Hi everyone. I just wanted to share some pictures from the European Championships elite men and women races at Cappadocia, Turkey.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5605/img9818ay3.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7854/img9822qr6.jpg

After the start loop... Heminda Ramos leads
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9449/img9838lx0.jpg

Ramos opened up a big lead during the first lap
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6248/img9874qq5.jpg

Lorian Vogel
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7959/img9877yn7.jpg

Julien Absalon
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4408/img9879sm1.jpg

Christoph Sauser and Rael Paulissen
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1820/img9881lk9.jpg

Fredrik Kessiakoff
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2182/img9885rj8.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3562/img9891af3.jpg

Cedric Ravanel
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9233/img9893ie4.jpg

Sauser
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8666/img0025uz7.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7480/img0083qx3.jpg

Ramos... He was one of the few riders who cleared that section on the bike
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8636/img0086og8.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3350/img0089ix5.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7490/img0093qm7.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7598/img0095xa3.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/134/img0101yv7.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7222/img0106qq6.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/503/img0125xq8.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/78/img0136ip6.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1609/img0138ek7.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2763/img0150fb8.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7232/img0157sl8.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8162/img0159bi7.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9335/img0161zz5.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6269/img0175kt6.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9166/img0178sw0.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2637/img0184av9.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2780/img0192nn2.jpg

1st Jose Antonio Herminda Ramos, 2nd Julien Absalon, 3rd Fredrik Kessiakoff
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5871/img0213cy3.jpg

Women's Race...

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5331/img9390tr5.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3135/img9397tj5.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2828/img9444hx3.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5159/img9454wd6.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6166/img9471zd4.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3413/img9521hb0.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/653/img9549rl0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4103/img9598zx2.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2377/img9604io2.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2917/img9650wf3.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/8396/img9653wj5.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8239/img9654ys0.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2169/img9656fe7.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7791/img9661jc0.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2552/img9666rw6.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9296/img9679ju3.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9559/img9681nu2.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9277/img9685wo5.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8338/img9693ga1.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9340/img9699zh9.jpg

This is it for now... I will post more pictures later :)

WOW, that is the best looking corse I have seen in a long time. I like that climb and then the huge sand pit on the way down.

Nice

more...

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/739/img9708ba6.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2803/img9714qv9.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/5300/img9719sg2.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9379/img9734ck8.jpg

3rd Katerina Nash
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6161/img9758xu3.jpg

2nd Irina Kalentieva
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3188/img9761ui1.jpg

1st Sabine Spitz
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2043/img9762kr0.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1989/img9780dw4.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5953/img9782ib0.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/2389/img9783gb3.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9638/img0224cz2.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4830/img0225zo2.jpg

Spare some wheels?
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5840/img0226vc5.jpg

Irina Kalentieva's bike
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1870/img9786xt1.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6473/img9787sa4.jpg

Continental's new XC tires?
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3752/img9788ps5.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7655/img9789le8.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/3442/img9790ki8.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6734/img9792fa9.jpg

and finally some pictures from Cappadocia...

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4808/img9502zd2.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/6296/img9503wt0.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/6449/img9507oo2.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3221/img9618xp7.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9800/img9637ri9.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/2548/img9640xp8.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1476/img9643ge3.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9307/img9722pm5.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5791/img9727ml1.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7521/img9868ja8.jpg

WOW, that is the best looking corse I have seen in a long time. I like that climb and then the huge sand pit on the way down.

Nice

The course was stunning. I have never seen a course at this level of difficulty, both physically and technically. And never had this much fun watching a XC race :)

Nice pictures. Looks like an interesting place to visit even without the XC race.

Great shots. Fascinating countryside; thanks for posting those.

Walking stairs? I chuckle. At least they rode the sand washes.

Nice pictures. Looks like an interesting place to visit even without the XC race.
Yes, very interesting place. This was the first time I've been there and I didn't have any time to explore, but I will definitely go there again.

While on the subject, here's a very nice video for the DH/FR people, taken in the same area by a French group:

http://raceco.media-luberon.com/videos/cappadoce.wmv

Great shots. Fascinating countryside; thanks for posting those.

Walking stairs? I chuckle. At least they rode the sand washes.

Thanks dminor. :)

Yea, some walked down there. They didn't seem to lose any time to the ones that were riding though, some actually seemed to be gaining because of the tight turn in the middle. Well, I guess they knew what they were doing ;)

Those wear great pictures, Erhan. Thanks for sharing.

awesome pics, looked like a great time. whats the story with all the buildings built into those rock formations?

whats the story with all the buildings built into those rock formations?

As far as I know the first settlements in the area had begun in prehistoric times when people used to live in caves. Between now and then the place had been a home to many civilizations, and those must be built very long time ago. It's quite amazing to see that people still live in those. It should be possible to find more accurate information if you google "cappadocia".

props erhan. awesome photos!