UCI XCO World Cup #3, 29 May
La Bresse, France

Ariane: 49th place
James: 40th place

The third round of the UCI XCO World Cup took place in the pristine French town of La Bresse. Both Ariane and James had a point to prove after tough racing at Round 2 in Albstadt, Germany. With showers predicted for race weekend, and an incredibly challenging course, the two moved into town with Team Spur mechanic JP Jacobs early in the week and set about familiarising themselves with the 4.3km test of lung capacity, climbing power and handling skills.

Although race day dawned with pleasant, if overcast, conditions, overnight rain made for some very sketchy sections. Many of the world’s top pro riders came unstuck on the rocky and slippery descents, and knee-deep ruts were quickly carved into the fastest racing lines. This had a capacity French crowd chanting at riders all day. The atmosphere was thick with cheers and charged with energy.

Ariane started at 11.20am in 52nd position on the grid. She had opted for her lightweight S-Works Fate hardtail, and was hot out the start gate as a result. She was in a decent position for the first technical climb as the race strung out. Up front it was her countrywoman Jolanda Neff who, despite crashing heavily and flatting on the final lap, put on a masterclass of technical riding to claim first place. Ariane decided to play it considerably safer on the slick course with two critical marathon title races looming on the horizon.

“It rained during the night on Saturday. Certain sections were very slick. I struggled a bit with it and decided to ride cautiously. I had a really good start but just wasn’t good enough in the technical stuff and got pulled back by other riders. It wasn’t my best result. But I’m learning and figuring this thing out and I’ll get better – we just have to try again.”

Ariane had high expectations for her two World Cup ventures and was disappointed with the outcome. Yet the learning from the high-intensity bar-to-bar racing will stand her in good stead for her Swiss and World XCM Championships later this month.

James had a mental mountain to climb after his underwhelming 88th finish in Albstadt. Although he could take some solace from the fact that it was mechanical bad luck that had pushed him way down the results list. He knew the French round would be a bruising test, as a scrum of highly motivated European athletes were gunning for Olympic selection. A long Olympic qualification period for James in South Africa prior to Europe was starting to take its toll, and he would be asking increasingly tired legs to perform one last time before a scheduled break…

Starting in 41st position James dropped the hammer with a seething mass of 133 riders. The pace through the sleepy town of La Bresse was brutal and electrifying. As with Albstadt, James had a strong start and jumped from 41st on the grid to 32nd in the first lap. The plan was to control his effort though the intensity of the first lap, keeping it steady. James kept to the plan for the most part, passing riders who let the buzz of La Bresse get the better of them.

“I just had to start conservatively up the climb so as to not burn my cards early on. I ended up coming through the start lap in 32nd but was still running a little hot. I lost a few places on the second lap where the cards settled themselves and then just plugged away at it consistently .”

It was a consistent performance, and James is happy, if not ecstatic, with his 40th place. Importantly, it was a technical and mechanical trial that James and his S-Works Epic passed with flying colours. No crashes and no flats!

The first tests of the European challenge are over and Ariane and James have acquitted themselves well. Plenty to learn from as the pieces of the high-performance puzzle come together neatly.

Ariane now switches to marathon-mode for the Swiss XCM Champs on 19 June in Evolène and a (short) week thereafter the UCI XCM World Champs in Laissac, France.

James has time to get the legs fresh again with his next big dance the UCI XCO World Champs in Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic on 3 July, followed by Round 4 of the UCI XCO World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

UCI XCO World Cup #2, 22 May
Albstadt, Germany

Ariane: 53rd place
James: 88th place

The second round of the 2016 UCI World Cup took place in Albstadt, Germany and both Ariane and James were there to pit their form against the best mountain bikers in the world. It was the last opportunity for countries to earn UCI points for Olympic qualification, and thus determine how many riders they would be able to send to Rio.

Sunday’s race day brought blue skies and sun, and with the sublime weather an excited Albstadt crowd. Rain earlier in the week during practice meant part of the technical XCO course remained slick and slippery.

