Our visit to the Fort William World Cup pits was a thrilling experience as we got an up-close and personal look at the cutting-edge bikes and technology used by the world’s fastest downhill mountain bikers. We saw riders like Greg Minnaar, Tahnee Seagrave, Nina Hoffmann and others on factory teams, who have access to dedicated mechanics, team managers, chefs and sports massage therapists to ensure proper nutrition and ease any discomfort they may experience. These riders also have spare bikes on hand in case they need a quick replacement.
However, there were around 80 privateers at the event who took on all of these responsibilities in addition to their primary goal of racing down Aonach Mòr as fast as possible. While they may not have the latest technology or resources available to them, many of their bikes had logged more kilometers of descent than those of the factory team riders. Despite this challenge, these hardworking privateers are passionate about their craft and love nothing more than pushing themselves to their limits on their beloved bikes.
