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Full speed frenzy as the Leogang World Cup finals go down to the wire
The Austrian track pushed everyone to their limit in an incredible race. Replay the racing, watch the winning runs and read analysis of the races from the third stop of the DH World Cup right here.
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Amidst the soaring peaks of the Austrian alps is a race track like no other. The Leogang Bike Park has often had it's detractors. Deemed too finely sculpted and lacking in technical depth, it was often derided by many as little more than a sideshow. Over the years, though, that's gradually changed. Bit by bit, it's been recast, but amongst all the alterations perhaps the track's most notable asset – it’s searingly high speed – has remained intact.
In short, when it comes to going fast on a downhill mountain bike, Leogang is a temple of speed, as Round 3 of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI DH World Cup proved. Read on to find out more.
Watch the all of the race day action in the Parkin Brothers' highlights video below:
8 min
Hold on tight for the Leogang DH World Cup 2018 highlights
All the action from a thrilling third round of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup in Leogang, Austria.
Read on for our full race report from both elite categories. With back-to-back rounds in Italy and Andorra now just weeks away, the stage is perfectly set for one of the all-time classic seasons.
Men's Final
Rain clouds briefly gathered as the Men's class took to the track for finals. A small shower passed through quickly, but then it thankfully stayed dry on a warm day in the Austrian alps. There was also tailwind at the top of the course. This potentially could help carry riders to faster times than seen the previous day during qualifying.
Early leader Charlie Harrison
© Bartek Woliński
American Charlie Harrison was the first rider to go faster than Luca Shaw's top qualification time from the previous day, but his stay in the hot seat didn't last long as Britain's Mike Jones went faster. Jones was then usurped by Dakota Norton, who stayed in the hot seat as a succession of riders, including Danny Hart and Sam Blenkinsop, failed to make an impression.
Dakota Norton's finals run added to his burgeoning reputation
© Bartek Woliński
Then it was Aaron Gwin's turn. The reigning World Cup champion had crashed heavily during his race run in Fort William, dislocating his thumb in the process. As a result, Gwin's qualifying run was his first fast one of the weekend – and it hadn't been a comfortable experience.
Gwin was trying to make history with four consecutive wins at the track
© Bartek Woliński
Gwin had no expectations going into finals, but once again he showed why he's regarded as one of the best racers that the sport has ever seen. There was no part of the track that he didn’t attack and his splits went from good to great, as seconds were cleaved back from Norton, thrusting him to the fastest time.
It was a heroic effort from Gwin given his injury
© Nathan Hughes
Gwin had the look of someone quietly confident that his time would be hard to beat. Troy Brosnan came close, but wasn't able to eek out the seconds to truly trouble Gwin's time, and was just under one second adrift at the finish. Laurie Greenland was also outside of the American's time at the finish, but slotted into second behind him.
It's always all out attack when Laurie Greenland's on track
© Bartek Woliński
Could anyone of the three French riders, Loris Vergier, Loïc Bruni or Amaury Pierron, knock Gwin off the top seat? Vergier and Bruni tried and failed, with Bruni somehow staying on the bike after getting seriously off balance in the new off-camber section on the very first corner of the track.
A mistake on the top of the course cost Bruni dear
© Nathan Hughes
Vergier has twice been second in Leogang. The wait for a win continues
© Bartek Woliński
Then came Pierron. The laid-back personality of the Fort William winner away from the course belies his steely determination on it. Pierron and Gwin's times were closely matched in the top section of course, but the Frenchman nailed the Astiz root section to eat into Gwin's time. By the time the last split showed, he was faster than the American, and he peeked out a bit more time before the finish to cross the line half a second faster than Gwin, taking the lead.
It's safe to say that Amaury Pierron has fire in his belly currently
© Nathan Hughes
Fastest qualifier Luca Shaw was the last man to go down, but his challenge came unstuck just after he posted the fastest time at the third timing split. The American slipped out on some roots and his race for all intent and purposes was now over.
It was a case of what could have been for Luca Shaw
© Bartek Woliński
This was the cue for the French to invade the finish area and hold their new champion aloft, as they had done a week earlier in Fort William.
Pierron probably wishes there was a World Cup next week given his form
© Bartek Woliński
They also knew that Pierron would be leaving Austria with the Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup overall leader's jersey on his back. Pierron, on 503 points, has a 52 point lead over Gwin in the race for the overall World Cup title, while Troy Brosnan trails in third on 413 points.
Watch Amaury Pierron's winning race run below:
3 min
Amaury Pierron's winning run – Leogang
Watch Amaury Pierron's winning run at round 3 of the 2018 UCI MTB DH World Cup in Leogang, Austria.
UCI DH World Cup Leogang Men's results
PLACE
RIDER
TIME
1.
Amaury Pierron
3m 10.991s
2.
Aaron Gwin
3m 11.499s
3.
Laurie Greenland
3m 12.146s
4.
Troy Brosnan
3m 12.305s
5.
