Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup: Perfect weekend in Leogang

It was a celebration of downhill and cross-country mountain biking in Leogang, Austria, for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Camille Balanche (SUI) and Matt Walker (GBR) won the Elite downhill (DHI) racing, before Loana Lecomte (FRA) and Mathias Flückiger (SUI) took the honours in the cross-country Olympic (XCO).

Women’s Downhill: Balanche at her best

In the absence of Tahnée Seagrave, it was her British compatriot Louise-Anna Ferguson who was the early hot-seat resident. European Champion Monika Hrastnik was 7-sec up when she slipped off, recovered brilliantly, but finished 0.3 off in provisional 2nd.

Into the top 6, winner in Fort William Nina Hoffmann (GER), was 11-sec up when she crashed for the first of three times. Italy’s Eleanora Farina took a steadier start and it paid off, as she rolled in 1st. UCI World Champion Myriam Nicole (FRA) overcame a 4-sec deficit in the top section to hit green in the mid-section and finish 4.6-sec up. Her countrywoman Marine Cabirou was flying but a big crash on the tree stumps that ended her chances.

Home favourite Valentina Höll – the fastest qualifier at the last two UCI World Cups in Leogang – went 7.5-sec up at the first split, crashed, got back up, clawed back to within 0.5 sec then crashed again, to finish 6th.

The last rider Balanche, who won the 2020 UCI World Championships and the 2021 UCI World Cup on this course, went smoothly and shone in the Austrian sunshine for her 2nd UCI World Cup of 2022. The Swiss rider extends her overall lead, with 685 points to Nicole’s 555.

“Was a super good run,” said Camille Balanche. “I just didn’t do those mistakes at the top and when you start your run without a mistake it’s just better in the head. I’m so stoked!”

In the Women Junio competition, Phoebe Gale (GBR) finished almost 15sec ahead of Jenna Hastings (NZL) in 2nd and Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet (CAN), leaving the Canadian with just a 5 point overall advantage over the Briton.

Men’s Downhill: Matt Walker’s first UCI World Cup win

In Saturday’s Men Elite competition, with no Loïc Bruni, fellow Frenchman Loris Vergier set the early pace and enjoyed his time in the hot seat sunshine. UCI World Champion Greg Minnaar (RSA) took a kick off the fast high wall, and knew he wouldn’t get his 23rd World Cup win. Lourdes and Fort William winner Amaury Pierron (FRA) started slow but flew through the final sections to take provisional no 1. But when Angel Suarez (ESP) immediately pipped him by 0.1sec, the Frenchman knew his bid to become the first rider to win the first three races of a UCI World Cup season would remain elusive. Local hero David Trummer couldn’t match the Spaniard’s blazing pace on the fast Motorway section then Thibaut Dapréla went all-or-nothing but crashed in the woods.

Into the last five, came three Brits: Laurie Greenland had good pace, but an early crash meant it was in vain. Then two-time UCI World Champion Danny Hart went green all the way down and took the lead by 1.2sec. He was followed by British champion Matt Walker who went green, red, green… and crossed the line 1.3sec fastest!

When Canadian Finn Iles, after five weeks off the bikes after concussion, started quickly but lost his mojo in the woods, it was all down to Benoît Coulanges. The Frenchman went 1.4sec up at midway, looking for his first UCI World Cup win, but a crash meant it was the young British rider Walker who took his first Elite UCI World Cup victory.

Pierron stays top of the 2022 overall with 580 points while Walker shoots up to 2nd with 443.

“I can’t put it into words, it’s unbelievable!” said Matt Walker. “I felt really good in practice this morning. I was confident with my lines and made some bold choices with tyres and it paid off.”

The Men Junior battle between Jordan Williams and Jackson Goldstone continued in Leogang, with the Briton backing up his Fort William win and the Canadian 2nd again. After three races there are just 5 points between them.

