The first DH-race organized by the FORMAT rider Anna Skumbina took place at the ski center "Zhebrei" 30km away from Perm on July 2 and 3. The story of organizing the event from the beginning to the awarding ceremony from the first-person perspective.

Text by: Anna Skumbina

Photo by: Felix Netsvetaev, Tatiana Speshilova, Nikolai Barinov, Artem Altukhov

The ski center "Zhebrei" organizes many sports events in winter, including slalom competitions, ski and border cross. The center has everything necessary for extreme winter sports: 110 m elevation, a T-bar lift, outrun to the water (the creek of the Sylva), experienced referees, their own omega timing. But why only for winter sports? In March after the border-cross competitions, I address Pavel Pogodin, the administrator of the center (later he will be one of the referees), to attract riders in summer by organizing a race. He accepts the idea with zest. After the detailed discussion with the administration, the start of work is to take place at the end of May.

May 30. Going to Zhebrei with Pavel. We get approvement of the management for organizing the race, preparing the route, using the T-bar lift and the canteen on race days. Pavel is in charge of judging, I am in charge of the route, prizes and general practical arrangements. How to call the race? Who will be the general sponsor? The first thing, which comes to my mind is FORMAT. FORMAT supports cycling events all over the country. And I think they will support such an important event as the downhill race in Perm region. I apply to the company for the sponsorship proposal and for the grand prize for the best time. And they agree to help with the arrangements at once. Within 5 minutes we decide that the grand prize will be a 4X frame - 9210. Perfect motivation! 

 Besides, I wanted creatively different awards. So I address one good friend of mine, a laser cutting specialist and a cyclist. As a result, the star created in CorelDraw turns into nice medals for 2^nd and 3^rd places and souvenirs for the 1^st place. Making the awards colourful is a time-taking process, it took several evenings, but the result was well worth it.

Our grand prize

    June 1-30. For making the route and for assisting I gather the team: Dmitry Baburin, Sergey Polygalov, Anastasia Vedutova, Mikhail Zheltovskikh, Anton Chikov comes to help as well (FORMAT engineer and avid racer), Darya Shepel. Sergey Rychagov worries about inability to participate in the route construction. I promise, that his assistance during the race will be required - on the day of the race, he was a referee assistant at the start line.

Sergey, waiting for the race 

   In early June our small team starts constructing the route. The preparation is carried out on weekdays; the guys come after their work and stay there till late at night. We manage to implement the conception almost completely. The ground is nice, without stones, it helps to make counter slopes and to put the boards without any problem. We make the basic structure of logs, fasten them by buckles, metal brackets or tie them up with wire and then put the ground. We do our best to make a strong construction.

My main tools are a shovel and my own grass trimmer.

The wooden drop takes most of the time. We with Dima spend for it two full evenings. The result is a very comfortable drop suitable for training. 

   We don’t have an aim to make an extraordinary route with huge flights. We make the route counting on those who study to ride at counter slopes, flat turns, to jump from low springboards, to make sets of elements quickly. 

 Meanwhile the future participants gather, the new location provokes interest. The main motivation for strong riders is a grand prize. It is very pleasant that the bigger part of the participants registered in advance on mtb-russia.ru and saved time for registration and money on entry fee.

The competition is held in a very picturesque place. 

July 1. There are many things to do on Friday. To continue marking the route, to take the prizes from FORMAT warehouse, to check work of the bar lift. In the evening we with Misha mark the final turns and prepare ropes for the bar lift. Previous Wednesday we covered tree stem with mats.

 First participants are arriving: Victor Popov from Magnitogorsk, Andrey Gagarin and Anna Syrchina from Tyumen, Veloextreme team from Chelyabinsk, participants from Yekaterinburg and Pervouralsk. Good weather becomes a reason for many people to camp out by the finish of the route on the bank of the river. And we live in the houses at the top, around which numerous tents and bikes appear.

 July 2. Saturday morning, I cannot sleep. One hour before breakfast. While all the rest are sleeping we with Dasha go to the administrative building, prepare all necessary things for the registration and post the schedules of the competition and the work of the canteen.

Registration starts at 11. Participants arrive. While Dasha and Sergei are managing the process, Pavel and Dmitry are trying the omega, I fence off the turnout to the beach at the finish, so that the riders could not ride out at great speed to the resting people; operators of the bar lift hang the stirrups. At midday we start the bar lift. I instruct those who use the bar lift for the first time and those who do not remember how to use it. It lasts about an hour. Lunch.

 Later we have to stop the bar lift for twenty minutes so that to add some more stirrups. Riders attract attention of the people on the beach and of those who came to ride jetskis and to boat.

Just ordinary weekend near water

During a couple of hours the referees conduct training to test omega. Anyone can try. I manage to try as well. Then together with the girls-participants we divide the route into sections, choose the speed for the drop and observe paths of other participants.