Loris Vergier
3m 13.385s
Women's Final
A crash in qualifying for Rachel Atherton put her in the unusual position of being very early down the hill for finals in Leogang. The British rider is used to being one of the very last riders to leave the start hut so when she came down early in the ranks, with seven riders still at the top, it was a mix up for the whole field.
Rachel Atherton left the start hut unusually early in the rankings
© Bartek Woliński
Atherton hasn't won a World Cup yet this season, after an injury last season set her back, and a snapped chain in Fort William thwarted her finals run. It'd been a tough weekend for the Trek Factory Racer too, with a big crash in qualifying. Atherton was hungry for a win, though, and it showed in her riding.
Full speed and full focus from Atherton
© Bartek Woliński
Attacking from the start, she was clean and fast through the track, lighting the timing splits up green. Storming over the line with a massive 13 second advantage on previous riders, Atherton took to the hot seat for what was likely to be a long wait. Her race run was a full six seconds faster than Tahnée Seagrave’s fastest qualifying run, which no doubt added pressure on the woman who'd be last to take on the course.
Relive Rachel Atherton's race run in full below:
2 min
Leogang DH World Cup 2018: Rachel Atherton race run
Join Rachel Atherton for her winning run at Rd3 of the 2018 UCI DH World Cup in Leogang, Austria.
As expected, Atherton held onto the hotseat unchallenged until Myriam Nicole, also starting further back in the field due to a qualifying crash, started her run. Looking exceedingly confident on the bike, Nicole was a mere 0.5 seconds off Atherton's time at split three.
Myriam Nicole was close to Atherton's winning pace
© Bartek Woliński
Excelling through the roots and taking a tight inside line gained her a slight advantage, but as she approached the steep root step section towards the end of the track, Nicole nearly lost control. Hitting the section with too much speed, she ended up riding down on her back wheel, narrowly managing to keep on her bike. Coming across the finish line just 0.638 seconds back from Atherton's time, Nicole slid into second place.
I made two big mistakes at the bottom so I'm really happy that I made it to the finish. I'm proud that I held on and made it to the bottom
Slovenian rider Monika Hrastnik was top privateer
© Bartek Woliński
Privateer Monika Hrastnik put in an aggressive looking run, but wasn't able to challenge Atherton or Nicole's times. She was followed by Swiss rider Emilie Siegenthaler, who initially started strong, but then appeared to be overshooting the jumps – suggesting that the tailwind at the top of the mountain was starting to affect the course. Both riders still put in times that could potentially put them on the podium, though.
Emilie Siegenthaler put in a strong run
© Nathan Hughes
Before the race, Australian Tracey Hannah remarked that her aim for this race was to move up on the overall and try to place third. Having started the year with a concussion, followed by a mechanical and a crash in Croatia, Hannah admits that her head still wasn't in the game for last weekend's race in Fort William.
Hannah was concentrating on overall points today
© Bartek Woliński
As her run got underway, she wasn't attacking as much as Atherton, but was still pushing hard. Slowing down to avoid a tree in the woods lost her a lot of time, but as she crossed the line in third, Hannah was guaranteed a podium place.
Tahnée Seagrave was last to leave the start hut
© Bartek Woliński
Atherton looked on anxiously as fastest qualifier Tahnée Seagrave left the start hut. A dynamic rider, Seagrave was really attacking the course despite carrying fresh stitches in her hip from a crash in practice, but as she hit the jump section her run came apart.
Seagrave overshot a jumpand left the course results in a DSQ
© Bartek Woliński
Carrying too much speed she overshot a jump and ended up going off the course. Leaving the course and not re-joining it at the same place is cause for disqualification under UCI rules and it was clear that Seagrave's run would be under tight scrutiny from the commissaires as soon as she crossed the line. Her race run still placed her in third position, but frustratingly for her, the commissaires disqualified her shortly after the results were announced.
4 min
Tahnee Seagrave Leogang GoPro
Tahnee Seagrave's GoPro run from Rd3 of the 2018 UCI DH World Cup in Leogang, Austria.
Atherton secured her first win of 2018 and her 35th world cup win. Being that it's over a year since she last won a World Cup, she was stoked with the result. "It's been a pretty hard weekend, I've had big crashes," she commented. "I'm happy to be in one piece. I never thought I could do it after my qualifying crash."
It's been a pretty hard weekend, I've had big crashes. I'm happy to be in one piece. I never thought I could do it after my qualifying crash
Rachel Atherton celebrates her first win in over a year
© Bartek Woliński
The revised results saw Tracey Hannah move up to third behind Atherton and Nicole, Hrastnik in fourth and Siegenthaler taking the fifth and final place on the podium. The disqualification for Seagrave also switched things up in overall World Cup standings, pushing her 174 points behind Nicole, in third place. With Atherton's win, though, there's now just 10 points separating her and Nicole in fight for the World Cup overall.
UCI DH World Cup Leogang Women's results
PLACE
RIDER
TIME
1.
Rachel Atherton
3m 41.141s
2.
Myriam Nicole
3m 41.779s
3.
Tracey Hannah
3m 45.118s
4.
Monika Hrastnik
3m 49.597s
5.
Emilie Siegenthaler
3m 52.780s
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