national altitude training centre and has the world's largest solar furnace. Livia just across the border is a little bit of Spain within France. Great hiking territory - we walked there, from the coast, but it'd be great for mtb expeditions).
LOL very much not i'm afraid.
We'll be driving down, stopping 2/3 of the way through France on day 1, then onto the Bike Park day 2 for setup, then racing etc till Sunday. Sunday night we'll be done but bedding down and then heading to Andorra for a day on the World Cup track for him, then finally onto Morzine on the Tuesday from there for 10-12 days.
If it were part of the 10-12 days we may do, but we've got to get to Geneva to pick up Mrs Weeksy for the 'family holiday' :D
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

Post by Skub »

weeksy wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 9:05 am
Count Steer wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 8:48 am Don't suppose you'll have time for sight-seeing but the area immediately to the north and north-east is :thumbup:

(Font-Romeu isn't far away and is the national altitude training centre and has the world's largest solar furnace. Livia just across the border is a little bit of Spain within France. Great hiking territory - we walked there, from the coast, but it'd be great for mtb expeditions).
LOL very much not i'm afraid.
We'll be driving down, stopping 2/3 of the way through France on day 1, then onto the Bike Park day 2 for setup, then racing etc till Sunday. Sunday night we'll be done but bedding down and then heading to Andorra for a day on the World Cup track for him, then finally onto Morzine on the Tuesday from there for 10-12 days.
If it were part of the 10-12 days we may do, but we've got to get to Geneva to pick up Mrs Weeksy for the 'family holiday' :D
All that 'having a good time' sounds like hard work. I need a lie down just reading that.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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Skub wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 9:17 am
weeksy wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 9:05 am
Count Steer wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 8:48 am Don't suppose you'll have time for sight-seeing but the area immediately to the north and north-east is :thumbup:

(Font-Romeu isn't far away and is the national altitude training centre and has the world's largest solar furnace. Livia just across the border is a little bit of Spain within France. Great hiking territory - we walked there, from the coast, but it'd be great for mtb expeditions).
LOL very much not i'm afraid.
We'll be driving down, stopping 2/3 of the way through France on day 1, then onto the Bike Park day 2 for setup, then racing etc till Sunday. Sunday night we'll be done but bedding down and then heading to Andorra for a day on the World Cup track for him, then finally onto Morzine on the Tuesday from there for 10-12 days.
If it were part of the 10-12 days we may do, but we've got to get to Geneva to pick up Mrs Weeksy for the 'family holiday' :D
All that 'having a good time' sounds like hard work. I need a lie down just reading that.
It's a funny sport and i'm still not sure why, but after a weekend of racing i'm utterly knackered, stiff, achey etc.. I assume it's because for most of the weekend you're up on your feet from 6am till 10pm and not really spending that much time sitting and chilling, or not as much as you'd think. I don't know if it's the intensity of up and down emotions, adrenaline, whatever. But it's hard on the spanner crew as much as on the rider i think. Then you add in the fact it's a LONG drive to get down to Spain and back.... it's all pretty hard.
I wouldn't change any of it though that's for sure.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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Q? I don't suppose altitude acclimatisation is required? The max the lifts go to at La Molina is about 2.5k metres and base about 1.7k.

I assume the competition is mainly on the lower parts...or is a 800m top to bottom race a reasonable thing for riders and spectators? (I guess that skiers do it so...).
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

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Count Steer wrote: Tue May 27, 2025 11:22 am Q? I don't suppose altitude acclimatisation is required? The max the lifts go to at La Molina is about 2.5k metres and base about 1.7k.

I assume the competition is mainly on the lower parts...or is a 800m top to bottom race a reasonable thing for riders and spectators? (I guess that skiers do it so...).
Can't say anyone i ever know has given it thought. At an Enduro race where it's more pedalling both up and down, i've heard it's harder at altitude, but in terms of DH i've not seen it mentioned.
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Re: European championships DH @weeksy08 racing adventure.

Post by weeksy »

So once again it's the weekend of the European Championships.

Spain this time and La Molina as the location, but i don't know whether this will be the layout for it. But it was the layout a couple of weeks ago for the National Champs, so maybe a basis on a theme.

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