STRAIGHTline, Lenzerheide Bikepark, Switzerland
With the 2015 World Cup season in full swing, this month's trail is the next track on the circuit. This past weekend saw the World Cup's elite racing on a Bike Park track. Despite never lacking drama, Leogang is often criticized as not being worthy of world cup racing. For Round 4 of the UCI we'll be heading to Lenzerheide, Switzerland to the Lenzerheide Bikepark. So what makes this Bike Park track different? It's not just designed for World Cup racing, but designed by two World Cup racers: Steve Peat and Claudio Caluori.
A steep course with huge jumps and drops. This course is not for everyone, making it a perfect fit for the World Cup. STRAIGHTline is the newest trail in the Lenzerheide Bikepark. The black trail descends straight down the mountain below the Rothorn 1 gondola.
The process of STRAIGHTline getting onto the World Cup circuit started in the Spring 2013 with the application for World Cups in 2015, 16 & 17. The UCI gave confirmation in February of 2014 and construction began. With advise from Claudio and Steve, the track was built by Trailworks. Track highlights are the 14m Full Gas step up, two road gaps (“Peaty’s Plank” and “The Wave”) and the 17m Cabin Hit. The course is open to the public and can be ridden up to a week before the race.
Conceptualized in 2012, construction was started on 2013 on the Lenzerheide Bikepark and ended in July 2014. The park offers a wide variety with 5 tracks ranging from Blue, Red and Black. Trails include the fast and fun FLOWline and the aptly named SHOREline.
MENTIONS: @LenzerheideBikepark / @claudiocaluori / @StevePeatSyndicate