LAURIE GREENLAND CROWNED AS WORLD CHAMPION

After a very strong World Cup season never being out of the top 3, and winning the overall World Cup title, Trek World Racing’s Laurie Greenland backed up his silver medal from 2014 by taking it a top step further, winning the World Championship and receiving the coveted UCI Rainbow Jersey.

Meanwhile his team mates Brook MacDonald and George Brannigan had strong showings with both being the fastest at the 2nd interval during their run, but Brook unfortunately came off his bike in the steep technical section, and George suffered from a lack of upper body strength and rode the final sector a little too tightly and lost time precious time, but still finished 15th.

Laurie said: “I’ve loved this track ever since we got here, whether it was in the pouring rain or drying out as it was for the final race. The last steep sector is really the type of riding I love the best. Before the run I was in the start house, had some quiet thoughts to myself about how far things have come in these past two years, and just tried to remain relaxed. I sprinted a little too hard out of the start and had to sit down on the bridge and recover a bit but then I just got into it. Martin (Maes) put up a great time and I’m just happy the result went my way today. It really is a huge honor to win this title and
do so in front of friends and family who came to Andorra to support me.”

Laurie’s World Title brings to 4 the number of World Championships won by the team since its inception, 2 in Downhill and 2 in XC.

Team Owner Martin Whiteley said: “It was a tough start to the week when a major storm hit the area and several teams including us suffered major damage to our team set up. Fortunately we managed to recover quickly from that and get on with the racing. Brook and George once again showed speed during the week but the World Champs run is a tough race where you have to give it everything and it doesn’t always pay off, but I’m extremely proud of how they’ve represented the team with poise and professionalism all year. Laurie’s result just caps off a brilliant season. He’s continued to grow as an athlete and his ability to read a race and deliver are exceptional. To end this season on such a high, adding Laurie’s gold medal to the 3 golds, 4 silvers and bronze the team has already achieved over the years, was a great bonus for all the staff and sponsors of TWR.”

Justin Leov Episode 2 2015 EWS Round 3

It’s Not Over 'til it’s Over!

With back to back EWS weekends I think everyone knew it would come down to who could recover the best from Ireland. It was in Peebles last year where I managed to score my first podium ever and with two days of racing so much can happen, so it's an exciting race. Coming from near perfect conditions in Ireland it was almost a given before I checked the weather forecast that we would see some typical Scottish weather over the week. It was pretty much what we expected but with extreme changes, we would see everything from blue skies to sideways rain with ice, axle-deep mud to fresh dusty loam! The week would see a lot of woollen clothing, rain jackets and waterproof gloves and our nutrition requirements would be huge this week.

So with the Tweedlove EWS there are basically two aspects, day one on the Innerleithen side and day two at Glentress, a few kms up the road. The first day at Innerleithen would see the more DH style trails; we would start with a physical stage but once through that it would be tight trees, tree roots and who could stay on. Day two on the Glentress side would have a mix of technical stages in the woods and flat out hammer to the wall endurance stages. This is where I learnt last year the race is won or lost and carrying speed while being in top physical condition would really make the difference. With these facts I had a simple game plan. Get through day one without any major dramas and then put all my energy into day two where the freshness would pay off.. Hopefully!

Practice this time around was over three days, it allowed a day on each side and one day of ‘choose which ever stage you want’. Learning these courses requires energy and there is always the fine line of how many times do you want to climb back to practice versus saving the energy with a single run. This time around we chose to ride both stage 1 and 2 twice and then a single on stage 3 and stage 4. For a first day of practice this was around 2000 meters of climbing. Getting the morning done with mild conditions we soon got to experience our first weather patterns coming in and rain showers to play in.

For the second day of training we would see rain on and off all day. This would break into blue sky moments at about a ratio of 20mins dry to 10mins wet. The climb back out from stage 5 would also show us sideways rain and being blasted by ice which felt like being on a windy sandy beach! Today we opted to start with a single on stage 6 , then ride stage 7 twice then stage 8 and finish with a couple of stage 5. This meant we could learn the fresher DH style courses and save energy on the longer more physical stages by only riding once.

After our morning roll down stage 6 it was evident this would be a key stage. It was nearly 13 mins long on the camera footage and had three decent climbs which would totally break up the field. I knew there would also be some controversy about this stage. It was so physical and basic in terms of technical aspects that some people would be struggling to be able to handle it. None the less I was happy, physical is what I train for as well as technical. We're not just racing Downhill, Enduro is meant to be in my opinion a mixture of both. With another 1800 meters climbed today in the rain I was starting to once again feel the body.

