2014 Ews Round 5 Winterpark Justin Leov's Diary

Next stop on the EWS Calendar was Winter Park Colorado. This round presented a few differences to previous races, such as the bike park environment, which saw the racing moving away from the European alpine terrain, also the racing at high altitude. Coming into this event I was nursing a couple of small injuries, which I had been working to recover since La Thuile and Valliore. A strain in my knee is awaiting diagnosis and treatment until I return to New Zealand in September, while ongoing tendonitis in my wrist was triggered by the long runs in Valliore. The weekend saw me relying on ice and kinesio tape to see me through the racing.

Once again we had a different format of racing for Colorado. Three days instead of the usual two. The format also saw us practice two stages, race them the following day, then the afternoon was spent practicing the following days stages. This meant that through the weekend you were either racing, practicing or sleeping!

There seemed to be a typical weather pattern, which was hot and dry in the mornings and around mid afternoon each day a storm rolled in. As a result of this the lift would shut down due to lighting. We were lucky for the first day of racing that our stages were to be raced in the morning.

Day 1:
Stage 1: This was a stage which was one of the longer bike park trails. Lots of berms, jumps, up hills and some physical pedalling straights. First stage of the weekend is always the one I find I’m nervous for. Generally after the first stage you settle into a rhythm or look at the areas you need to improve on. Before this stage I did a short warm up, my knee was sore so I wanted to save it as much as I could for the stages. Dropping in for my run and I was feeling tight. When I hit the first uphill section my usual power just wasn’t there. The jumps were fun on this stage but I finished off the pace in 11th.

Stage 2: This time less on the pedals and more of a Downhill Bike park stage. A couple of rock gardens and a section at the bottom where you needed to carry speed through rocks and flatter corners. A short but fun stage, a lot of guys knew this one, as it was the main trail of the bike park. With a stage already in the legs my body felt a lot better than the first stage. My knee felt good and I was ready to give it a charge! This stage seemed to flow a lot better, you could breath both of which contributed to a better feeling crossing the finish line in 5th place.

The rest of the day was spent practicing stage 3 which was over the backside of the mountain, it was a big day in the saddle. An important piece of equipment for reducing the amount of runs we need to make is a helmet camera. Being able to study the footage of a stage is so beneficial and with limited practice time its a valuable tool. On top of being the world's lightest full face helmet my MET Parachute comes with a very handy removable support for the helmet camera. Cool stuff!

Day 2:
Starting day 2 we had another surprise to the format. We would be meeting at 8am to practice stage 4 and 5 after a pedal liaison from the paddock area. A good warm up for the day with a decent climb before we would then race Stage 3, 4 and 5.

With only the one run on stage 4 and 5 I knew they were going to be hard. The terrain on these two stages was natural with tight corners in the trees and small stop start corners in some places, which made it hard to keep the flow. You needed to watch your handlebars on the trees and keeping traction while racing would be a challenge.

Stage 3: The name of this stage was Mountain Goat. A rocky natural stage, technical up top and then sections where you needed to carry speed over rocks in the middle then finishing on wide open fast fire road. I liked this stage and felt good in my run crossing the line in 4th. The finish of this stage saw us have a small climb to get to the start of stage 4.

Stage 4: The shortest stage of the weekend, just over 1 min 25 of racing with awkward trees to catch your handle bars on and the loose tight corners which were hard to hold speed. I never got into the flow this stage and fighting my bike and the terrain I was happy to see the end of it. 18th position, was a kick in the teeth!

Stage 5 was the final stage for day 2, a longer version of stage 4 but more physical. The terrain was in a forest which had been cut down so logs and stumps were everywhere. Care needed to be taken not to clip the pedals, it was easy to make time costing mistakes. As I sprinted off the start line I caught something with my back wheel and nearly had a big crash. Somehow I managed to stay on my bike but it was one of those moments when your heart nearly jumps out of your chest. The rest of my run was a mixture of small mistakes and fighting my bike again. I was frustrated to close the finish line but happy at least the stages were over. 13th place.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated as I sat on the lift to go and practice stage 6 and 7 for the afternoon. I needed to make up some time on the final day and to do that required a big effort in both stages. I worked hard learning the final stages and when I got back to the Condo I could feel the efforts of the day. An ice bath and stretch to recover.

Day 3:
We started stage 6 and this would be the most physical stage of the weekend. This stage had some really long flat sections in the trees, while it also had the challenge of catching your handles bars, especially when you were tired. It then had a big flat pedallly section in the middle of the course which basically finished you off before a fast fire road to the finish where your really were just hanging on your bike. The unfortunate surprise of this stage was that once we got through all the pedalling and to the fast finish we came across an accident. It was awful to come across one of the women riders who had injured themselves. People were on the course trying to stop us but in such a fast section and without any sort of warning flags myself and 3 riders were past the accident and finished the run before all the other riders were stopped. Back in paddock there was discussion as to what should happen, re run all or just the riders who were stopped. It was one of those moments when you didn’t want to go up for a rerun but the sporting thing to do was to go back and do one to be fair to all the other riders. I made the decision to go up and so did the other 3 so I was happy to see everyone pushing for a fair race.

