Doug Hatfield

After a couple of days of traveling and recovering from Andorra, the Syndicate set up shop at Les Gets for the second round of racing in as many weeks. With Bastille Day just on the horizon, there couldn’t have been a better venue to hold a World Cup than France. The fans came out in force to party, support their countrymen, and get in on whatever action they could.

Loris Vergier 5th 4th overall Greg Minnaar 7th 6th overall Luca Shaw 17th 20th overall

Friday’s qualifiers welcomed the Syndicate to the fastest track of the year and gave weight to Peaty’s prediction of tight times. The top ten finishers were all within six seconds of each other and the Syndicate ended up well positioned in the top fifteen with Loris in 5th, Greg less than a second back in 6th, and Luca in 12th. This was a track with few line options and zero margin for error; more than ever, it would be all or nothing when it came to race day.

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Finals kicked off with a bang. Fast times were set early on and the tight margins predicted by the big man from Sheffield held true. Racers were forced to squeeze any advantage they could out of the track. First out of the gate for the Syndicate was the Dinoshaw, and in characteristically smooth style, Luca hit the first split with speed. Although only a half second from the lead at the top, as his run ticked by it was clear it wasn’t in the cards for Luca—on a track this unforgiving making up time seemed nearly impossible once it was lost—he would finish 17th on the day.

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Throwing it forward, because time is money at the finish line.

Greg Minnaar was one of only two racers present this weekend who raced Les Gets in 2004. Fifteen years ago he finished second at that race and this time around he was aiming for the top step, an upset of this season’s French winning streak, and his 22nd World Cup victory.

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Greg would put together an extremely clean run that, like Luca, had him up at the first split and looking clean through the off-camber section that had so many others on edge. Immediately, it was enough for third and after the remaining five riders (including Loris) hit the course, he would eventually land in seventh.

===== IMAGE GRID 1 goes here ===== At the 2018 Crankworx Les Gets DH, Loris took third, just two seconds behind the lead, and this year with a full roster of World Cup heavy hitters joining in on the fun the pace on this track would be even faster. [[{"fid":"12272","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[en][0][value]":"Santa Cruz Bicycles","field_file_image_title_text[en][0][value]":false,"field_img_caption[und][0][value]":"Sven Martin"},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"4":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[en][0][value]":"Santa Cruz Bicycles","field_file_image_title_text[en][0][value]":false,"field_img_caption[und][0][value]":"Sven Martin"}},"attributes":{"alt":"Santa Cruz Bicycles","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"4"}}]] “Like a bullet… you just have to go straight and fast.” - Loris

===== IMAGE GRID 2 goes here ===== Almost to prove the point, Loris pushed the envelope a little too hard during a practice run and had a big crash just before Finals. As the first of the “French Wolfpack” and not one to disappoint, he would put on a strong performance despite taking a beating only hours before. Top to bottom his split times would come close to the lead time and as pushed through the finish it was clear he had done enough to land his second podium in two weeks. 5th place for Loris; we’ll cheers to that.

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Greg, meet Freddie. Freddie, Greg.

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