All or Nothing - Fort William Qualifying Show

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Due to the catastrophe of a race that many of the top riders suffered in Lourdes, the usual suspects had serious decisions to make today. They weren't ranked in the Top 20, thus not having protected status for qualifying at Fort William today. Nothing could be left on the table to ensure a position in finals, but the risk of throwing it all away was high. A quick rain shower made the top and bottom sections of the course supreme while making the woods section in the middle terrifying and treacherous. Experience the energy from Scotland today thanks to Sven, Boris and Dan.

Greg Minnaar and Ft. Bill, what is the connection? It's almost his second home. He was based in the UK during the beginnings of his career and he has won here more than anyone else. Can he make it a hat-trick tomorrow? -Sven Martin
Rachel Atherton clean through the woods that claimed most of the women's field. This will most likely be a deciding point on race day for both men and women. -Sven Martin
Rachel's mechanic, Joe Krejbich, with some custom mods! @maddogboris
Sylvain Cougoureux has had more runs on this track than anyone else, lapping out practice relentlessly. It has paid off for him finishing seven seconds ahead of the next Junior. -Sven Martin
2nd place finisher, Loris Vergier, just left the start gate ready to bring his 29er as fast as possible down the hill. He wasn't protected and a crash could have risked his finals. @maddogboris
Tahnee getting all twisted up in the banners and course tape, just one of the mishaps in her run. -Sven Martin
To combat the huge ruts emerging at the entrance to the woods, gravel and larger rocks were laid to give the ground structure. With most riders unaware, many were caught out in their qualifying runs. Luca Shaw in audio. -Dan Hearn
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See what we mean? -Alan Milway
"Shark Attack" Jack Moir was 19th at split 1 but brought it back to 3rd by the line. There's more to come from the Aussie tomorrow! -Dan Hearn
While the internet is awash with 29er talk, Chris Porter of Mojo Suspension believes the answer lies elsewhere. Here you can see weights taped to One Vision Global Racing team bikes, said to increase stability through rough sections. At the BDS, Jack Reading's bike weight was 46lbs. -Dan Hearn
Kade Edwards, headed off for practice this morning, gets in the mood for some moves. He's one of the more exciting Juniors to watch on the track. -Sven Martin
Two feet off: the slick mud and deep ruts meant the woods were extremely difficult to negotiate without putting feet down for stability. Finn had the fastest top split but finished 3rd, 10 seconds back. -Dan Hearn
Typical for Aaron Gwin, minimal practice runs yesterday but still managing a storming qualifying run to place him 5th. -Dan Hearn
The sun was once again out for B practice. It didn't last long though and the rain came down just before the ladies set off. -Sven Martin
Was it the wheels that dominated the results today? Or was it the riders or perhaps their bikes? What ever it was, the moment is fleeting, tomorrow is when it counts. -Sven Martin
Rachel on her way up for practice this morning watching Emmeline Siegenthaler boost all the jumps on the motorway. -Sven Martin
The many shades of grey offered up by Fort William. -Sven Martin
Marcelo slotting through the tricky, slippery, rutty woods as if it were dry. Five seconds off first in 4th position for the consistent Colombian. -Sven Martin
Emilie Siegenthaler in 5th today will have to push hard to hold on to the podium tomorrow. -Sven Martin
Normally I avoid man made wood features when shooting World Cups and MTB in general, but these features are functional icons of the moors here and Finn Iles is happy to let them send him through to Monday. -Sven Martin
#MTBJesus, who has been running Vital's Instagram Stories, begs a very patient marshal for sunscreen and midge spray this morning. Or he's proposing. We can't tell. -Sven Martin
Remi Thirion slotting into the rut that marks the begining of the "new" section. Another Top 10 for the big wheels in 8th. -Sven Martin
Jacob Dickson with an amazing 11th place result. Not bad for a #100 plate rider! Giant Factory Racing had all three riders in the Top 15. -Sven Martin
