With 225 of the worlds top riders pre-registered to race, the start list is a veritable who's who of mountain biking. World Champions abound with the likes of Nico Vouilloz (10x World DH Champ), Anne Caroline Chausson (12x World DH Champ, 2x Dual Slalom World Champ, 2x 4-Cross World Champ), Fabien Barel (2x World DH Champ), Tracey Moseley (2x World DH Champ, 2x Enduro World Champ), Jerome Clementz (2013 Enduro World Champ) and Jared Graves (3x 4-Cross World Champ, 1x Enduro World Champ) lining up. This is no play ground! ![](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs181/1104105122379/img/59.jpg) 2014 was notable for a horrific injury to one of the sports stars - Fabien Barel. Riding at the opening round in Chile he fractured his back in what should have been a career ending injury and could well have cost him his life. Barel actually raced on with the injury but decided to seek medical attention for what he thought was a cracked rib. He had actually fractured his 8th dorsal vertebrae, where the nerves connecting all leg movements are. Barel spent months on his back recuperating but made a remarkable recovery to make the start line at the final round in Italy. Thrilled to still be riding a bike, albeit with some serious changes to his setup, Barel shocked himself and the world with an incredible win. Several top names from other disciplines are due to line up on race day and we'll bring you details on them closer to the off. Suffice to say that this is a race you do not want to miss! Here's a teaser though - the flat pedal thunder from down under Sam Hill is rumoured to be racing! |