The morning of the last day of training I was feeling quite tired so I canned my original plan of a run on stage 1, 3 and 4 and opted for a single run on stage 1 and then put the feet up and rest the remaining day. It was the right call for me and by evening I was feeling human again and ready for the abuse I was going to get the following days.

Race Day 1: Innerleithen 4 stages with a forecast of blue skies! Happy days.

With around 7 hours from start to finish, this would be a stress free day in terms of liaison times. Each stage would allow us to cruise up and not have to drop the hammer at any point in the day to make a start time. Beginning on Stage 1 this would have us pedal straight out of the gate and then hit awkward speed zapping rocks before settling into the run on freshly cut wooded sections and steep chutes. It was a bit of shock to the system for first stage of the day and for some reason I felt a bit flustered. Crashing on right hander near the top of rocky section I instantly swore to myself and pushed on for the rest of the run annoyed. Not the start I had hoped for.

Stage 2 was wide open fast and some bar grabbing trees which were damn close at high speed. I liked this stage a lot and felt good in training going fast. This time around I threw down a fast run without crashing and slotted into 2nd for the stage behind Richie Rude. Back on track.

With a timing check and a feed station I didn't bother refilling my bladder as there would be water 30 mins up the next climb at another feed station (well I thought there would be at least) arriving there I was gutted to see all the water had gone and I would be on my own for the next hour before they hopefully refilled the water if I was lucky!

Stage 3 was flat out fast up top above the tree line then a moment of darkness as we entered the woods Clear and sharp vision is essential in our sport, in such conditions even more. High quality lens is a must. I had a clean run with no mistakes so another one checked off and happy for the final stage of the day. Climbing back up for stage 4 had us pass the previous empty feed station once more. Luckily for me this time there was water and I was a happy man. Neglecting fluid is something that you never want to do in these races.

Final stage of the day and this one would race us further down the hill than stage 3. It would be a similar terrain with tight woods and plenty of roots to deflect the wheels off line. Unfortunately for me it wasn't to be a clean run and although I felt my riding was well under control, I misjudged my speed into a right hander and down I went for the second time of the day. Finishing the stage I was annoyed again with myself for giving up some more time to leaders. Official time check would show I was 20 seconds down for the day behind Richie Rude and in 9th position.

Frustration didn't last long though and my focus changed to day two and how I would need not only a clean day but there would be no way I could leave anything on the stages. #fullgas!

I woke on Sunday to read some really disappointing news. The event would be cut from four stages today down to two due to some predicted weather and high winds that could potentially bring trees down in the forest. I could totally understand the safety aspects and knew the call needed to be made but still, I was gutted. I thought at this stage I could bring back enough time in two stages to maybe get back to a podium finish but that would be riding the socks off it so to speak. I thought my chances of being able to win would be a far push.

Setting off for the day we had much colder conditions than our previous day of blue skies. Cold winds and rain showers reminded me of the practice days before and with only stage 5 and stage 8 it was going to be super short day in the elements. Stage 5 would be a short fresh downhill stage that finished on slippery roots. The ruts were deep in practice so everyone was going to have a mission of stage for the race. It didn't take more than a few corners and I realised this was going to be a tough one to stay clean. The mud was incredible, every rut wanted to grab your wheels and if you slowed your speed down too much the mud was so thick it could throw you off as well. It was one of those stages you had to go fast and hold on and whatever you did, keep your feet on while in the ruts! I managed a fast clean run and 3rd for the stage. Richie had had a real problem In this stage losing his lead and with my clean run I had moved up the ladder to around 5th. I needed to empty everything I had for the final stage of the day if I was to achieve my goal of clawing myself back into a podium position.

There was a couple of key points to stage 8. It started further up the hill than previously planned due to the day being shortened. It now would have about 2 mins of stage 6 on the start of the stage and this is all bike park style corners where speed carrying is really important. We then would climb a short section before hitting the wide open part of the run and where it got fun! The middle of the run was again all about carrying your speed through flowy turns before the most aggressive short climb followed by a fire road downhill and then grind up the last short hill to have a fast and flowy descent to the finish. I needed to be aggressive for this one and I planned to hurt myself massively on the pedalling.

I would say this run was on the edge for me, I had some moments where I was at the seat of my pants but just held it together and then the hurt I put though my legs was incredible. This was one of those runs when I was in constant fight between wanting to stop pushing so hard because it hurt so bad and the desire to want to win so bad it pushed me to hold it at the absolute limit. I remember the feeling of not enough oxygen as I crossed the finish line but with nothing left on the stage I was totally happy with my day and super exited to see how I had done with the weekend’s standings.

