2025 IXS European DH Cup 1 - Portugal
2025 IXS European DH Cup 1 - Portugal
4882 images of the event available here
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, autofocus, 65mm
Foreword
Well, it's another trip out to Portugal, only this time I flew. I've given up on flying BA and OneWorld after their whole "let's screw over our loyal customers who choose to fly with us despite being the most expensive option". As a gold member, life was pretty easy travelling for work with camera gear. No one ever questioned the weight of my camera bag and that's pretty much the only care I had. Instead, I now fly the cheapest seats going, this time it was Ryanair. Now trying to get a 46KG camera backpack on as hand luggage was going to be some feat, I think even I'd struggle with that. Instead, I booked 2 seats, 1 for me, and 1 for my camera bag. It was flawless and something I'll be doing again, especially when you consider that the cost for both seats return, was 1/6th the price of BA/Iberia.
Digression aside, there are some nuances to be discussed before we go further. In my last post from Portugal, I said about how British riders would go out to Portugal, et al, to gain UCI points to race world cups; well this is that but to the nth degree...
Unlike last year's IXS European Downhill Cup Series, this year, most of the races are categorized as UCI Continental MTB Series events. This is something new The UCI - Cyclings governing body - has conjured up and whilst it makes pretty much zero difference to how the event is run, it does have an effect on who is racing the series.
In my understanding, if you place in the top 5 at any Continental Series race, you get 1 entry into a World Cup. If you finish in the top 5 overall at the end of the season, you get to race all world cups the following year. This could be a big incentive for a random wild card rider to enter in the hope of bagging a golden ticket to a World Cup.
Friday Sign On, Track Walk & Practice
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, auto focus, 39mm
The rolling hills of North West Portugal. Like most races, I had zero interest in shooting athletes walking the track on Friday morning in the 2 hour window from 10:00-12:00. I took my camera up with the 24-70mm on just so that I could frame a few angles, see what would look good and know where I'd be shooting and what lenses I would need. This I do at pretty much every race and the reason I do it outside of practice and racing hours is so that I can spend those sessions doing nothing but shooting.
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 70mm
Last time out in Portugal, I bumped into Matt Simmonds on the uplift, this time it was Harry Molloy. Pictured above leading down his team from the Mondraker Development squad. Again, not really into track walk shots, but I've know Harry for a lot of years now so, you know. Plus, whilst this would make a good riding shot, I was standing on the track to get it, so it wouldn't be possible. Something to note in this image, the tips of the windmill poking out through the clouds. This will become pertinent later on.
1/200th of a second, F14, ISO 200, autofocus, 28mm
By known "him a lot of years now", above "Mid Pack" Molloy 16 years earlier racing his first year of World Cups at his home round of Fort William (More photos from that race here). Also, let the record state I'm not an absolute savage, Harry came up with the nickname "Mid Pack" on this trip to Portugal, first time I'd heard it and thought it was amusing. I have a lot of time for Harry and hope he enjoys his new role on the development team.
1/320th of a second, F2.8, ISO 500, autofocus, 70mm
1/800th of a second, F2.8, ISO 500, prefocus, 24mm
2 images that sum things up fairly well. As i said with the track walk image and the windmill breaking through the cloud being pertinent. This was 1 hour later. Image 1, walking along the fire road at the bottom of the hill to get the uplift to the top on a beautiful day. Image 2, arriving at the top of the track after being in the uplift truck for some 20 minutes. Grim!
1/800th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, prefocus, 45mm
What could make things worse than being in the back of a pickup in the pissing down rain with almost zero visibility I hear you ask... getting to the top of the track ready for practice to begin at 12:00 only then having to wait for almost 1 hour because the UCI commisaire was late to arrive for the start of practice. I'm not sure if it's a Portuguese thing or not, solely based on I've never had it happen anywhere else in the world but the last 2 UCI races in Portugal have been delayed by UCI Comm's.
1/800th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, manual focus, 35mm
Still the uplift trucks kept delivering riders in the back of pickups to the top with them having nowhere to go and nowhere to seek refuge.
1/1600th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, autofocus, 300mm
Practice begins with the course sweeper some 48 minutes later than scheduled. The nice views and lines of sight I had planned, out the window. We were in the clouds, rain and hail clouds at that!
1/1600th of a second, F2.8, ISO 160, autofocus, 300mm
Switzerland's Charlie Meier gets his first run out of the way and whilst he probably didn't think so, he timed his first run perfectly. Well as good as it was going to get, the rain had eased off and the cloud cover had thinned out ever so slightly, the wind was still atrocious though. The plan for this shot was to have this as the main shot and have the remote quite a way up the hill shooting the backdrop (The same shot as the first track walk image). Given that you could barely see 10 meters in front of you, the remote was unfortunately ruled out.
1/1600th of a second, F2, ISO 160, prefocus, 135mm
You'll notice it says prefocus? Canon's world-famous autofocus system, when paired with their 135mm f2 couldn't hack it. Spain's Owen Bradley has a heavy compression blowing the berm up mid turn after riding down the rock face. You'll also notice Owen's goggles, or lack thereof. Working on the assumption that they were goosed with all the water and mud, pretty wild to ride in those conditions with nothing over your peepers though. It's one thing to do it in a race or qualifying run where it counts but in practice... Clearly desperate to get down off the hill.
