Yeah, it seems like most people
were just happy to leave in once
piece. It’s been said it was the
roughest track ever seen for a World
Championship.
When we got there it seemed like
they hadn’t done as much work as
they said they’d done - and running
the Masters Worlds on a similar track
is what killed it, I think. The ground
was just so dry that as more bikes
went down the track the rocks were
getting pulled out of the ground and
the soil was moving under the roots.
There were a lot of stumps and rocks
that could’ve been placed better. It
wouldn’t have necessarily made it
easier, but it would’ve been safer.
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The newer, fresher sections weren’t
too bad, but were still quite tricky. But
when it got to sections that had been
used a couple years in a row, it was
just brutal. Just before the last steep
section coming into the last split that used to be a smooth section of
trail where you could rest your hands
before attacking the last bit - now the
roots were sticking out so far you had
to hang on through that section too!
Looking back on the entire season,
how would you describe it in three
words?
Only three words?! (Laughs). Aaah…
exciting but bland. 2016 had the worst
results I’ve ever had in a World Cup, a
great win at Fort William, and a lot of
average finishes in between.
You mentioned Peaty a little earlier.
With him retiring now, that must
mean you’re now the oldest guy on
the World Cup tour.
That’s quite daunting really but I
don’t act that way! But it’s a different
era now, you know? When I grew
up racing, we used to have massive
parties after the races. Now there
aren’t that many guys who go out
and have a good time afterwards.
It’s very serious – and so it should be
as a professional sport – but a few
of us older guys kept it old school at
Andorra (laughs). It was unfortunate
that my ankle took the brunt of it.