The effort in the second run was equivalent as I dropped in for the rerun. My legs didn’t have the same power any more and I was having to ride a gear lower. Without any warning I lost the front wheel in a turn and down I went. I was a bit gutted because it was not the stage you could afford to crash on and I was trying to make time not lose it! I finished out my run with everything I had left in the tank and crossed the line in 10th.

Final stage: This was the downhill stage of the weekend and all I wanted to do was to leave nothing on the hill and really go for it. With a tire change and a few adjustments to my Remedy I had little time for a warm up, I was straight off the lift and into the start gate. My run seemed to fall into place this time, I was able to carry good speed and hit all my lines. The final stage went great and I had held it together to finish 3rd. A good way to close the weekend.

It has been a mixed race for me this weekend, some up and downs for sure but keeping the consistency going with a 5th overall finish has kept me in 3rd in the points series.

A big thanks to my Sponsors/team/coach/ and wife for all the help to get here this weekend. Without all this support I just couldn't do it!

Trek Factory Racing, Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Bontrager, MET, Bluegrass, Adidas eyewear, Stages power meters, CNP.

I now have two days testing with Trek and Fox Racing shocks so come Whistler in 2 weeks we should have some more time out of the bike and suspension.

- Justin -

Trek World Racing Expands Downhill Roster, Now Racing Junior World Cup

Trek World Racing is excited to announce that for 2014 it will be expanding to 5 Downhill riders being led by World Cup race winner Brook MacDonald (NZL) and his compatriot George Brannigan. Also returning are riders who both hit the top 10 in World Racing for the first time this past season, Neko Mulally (USA) back for his 5th season with the team, and Greg Williamson (SCO) whose promising season was unfortunately cut short by injury at the World Championships. Joining these 4 talented elite men come January will be emerging phenom Laurie Greenland from Bristol in the UK, who’ll be contesting the Junior World Cup in both 2014 and 2015. All riders will be aboard the Trek Session 9.9.

Brook MacDonald says: “I’m stoked to be heading into 2014 on TWR with a new shoulder and new beginnings. I am already itching for the 2014 season to start and getting things underway with such great support and people behind me. Everything is pointing towards a strong season and I can’t wait.”

Neko says: “I’m really excited to be returning for my 5th season with Trek World Racing. I've got good people around me; it feels like family to me! Next year I want to be a consistent top 10 rider and push towards the podium. Can't wait to get out there and make it happen!”

George says: “Next year I’m determined to get back to where I left off before knee surgery in 2012. I finished 2013 strong and finally I know where I need to be. With a good off-season not having to focus on recovery I know I’ll be well prepared for 2014, so I’m already impatient for the season to start.”

Greg says: “After an up-and-down season, I'm really looking forward to getting back to racing in 2014 with a different approach. I'm seeking a very successful second year with Trek World Racing. To have another British rider on the team is exciting. Laurie reminds me of my younger self so it’ll be cool to have that youth as a reminder of what it's all about, and to be able to help him reach his goals."

Laurie says: “I’m extremely excited about signing with Trek World Racing. To be on a big team like this has been a dream of mine since I was 8, so for it to actually happen is unbelievable! All the riders on the team are big names and to be given the opportunity to ride and be on the same team as them is pretty mad. The team will strongly support me to achieve my goals which include making a mark on the World Cup circuit, aiming for podiums and a medal at World Champs, as well as always being sure to have fun!”

Team Owner Martin Whiteley says: “It’s great to be able to announce our roster so early and to have all the preparations for 2014 well advanced. Being able to keep this elite group of 4 men together was really important as I believe both on and off the bike, they are one of the best groups of riders I’ve ever assembled for any team. Of course I’m delighted that we’re entering the Junior World Cup next year. The series was a great success in 2013 and to have Laurie representing us is huge, we’re excited about having the opportunity to help develop him into a fine World Cup racer.”

The team will also receive the guidance and assistance from experienced World Cup racer Justin Leov who takes up the role of Skills Coach and will be on hand working with the riders at various key events around the world.

The team is proud to confirm the following co-sponsors: Shimano (Brakes and Drive Train), Fox Racing Shox (Suspension), Bontrager (Tires and Wheels), Royal Racing (Competition and Casual Clothing), Seven IDP (Body Protection), FUNN (Handlebars/Stems), MRP (Chain Guides), DT Swiss (Hubs), SDG Components (Seats and Seat Posts), SRM (Power Measurement), Motorex (Lubricants and Cleaning Products), ODI (Grips), Cane Creek (Headsets) and Alpinestars (Team Baggage).

The team website www.trekworldracing.com will be updated in January with profiles of all 5 riders.

