Dirtschool's Chris Ball shows us the 2009 British Downhill Championship course at Innerleithen - British Cycling's Luke Webber slides his way down the track at downhill racing's premier domestic event.
Innerleithen - a name synonymous with downhill racing and after today's coursewalk it is easy to see why. Although short, this is an intense ride to the bottom with every section counting. And that includes the start, which is a flat-out pedal through grass, essential to gather pace for the remainder of the track.
Getting the power down isn't easy though, with a multitude of small rocks covered in slime. Walking down the track was a slow job today with rain constantly dripping through the trees and adding to the greasy nature of the forest floor. The damage has officially been done - this track will be wet and slippery. But as Chris points out, this is not a typical wet weather surface.
"With no sections overly affected by mud, the water will sit on the surface, coating the rocks and roots as it flows down the track. You'll get little advantage here running a cutdown, even less a full spike. It's a course for intermediate tyres, a Highroller's not so bad, especially on the Tunnel section where the extra rolling resistance of a spike will slow you down."
Twenty seconds in and the first small wooded section opens wide into a motorway for more chance to gather speed. At first undercover and then opening out into the Quarry - a section that has been used for over a decade and is slightly revised with a small lip leading in to the drop.
From here the course crosses the fireroad and the first line choice arrives - high across the roots with a wider entry into the corner, or lower and tighter with a slower exit.
For a final time the course crosses into the open for the driest section. As the wind hits the hillside the rain barely has a chance to settle, but on re-entering the woods it's a familiar scene of tight turns on a greasy surface. But this tight course does produce a limitation, as Chris explains.
"The whole course is predominantly one line, every pedal is going to count. There's not going to be one or two sections that favour the top guys, everyone will be flat out the whole way - some will make mistakes - it will be decided on the smallest of margins."
Running into the finish the steepness increases, loose rocks become more commonplace but holding speed rather than increasing it through a repeated series of cambered turns. The run in to the finish is such that there will be little space to close final tenths - by this time riders will be hanging after over three minutes of total concentration.
Stay tuned to British Cycling Online for the latest course updates - tomorrow is Downhill and XC practice and we'll have opinions on the course from the favourites.
