US junior downhill sensation Ryan Pinkerton is relishing the challenge of tackling the Snowshoe track in front of his passionate home fans.
The 18-year-old GT-Continental Factory Racing rider is on a proper roll having won the last three UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cups in Europe with dominant displays.
And he’s clear that having the expectation of the partisan US crowd in West Virginia will only be a good thing.
“I don't think there's any more pressure. I feel like, honestly, it's better, because the fans are really crazy for the US riders,” he said.
“I just feel like, maybe at the other races, it was a little more than this race, because at the other races I had to get to where I am now so it was definitely harder. But now I just have to keep doing what I was doing before.”
Californian Pinkerton says his mum will be trackside and his girlfriend is also going to be cheering him on in the crowd at her first World Cup.
The Orange County teenager is currently leading the series from closest rival Canadian Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) who missed the last two French rounds after suffering a suspected concussion.
The American has 88 points more than Kuhn, who is back for this seventh round of the series at Snowshoe.
Pinkerton thinks the returning Kuhn and Christian Hauser (Union - Forged By Steel City Media) are likely to be the biggest threats this weekend
“There's a bunch of other juniors but him [Kuhn] and Chris [Hauser] will definitely be the hardest ones to beat’” he said.
“Obviously some of our riders will come out and definitely be fast, but I think those two are definitely the hardest ones, they’ve been there the whole season.”
Pinkerton admits leading the series has ramped up the nerves but he’s confident he can deal with it.
“Obviously, I never really thought about it up until I was in the lead. And then the last race in Les Gets was pretty hard,” he said.
“Like I was really nervous at the top, a lot more nervous than I was at any other race. And I overcame that. So I think if I can overcome that then, I can overcome the nerves of this race.”
Pinkerton will be in qualifying action at Snowshoe on Thursday afternoon.
