'Crazy good' course builders set SBX stage in Sierra Nevada
Mar 01, 2024·Snowboard Cross
Two Snowboard Cross riders with unfinished business in the FIS World Cup this season are grateful the Sierra Nevada organisers have completed a “crazy good job” of rebuilding the course for this weekend's double-header in southern Spain.
For the former world champion Lucas Eguibar (ESP), the chance to ride on ‘home’ snow when no racing at all looked possible last week will delight the 30 family members and friends who are flying down from his hometown of San Sebastian for the occasion.
For Great Britain sensation Charlotte Bankes, meanwhile, the two podium opportunities and plentiful FIS World Cup points on offer in Andalusia are crucial to her bid for a third successive Crystal Globe.
“I’m really excited to be here in Sierra Nevada - it means a lot to me,” Eguibar said during a break from his preparations on Tuesday.
“I have been coming here since I was really young, just a kid. I have a lot of friends here so I feel at home, but from where I live in San Sebastian, everybody comes by plane because it is more than ten hours of driving.
“So I’m really thankful to have all my family and friends here; they are so important for me. I’m excited to race in front of my people and to hopefully get a good result.”
After finishing second overall last year, the results for Eguibar have been mixed so far this season. His third place at the opening stop in Les Deux Alpes (FRA) in December remains his best return and he has a loose hold on sixth position in the overall standings, over 300 points adrift of runaway leader Eliot Grondin (CAN).
“I was really happy with my podium in Les Deux Alpes but in the next races I had a lot of contacts with other riders and it’s been a little bit hard for me,” Eguibar said. “I didn’t get the results that I was working for, so I’m really motivated to come here and give it 100 per cent.
“Last season Eliot was riding very good and then in the races he had some problems. But everybody knows he is one of the best and now the results are talking for him. I’m trying to follow him because he is really fast this season and the man to beat, for sure.”
Snow problem
With a solid understanding of Sierra Nevada accrued over many years of family visits and competitive racing, Eguibar knows March is normally the month when thrill-seekers can famously ride powder in the morning and catch waves in the afternoon.
But all has not been well in the ski resorts of Andalusia. Unseasonably warm temperatures and a lack of snow last week prompted the local organising committee in Sierra Nevada to move the starting gates to the second turn, shaving 300 metres off the track length.
“I wanted to have a long course - a big course with jumps and speed - but the conditions are not the best this year in Spain,” he said.
“They have been working really hard for the race. A week ago they didn’t have much snow, now it’s been snowing so they have better conditions (but) I’m not expecting anything. I just know that Sierra Nevada did a crazy good job to get the race on. I’m really motivated and I just want to race the course that we have.”
'A big week for us'
After belatedly picking up her first win of the season in Gudauri (GEO) last time out, Charlotte Bankes is more than happy to race the Sierra Nevada course as many times as the schedule will allow.
“I’m happy having double headers,” the 28-year-old said ahead of the only Snowboard Cross FIS World Cup stop held in Spain.
“I think building our tracks requires a lot of hard work and it’s good for that reason. It does mean a big week for us, but we train hard all year round to be able to face this physical challenge as well.
“Sierra Nevada is a track we know quite well now. It’s a good track with good overtaking options until the finish which leads to exiting racing. I know it’s going to be tight racing and anything can happen but I’m hoping to build on the good dynamic from Georgia for this big block ahead.”
With Chloe Trespeuch (FRA), Michela Moioli (ITA) and Belle Brockhoff (AUS) all racing so consistently well this season, Bankes knows she needs a string of podium finishes in March to stand any chance of adding another Crystal Globe to her collection.
“I’ve been riding well in training but I had a very frustrating start to the season, which has been tough,” said Bankes, who currently occupies ninth place in the standings.
“But this did make the win on the second day in Gudauri a special feeling, and much more satisfying. It was a big relief for me and perfect timing before the second part of the season. It also showed our strength as a team, to always keep pushing and to bounce back.
“I’m really looking forward to the next four weeks on the road.”
For Bankes, Eguibar and the rest, the next four weeks begins in Sierra Nevada on Friday (1 March), when qualifying runs will be held for the first of the men's and women's FIS World Cup races, slated for 13.00 CET on Saturday.
Sunday will begin at 11.30 CET with qualifying for the second World Cup. The fastest two riders from each bracket of four will advance to the live TV stages, which begin for the men from the 1/8 finals and for the women from the quaterfinals.
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