The second round of 2009’s UCI DH World Cup is underway in La Bresse, and riders have been practicing today to prepare for seeding tomorrow. It has started raining this evening, which should be interesting on the flat grassy corners!

All the usual suspects are there, only Rachel Atherton will be out of action due to injury. The track should have less pedaling than Pietermaritzburg, but that will change when the mud slows down the flat sections, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Will Tracy Moseley continue her winning streak? Will Emmeline Ragot finally win a world cup round, now that her bike is so light it has no paint? Or will Sabrina, Fionn, Claire or someone else come in to claim the top spot?

Here are some photos of the track. Just imagine it covered in water and mud…

Nice freshly built start ramp.

Mmmmm, grassy! This photo was taken last week when they'd just taped off the track. Gonna get tech in the mud...

Some of the 'natural terrain' with rocks, grass and corners that are not built into berms...

How cool is this house jump??

Can’t wait! Live coverage on freecaster.tv as always….