The track has been running substantially better due to a peppering of rain overnight, so right into the top 20, the times were already almost on pace with Gwin’s qualifying time. Luca Shaw had a great run and held the hot seat while Charlie Hatton and Alex Marin succumbed to crashes. Marc Beaumont’s still got it; after a top 20 qualifier, his race run was 5.5 back from Shaw, but considering how long ago he was in his prime, it’s still impressive riding.
Amaury Pierron looked quite fast on track but was just not quite there…Phil Atwill’s run was absolutely flat out, bonkers. Wild lines and calculated risk put him .09 ahead of Luca Shaw. With Laurie Greenland up next, Atwill’s tenure on the hot seat didn’t last as Laurie came down close to a second up.
Joe Smith and Charlie Harrison would have less than stellar runs, ending a few seconds back. Coming off of an injury with a broken hand, Connor Fearon would try to salvage some points but crashed, putting him way back. Despite having incredibly an good season so far, both Alexandre Fayolle and Jack Moir would finish a few seconds off of Laurie’s time. A bobble would dash Marcelo’s chances of a solid run, and Rudy Cabirou would cross the line just under two seconds off; a good showing.
Mark Wallace had a bit of a lackluster run…no major mistakes, but not enough to upset Laurie. Mick Hannah would have a big crash in the rocks but still finished his run. Baptist Pierron had a great showing but like many before him, couldn’t touch Greenland.
With a wild but clean run, Danny Hart took Laurie down by just over a second. With a surprising crash in the very first turn, Loris Vergier would dash his chances at a top finish despite having the rest of his run be on pace with Hart. On to Loic, who’s run would be riddled with small mistakes, putting him back on Hart by 2.7, which was not bad considering…
Greg Minnaar has simply been on fire this year. Pedaling EVERYWHERE, he would dust Danny’s time by 1.8 second. Incredible…On to Troy…Down at the first 3 splits, up at the 4th split! Into a nail biter finish and then .1 back. So so close. It all came down to Gwin…
Up at every split, riding absolutely violently, Aaron would flat near the bottom and miss out on his chance at the win. Heading into Mont Sainte Anne, there is an exciting points battle between Minnaar, Brosnan and Gwin, that’s for sure!
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In the women’s, Rachel Atherton would come so close to closing the gap and regaining her control over the field, but Nicole Myriam would grab a second consecutive win, showing a great follow up from Vallnord.
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In men’s juniors – rattled, Finn Iles still rallied and took the top spot by over a full second. We’re curious what happened to Matt Walker as he’s been battling with Finn all year. Hopefully he’s in good health.
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