9. September 2024

E-EDR Race Report #6 Loudenvielle

Last weekend, the World Cup season finale took place in Loudenvielle, France. As always, the now established race in the Pyrenees not only offered really good tracks and a wonderful panorama, but also plenty of spectators and a great atmosphere.

Venue: Loudenvielle - Pyrenees, France
Course length: 46.4Km
Stages: 8 Stages, including 2 powerstages
Elevation gain: 5705m

It started raining all day on Tuesday and it soon became clear that we were in for a real mud race. Such conditions are a real challenge for every rider, but also an opportunity to prove yourself both technically and as a rider. In this report, we look specifically at what the most important adjustments are for us in a mud race.

When the rain is pelting the trails incessantly, tire choice is a crucial factor. Here we were particularly happy to have the Dirty Dan from Schwalbe in use. This mud tire is optimized for such conditions, as its high lugs grip deep into the soft ground and at the same time prevent the tire from clogging up with mud too quickly. This means that we retain grip even on the muddiest tracks, which is particularly advantageous when accelerating on power stages and when negotiating tight corners. In addition, we often lower the air pressure slightly when it rains so that the tire has better contact with the ground and offers more traction.

"Tire choice: The key to success in wet conditions"

Lukas Spießl, Team manager, ROTWILD Schwalbe Gravity Team

Chassis adjustments

The suspension setup should also not be underestimated. As temperatures often drop, the suspension becomes more sluggish, which has a negative effect on handling. To counteract this effect, you can open the compression and rebound by a few clicks (turn both towards minus). This makes the suspension a little faster again and maintains a good response.

Contact with the bike

Gloves and grips for maximum grip In addition to the tires, firm contact with the bike is also essential in wet conditions. With the Ergon GDH grips and HM2 gloves, we rely on a combination that ensures a secure grip, even when everything around us is wet and slippery. This means we can still hold the handlebars well even if we have wet and muddy hands after a fall.

Riding technique

In addition to the technical adjustments, the riding style in wet conditions is crucial. One of the most important rules is to stay calm. If you suddenly go faster than planned, it helps not to make any hectic movements and not to look directly in front of the front wheel. It is particularly important to ride the route with foresight and to use ruts (grooves). If you find riding in ruts difficult at first, you can take one foot off the pedal to improve your balance. Fresh forest soil or untouched parts of the route often offer better grip, so it is worth keeping your eyes open for this. Obstacles such as roots and stones should be avoided as far as possible or, if they are, approached vertically to prevent slipping. A simple but effective trick: keep your goggles clean. In heavy rain, riders can sometimes remove the lens from their goggles to have a clear view at all times.

"It is particularly important to ride the route with foresight and to use grooves. If you find it difficult to ride in ruts at first, you can also take one foot off the pedal to improve your balance"

Lukas Spießl, Team manager, ROTWILD Schwalbe Gravity Team

The race

Our driver Helen once again showed her class in these difficult conditions. She made a big statement on the very first stage and secured the first stage win. She was able to maintain her high level throughout the day. In the end, she just missed out on the podium with a strong 4th place, but it was still a fantastic performance.

Kelan continued to struggle with the after-effects of his shoulder injury, but still competed in the race. He initially showed impressive finishes, including two 8th places on the power stages - a breakthrough for him and the whole team. However, the race took an unfortunate turn for him when a barrier tape lying on the track got caught in his brakes on Stage 7, causing him to lose braking power. Kelan crashed several times, unfortunately again on his injured shoulder. Nevertheless, he fought his way through and reached the finish line in a respectable 19th place.

Torben, who feels particularly comfortable in wet races, started the day promisingly with a top 10 position on the first stage. However, a mechanical defect immediately afterwards threw a spanner in the works. The damage could not be repaired and he unfortunately had to end the race prematurely.

Conclusion

The race in Loudenvielle clearly showed our team once again how important adaptability and mental strength are in difficult conditions. We are now turning our attention to next week's World Championship, the grand finale of the season. We know that the team has the potential to achieve even better results and we are ready to give it our all!

Race results

Helen Weber, 4th place WOMEN ELITE

Stage 1: 3:50.544, Gap: -, P1
Stage 2: 2:30.298, Gap: +23.686 , P7 (Powerstage)
Stage 3: 9:04.823, Gap: +33.931 , P6
Stage 4: 6:44.398, Gap: +9.827, P2
Stage 5: 3:50.718, Gap: +15.475, P4
Stage 6: 1:04.324, Gap: +7.449, P7 (Powerstage)
Stage 7: 10:07.087, Gap: +18.551, P5
Stage 8: 7:22.888, Gap: +15.476, P4

Kelan Grant, 19th place MEN ELITE

Stage 1: 3:15.913, Gap: +10.688 , P19
Stage 2: 1:44.986, Gap: +7.452 , P8 (Powerstage)
Stage 3: 7:07.910, Gap: +18.529 , P10
Stage 4: 5:49.942, Gap: +21.015 , P18
Stage 5: 2:47.603, Gap: +10.839 , P11
Stage 6: 0:48.180, Gap: +1.490, P7 (Powerstage)
Stage 7: 8:57.810, Gap: +1:12.905 , P24
Stage 8: 6:29.362, Gap: +33.104 , P22

Torben Drach, DNF MEN ELITE

Stage 1: 3:12.150, Gap: +6.925 , P10
Stage 2: - (Powerstage)
Stage 3: -
Stage 4: -
Stage 5: -
Stage 6: - (Powerstage)
Stage 7: -
Stage 8: -