Sam Hill had a few spills in his run and then a few more dabs and scoots. He will be ready to take the hot seat setting off pretty early tomorrow as 78th qualifier. -Sven Martin
Morgane Charre coming unstuck in the treacherous woods. -Sven Martin
Crashes of every description went down today. Slow speed, high speed and no speed. Everyone was at risk. -Sven Martin
Local boy Greg Williamson, luckily protected for finals, midway through a big scorpion. -Sven Martin
Brook MacDonald slaying the rutted berm leading into the new section of track. Finishing less than 10 seconds back in 16th, times were tight at Fort Bill today. -Dan Hearn
Loic already dirty from the rut-grabbing rocky hole prior to this section snakes his way through the greasy ruts into 12th. Only eight seconds from the win with a crash means he is on pace for a win if he keeps it tidy. -Sven Martin
Canyon Factory Racing Pilot, Mark Wallace seems to like his Sender, and his Podium in Lourdes wasn't defintiely not the last. 9th place qualifier. @maddogboris
Keep it fresh. From time to time Brendog changes between flat and clips. Today wasn't a flat pedal day. 23rd today. @maddogboris
Teach them young. Nigel Page's son nearly as tall as CRC Teamphotog and Vital PIT BITS snapper, Fraser Britton, already taking over his job. @maddogboris
Junior Matt Walker enjoying the dry track and sick view! @maddogboris
Charlie Hatton from the Uk with an amazing 10th place. Nailing the woods made all the difference. @maddogboris
Nik Nestoroff had a wild ride through the woods, jumping off his bike but managing to hop back on in one smooth motion! -Dan Hearn
Seriously....would you really notice that these are 29 inch wheels? And if yes, do they really look so bad? Mono what do you think? @maddogboris
Each rider has their own pre-race routine, and at Ft. William it's also possible to have you own pre-run preparation room. Tahnee Seagrave chilling to Adele while her mechanic and trainer checking their Instagram feeds. @maddogboris
Tracey Hannah going down hard in her run, colliding with Tahnee just out of frame. -Dan Hearn
Tahnee Seagrave super-speed-bridge-tuck. Any mechanical engineerings here? Will her guns bring up- or downforce? @maddogboris
Rachel Atherton found a quiet corner to get into her zone. The Fort William fans showed their respect and haven't interrupted her. Well done! @maddogboris
Motivation and congratulations speech for Marcelo! @maddogboris
Super Bruni knows he has it for race day. @maddogboris
Mark Wallace ready for battle. @maddogboris
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The woods were gross. -video by Dan Brown
Shark Attack Jack Moir the third 29er pilot in the Top 3. @maddogboris
Yesterday's fastest, Laurie Greenland, unfortunately had a big crash and pulled off as to not interfere with following riders. @maddogboris
14th place for Troy Brosnan. Like nearly everybody he was also struggling with the conditions, but as you can hear, he is ready to win tomorrow! @maddogboris
The big wheels carried Pom Pon to a 3rd place qualifier, although not managing to avoid the carnage of the middle woods. -Dan Hearn
Gee took a lift up the track to check out the motorway jumps, meeting some fans along the way. -Dan Hearn
Manon Carpenter, fastest through the speed trap and a 4th place run. -Dan Hearn
Morgane Charre doing her best Graeme Mudd impression (see previous slideshow!) but managing to stop just shy of the lip. -Dan Hearn
Typical airtime style from Blenki. He's stoked on the new bike and looks to be enjoying the loose nature of the track. -Dan Hearn
Unfortunately for Emyr Davies, the 'repaired' ruts in the woods caught him by surprise and catapulted him over the bars. He finished 0.2 seconds back from place 80, meaning he didn't qualify. -Dan Hearn
Danny rides his own race in qualis - keeping calm and relaxed is all part of the mental game. -Dan Hearn
Loic finished 8.5 seconds back from Minnaar's time in 12th with a big OTB. Tomorrow will be a show for sure! -Dan Hearn
Despite the horrendous conditions in the woods, many still ran rear summer tyres for better rolling resistance on the hard pack upper course. -Dan Hearn
#captioncontest -Sven Martin
The stage is almost set. @maddogboris
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Sven Martin, Boris Beyer and Dan Hearn deliver the goods from the battleground!

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