1/1000th of a second, F5.6, ISO 640, manual focus, 24mm
9 minutes and 56 seconds later. The same section of track where Owen was photographed, but in that time, just shy of 10 minutes, the cloud had rolled through enough where there was at least SOME visibility. Enough to see Italy's Lorenzo Folco and a glimpse into the nearby town. If ever there was false hope, that was it. Friday's practice was scheduled for 6 hours but just after this photo, the weather got considerably worse and practice was cancelled after just over 3 hours.
Saturday Practice & Qualifying
1/1000th of a second, F5.6, ISO 160, manual focus, 16mm
Onto Saturday, and as a photographer who'd pretty much been waterboarded the day before, enthusiasm was low given the weather conditions looked very similar for the day. None the less, I'm there to do a job and it was first practice at 08:00. The course sweeper rolls out the start gate; around a left hander and a right hander then over this roller. My plan of attack for today was to frame as if I was shooting landscapes with a small rider, like I would on a nice day so you could see a nice backdrop, just so people could see the conditions. This served well I think for the above image but it was also a hedge; if there was a break in the cloud, it could create the opportunity for some nice shots from the remote camera.
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 250, autofocus, 300mm
Another insight into how i like to do things as a photographer covering an event. If i am shooting wide on one camera; showing scenery, portraying a mood, etc, I like to shoot tight on another camera. This gives people a strong variety and choice. Pictured above is France's Remi Goyau on the same roller but at 300mm. No background and fairly soft due to being in a cloud, it tells the story from the rider's perspective of being able to see practically nothing, still with a race style to it though.
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 250, autofocus, 200mm
Norway's Nico Haglev on the reverse side of where I'd shot Charlie Meier the day before. I can look through my archive and the chances of finding a shot of Nico not looking stylish are very slim. This show would have been incredible if the cloud had gone. Looking down into the town from height up, still, a decent shot as is IMHO.
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 200mm
45 Minutes into the first practice session the clouds had started to lift and you could now start to see features of the track. France's Leo Godin on the wet rock slab into the left hander. The difference between the top boys and everyone else was jarring. The vast majority would be rolling through the full thing after braking on entry, the top boys wouldn't touch the brakes and just gap most of it landing on the face to the right of Leo's wheel. A huge difference in speed and time for this section, you get it wrong though and there's certainly better places to be ejected.
1/1000th of a second, F5.6, ISO 800, manual focus, 15mm
Italy's Tommaso Rocca demonstrates the gap with his back wheel landing perfectly positioned to get set up for the left hander.
1/1000th of a second, F2, ISO 100, prefocus, 135mm
If you would allow me to have a bit of a grumble for a moment. Track tape... used to mark out the track for the riders. If you go off track you have to re enter the track where you left otherwise you get disqualified. It looks absolutely awful and ruins photos 99.9% of the time. Here I've framed Nico between a bush on the right hand side and a small tree on the left, It's decent enough but would have looked so much better had there been no tape. I know, it's not about the photos, it's about racing but there are sections of track where you just don't need tape as there is only 1 line.
1/1600th of a second, F5.6, ISO 200, manual focus, 15mm
Just like I like to give variety between a tight and wide shot, I also like to mix it up compositionally. This is the same section of track that Nico was pictured in above; only, instead of having France's Gaetan Vage hemmed in by foliage, it's wide open, showing him hammering the same turn but with plenty of landscape in the background.
1/1000th of a second, F2, ISO 100, autofocus, 135mm
This is more like it!!!!!! The sun finally coming out, riders ditching their wet weather gear and running their race kit. Contrast, actual natural contrast in an image. The autofocus actually working... wooooooooo!
1/1000th of a second, F3.5, ISO 160, autofocus, 200mm
Now this isn't something I was expecting, even more nostalgia in the form of Portugal's own wonder child, Emmanuel Pombo. I didn't even recognise him, the only reason I knew he was there was when I looked at the entry list after the event.
1/1000th of a second, F5.6, ISO 500, manual focus, 42mm
You speak to anyone of a certain age who raced/races at world cup level and they'll know Pombo. One of the nicest guys you could meet and was probably the quickest racer Portugal has produced.
1/320th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 160mm
I first met Pombo at the start of 2009 in Vigo, Spain and I think because he was on the podium a fair bit we spent a bit of time together and as we were a similar age, we got on well. Here he is pictured racing the famous Lisbon Downtown in the pouring down rain in 2010 (Photos from that can be found here). I think when the whole enduro race scene kicked off he switched disciplines and I haven't seen him for years. Disappointed that I wasn't aware he was racing, otherwise I'd have made some time for a catch-up.
