Fast Life Episode 5: Playlists, podiums and thin, thin air

Race day motivation meets a lifetime of experiences as Fast Life heads to Andorra

Terry McKall December 1, 2018

Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme! What do World Cup racers Finn Iles and Kate Courtney listen to on race day?

Fast Life Episode Five dives into the serious business of pre-race pump up jams. Go behind the headphones to find out what the best racers listen to before dropping in.

Perfectly curated playlists aren’t the only thing keeping Iles and Courtney moving. Proper suspension setup is crucially important to downhill racing. The Vallnord, Andorra World Cup track is especially challenging, with a mix of flat and wildly steep terrian.

For Courtney and the XCO crowd, the challenge is different. At an elevation of 2000m, the Andorra cross country race requires racers to deal with altitude as well as their competitors. Racing at elevation requires experience. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå, who won her first World Cup 22 years ago in 1996, has more experience than most. While Courtney continues the learning process, after going out hot early in the race, Dahle paces perfectly to her 30th and final World Cup win.

Back on the downhill track, Finn Iles looks back at finding his way at the start of his career. The young Canadian then takes a big step to finding his footing in the elite ranks.

Hold on folks, this one gets emotional.

If you’re just catching up with Season 2 of Fast Life, you can go back and find the season premier Episode 1 here. Then watch Episode 2, with a quick cameo appearance from Emily Batty. Follow that up with a look behind the scenes of a World Cup pit for Episode 3, and more of Canada’s cross country rocket as Batty talks training in Episode 4.