Izoard Legendary Downhill Race, IGSA-Regional Cup

19-20 August 2006 https://www.izoard.net

Thursday 17 of August

This time Nino Zeke, Simon from Sweden and me left Zurich from the Fibretec Factory at 21:00, almost 311km on my GPS until Col d’Izoard, the problem is that you don’t have a straight way to drive there, first Lugano, then Milano in Italy, after that Torino, and then a little more to France. We arrived there at 04:30 am on Friday, in the top of the Alps we parked the van from Nino to sleep, really cold, and lots of rain in the night.

Friday 18 of August
Early somebody came to say hi “good morning” or “Sava Luis” I heard from my friend Odix, really nice guy, crazy slider guy. Early Friday the guys start work on the track to make the course safe, I have to say “the best safe protection in the races in 2006”, I was on 5 races this year but this race was the best event this year. About the track, 2km length and 5 hairpins, top speed in my GPS 77.6km/h. The hole day we chill out, pretty cold but beautiful landscape, amazing.
I never been in France Alps, this is the first time I love this place.
Just very cold during the nights.
Friday was my time to cook for my friends, the menu Tai curry with tofu for Nino, Kurt, Aki and Simon. Everybody eat around the fire, yes we had a big bonfire. After dinner i went to bed (my tent) early because Saturday at 06:00 am inscriptions starts.
After that, it really starts to rain hard and the wind picked up. I thought in my tent “please no rain tomorrow”.

Saturday 19 of August
At 06:00 am I wake up with rain Buaaaaaaaaaaaa! I went to inscription tent at 07:00 to take my card and everything, after a hot and good coffee. I did my inscription, everyone received a really nice chair, yeah! And a cotton shirt with your number for the race, and two tickets for lunch, on Saturday and on Sunday lunch. I had really nice time with my France friends, still raining , and the organizers change the plans, first start free ride at 09:00, wet road, funny for buttboard and streetluge but dangerous for stand up. After 2-3 hours the sunshine came, but a lot of clouds, two hours later the road was dry.
Kurt, Martin, Stefan, Bat, Luis

Buttboard free ride, Benny black leather

I had to hurry to get my things and do my first run, the road is amazing 10km long, but the contest only 2km. One really nice “S” combination, first one left turn after one right hairpin, short gap between the two turns, fast and short for breaking.
I did two runs and we stopped for lunch break. Oh my god! the food was the best I ever had on a race, the dessert amazing cherry cake, everybody loved the food.

S combination

After the lunch break the qualify time started, two days is really less for a contest like this. The best time from Martin Siegrist “2.10” in the first qualify run, i did “2.12.50” and 77.6km/h my top speed on the GPS, the track had amazing turns. The system to make the qualification times was really professional, picture cell and GPS. The second qualify run Martin did “2.09” crazy fast and a perfect line, I tried to go faster but I slide to much in the hairpins, my second time “2.14.56”. We had 68 riders and only 32 qualify .I watched on the finish line Angelina came really fast and throw a big beautiful pendulum slide, everybody had problems to stop after the finish line, the braking section was a bit to short. After watching some sketchy braking styles, the streetluge qualifying began.
Everybody left to relax, and prepare the equipment for the race day on Sunday.
Cooking Master Kurt was on the row today. Everybody eat around the fire again, and we all prayed for a sunny Sunday, again after dinner I went to my tent to sleep good.

Jody did Buttboard too, sponsor by Helene

Sunday 20 of August
Start at 07:15, I’m ready really early, many people choose to sleep longer then go for practice runs, I did 5 or 6 runs before the qualify from buttboard and later qualify from inline starts. In France you have a lot of inline riders maybe 30 riders in this race. After finished the qualify from all competitors, we stop for a nice lunch break again, everybody can ride half of the course and stop in l'auberge Napoléon, again amazing food and two desserts for everybody. To much food before the race, I shared my food with my friends, to much only for me, no chance. yeahhhhhh! Ready!! The Race can start.!!!
First one warm up run, only one, Martin Siegrist, Adrien Barat, Luis Lins and Aki von Glass, hard warm up. The start liner say “Go”, I think this was the best run I did, Martin, Me and Adrien did perfect run but Aki crashed, well this is only warm up not the race.
We took the nice bus shuttle up again, my first heat with 3 France guys. In the first turn I slide to much and three others guys take over me, now I’m the last in the heat, close to the others I wait for the best moment to take over, after 4 turns I take over the last guy, I pushed the next guy a little bit to say “I’m here”, well he didn’t break and in the turn number 5 he crashed into the first guy of the heat, well I came to the turn and had two guys and two boards in my line, I crashed too, fast, fast, I tried to take my board and go, but no chance, the last guy take over everybody and the first guy pushed more then me after the crash, bummer, I’m out.
Martin did pretty good every heat, he had big distance to the others.
The final Martin 1, Adrien 2, Jibo 3. Martin kicked ass, Adrien and Jibo cross together the finish line, Shrek and I made the finish referee for the finals .
All together a really nice a good organised event .
I’m back next year !!!

Buttboard