1/1000th of a second, F4.5, ISO 250, manual focus, 15mm
A little bit further down the course was an interesting section, not for features but the lack thereof. What broke up quite a long straight was a single kicker. Do you send the shit out of it going flat out, or do you squash it.here German Sebastian Donath-Franke chose to attempt the latter.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 250, autofocus, 300mm
Here Spain's Daniel Castellanos gives it a much better attempt, the keen-eyed amongst you will notice that to the riders left, the pole is in on an angle and taking off there would save even more time as you not only have less of a knucle on the single, but it's also the straighter line. A handful of riders spotted and capitalised on this.
1/1000th of a second, F2, ISO 100, autofocus, 135mm
Slovenia's Max Zvegla during Saturdays ellite practice. I think the first time I saw Max ride was in Croatia last year at Losinj for round 1 of The IXS European DH Cup. He seems to have a certain style on a bike that makes him stand out in a crowded field of 350 riders. Fast forward a year and he's still standing out on the hip just after the road bridge.
1/1000th of a second, F6.3, ISO 320, manual focus, 15mm
Someone else who stood out but not in the way you'd expect, Brit Jordan Williams. All weekend he wasn't looking that quick, let me qualify that... Specialized, the bike manufacturer, has arguably the largest budget in Downhill Mountain Biking. That means they have free rein when it comes to signing big names for their team, so naturally, you'd expect them to pick the best. Watching Jordan ride wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the results speak for themselves. 2nd in qualifying, clearly looks are deceiving.
1/1000th of a second, F6.3, ISO 800, manual focus, 15mm
Speaking of qualifying... I decided for qualifying to get set up on the road gap for 2 reasons:
- It looks sick
- It looks sick
The size of the gap, the crowd being supplied drink from the van at the back, the Red Bull arch. It came at somewhat of a sacrifice as quite a few riders opted not to jump it and i'd not get a qualifying photo of them, but for everyone else it was prime! Home boy Sandro Silva playing it up to the local crowd with a seat grab. This was a prime location for the remote camera with the fisheye as there were a handful of riders 50/50ing the landing.
1/1250th of a second, F2.8, ISO 320, autofocus, 65mm
Austrian Red Bull athlete Valentina Holl, 1st in qualifying, first come racing. Again with the course tape but I can't complain too much here as the remote is fairly obvious. A fitting backdrop for the woman though.
Sunday Practice & Racing
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 35mm
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 35mm
Sunday, a new day and a totally different start. Saturday morning pissing down zero motivation, questioning my life choices, Sunday morning the sun was bursting through the trees. What a way to start the day! The mood around the pits and uplift was massively different and for the better. When you go to Portugal to race, you want to have the sun on your back. All the riders were keen to get out on track, queueing early for the uplift. Above, Harry Molloy and Veronika Widmann reviewing course footage as they wait.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 35mm
It's all fun and games on the uplifts until the wheels come off... or more precisely, the axle mount of the trailer snapping on one side leading to the trailer crabbing almost into the bank. Not to worry though, before anyone could grab a snap and choose a song to accompany it on their IG story, the bikes were offloaded unscathed and another truck (coming down) got turned around, loaded up and on its way.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 35mm
Frenchman Remi Goyau lapping it up as the first rider on track.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, autofocus, 35mm
The sun wasn't around for much of practice, just 1 hour in and it was a cloudy sky, still at least we were IN the clouds. Pictured Spaniard Enol Torre Martinez shot through some flowers that had survived the previous days battering.
1/1000th of a second, F3.5, ISO 160, manual focus, 24mm
This was a cool section of track that had the potential. Starting off with Florent Gastaldi on a big old stepdown to get things rolling. The only thing is, most of the jumps after this point were severely undersized for the speed carried.
1/30th of a second, F13, ISO 50, manual focus, 85mm
Suisse Gianna Neff portraying the natural speed for said stepdown.
1/1000th of a second, F2, ISO 125, autofocus, 135mm
Onto elite practice just before finals and I decided to be down the lower end of the track to be close to the finish line where I'd get my finals shots. Irelands Simone O'Kelly getting air whilst going uphill, a rarity for a downhill course.
1/1000th of a second, F2, ISO 125, autofocus, 135mm
Italy's Veronika Widmann on the same section of track, as you can see, I was torn between shooting Landscape or Portrait. I think landscape looks better but then again, I'm viewing it on a laptop, I may say differently if on a phone like most people are these days.
1/1250th of a second, F5.6, ISO 160, manual focus, 15mm
Time for finals and if you were one of the early riders down the hill, all was good, as the numbers decreased though, the rain got heavier. New Zealands Jason Connor over the last trench and into the finish arena.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 250, prefocus, 300mm
20 year old Frenchman Nathan Pontvianne, much like Valentina Holl, 1st in qualifying and 1st in finals. Pictured here with 7 seconds to get to the finish line as he launches off the trench gap.
1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 250, autofocus, 300mm
Your fastest time of the weekend.
For me this was probably a race to forget, the track was cool, and Racement done a great job of running things, like they always do, its just when the weather is that shit it puts a dampner on things. Roll onto the next IXS European DH Cup in Fort William, local to me (well if you can count a 7 hour drive each way as local)
4882 images of the event available here