Intimate knowledge of specific tracks is clearly an advantage, but line choice and technique aren’t the whole story. Psychology also plays a big part: nerve, concentration, relaxation, application… having the mental toolbox to turn adrenaline into accuracy is an alchemy that all the sport’s protagonists chase and only the select few master.
Being a favourite attracts danger of over-confidence or distraction. Being a home favourite can add pressure that builds to upset the equilibrium of even the most experienced rider.
As the Men Elite final at the recent 2022 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Nantes showed, a ‘home UCI World Championships’ doesn’t always work out.
Historical trend
History records home wins from some of the sport’s greats – but not many.
Greg Herbold got things off to a great start in 1990 with a home win at the inaugural UCI World Championships for downhill at Durango, USA. In 1991, Italy’s Giovanna Bonazzi was the first woman to win the UCI World Championships ‘at home’ in Il Ciocco, then in 1994, Missy Giove was the second woman to do the same, at Vail, USA. No woman has done the same since. The great Fabien Barel is the only French rider to claim the accolade – at Les Gets in 2004. He followed it up the next year in Italy meaning there had been a French Elite man on the podium for 12 years straight. Greg Minnaar, at the South African Pietermaritzburg track, is the last Elite rider to win on home soil, in 2013. He wears the rainbow stripes again now, but it’s eight years since any Elite rider scored a ‘home UCI World Championships’ victory.
Five wins in 64 attempts by Elite riders: a 7.8% hit rate.
The Juniors have seen a better hit rate of 14.5% with nine home titles from 62 races. Amongst them the only national double came from the French pair of Nicolas Vouilloz and Anne-Caroline Chausson in Métabief, 1993. With three Junior UCI World Champion titles each, both went on to become the Elite riders with the biggest collection of rainbow jerseys: seven for Vouilloz and nine for Chausson – neither of them ever collecting silver or bronze medals. Vouilloz retired in 2002, and Chausson could not race in Les Gets 2004 due to a training injury, the misfortune spoiling an astonishing run of eight consecutive titles.
France has the most UCI World Championship wins by far: 16 in the Women Elite, matching the total for every other nation on the planet; and 14 for the Men Elite, equalling the next three nations combined: Great Britain, USA and South Africa. Individual records are equally compelling. Four of the all-time top five women are French: Chausson, Sabrina Jonnier, Emmeline Ragot and the current UCI World Champion Myriam Nicole. Vouilloz holds top spot in the Men Elite competition, Loïc Bruni is third with four titles, his last in 2019 and Barrel is joint fifth.
French form in 2022
2015 Junior UCI World Champion Marine Cabirou burst onto the Elite scene in 2019, winning the final two UCI World Cup races, then three of the four held in 2020. Since then injuries have hit, including a broken patella at Les Gets in 2021 and, after her strong start to the 2022 campaign, fractured vertebrae at Leogang in June. The body brace is off but competing at Les Gets seems a long shot.
French hopes for a Women Elite win rest with Myriam Nicole, a UCI World Championships podium finisher each of the last 6 years. Her 2022 UCI World Cup form includes a win and four 2nd places – but a puncture at Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) while on the quickest pace saw her drop to 3rd overall. What are the chances of retaining the DHI rainbow jersey? Statistically about four times better if you’re French!
Thibaut Dapréla has won Elite and Junior UCI World Cup races at Les Gets; his aggressive style could net him a dream victory. 2014 Junior UCI World Champion Loris Vergier is expected to recover from his shoulder injury in time, and French Champion Benoît Coulanges would give everything to win wearing the tricolore.
Four-time UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni hasn’t had his best year, and a training injury in Canada left him with a dislocated shoulder, and two weeks to get fit. But SuperBruni is the man for a big occasion!
This year, focus also falls on Amaury Pierron. The 2018 UCI World Cup overall winner and 2019 UCI World Championships bronze medalist has returned from injury with scintillating form in 2022.
But instead of playing safe on his run at Mont-Sainte-Anne that could have sealed the UCI World Cup overall title, he went with the pace of a win-or-bust UCI World Championship mindset… and crashed.