A short 10min ride back to the finish arena and with the final time check I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the timing board. I had bloody done it! I had brought back not only enough time to hit the podium but had just sneaked past Florian Nicolai and Greg Callaghan to take my first ever EWS victory! It was my biggest dream come true, speechless it didn't really sink in until the podium and hearing my name called out as the winner, I couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off my face. What a bloody weekend and what a bloody day!! Taking over the series lead from Jerome was another unexpected surprise and with a dominant ride from Tracy and another solid ride from Rene once again we were the top team for the weekend. You just can't ask for anything better than that!

I feel hugely proud to be series leader. It’s something to hold with respect and I've always looked up to the riders holding it. Heading into a short break it's now time to have a regroup and freshen the mind and body again. The next round in France will be another battle and will have its challenges but getting back to the higher mountains is something I'm really looking forward to and seeing some long stages again will be a lot of fun!

See you out there

Justin Leov's Diary Season 2 Episode 2 - EWS Emerald Enduro

It was almost like offseason again after the Rotorua EWS. Being back at home and training away, days were getting shorter and the change in temperature was turning towards winter. Seeing regular race coverage starting to pop up on the all the social media feeds got me excited to leave NZ and get back to the racing. With an eye on the climate in Ireland I was starting to prepare myself for what could be a muddy race, in similar conditions to the autumn.

New Zealand I was about to leave. This year is a bit of a special one for the Leov family; when we leave NZ we will be gone as a family until October. Usually with Tory and now Luca left at home we have made plans to setup base in Finale Ligure, Italy, and be able to enjoy our downtime in an Italian summer instead of a New Zealand winter. Packing for 6 months is always a challenge but once your on the plane, that's that.

Landing into Ireland just over a week early was my plan. I wanted to be able to chill out and get over the jet lag before practice kicked off.  Leaving NZ, Luca and Tory had been sick with colds and mine came as soon as I boarded my first flight. I thought I would try and blow it out with a good ride with the locals but all I did was make it worse.  Bed for a few days was the smartest call after that. With time up my sleeve I was able to recover and I was feeling back on track come the first practice day.

First impressions of the courses showed a mixture of fast, flowy and technical, importance to carry speed and blind roll overs you needed to learn.  Elevation was clearly a lot lower than our European locations but none the less the courses looked good. The event quickly got named the "social enduro" due to the liaison climbs being between 5-7 percent grades and easier transition times.

Practice was a bit like dusting out the cobwebs but my speed was there and it didn't take more than a couple of stages and my speed and comfort were back where they needed to be. I decided to ride every stage twice in training and although it would be big days I hoped the extra course knowledge would help more than the extra fatigue. This meant for a 2000m vertical day on Friday and 54km of off road goodness, and on Saturday 1600m and 45km. You can imagine my meals have been extra large after those days!

Race day was forecasted for perfect weather. The weather obviously influences the whole way you deal with the race, starting from choosing the right lenses for your goggles.

Stage 1 was a mixture of wide open, hold the handlebars tight and don't brake type of riding and carrying speed the best you can over tire grabbing rocks. It woke the body up and had potential to really bite if you got it wrong. I started the day with a clean fast run and finished 2nd behind Barel.

Stage 2 was the most physical and longest of the stages. Big rock slabs at the top and then fast pedalling straights. This was crazy with the crowd presence, and there was even a helicopter filming us from the start, so it felt very "rock star" for an enduro event. I put down great power through this stage but could only manage 4th this time around.

Stage 3 was again on the rock slab start but this time a head wind and the flattest stage of the weekend. Lots of cut of stumps were reaching for your pedals and sharp rocks to cut the tires. I was hurting in this stage but held it together to get my first stage victory of the weekend.

With Stage 4 coming up and then a quick lunch break I must of been in hurry to get back to eat because I backed up my stage 3 win with another win and started to have a small lead going into the remaining 3 stages. On entering the pits I found out I was leading but knew it wasn't going to an easy afternoon. Plenty of tough terrain to come. I've been in this situation before and you can't count on anything until you cross the finish line!

Stage 5 and I pushed a bit too hard off the start into the first woods. I nearly crashed on a root and needed to gather myself losing some valuable seconds steering off course. I told myself to calm down and the rest of the run was good. With that moment I dropped down a little to finish 8th for the stage.