Cross-country Women: Lecomte’s perfect weekend

Rebecca McConnell came to Austria with the white jersey of series leader, looking to replicate Loana Lecomte’s feat of winning the first four UCI World Cup races of 2021. France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and UCI World Champion Evie Richards (GBR) did not race.

In Friday’s slippery Cross-country Short Track (XCC) Lecomte went away from McConnell on the climbs to win ahead of Anne Terpstra (NED), Danish Champion Caroline Bohe, and former U23 UCI World Champion Alessanda Keller (SUI). The Australian came in 5th for a front row start in the Olympic distance race.

In Sunday’s XCO final, on the first corner of the start lap home rider Mona Mitterwallner – who blitzed the U23s in 2021 – crashed and had to shoulder the bike cyclo-cross-style to the tech zone and was left with a huge deficit at the start of the first of 5 full laps.

Olympic Champion Jolanda Neff skipped forward from her second row start to push the early pace before 2021 Leogang winner Lecomte and Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds (2nd in 2021) took over and pulled a gap from Austria’s Laura Stigger, McConnell and XCC UCI World Champion Sina Frei (SUI).

Lecomte turned the screw, and into the penultimate lap went 45-sec ahead of the Swedish champion with Stigger and Frei working together a further 40-sec back and Terpstra, Bohé and McConnell in 7th – looking to limit her losses in the overall – stretching out around 2mins back.

Mitterwallner continued to lap faster than the winner Lecomte, eventually finishing in 15th. Stigger came in a strong third; she couldn’t catch Rissveds’s 2nd place but finished well clear of Frei, with seven nations represented in the top 10.

“This year I have a UCI World Cup perfect weekend in the same place as last year,” said Loana Lecomte. “I am very happy to have that place in mountain bike history. It’s not my goal but I’m very happy with it!”

In the U23 racing, Puck Pieterse (NED) beat Line Burquier (FRA) to bring her points in the overall standings to 325, narrowing the gap to her French rival who left Austria on 475 points.

Men’s Cross-country: Flückiger’s double perfect weekend!

In Friday’s slippery XCC, with rounds 2 and 3 winner Tom Pidcock returning to road duties, 2021 Leogang UCI World Cup winner Mathias Flückiger won from Romania’s Vlad Dascalu, who looked strong on the climbing-heavy course. A second Swiss rider, Vital Albin, finished 3rd.

In Sunday’s XCO, into the first full lap of six, it was series overall leader Schurter who hit the front from Alan Hatherley (RSA), Dascalu, Flückiger and Anton Cooper (NZL), pulling away from Brazil’s Henrique Avancini and Jordan Sarrou of France.

Swiss Champion Flückiger made a big attack climbing on lap 3, shadowed by Schurter, with Hatherley and Dascalu struggling to stay in touch, before the Romanian Champion dropped back and was overhauled by a hard-charging French champion Maxime Marotte on lap 4. Only the South African Champion was able to keep the Swiss pair in sight on lap 5.

On the final lap it was a straight fight between the two Swiss adversaries. Flückiger attacked on the climb and pulled a short advantage but Schurter was right on his wheel by the final run through the pump track. The Swiss Champion attacked again, developing a 4-sec advantage on the hairpin climbs and this time it stuck, to make it two back-to-back perfect weekends at the Austrian round of the UCI World Cup for Flückiger. Hatherley held off the resurgent Dascalu for third.

Schurter maintains the overall lead with 964 points, Dascalu has 775 and Flückiger moved up to 3rd with 711 points.

It’s great, after Friday’s win and today,” said Mathias Flückiger. “I know I’m in good shape, but this is so tough. It was a great battle once again with Nino, this time better for me.

In the Men U23 race, Martin Vidaurre Kossmann took his fourth consecutive win, 20sec ahead of Simone Avondetto. The Chilean has a perfect 500 points and the Italian leapfrogs into 2nd overall with 287.

Next stop on the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is Lenzerheide (SUI), 8-10 July.