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If you're new to cycling and want to learn more about the different disciplines of mountain biking, you're in the right place. Today, we're introducing you to dual slalom.
What is dual slalom?
The dual slalom in mountain biking is sort of the ancestor of the four cross. It is an old mountain bike discipline present in the Mountain Bike World Cup in 2000 and 2001, before being replaced by the Four Cross. This mountain bike event is run on the same principle as the Parallel Slalom event in Alpine skiing, a discipline introduced at the World Skiing Championships in 2021.
The dual slalom consists of a timed event during which two mountain bikers compete on two parallel tracks with similar layouts. The course, downhill, is very short: in fact, the race lasts less than a minute. The trails have small obstacles: banked turns, scree, jumps, etc. to make the descent more technical. It is a fast and spectacular event to watch during which there is always a lot of suspense.
Dual slalom events are contested under the principle of a knockout race. Each round between two drivers consists of two races: at the end of the first race, the competitors change tracks. The driver who qualifies for the next round is the one who records the fastest time with the two races combined.
Dual Slalom Competitions
Although it has disappeared from the MTB World Cup, dual slalom remains a very popular discipline, especially in the United States, where many competitions are still present.
In particular, dual slalom mountain biking can be found at the Crankworx World Tour, an international mountain biking competition sponsored by RedBull that is held in several rounds around the world and features several events in different disciplines such as downhill, dual slalom, pumptrack, slopestyle, etc.
In France, a few events remain such as the Kenny Dual Slalom organized in August in the resort of Orcières-Merlette, the Mordoride which takes place in the Pyrenees-Orientales or the Dual Slalom du Schlumpf in Dolleren in Alsace which are open to all.
What is the track record of the dual slalom?
In dual slalom, most competitors come from the DH or enduro world.
In the men's, Wade Bootes won the first edition in 2000 for Australia while American Brian Lopes won the last edition of the World Championships in 2001 ahead of Frenchman Cedric Gracia.
In the World Cup, the United States has dominated the record with four winners in four editions from 1998 to 2001, including three gold medals for Brian Lopes and the fourth for Eric Carter in 1999.
In the women category, it was Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson (multiple medalist in downhill, downhill marathon and BMX) who won both editions of the World Championships in 2000 and 2001.
In the World Cup, Australia won the first two editions in 1998 and 1999 thanks to their athlete Katrina Miller. The French Anne-Caroline Chausson won during the 2000 edition and the American Leigh Donovan won the last edition in 2001.
How to practice the dual slalom.
In France, there are several permanent dual slalom tracks, which you can find in particular in Bike Parks such as Les Gets (part of the Domaine des Portes du Soleil, which includes 12 resorts), Les 2 Alpes, Tignes, Courchevel or Orcières-Merlette.
As the discipline can lead to many falls, it is mandatory to wear specific protective equipment.
To protect your head in case of a fall, it will be imperative to wear a full face mountain bike helmet. To protect your hands, you will need to wear long gloves. To protect your eyes, you'll need a mask. And to protect the rest of your body, you'll need to don back protection as well as knee and elbow pads, just like for downhill riding.
Now that you know all about dual slalom, how about doing the same with other mountain biking disciplines like downhill, marathon downhill, enduro mountain biking, all-mountain mountain biking, cross-country, cross-country marathon, freeride, mountain biking, four cross, dirt mountain biking, street mountain biking, trials mountain biking, or slope style ?
