A BRITISH WINNER in the downhill was just what we needed to turn the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland from a pretty big deal into an event that’ll go down in UK mountain biking history. Then we got golds in the XC and in MTB trials, too, sending these World Champs off the scale! And there was more to the event than just the action between the tape. From the crowds to the tracks to the tech, and just the general atmosphere, it was one hell of a show!
DOWNHILL 8 THINGS
THAT MADE FOR AN EPIC DH WORLDS
HATS OFF TO HATTON!
Charlie reflects on his incredible win
Did you have any inkling that it was going to be a special weekend for you?
After the Fort William Nationals I was feeling good (I came third, behind Laurie Greenland and Matt Walker), it’s probably my favourite track and World Champs is extra special, so I was excited for it. I thought if I had a great run, a medal would be possible.
Did you have any idea what the conditions would be like?
After qualis, I knew I was riding well, so that gave me a boost. I had no idea what it’d be like because we’d all practised in the dry, but Joe Breeden was in the woods for me, sending reports up. When conditions are so wild, if you’re real confident on the bike and just let it slide around a little bit, that’s the key. With the weather being so different, it was hard to judge if I was going fast, and vision was much worse. But it felt like I was at one with the bike, no real mistakes, perfect flow, so I could attack at the top, get through the woods and pedal like mad at the bottom! I was absolutely gassed at the finish – I put everything into that run.
How was it sitting in the hot seat?
Honestly, it was the weirdest feeling ever! I felt almost nothing. Maybe, shock and disbelief that it was actually happening.
The emotions hadn’t kicked in, for sure. After Andi [Kolb] came down, I knew I had a medal so I did start to get a bit excited. We’d joked about going one-two in a big race, but not like it could happen… and it did! So good for Atherton Bikes, too – a British guy winning at home on a British bike designed by his teammates. With Andi winning the silver, if Rach hadn’t been injured, who knows what the
