Canada Cup Course, Bromont Quebec

I have had 3 sessions on the course for this weekends race and have figured out most of the ideal lines through the various technical sections. Being a ski hill, it is quite rocky, and it is the flatter traversing sections that are consuming our interest rather than the descents. Several sections require "negotiating", rather than hitting as fast as possible. Riding them is almost the same sensation as walking across a thick gravel driveway in bare feet, the idea is to place the wheel just in the right place while keeping the power on to maintain momentum, and always being prepared for rocks coming at your front wheel.

Riding this course makes it startlingly obvious how pedestrian the courses are in NZ, in a general sense. Rarely do I need to practice lines in NZ. But much of the difference comes from the type of terrain, and the track building. Here, there is a rocky base, where most of the NZ mountain bike parks are not rocky at all. I think this is to the detriment of skill diversity in NZ XC racers. World Cup courses will always have sections that are technically very challenging to just ride. In NZ, the difficulty often comes from trying to ride a section as fast as possible, not from merely trying to ride it, big difference.

Nevertheless, my skill base is sufficient so I am at ease, and I am feeling strong this week, resting was just what I needed.