The 2008 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup began last weekend with 40,000 fans flocking to the Belgian town of Houffalize to watch the best XC riders in the world take on 14% climbs, fast woodland singletrack and treacherous downhill. All, of course, while indulging in the famous pastimes of wurst munching, strong beer sampling and waffle eating.

In true European style, the seven kilometre course started out dusty, but then the rains came and turned Saturday’s support races into a nightmare. These amateur races, which anyone can enter, attracted over 1,000 riders, several from the UK, to test themselves against the same course the pros would face the following day.

By the time Ren Chengyuan had won the rather soggy Elite women’s race on Sunday morning, the town had been transformed into a biking festival, with team trucks along the main road, the start halfway up the high street and the race itself passing through the town centre. Everything was shut down so that people could come and enjoy one of the world’s biggest mountain bike spectacles. No problem was too much to overcome, it seemed, as there were even makeshift bridges installed with ropes to stop anyone getting an early bath. Although we’re not so sure health and safety in the UK would ever allow such an event to take place here, it shows what can be done with the right support!

The important bit (that’ll be the racing then) was that Julien Absalon, defending World, World Cup and Olympic Champion took this opening race with ease, making him the first Frenchman to win at Houffalize since 1999. Two hours was all it took to cover the 25 mile race distance, leaving Nino Schurter and Christoph Sauser to pick up second and third respectively. Mixed fortunes for the Brits, with Oli Beckingsale a creditable 18th but Liam Killeen down in 69th.

The riders will gather again on Sunday at Offenburg in Germany for a slightly lower profile World Cup event, albeit with no less Wurst or beer. Which suits us just fine…