Final round of the UCI World Cup is on this weekend from Windham in upstate New York. All eyes will be focused on Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar in one of the tightest finishes to the season in years. From the clip below, courtesy of MTBCuts, Gee is looking pretty relaxed.

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Here’s a view you don’t see everyday. Thanks to the new GoPro HD Hero, enjoy Mike Montgomery’s fluid run that got him 2nd place at the 2010 Crankworx Whistler … including a nice bit of rider commentary.

GoPro HD HERO Camera: Crankworx Whistler – Mike Montgomery’s Slopestyle Run >>

The UCI Men’s World Cup Downhill moves to Windham, New York this weekend and with just 7 points in the standings separating Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar we’re looking forward to an exhilarating finish to the season. UCI Technical Delegate (and author) Chris Ball will be out there early checking on the course, but in the meantime here’s a vid from the guys in Windham showing off both the 4X and the DH courses:

Gee Atherton (GBR) hammered down the steep rock faces and notoriously technical Canadian Open DH course to take first place in the pro divisions in the race presented by Kona.

Kokanee Crankworx Day 8 Canadian Open Downhill presented by Kona from Crankworx on Vimeo.

Gee is moving on from dominating downhill events at Kokanee Crankworx to the Downhill World Championships taking place in Mont-Saint-Anne, starting September 2, 2010. The demanding slopes of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park are an ideal setting to train and prepare worldclass athletes for the demands of the Downhill World Championships.

Atherton, who also won the Dual Slalom at Kokanee Crankworx, had a solid run in the Candian Open DH presented by Kona and swept in at 3:04.14, second place went to pinner Lewis Buchanan (SCO) with a time of 3:09.16 while Justin Leov (NZL) maintained a pace almost exactly the same as Buchanan’s to come in at 3:09.20.

“This was a real tough course to ride today,” says Atherton. “It has been a long season and I am excited to go from here onto the World Championships in Mont-Saint-Anne.”

Record numbers of over 20,000 fans at the Monster Energy Slopestyle at Kokanee Crankworx witnessed a huge changing of the guard. Cam Zink (USA) had a major comeback and earned himself first place and $15,000 for a mind-blowing run featuring a huge front flip off the VW Booter, super floaty 360s and a big, old backflip off the Kokanee Booter. He stepped it up huge and his efforts got him 95.0 out of 100 from the judges. Zink held the title in 2006, making this his second first place win at the Monster Energy Slopestyle.

“This run was unreal; that was the first front flip I have ever done in competition,” says Zink. “It has been four years since I have had a big win. I don’t even know what to say. It has been a long time coming. It all paid off – all the hard work, all the injuries.”

Mike Montgomery (USA), who came in 14th at last year’s Monster Energy Slopestyle, was gunning for the win today and in his Super Final run he was flipping and spinning off everything he could get to in an attempt to unseat Zink. Unfortunately, he got a little sideways off the massive Monster Energy Launch Pad and detonated as soon as he landed. His impressive first run saw him throw down the hugest tail whip off the same feature and earned him a score of 91.5, enough to keep him on the podium through the whole competition.

“I am so glad all of my hard work has finally paid off,” says Montgomery. “I am so excited. I am healthy this year and I came to play. I nailed the first run and I got to do it in front of so many people. Stoked.”

Casey Groves (CAD) lived up to all the hype with solid runs through the entire competition. His second run sealed the deal and after stomping some styley 360s and a solid tuck no-hander x-up he was literally speechless in the finish corral with a score of 89.5. In Groves’s third run he showed heart when his chain broke and he launched himself off the Kokanee Booter with a fist pump anyways.

“This is an amazing turn of events, I never expected any of this,” says Groves. “I didn’t expect to go into the Super Finals in third and to maintain that placing is amazing.”

Paul Rak was the head judge at the first-ever Crankworx Slopestyle and he was back in the judge’s chair for 2010 after a two-year hiatus. The level of progression the sport has undergone in two short years was glaringly evident in the Boneyard today.

“Being away for two years and coming back and seeing the level that this sport has progressed to is incredible,” says Rak. This is one of the best mountain bike events I have ever had the privilege to judge.”