George and Neko Both Finish Top 15 at World Cup Finals

Perfect sunny conditions prevailed for the final World Cup race of the 2013 season here in Leogang, Austria, where Trek World Racing’s remaining uninjured downhill riders Neko Mulally (USA) and George Brannigan (NZL) had solid qualifiers Saturday. Neko had a career best qualifier coming in 7th place, and George had top 10 splits on his way down the hill, but 400m from the line had a crash which cost him time. However both riders went into the finals today knowing they had top 10 pace.

George went off about 1 hour before Neko and had a great run going. His run put him into the hot-seat as fastest rider at that point but only after unclipping his foot on the approach to the same corner where he fell in qualifying, crushing the family jewels.

“Yeah that was a pretty uncomfortable way to finish the run, but overall it was going well until then. I’m sure I lost a few seconds and even though I’ve ended up 13th for the day, I was having a solid top 10 run until that mistake. Considering I also hurt my shoulder in the crash yesterday and it wasn’t that good today, I do know the speed’s there and I feel 100% back to my best now”, said George shortly after leaving the hot-seat, where he sat for close to an hour.

Neko was on a great run as well and would have slotted into 3rd at the end of his run, and a guaranteed top 10, but lost 3 seconds in the final sector after making an error while pushing hard.

Neko said: “I knew I was having a great run, perhaps my best ever in World Cup racing and as I got towards the lower section of the course I made the conscious decision to keep pushing. Sometimes it’s easier to back off when you’ve had a great run for most of the course, but really great runs only come when you push the whole way. It can be riskier and unfortunately for me I did make that one mistake, but I’m glad I pushed for the result rather than be conservative. Finishing top 15 overall for the season was my goal, and today I achieved that”.

Team Owner Martin Whiteley summed up the Downhill season. “Injury definitely played a big part in our 2013 season. Aside from George’s knee recovery which we were aware of coming into the season, Brook’s shoulder injury before Andorra had a big impact for us. Then with Greg fracturing his collarbone and separating his shoulder in South Africa, it made for a tough time. Having said that, we have an awesome group of riders and there is strong team unity, and for me that’s very positive. Neko and George have done a great job these last 2 World Cup races and I know we’ll be back very strong in 2014.”

Next month Neko and Greg are planning to race in Mexico at the Taxco Downhill, and some other events may be announced in the coming days.

Two Top 15 Results at World Champs As Brook McDonald Retires from Season 2013

21 year old George Brannigan had his best ever result at a World Championship today here in Pietermaritzburg when he took 13th place, just one spot ahead of team mate Neko Mulally. The two riders looked solid all week and were happy with their performances on the demanding South African track. Meanwhile Brook MacDonald, who had earlier this week decided to end his season after this event so he can return home for important shoulder surgery, was unlucky to clip a tree and lose time, settling for 24th place.

For MacDonald the decision to return home has not been easy, but after getting further advice on the rotator cuff tear in his left shoulder, it's clear that he needs immediate surgery ahead of a recovery period of a few months. With an earlier start to the next World Cup season in 2014, the team supports Brook's decision to head home.

George, who himself has been on the road to recovery since he had knee surgery after season 2012, has been steadily rising back to his top form in recent races.

George said: "Both here and at Crankworx I've started to feel like my old self again. I thought it would only take a couple of races to get up to speed, but it has taken a fair bit longer. This is my best result ever on this track and I'm now really looking forward to one of my favourites, Hafjell in Norway in a couple of weeks".

Neko said: "When I arrived at the finish line today I was a little disappointed with myself because I still had some gas left in the tank. I needed to attack a little more and I guess that was the difference between 14th and a top 10. I'm still happy though and have learned from today's experience".

Both George and Neko will head to Norway in 2 weeks for Round 5 of the World Cup.

Strong Showing By Justin Leov at Enduro World Series Round 6

In the opening 2 stages of the 5 stage, 6th round, of the Enduro World Series in Val d'Isere, France, Justin Leov found himself in 2nd place overall behind Jared Graves (AUS), with only a few seconds separating them. Justin had elected to run his Remedy 29'er and with new Fox Suspension found the bike perfect for the opening stages.

However the good fortune and chances of an EWS podium came to a halt when Justin suffered a puncture on the rainy and windy 3rd Stage, and was unable to repair it quick enough to stay in contention. Yet on Stage 4, despite having to start 91st, he still only finished 2 seconds behind Jerome Clementz, taking his third Top 3 stage result from 4 stages. This ride, together with the opening stages, quickly earned Justin the unofficial recongnition as the fastest man on the hill this past weekend, and overall Justin was very happy with his performance.

"Massive weekend! It was great to be at a venue where no-one had an extra advantage and there were fresh courses for everyone. On the Remedy 29'er I chose to run the Bontrager SE4 tires and they were awesome. We learnt a special cut to do to them for these courses, and that helped a lot in the first stage in the dust. I'd found good form after some great riding in Whistler, so I was pretty gutted to have that puncture on Stage 3, but feel I have opened the eyes of a lot of people this weekend so that was my positive to take away. A great race weekend, and certainly learned a great deal for the future."

Justin now heads to South Africa to work with his Downhill team mates at the World Championships.