Training

Andrei Plekhanov and Victor Sukhachev

Rolling-on of Victor Popov

Riding out to the finish line

Alexander Poletilo on the drop

Afer the training I decide where to dispose the track marshals tomorrow. There is fun on the riverbank – it is so nice to ride and swim afterwards in refreshing water. In the evening after the dinner we with Dasha and Pavel make up a start list for qualification. Totally 66 participants - 9 girls, 3 juniors, 13 masters and 41 – elite. Then I go to the city to take the prizes. I return late, in the midst of pleasure at the tent camp near the finish area. Sounds of a guitar. It is silent at the top, many people are sleeping already, and only we are sitting by the fire and carrying on conversations.

 July 3. Sunday, the day of the race. I cannot sleep again. Before the breakfast we with Dasha manage to prepare and pack the prizes and awards. Dima arrives. I give T-shirts and badges to the race arrangers. We have breakfast and go down to make the finish line and the podium. The weather is wonderful and it means that there will be even more people on the beach, we need to install special net on the border of the beach to mark the stopping area. We with Dima manage to do it. The acoustic systems are brought to the finish line. The referees stay here: Dmitry and his wife, Sergey Vlasov (FORMAT engineer and vice president of the DH federation of Perm Region) and Dasha. She will note the time of the finishers. Final turn is the place where riders usually go beyond the borders of the route, tear the tape and demolish sticks, that’s why Dima is there, the most responsible marshal, with an axe =) Two Annas are the marshals in the middle, in the second and third wood, they have whistles. Then come Julia (PR-manager of FORMAT) and Felix to shoot the video about the race and to take pictures.

Marshal Anna

Julia at work 

Felix seeking out a better angle

The trainig starts at 10 in the morning and lasts one hour and a half. There is a qualification list with the start time of each competitor at the starting gate. 11:40 –meeting of competitors at the top, opening speech of the sponsors. At 12:10 I dispose the marshals and adjust the flagging in some places. 12:15 – start time of the first competitor. 

Sergey has already taken his place

    Everything is in time, like clockwork. Intervals between the starts of the riders make 30 seconds, between the categories - 2 minutes. Dmitry notes the time in the program, Sergey announces time of the finishers, Dasha writes down the information on the stand. At the top Sergey Rychagov announces the sequence according to the qualification list, Pavel gives a start. Now we know the estimated route time – the majority of the competitors stay within 1:10 – 1:20. Andrey Ushakov has the best time in the qualification - 1:06:58.

Olga Pechisker is ready

Victor Popov at the first counter slope

Andrey Ushakov

As far as the qualification passed quickly, we offer the competitiors to start 30 minutes earlier, at 13:30. And consequently to organize the awarding at 15:00 instead of 15:30. Everybody agree. While the participants go to the top and then have rest, we with Pavel go to the administration building to print out the results and the start list for the final. Dima comes to take the results. At the top I give the start list to Sergei. At 13:20 the participants are to be ready, marshals and photographers take their places. I ride along the route to check the flagging again. At 13:30 final races begin.

Alexander Baldin

Treacherous flat turn

Andrei Plekhano

Daniil Semenov at the final slope

Mikhail Zheltovsky on the curve 

Time flies by. Only my colleague – rider of FORMAT DH factory team Daniil Semenov, beat qualification time of Andrey Ushakov (1:06:52), Max Baranov was next (1:06:91). 

Maxim showed the best time among masters in the qualification.

Oksana Lubchenco

Sergey Vlasov - master of ceremonies

The finish area, Dasha and Katya

While the participants are sunbathing and swimming pending the awards ceremony, we with Dasha, Dima and Pavel sign the certificates and put them into the frames. In 20 minutes everything is arranged, prizes are are packed into a big frame carton, the awards are in a separate one. We load everything into the cars and go down to the beach. 

Laying out the awards

Ready for the awarding!

15:00 together with Pavel we open the prize-giving ceremony.

Girls

Masters

Juniors

Elite

   Giving prizes to Anastasia, Eduard and Yevgeny. 

Anastasia Vedutova took fourth place

  After the ceremony the participants go up by the T-bar lift. Lunch, packing up. The car parking which was full of cars during two days becomes empty little by little.

Daniil is getting the main prize!

  Racing weekend accomplished! I am grateful to everybody who helped in arranging this ambitious event: guys, without you we wouldn’t have success! Thanks to the management and the staff of the ski center "Zhebrei" for the opportunity to hold FORMAT DH Race! Special thanks to FORMAT company, general sponsor of the competitions! And of course I am grateful to everybody who came and took part in the race.

The result card can be download here.

Протоколы гонки можно загрузить здесь.