ELEONORA FARINA WINS THE LES GETS WORLD CUP

Words: Mike Rose

Photos: Nathan Hughes and Jack Rice

 At 7am on Saturday morning the French mountain town of Les Gets was calm, serene and basked in sunlight. That was soon to change. By 7:30am the news came through that a serious storm was on its way and that the Junior race had been cancelled and that the Elite races had been moved forward to 11am.

Everyone had seen the weather report for race day, but no one was really expecting the changes that had been made. As we sat there in the early morning sun (without a cloud in the sky) the decision seemed a little hasty, but only a weeks ago there had been two fatalities during a local mountain running race when a storm came in. It is no wonder that the organisers and regional officials were nervous. Worrying about the competitors is one thing, but trying to get thousands of fans (many in flip flops and shorts), officials and medics off the mountain, and the possibility of helicopters being grounded, during a storm… well, it just wasn’t worth the risk.

There had been some rain in the week, but for most of the time it had been ‘sun cream and sunglasses’. The Les Gets track had been running scarily fast, but the storm that was brewing was about to throw the whole event into chaos. The Alps has experienced some crazy weather so far this summer. One minute blisteringly hot, the next thunder, lightening and rain… lots of it. Earlier in the week businesses and houses had been flooded in the town of Morzine just down the road, and there were mud drenched riders everywhere. For the first few days the World Cup had dodged the clouds, but all of that was about to change.

Back to the new race schedules and it was all systems go. Careful plans were out the window, pre-race fuelling thrown into disarray. The race was happening and you’d better be ready. Racers and teams had to think on their feet and tackle what was in front of them. INTENSE had two riders in the women’s final. After struggling with a fever all week IFR team rider Louise Ferguson had got through the qualifying round and scored ninth in the semi, so she was in. The same too for Eleonora. Sixth in qualifying and eighth in the semi, but remember, all of these runs were in the dry.

As the riders made their way to the top of the mountain the rain began to come down and the guessing game began. How slick would the grass sections be? What about the woods, would there be dry sections and wet sections, what about the roots? How about the hardpack ‘blue groove’, how hard can I push? Do I change my tires? Should I just take it easy? All of these decisions where having to be made in real time. When the first rider down the hill (Frida Ronning) span out on the second corner some of those questions were answered… it was slick, like ice! It was going to be a journey into the unknown. Riders would have to think on their feet and react to the ever changing conditions.

Lou was next and all was looking good until the final open wooded section. This section alone would cause carnage and chaos as the day went on. She made it around the tricky right, left, right section only to come unstuck before the final berm. This was crucial because she lost all her speed for the final run-in. Her sixth place was fully deserved, but she may well have been kicking herself a little, as she was only 0.245sec off a podium spot. A great result nonetheless. Nice one Lou.

Next up was Ele. With two minute gaps between the riders she had no idea of how the first two riders on the hill had got on. There was little or no communication about the track conditions, it was all down to Ele. As the rain started to intensify she looked good. With the inconsistent track conditions her riding was considered. Technically spot on, courageous amongst the uncertainty, she neatly threaded her way down the course. Hitting her lines, carrying speed, finding grip where she needed to. She came into the (now) infamous final wooded section and nailed the high line, down over the stump drop, around the lefthand berm, over the jump and into the final grassy section to the finish. Her time of 4:19.168 looked good. She jumped up into the hot seat happy in the knowledge that she was down, and most importantly, having had a clean run.

Millie Johnset came close, but it wasn’t enough. Then more big names came down… literally. They all fell. The tricky conditions meant that no one was keeping their bike rubber side down. When Cabirou fell Eleonora was guaranteed a podium finish. Then Hrastnik, Seagrave, Nicole… they all fell. With just Vali Holl to go it was on. Coming into the key section Holl was already 3.5 seconds back, then she lost it in the left hand berm. Victory was Eleonora’s. Shock, disbelief, elation… emotions were running high. After ten years of trying the much-loved Italian had won her first ever World Cup race at one of the hardest races of the year.

“A crazy one. In my mind at the start when it started raining I say ‘Ele, stay on your bike, stay on your bike, and make it down clean’. So yeah, after 10 years I can say that I won my first World Cup. It’s a dream come true.”

The full storm didn’t really hit until later in the evening. Of course the party was still going hard, the French know how to have a good time, and they didn’t really seem to care about the soaking conditions. The sound and smell of chainsaws... two-stroke, flares and fireworks hanging in the air until the early hours.

Twenty years ago in Les Gets Vanessa Quin won the World Championships title on an INTENSE M3. The last INTENSE World Cup victory was by Emmeline Ragot in 2010. And now Eleonora Farina. It is safe to say that the sisters are really doing it. Thank you.