Video shows carnage in Megavalanche 2015 bike race down glacier in French Alps
Jamie Nicoll finished the race with 'minor damage' after several crashes
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Your support makes all the difference.Speeding down a snow-covered Alpine mountainside on a bike was never going to end well but a cyclist has captured the sheer chaos of a race doing exactly that.
Jamie Nicoll, a professional mountain biker, captured his heart-stopping descent in the Alpe d’Huez Megavalanche in France earlier this month.
The incredible footage, which has so far been watched almost 1.3 million times, was captured by a camera mounted on his helmet.
It shows Nicoll falling over just seconds after crossing the starting line as dozens of cyclists promptly crash on the rocky terrain, tripping over anyone too close to avoid them.
He carries on and the rocks quickly turn to snow as racers are forced to put their feet down on corners to attempt to stay upright.
They speed down the glacier perilously close to sheer drop before the trail opens up into a wide plain, allowing them to descend at up to 30mph.
As Nicoll negotiates the steep slope he is forced to dodge numerous fallen competitors and their discarded bikes – and he succeeds until crashing on a patch of rocks.
Swiftly back on his bike, the footage shows him setting off again, surrounded by noticeably fewer cyclist than minutes before, as the track narrows near the base of the mountain.
Sharing a picture of racers winding through the stunning scenery last week, he wrote: “Ok I'm back from the bruises and down from the adrenaline of Megavalanche 2015.
“Pulled a good 7th after a couple of bad moments on the glacier.
“I'm lucky to have got away from those collisions with only minor damage.”
Nicoll is no stranger to injuries. After catching fire during an accident while building trails in Patagonia in 2010 he was given just a 10 per cent chance of survival because of the third-degree burns he suffered.
The Alpe d’Huez Megavalanche is the longest downhill race in the world, taking 1,400 participants from 20 countries through four days of training and racing from Le Pic Blanc to Allemont.
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