IXS European DH Cup #1 - Leogang

Going into Leogang was a bit different to any of the other races I have done in Europe so far. I had raced there before, and so I kind of knew what to expect going into it, which was awesome. After Val di Sole, we went straight to Schladming, and we got some amazing riding done while we were there. This was perfect preparation for Leogang.

The track in Leogang was relatively unchanged and was running as fast as ever. The loose, gravel corners combined with the high speeds of the track, saw a couple of stoppages in practice as riders were airlifted out. I got into the track very quickly, and we got a couple of South African whip trains going on the jump sections. Fridays practice as well as Saturday mornings practice were dry, but some afternoon rain made seeding runs on Saturday interesting. My seeding run was at 17:30. Just before my run, I was told that one of the sneaky lines that lots of us were taking had been taped off - which wasn't ideal. I didn't know how the rain had affected the track, so I didn't push it too hard. I seeded 56th with a time of 3:44.424. There was an exciting moment in my run though, when I was nearly seat bounced over the bars, because I took a tear-off off in a stupid place.

I got my bike and lines dialed in on Sunday morning, and because it wasn't raining, the track dried up pretty quickly and there was a ton of grip come race time. My race run went really well, and I had a lot of fun in it - probably the most fun I had the whole weekend. I did have a sketchy moment when I over jumped one of the tables to flat when I hit it at race pace though. I finished 46th with a time of 3:30.896, in a field stacked with top World Cup racers.

All in all, my first European Cup experience was an awesome one, and I am really amped for the next one in Spicak, Czech Republic, this weekend.