First up was Ariane with the Elite Women’s race kicking off at 11.20am. Ariane had a deep start on the grid, in position 61, so was always going to be picking her way through traffic. Her main motivation in racing select UCI XCO World Cup series races is to build her technical skill level and bunch racing ability, ultimately to help her in the marathon racing format. Albstadt was a rude reminder of the intensity of top level XCO lap racing. Nevertheless, Ariane kept chipping away at her competitors and rode consistent lap times in her first international-level XCO race since Val di Sole in August 2015, where she finished 36th.

“I didn’t manage to perform at my best. Although I actually felt quite good. Leading up to the race the legs were good but I didn’t do well with managing the riders on course and getting around them. I was happy to stay on the bike all the way and I didn’t crash, which sounds crazy, but is a positive. I will learn from the experience. The whole set-up – accommodation, our mechanic JP – was great in Albstadt. It’s  really exciting to race World Cups.”

James was under starter’s orders with a 140-strong bunch of Elite Men at 2.20pm. There is very little room for error in the seething pack of hungry riders and James had a powerful start, jumping from his grid position of 51st to 35th on Lap 1.

Disaster struck on Lap 2, when a Colombian rider rear-ended James’s bike, breaking one of his spokes and causing him to flat. After losing 20-odd positions getting to the next tech zone and changing wheels, James soon experienced another mechanical with a flat tyre on his replacement wheel. James rejoined the race in the mid-90s and fought hard before being pulled from the course while in 88th position.

The mechanicals were unavoidable, but James was eager to talk up the feedback from his disappointing outing: “The positive sensations were that I felt good, I felt strong. The profile of the Albstadt course, it isn’t a track that suits me. This weekend we have a new chance in La Bresse, France where the track is completely different with one long climb and one long enduro-style downhill so we will wait and see.”

Although James’s efforts in Albstadt sadly didn’t add significantly to South Africa’s UCI points tally, he can be proud of his contribution of the most points of any South African rider in the 2015/2016 season. His role has helped South Africa qualify two places on the start line of the Rio Olympic Games in August.

The team is staying a stone’s throw from the La Bresse course in the Squirt athlete house. They have had the week to practice on another tough World Cup course in a variety of weather conditions. We’re confident their preparation will reap rewards on Sunday.

Go to Redbull.tv to follow the racing action live on Sunday, 29 May.

SA XCO Cup #4, 14 May 
Settlers Nature Reserve, Port Elizabeth

James: 1st place

With the fourth leg of the Stihl National XCO Cup series serving as the final qualifier for 2016 UCI World Championships and the Rio Olympics, it was sure to be a heated race with all the major contenders bringing their A-game. Having a DNF at the PMB MTB Festival due to a mechanical, James Reid was ready to prove that he has what it takes to beat out his rivals.

With the pressure mounting, James traveled to Port Elizabeth a week early to compete in the Eastern Cape XCO series held on the same course. Not surprisingly, James came away with the win, lapping all but the second-placed rider and picking up valuable insight into the technical course.

The team drove up to support James in race week and we were hosted by the Sun Boardwalk in fine style! As a clear skies dawned on race day James knew what he had to do. James knew he wouldn’t be given an inch by the other two Olympic contenders, Alan Hatherly and Phil Buys so decided to dictate the pace from the gun. Within 5 minutes James was piling on the pressure, with only Hatherly able to follow his lead briefly. The talented U23 rider was tough to shake but James turned the screws when Hatherly faltered through a technical section and the elastic snapped. Alan was then relegated to a battle for second with Buys. James steadily built his lead to over a minute, until a crash into a backmarker on the final lap reduced the gap to second to 55 seconds.

“After Alan’s technical error I opened the taps as wide as they could go and pushed the gap. Hats off to Alan, it was a pressurised race, everyone knew the stakes and I am super happy to come away with a win! A huge thanks to my sponsors Spur and Specialized for standing by me and to my entire team for the backup over the past weeks and months – lets hope for good things in the future.”

James’s sights are now firmly fixed on taking the battle to the European World Cup circuit. The competition is on another level, but he is confident that he has the form and shape to execute his best international season yet.