While the highs were high for the top five athletes, some crowd-favourites and superstar athletes fell victim to hard luck in the dirt arena of the Monster Energy Slopestyle. Both Darren Berrecloth (CAN) and Brandon Semenuk (CAN) laid down incredible runs, tricking top to bottom, only to crash after airing off the Kokanee Booter. Sixth place rider Yannick Granieri (FRA) was unable to compete in the Super Finals after washing out in his second run, but the score from his first run held up to get him some prize money.

The Monster Energy Slopestyle gives each rider two runs in the Finals and one run for the top six riders in the Super Final. The good news for today’s event was that the score from any of the three runs could win the competition. As the crowd saw today, the best runs of the day were thrown down early on.

A record crowd at Kokanee Crankworx witnessed the Monster Energy Slopestyle in Whistler Village and a live webcast on Crankworx.com and Go211.com ensured this year’s event was witnessed by over 100,000 worldwide.

The biggest names in mountain biking reveal the secrets of their success in a new MTB skills book out next week. Mountain Biking The Manual is a skills and technique guide drawing insight from over a dozen of the world’s best mountain bikers, including world champions Steve Peat, Greg Minnaar and Gee Atherton.

The book has been written by professional MTB coach Chris Ball, a former Scottish champion, who competed in over 30 world cup events. The Edinburgh-born 28 year old owns and runs Dirt School, a dedicated training school for mountain bikers, and also works with the UCI as technical delegate for Word Cup downhill and 4X events.

Chris’s work on the World Cup circuit has given him access to an inspiring pool of contributors and their insight on what it takes to make it at the highest level. The result is a book which can inspire developing riders and give recreational mountain bikers skills and tips to try out on their next rides.

Steve Peat, regarded by many within the MTB world as a living legend, gave his endorsement by writing the foreword to the book.

Peat said, “From the first timer on a mountain bike to a fully-fledged racing snake, there is knowledge here for all. The Manual will show you the fundamentals, the in-between bits and the moves to make your family proud of you. You will all be better riders for it.”

Editor Huw Williams believes that hearing the lessons from the mouths of the professionals sets Mountain Biking The Manual apart from others. Williams said, “Chris Ball has drawn together an amazing team of top riders. It’s their insight, their enthusiasm to teach, and their generosity to share their hard-earned knowledge that gives the book its edge. But this is not simply a collection of quotes hung together with pretty pictures. It’s a good, strong read in its own right. The lessons here are delivered through the clear, intelligent voice of one of the best coaches in the business.”

We agree! Mountain Biking The Manual is available now and here’s our little launch video:

Here’s the latest from the Kokanee Crankworx, featuring the Air DH. With over 40 jumps in under 5 minutes this event is one of the toughest around. Brian Lopes makes it look all too easy, with Sam Blenkinsop coming 2nd and Gee Atherton 3rd.

Kokanee Crankworx – Day 4 Air DH and Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge from Crankworx on Vimeo.

The Red Bull Rampage is due to run Oct 1st-3rd, and a little preview teaser is below for you. This has got to be one of the most spectacular MTB events on the planet, combining slopestyle and downhill. In 2010, Red Bull are introducing new features, new riders, a new format, and another chance for the next generation of mountain bikers to prove their ability on the world’s best terrain.

The Red Bull Rampage was launched in 2001 and held annually through 2004. It intended to bring the creative, unrestricted ethos of freeride mountain biking to the contest arena while staying true to the sport’s core ideals, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Held out on a sandstone ridge in the brutally tough landscape near Virgin, Utah riders were free to chose whatever line they dared between an established start gate and the finish line 1,500 vertical feet below.

In 2008, Red Bull Rampage: The Evolution returned to Utah, mixing the challenges of the natural terrain with hand-built features, paying homage to the popularity of the slopestyle scene that emerged in the years since Rampage began. The winner of the event was the 17-year-old Brandon Semenuk, who was still in grade school when the first Rampage took place.

As a former UCI World Cup competitor Chris Ball knows all about the cutting edge of downhill racing. As well as coaching the Scottish national downhill team, Chris runs his own MTB tuition company Dirt School. He has drawn on his knowledge of the sport and contacts with leading riders to author a new MTB skills and technique guide: Mountain Biking: The Manual

How did writing the book come about?
It was 2008 and I was standing in the rain under a tree next to a dirt jump when Wavefinder phoned me up and asked me to do it as part of their manual series. I’d been working in the industry for a while and developed a lot of training programs up in Scotland. I also work closely with the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale, mountain biking’s governing body) so I think it was a combination of things which got me the job.

