Adverse weather conditions again came into play, a forecast of high winds and torrential rain led the organisers to bring forward Sunday’s race to Saturday evening . This time however it didn’t play in favour of the team who had only ridden the official practice allotted by the organisers. Many others, including both winners of the events,  had ridden earlier in the week to gain extra time on the long and testing track.

With only one day to get to grips with and then race the course both Marc and Rachel crammed in more runs than usual in a bid to get up to speed.

Rachel was first up, she was chasing down Round 1 winner Manon Carpenter who set a very strong time of 5.31.180. Rachel rode strong and fast, she was happy with her run which ended up shy of Carpenter’s time by 1.3 seconds. “It was hard up there today, I got as much done as I could,  but I really could have done with a few more runs to get my confidence up –  I guess theres nothing you can do about the weather!” mentioned Rachel.

Marc was in a similar situation to Rachel.  Having only one run on the Friday meant that he had to ride nonstop on Saturday to get to grips with the track, six practice runs is not the norm before a race run but in this situation it was all that could be done. The early time of Matt Simmonds seemed to be the one to beat and when Marc hit the final few jumps it was clear he was quicker, his time of 4.52.632 bettered Simmonds’ time by nearly 3 seconds with just one rider to go. But that rider was the current World Champion – Danny Hart. Hart had no issues with practice, he had been at the venue since Wednesday and this showed as he put in an amazing run to take the win by half a second over Marc. “it was a hard day for us today, we did what we could to claw back lost ground to the riders who had been here earlier this week.  I’m happy with the run and the bike was running really well so I can’t ask for much more” said Marc.

The team now rest up for a weekend before the next batch of races. Gee aims to be back on the bike for the IXS Cup in Leogang which precedes the second round of the World Cup in Italy.

Photo Credit: Jacob Gibbons

As usual the year for the iXS races starts at Monte Tamaro in the Swiss Rivera. This year’s course was changed only slightly from last years being 2.5 k in length with a vertical drop of 640, which makes it one of the longest courses in the series. It wasn’t only the topography that made this track tough the course was littered with roots and rocks that put the riders all on edge as they tackled the tough track. The field of starters included some big names with a number of favourites for the podium.

After the weather conditions had been perfect for the official training on Friday and the seeding run on Saturday, things changed on Sunday as thick fog and rain made it impossible to secure the course. As a consequence the race had to be cancelled, as any attempts to rescue riders with the help of a helicopter would have been impossible. Therefore the results of the seeding run were declared as final results.

This played into GT Factory Racings hands as Rachel Atherton had taken the win in seeding giving her the title in the women’s elite class, finishing almost 12 seconds in front of the current world champion Emmeline Ragot . The course seemed to suit her well and although reluctant to push 100% she still managed to shine above the strong field.

Photo: Thomas Dietze

Rachel’s next event sees her up in Fort William, Scotland for the 2nd round of the British Downhill Series where she will be looking to continue this momentum on on another brutal track.

The Somerset venue hadn’t seen a National round since 2004 but this weekend marked the Series’ return to the tricky course with riders facing varying conditions as showers passed over the event throughout its duration.

Saturday’s practice saw the most of the rain with a good downpour transforming the track to a wet slippery surface, however this improved steadily throughout the evening and Sunday.

Seeding saw the first glimpse of what Marc had in store for the weekend as he took the fastest time by a clear 3 seconds over Joe Smith and Josh Bryceland.

Seeding first meant Marc started the race as the last person on track and with times improving on the drying track he had a tough task ahead. Local South West rider Rich Thomas took the early pace but it wasn’t until Santa Cruz’s Josh Bryceland clocked a time of 2 minutes and 28 seconds that Beaumont’s seeding time of 2 minutes and 27 seconds looked to be in jeopady. Smith was next to come but a mistake up top cost him the chance of bumping Bryceland off the top, leaving only Marc.

A strong top section put him 1.6 seconds up on Josh at the interval time, a smooth second half of the run wowed the crowds as they watched on to see Beaumont take the win by a comfortable 2.9 seconds.
Beaumont, made up with the result, commented “it was a good run, I held back on entry speed on a few corners just to make sure I got around and out of them with the right speed, it’s great to take the first round and I’m excited about the rest of the season”. Marc races a local race next weekend before heading North for Round 2 of the British series.

Teammate of Marc and youngest Atherton sibling Rachel came close to a dream comeback after missing the first World Cup season in favour of recovering her troubled shoulder. Feeling strong but far from 100%, Rachel took to the track chasing young gun Mannon Carpenter who took an amazing 2nd spot out in South Africa.

A red flag during the race meant Rachel had to restart after a blistering top half – she didn’t get fazed and got stuck in once again on her re-start, unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough as she missed out to Carpenter by just 0.6 seconds.

However she was happy as it was good for her just to be back on her bike – ‘I’ve only ridden my new bike for 5 days including yesterday’s practice so I’m made up. I’m actually this close to Mannon, there’s time to knuckle down now though before the next race and that’s exactly what I’m going to do” commented Atherton.

Rachel’s brother Gee watched on from the sidelines having to sit this one out with a broken tibia. He’s hoping for a return before the next World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy, while eldest sibling Dan marks his start to the season in Italy at the Super Enduro event at the start of May.

