661 Mini Downhill Round 1

Forest of Dean is always an exciting venue for the winter downhill series. With not many winter series held the mini downhill invites riders from all locations. The wide range of tracks holds some of the best racing all year round even in the winter!                  

Ski run was the track chosen for the first round of the mini downhill. Personally one of my favourite tracks. Skirun starts of rooty with a few drops that makes line choice vital in securing yourself a good time. It then drops down into a rock flat out with a few more drop offs and very tight between the trees. The bottom section consists of roots and a couple of switch backs that slow the riders down just before one the most iconic jumps in the Forest of Dean. The Skirun tabletop gives you lots of speed for a switch back and into the final road gap.

Hundreds of people turned up to race and many more to spectate and cheer on the racers. For me spectating was just as fun as the racing. Shouting and cheering on the racers was one of the best experiences. Seeing how fast people can shoot down the hill was amazing. This speed can come at a risk though. I never caught any crashes on video but I did see lots. The video below was one of the worst crashes I have ever seen.




As you can see Stuart Schneller landed straight on his head and even broke his neck brace in half! Thankfully the medics were on hand checked him over and he was all ok. Was a scary one though to watch.




Most people made it down the hill ok and had an amazing time. Can't wait for the next round. Enjoy the video!

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/342265/







All photos taken by AJB-Photography. Thank you very much for the photos! https://www.facebook.com/AJBFOTOS]https://www.facebook.com/AJBFOTOS



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