Up to stage 6 and this was my favorite for the weekend. Fast and rocky and with the crowd it felt like my DH days again! My start was almost a mirror from Stage 5, this time nearly crashing on the upper rock section and losing my flow. This time a little bit better into 7th but not the perfect run.

We were now on the final stage of the weekend. Energy levels were good, bike was holding together and I was happy with my riding all day. I decided a smart clean run was what I should do for the final. I had no idea where I was sitting in the overall at this point but a crash or puncture would be devastating ( I've also been-there-done-that!). It was an enjoyable run, I hit my lines and rode smooth, so it was a great finish to a fun day racing bikes!

The finish line atmosphere was out of this world! Local boy Greg Callaghan had out ridden me in the last three stages to take the win but my consistency had landed me in 2nd overall and jumped me from 4th overall in the series points to 2nd, right behind Jerome. An awesome experience and an awesome crowd!!

Another big race for my team mates as well , Tracy taking out the woman's category and Rene back from injury to ride into 7th saw us the fastest team of the weekend. I now head to Scotland where it all begins again on Wednesday with the first day of practice! Got to rest these legs... See you later Ireland!

George Brannigan Defends National Title

In a team 1-2 that saw Trek World Racing’s George Brannigan and Brook MacDonald claim the gold and silver at the New Zealand National Downhill Championships today in Rotorua, the team also saw the continuation of the title staying 'in house'. Since Justin Leov won the title in 2012, Trek World Racing riders have taken their Sessions to the winner’s circle 4 years running.

In a superb run today, George was the only rider to break the three minute barrier on the new course at the Skyline Rotorua Mountain Bike Gravity Park, finishing in 2mins 59.85secs. Brook took second with a 3m 03.35secs with both riders well clear of World Number 5 Sam Blenkinsop in third at 3mins 05.82secs.

George said he didn’t let the fact he was defending champion play on his mind.

“To be honest I just treated it like any other national race because in New Zealand everyone is so laid back, and I think that helped because I didn’t feel any pressure,” said Brannigan.

He also enjoyed the chance to retain his jersey on the new course.

“Everyone had to adapt to this new course, but it’s the style of track I like – fast and rough. Coming down I had a couple of moments, but that’s just natural because the track is so loose, so I was like ‘man I hope I stay on’, and I did.”

Brannigan had earlier set the fastest seeding time, with a 3:00.69 run, nearly five seconds better than his closest rival.

“I got three (minutes) flat in seeding and didn’t pedal too hard, so I knew I could break it (the 3 minute barrier) – so I just pedalled hard and it worked out”.

Both George and Brook take some time off from local racing now to focus on the upcoming events at Crankworx Rotorua at the end of next month.

Brook MacDonald Races to the Podium in Windham

In an exciting and closely fought round 6 of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Windham, USA, Trek World Racing’s Brook MacDonald made his 2nd appearance on the 2014 World Cup podium with a 5th place ride on the fast, rocky and short track. His podium ride also marked the 40th World Cup podium for the Trek Session since the team started; the most successful downhill bike in recent history.

Fellow Kiwi George Brannigan also had a great ride improving on his qualifier to move into the top 10, landing a solid 8th place. The result good enough to launch him into 17th overall giving him protected rider status going into the next round in France.

Local hero Neko Mulally was on a flyer of a run, 3rd fastest at the 1st split and destined for the podium, when unfortunately his front wheel washed out in a blown out berm, and he went down. Amazingly he salvaged the run, finishing with enough points in 25th to move up in the overall standings to 9th.

Greg Williamson also moved up 5 places in the overall standings after his steady ride to 22nd place. After qualifying in the top 20 he was a little disappointed by his conservative run, but learned a lot from the experience.

Unfortunately for Laurie Greenland, the UCI doesn’t afford protected status for the top 10 juniors and so a puncture in qualifying left him out of the finals on Sunday.

Brook said: “Always stoked to get on the podium and now I have two of these under my belt for the season, my confidence has lifted greatly. I feel great on the bike and can’t wait to lift my level even further coming into the next two big events”.

Neko said: “You have to really lay it on the line with a track line this and I was so happy with how I was riding the final. The crash came out of nowhere and I was on the ground before I knew it, but thankfully with my 3rd place qualifier I’ve earned enough points to improve my overall. Keen to take my current form to France for the finals”.

George said: “I had a lot of fun on my run, this track is pretty wild and you have to push it to get a result. Really happy to get protected status and to know I’m riding at a great level at this end of the season”.

The team’s next race is World Cup Round 7 in Méribel, France, on August 22 and 23.