Elite Men:

1. Marc Beaumont 2:25.976
2. Josh Bryceland 2:28.902
3. Brendan Fairclough 2:30.035

Elite Women:

1. Manon Carpenter 2:51.960
2. Rachel Atherton 2:52.594
3. Jess Stone 3:03.585

The weekend started badly for Beaumont who hit a tree on the first day of practice, he had to nurse that injury through qualifying which he did well to take a solid 15th spot. Team mate Atherton started slowly in the hope to build up for the finals on Sunday, his qualifier a very solid 4th spot and just 1.7 seconds from fastest rider and native Greg Minnaar.
The weather however threatened to change things dramatically as a heavy rain storm sat over Pietermaritzburg for 4 hours on Saturday evening, the risk of a wet track was not to anyones likings as the soil tends to turn to ice making even the Worlds best struggle down the hill on the clay based surface. Thankfully for all the competitors the weather improved next morning and the track dried through practice.

When Marc took to the track for his race run the course was looking in great conniption but a mistake on the steepest part of the track meant he lost valuable time on the first sector, with the bit between his teeth he pushed hard on the lower two thirds to bring that time back, a credible 4.06.854 was a agonising 4 seconds off the podium but only good enough for 18th on the day.

Gee’s turn and he had been given a tall task as Australian Mick Hannah had set a blistering time up on the top section, Gee struggled to get going on the top but turned things around on the lower and middle sections. He flew into the finish arena just 4 tenths behind Hannah.

Reigning World Cup champion Aaron Gwin bettered Hannah’s time only to see hometown hero Greg Minnar push hard in front of the home crowd to claim the win. Gee happy with 4th made the podium once again and started the season on the right foot while Marc eyes up the next round in Italy where both he and Gee have won previously.

A big break to that race in June, enough time for Gee’s sister Rachel to return to racing and start her assault on World Cup glory.

All photos: Sven Martin

Home rider Greg Minnar took the fastest time in qualifying with last years champ Aaron Gwin sitting right behind in 2nd spot. Gee trails Greg by just 1.7 seconds while Marc hopes to pull back 7.5 seconds with a little more rest to his shoulder.

Streaming live on www.redbull.com/bike on sunday from 11.15pm (UK time) the race guarantees some hot action.

Marc hits the gully section at a touch under 70kmh, this course is a good 10kmh quicker than the other stops on the circuit.

Gee airing one of the lower jumps during practice, there will be no show boating in Sundays finals.

Keep posted for more videos and pictures of the new bikes…….

ONE Industries is proud to announce an exclusive three year deal as the official race team wear supplier of the recently announced; ‘Atherton Racing – GT Factory Team’.

European Marketing Manager – Duncan Briggs:

“We are entering an exciting new chapter at One Industries with the launch of a technical mountain bike apparel and protection line scheduled for release Fall 012. When the opportunity of teaming up with Gee, Dan, Rachel and Marc was presented to us we saw the perfect alliance for the ONE Industries bike line. Being involved with athletes who compete at the highest levels of performance is a critical element of our design and development process. Working with the Atherton Racing GT Factory Team enables us to draw from their experience on the World Cup circuit and gives us an invaluable insight into what today’s rider demands from their gear”.

The team will compete in ONE Industries mountain bike apparel, ONE protection, helmets andcasual wear.

Join us as we infect the world with an all-new chapter for our pedal powered friends.

Established in the heart of San Diego, CA in 1997 ONE Industries set out to become the premiere creators of graphic kits for dirt bikes. The mission was quickly realised and today after a successful transition into helmets and technical race wear the ONE Industries brand is the apparel of choice by some of the world’s fastest riders competing on the toughest Grand Prix and AMA race circuits in the world today.

“Atherton Racing is one of the most progressive teams in the history of mountain biking, and is known for taking the sport to the next level,” said Mark Peterman, Global General Manager GT Bicycles. “We’re excited about the partnership because it both continues GT’s legacy as the brand that helps progressive riders push their limits, and because of the opportunities it presents to develop new products.”

Over the past five years, Atherton Racing has seen over 50 professional victories and multiple World titles. For the first time, the Atherton team will also include a non-family member with GT rider Marc Beaumont. As a consistent World Cup downhill rider with podiums in some of the world’s greatest Enduro races, Beaumont will compliment Gee on the UCI DH circuit, and Dan on the Euduro circuit, as his focus has shifted towards Enduro-style events. The team will be riding the GT Fury, Sanction, and Force Carbon and Alloy.

In addition to racing, the team will provide important product testing feedback and work hand-in-hand with GT on future product advancements and the next evolution of GT mountain bikes.

“The new relationship that’s formed between Atherton Racing and GT has opened up so many opportunities for everyone involved, I’m stoked to be going into the next few years of racing being bolstered by a company with such a passion for the sport, and with a company that’s drive for the top step of the podium, matches that of my own,” said Gee Atherton.

About GT Bicycles:
Since 1972, GT has provided riders of all ability levels with a trustworthy, reliable, rock-solid bike they need to push their own personal limits, and the limits of cycling. Their legacy is instilled in every GT design, be it a BMX, mountain, road, or pavement bike. For more information about GT Bicycles, please visit www.gtbicycles.com

Marc Beaumont

Dan Atherton

Gee Atherton

Rachel Atherton