110 kph into total chaos: 2019 Mountain of Hell
How did you think a mass start DH race on a French glacier would go?
Mountain of Hell is a mass start downhill race that begins on the top of Glacier des Deux Alps. As you might expect when hundreds of riders fling themselves down a glacier on DH and enduro bikes, the start quickly devolves into chaos. This year was especially epic.
By now you’ve probably seen some re-post of French snowboard coach Thomas Cardinal’s perspective on the insane start, and abrupt disruption of 2019 Mountain of Hell.
Below, you can watch Killian Bron‘s winning run on the 25 km downhill course, which drops a staggering 2,500 m of elevation over ice, snow, looks rocks and, eventually, trail.
While the speed and endurance of Bron’s Mountain of Hell winning run is impressive, what does the race look like from mid-pack?
Maxime Ciriego started near the back, with 1,000 riders lined up in front of him. He had a perfect view of the chaos unfolding in front of him. Incredibly, Ciriego somehow made it through unscathed, mostly. By the bottom of the mountain, he weaves his way up to 39th !
Watch Ciriego navigate the Les 2 Alps Glacier as riders crash and careen all around him below:
