However, course parametres remain the same: the length is 4.100 m and total climb 230 metres. David Hodr, the Course Director, explains: "In order not to alter the length of the course and total climb, we took away here what we added somewhere else." "Based on request by UCI, the double feed zone was moved to an asphalt road and comes after the Rock n'Roll section, shortly before the course leads riders to the stadium. The whole place shall be modified; we will reinforce it and make it wider, so it will be 8 metres wide and 55 metres long. The feed zone with pits is located at the same spot as last year: on the mark of 2.5 kms into the course. The double feed zone is located 1.1 kms (and 3.3 kms, respectively) from the start. The course is thus divided into thirds of approximately same length. Moreover, thanks to this, one of the TV cameras that used to cover the course from above the former feed zone, will now be able to show three times more."
The course was made shorter in the longest climb on the whole course, however, only by a few tens of metres. "It was a kind of uninteresting spot, anyway, for spectators and broadcasting coverage alike," Hodr added.
Omission of the Grey Line section under the stadium is another important change arranged by the organizers. An easier technical section is placed at the stadium, directly in front of the spectator stands. "It is not going to be anything radical; at this particular place, we just want riders to slow down a bit and show their skills and technique to spectators."
The course of the Vysocina Arena is now being attended by the organizing team, and great effort has been made to make it brilliant again. "We have fitted new wooden crossings - two of them at the Rock'n'Roll section were substituted by a single one, only wider. Besides that, we cleaned the stones and got rid of everything that winter had left behind. And the works do not stop at the weekend, that is for sure," Hodr explained.
The map of the course can be found at our website.
Click here to see the detailed programme of the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě. The main points of the programme are as follows:
Saturday, May 23
9 AM Birell Bike Vysočina Marathon
4:30 PM UCI MTB World Cup Women U23
9 PM Toi Toi MTB Night Race
10 PM Mitas Night Party
Sunday, May 24
9 AM UCI MTB World Cup Men U23
11:15 AM UCI MTB World Cup Women Elite
2:15 PM UCI MTB World Cup Men Elite
Ondřej Doseděl