This was your first attempt at writing a book. Did enjoy it?
I did actually, yeah. I holed myself way in the Scottish borders at a desk for six weeks. I learnt a lot and it was great to see it all come together.

Before you started coaching you were also a world-class racer. What made you stop racing and start coaching?
I was competing for a long time and then continued racing alongside studying for a degree in sports science and then fell into coaching really. I got a knee injury and it sidelined me so then I started working with Ruaridh Cunningham. He went on to be junior world champion and I went from there.

Is there a part of you that wishes you were lining up at the start line rather than watching or coaching from the sides?
With the coaching I get a different thing out of it. I get enjoyment from seeing the guys I work with do well, so it’s different. I’m not competing, but I don’t feel the need to compete anymore. I’m still heavily involved in the sport.

What does your role as a technical delegate with the UCI involve?
I’m like a liaison between the event organisers and the UCI – I make sure the tracks run well for the riders at all the World Cup events and also use my technical expertise to make sure that the course is safe.

This must give you great access to the riders – that must have been incredibly useful when writing the book?
Yeah, it’s a big help. Obviously I know all the guys, I’m working trackside with them when they are competing. Being able to go back stage and behind the scenes and see how the guys warm up and what they need before they race gives me a very thorough understanding – much deeper than what you would receive from working in the media and the restraints they have on them. I’ve also coached guys at the highest level and that gives me an all round understanding of the sport which offered a great insight when it came to writing the manual.

There are sections in the book on nutrition and psychology. How important are these factors to a modern rider?
I think a lot of normal riders could learn a lot of really basic things to make their riding more enjoyable. There’s a lot of knowledge out there – some of which I picked up during my sport and exercise degree – which is involved in cross country, and is starting to come into downhill. These are techniques which are already being used in rugbv and most major sports. Really simple things like psychology, nutrition, making sure you eat the right amount of the right food. The basic riders don’t have to be measuring amounts of food and drink like the top riders and it’s not meant to be an academic text book, but I tried to write the book to get the message across that the basic rider who’s just out and about can get a really good overview of the things they should be doing health wise to increase the level of their riding.

What would you say you enjoy the most: riding, coaching or your role with the UCI?
I really like being outside and active. I like having an active role in trying to develop the sport and seeing it change and instigating and facilitating change within mountain biking is what I enjoy the most. Whether that’s an athlete going faster, or making them happier riders or more comfortable – that’s what I enjoy the most.

Over 20,000 spectators watched the recent UCI event at Fort William. Would you say that mountain biking is more popular than ever?
Yeah, I’m always amazed at how popular it’s getting. Every week at the different events there’s a larger range of people: guys with there sons, wives and mums. It’s a wide ranging sport with a range of abilities and backgrounds. One guy said to me that he loves it because it’s the only sport he can do with his son and I think that sums it up why it is increasingly popular.

Your history and expertise is in downhill racing but all types of mountain biking are featured in the book. Do you have a favourite trick?
Not so much. I really enjoy making things flow. I love the feeling of effortless riding – that’s the most enjoyable part for me. Something I always try and teach people to do is carry the speed and flow through the route.

Have you got a top tip for somebody who’s a complete novice?
Read the book!

Some the photos in the manual are quite breathtaking particularly the images of the back flips. Can you do a back flip on a bike?
(Laughs) No, I’m afraid I can’t! I had to rely quite heavily on the guys who can. To be honest, if you want to do a back flip you’re going to try and do one whether or not you’ve read the book. I’m not sure a book can teach you the bravery needed! I want the book to be inspirational so people could look at that stuff and maybe if they’re only using the manual to find out tips on what energy bars to eat or how to go round a corner properly but at least they are getting a bit of an insight into what the guys at the top do. The book gives people an insight into how to pull off the amazing tricks which people see on the internet and then at least they can look them up in the manual, understand the moves a bit more, and then maybe give them a go once they’ve got some more confidence in their ability.

Mountain Biking the Manual is published by Wavefinder and is available now.