When the entire downhill world elite travel to a tourist destination like Losinj in Croatia, it's certainly not to go on vacation. The Mediterranean island is hosting the start of the 2018 Downhill World Cup. The region is like something out of a picture book, the course is Mediterranean and rocky, sometimes narrow and fast. It is not very steep, but is peppered with a few drops off dry stone walls and spectacular jumps - all in all ideal for big wheels.

The reason why so many athletes rely on 29-inch wheels is not just because of the course in Losinj. Almost all top riders rely on the big wheels because the advantages are obvious and in racing every sliver of a second counts. If not yet officially presented, many racing teams have provided 29er prototypes for their riders. And top favorite Aaron Gwin, the overall World Cup winner of the 2017 season, will also be at the start with a new bike. However, it is not yet clear which wheel size will be fitted to his bike. This question will most likely be resolved during training. The only thing that is certain is that riders who ride 27.5-inch wheels will soon be among the last of the Mohicans in downhill racing.

And who has the best maps now?

This question is equally difficult to answer every year. The usual suspects, for example Aaron Gwin, Greg Minnaar, Loic Bruni, Loris Vergier, or Danny Hart and Troy Brosnan, can be counted among the favorites again with a clear conscience. But there are also some young riders pushing to the front, such as Dakota Norton and resurgent older riders like Sam Blenkinsop and Brook MacDonald.

But there is also a big question mark over the Swiss. Last year, some riders made a big leap from World Cup flops to regularly qualifying for the finals and achieving good results at their home World Cup in Lenzerheide. It is currently very difficult to judge whether there is room for improvement again.

In the women's event, there is likely to be a three-way battle between Tahnée Seagrave, Rachel Atherton and Myriam Nicole, although we see the best maps in the hands of the young Seagrave. The following athletes Tracey Hannah, Emily Siegenthaler, Miranda Miller, Marine Cabirou and Monika Hranstnik will be open, as they all have what it takes to crack the top 5, perhaps even more with an exploit.

With Emily Siegenthaler, a total of six Swiss women are registered - the highest number for a long time. A 50 percent qualification rate for the final on Sunday should therefore be possible.

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