World Championship XC Course....Early Impressions

This weekend Mt St Anne, the hosts of the World Championships are hosting the Quebec Championships. This gave Nic and I a perfect opportunity to have a look at the course before the bustle of World Championship week.
The Canadians love to accentuate the technical aspect of mountain biking, and the Mt St Anne course is certainly indicative of that. One section in particular, new to the course last year dives of the side of a ski run via a steep tight rock corner and diagonally down a rock garden. The section as a whole takes a bit of concentration...so not to get off line, as the consequence of crashing is significant. I rode it 3 times today, and didnt have trouble. Although it wasnt exactly pleasant.

It was nice to have that section to myself today, rather than trying to get it dialed while a fluster of 200 XC riders crowd around watching your every move.

The course as a whole is slow, and by that I mean it requires a whole lot of effort to maintain go forward. There are no flowing sections at all....no free speed. Amongst the toughest sections are those that traverse across flat or slightly rising terrain while negotiating a woven pattern of tree roots and prominent rocks. It requires great continuity of upper and lower body coordination and strength. Ill make sure I get a couple of snaps of these sections Im talking about....stay tuned.