the flow blog

This year the Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB event will be extended to take place over 3 days, 24-26th June enabling 6000 people to take part in this incredible ride. Every year entries fill up fast, so the Portes du Soleil has responded to this demand by making 1500 more places available. However, places are still limited: 2000 people registered in the first hour and 4000 places were taken 2 days after registrations opened.

What’s so good about it? See what people had to say about the 2010 Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB

Participants commented on ‘the variety of trails and the views’ as well as ‘the welcoming
refreshments and fantastic organisation’.

When asked what stood out for them, many participants cited ‘the technical sections’, ‘the great long downhills’ and ‘the variety of riding,’. For others it was ‘the possibility to choose different options’ that made their day. Many of the riders also mentioned the ‘fantastic views’, ‘good refreshment stops and support’ and the ‘clear signage’.

94% of participants said they hoped to take part again
96% of participants said they will return to the Portes du Soleil
91% of participants rated the refreshments as good

*source questionnaire following the 2010 Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB, which received 1128 responses.

One or two places still remain with flowmtb.

At Easter we decamped to Sestri Levante for a couple of days of mountain biking. Some great trails and good grub.

The photos say it all.

After Les Gets in 2004, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships once again returns to the Portes du Soleil, this time to Champéry. The biggest names in international mountain biking will all descend on Champéry to test themselves on the now famously challenging tracks. The trail builders will be working throughout the summer to shape new trails for the competition, which will be open to the public after the event.

28th August to 4th September – the full Portes du Soleil MTB lifts stay open so you can pedal over.

Stay with flowmtb in Morzine and head over to watch the racing!

Summer Mountain Bike events in Morzine, Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil

4-5th June: Kona Days, Les Gets
10-11th June: Critérium de Dauphine Libéré, road cycling
competition, Les Gets
18-19th June: Enduro Series, Les Gets
19th June: Cyclosportive Morzine and Valley d’Aulps
24-26th June: 8th annual Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB, with the MTB show
in Les Gets
1-3rd July: 5th Châtel Mountain Style Slopestyle Competition, Châtel
14th July: Morzine to Avoriaz road climb,
24th July: Road climb from Bassachaux to Châtel
6-7th August: Torgona Bike, XC and Enduro races, Torgon
13-14th August: Le Big Ride, DH race, Morgins
14th August: Morzine to Avoriaz road climb,
28th August to 4th September: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in
Champéry
5-6th September: Fabien Barel Invitational, Les Gets
10-11th September: Kona Closing Party, Les Gets

Report from Fionn Griifths, Emmeline Ragot and their mechanic Ben on last weekend’s World Cup:

World Cup # 1 took place this past weekend In Pietemaritzburg South Africa. After the
world cup tour took a year away fro this incredible place it appeared not too much had changed,
the tracks were still as pedally and as fast in places as we had all remembered the DH benetted
from the addition of some gargantuan jumps that made each and every run an exhausting pleasure.
The team traveled out to the South Africa National event the week before the World Cup for
some extra time on the track, long story short the race was a wash out with a massive
amount of rain falling over the weekend. Fionn was 3rd in qualifying choosing to ride her Intense
Tazer VP 4x bike for the rst time ever on the pedally, muddy and now slow track.
Emmeline gave us all a show in qualifying when she hit a compression and unclipped both feet
on the take o of a 50ft jump, she managed to pull o what can only be described as an accidental
Freestyle MX maneuver. when she landed we could tell something was wrong, after a brief stop
on the side of the track Emmeline carried on regardless to the nish. Final runs were cancelled due
to the uplift trucks not being able to transport riders to the start on the slippery clay surface so the
qualifying results were counted as final.

After what was possibly the fastest recorded visit to two separate hospitals Emmeline had been
checked out for Internal injuries from landing on her seat and had had x-rays on her left ankle
which conrmed our suspicions that she had re-broken her left ankle in the same place as 2 years
previous. In 2009 Emmeline overcame the mental side of the injury and the pain and was able to
ride her bike to the world championship title so when she decided to race the world cup this
weekend only 7 days after the accident it was no surprise to us at all.

4x – The only major change to the 4x track this year was that the start was in what used to be the
second turn. The rst corner used to see a lot of action for passing, with this opportunity now gone
the track was very one lined and really came down to the gate. In Fionn’s 1st heat she she had a
good gate and was level 2nd in to the rst turn. sitting in 3rd place over the doubles Fionn was
busy calculating where to make a move for the pass when the 1st place rider went down in a
slippery turn, Fionn took advantage and the lead advancing to the nal where she met. Anneke
Beerten, fellow DH racer Céline Gros and Lucia Oetjen. The gate dropped and Anneke took o
like a bullet from lane 1 Fionn was patient in waiting for a gap to open up before diving inside
over some rocks, out of the rst turn Fionn was in a comfortable 2nd place where she remained
to the nish taking Team GR’s rst podium of 2011.

4x Results:
1 Anneke Beerten
2 Fionn Griths – Team GR
3 Céline Gros
4 Lucia Oetjen

DH – DH practice went well for both Emmeline and Fionn, practicing and working together as a
team all week they were able to nd some good solid lines for racing which they were hoping would
bring top results. Qualication took place on Friday before 4x nals Emmeline stormed down the hill
to 3rd place with a solid and amazing run considering her petite size and her ankle injury.
Fionn had to be sensible and save some legs for the 4x race at the expense of a few DH qualifying
points but with how physical both tracks where it was the 4x nals that took priority on Friday, she
still put in a solid run to qualify 9th.

Saturday Afternoon and evening our new mechanic Ben Harrison spent 9 hours on the DH bikes
making them run perfectly and roll as fast as possible for the main event. We knew how important
rolling resistance would be on this track and come Sunday morning practice both riders were
amazed at just how fast the bikes were rolling.

With good feelings and a few nerves for the nals they were ready to go.
Fionn with her 9th place qualifying position was the rst of the Team GR riders to leave the start house.
“I mada few mistakes in all the dierent area’s of the track but I generally felt strong, I really had no
idea that my run would challenge for the lead I thought that with my mistakes I would probably be
able to salvage a fourth or fth” Fionn Arrived at the nnish and was straight in to the hot seat with a
lead of almost 7seconds. Rider after rider descended the track but failed to challenge Fionn’s time.
Then came the turn of Team GR athlete Emmeline Ragot – 3rd place qualier, she put together a great
top section despite one big mistake to have the fastest split of the day two second’s clear of the
next fastest through that section. This would prove to be crucial to her overall result as she is much
lighter than other riders giving her a severe disadvantage on the middle and bottom section of the
track where rolling speed and momentum really come in to play, giving up around 3 seconds from
the rst split to the nish Emmeline crossed the line in 2nd place only 01.304 behind her team mate.
All eyes were focused up the hill on current World Champion & the fastest qualier Tracey Moseley.
After what seemed like an eternity Tracey rounded the final turn and the clock rolled on to the same time
as Fionn but stopped 00.288 second’s short of her time leaving the nal Results as TEAM GR 2nd and 3rd.

1. Tracey Moseley – 4:56.166
2. Fionn Griths – Team GR – 4:56.454 +00.288
3. Emmeline Ragot – Team GR – 4:57.750 +01.584
4. Sabrina Jonnier 4:58.339 +02.173
5. Floriane Pugin 4:58.434 +02.268

Team GR is currently sitting 3rd overall in the UCI Team Point’s standings.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for your continued support!!

TEAM GR – Fionn, Emmeline & Ben