[Highlights] Bruni e Höll vincono la coppa del mondo 2024 a Loudenvielle

Ad una gara dalla fine del circuito 2024, il francese Loic Bruni e l’austriaca Vali Höll si sono aggiudicati la coppa del mondo di DH 2024, rispettivamente nella categoria uomini e donne elite.

Uomini Elite

Risultati completi uomini elite

It was double delight for the French fans in the men’s Elite race as series leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) sealed a fourth UCI Downhill World Cup title with a fourth-placed finish in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, while compatriot Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) took victory in the penultimate round of the season.

It was a second series victory for Coulanges, who qualified just 16th-fastest but was unstoppable in grim conditions in the Pyrenees, posting a time of 3:40.480. Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) came second, 2.231 seconds down, with European champion Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) third.

One of many fast Frenchmen in contention, Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) was able to take advantage of the track before it was completely destroyed, and his assured performance meant he moved into the hot seat with the fastest time. The Frenchman celebrated with the crowds as he crossed the line but faced a nervous wait as racer after racer dropped in. Ultimately not even the series winner could better his time as Commencal bikes took a clean sweep of all four races in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes this weekend.

Bruni capitalised on a late drop-in time and the drying track to post the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying of 3:35, and got off to a similar start in Sunday’s race, fastest at the first two splits and expertly negotiating the toughest corners. The Frenchman had a point to prove after crashing out of contention for an incredible sixth rainbow jersey in Andorra, where he finished 78th.

Ultimately victory would be beyond his grasp but fourth place on the day was enough to secure yet another UCI Downhill World Cup title, as his closest rival Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) crashed and could only manage 10th.

Pierron, who was fifth at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships last week, was 0.269 seconds off the pace at the first split but paid the price for his blistering start as he got caught in a rut and crashed into the mud. It was a heartbreaking finish for the Frenchman, who was the only man within touching distance of Bruni for the overall, as he finished 10.499 seconds off Coulanges’ time.

Newly crowned UCI world champion Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) was powering down the mountainside and hoping to mirror his triumph in Andorra but just missed a rut on a corner and tumbled off his bike, impressively managing to rescue his run to finish 14th.

Fourth-fastest qualifier Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) came unstuck in an early left-hander that brought several other riders to grief, dropping down to seven seconds off the pace. In third place overall at the start of the day, he was straight back on his bike and fighting on, but he slid out on a swerving corner, finishing the course coated head to toe and mud and with the title out of his grasp.

Speaking after his victory, Coulanges said: “Vive la France! Thank you to the French fans, I feel a bit lucky today. I’m really stoked to win my second World Cup here in France. I really like muddy conditions, you hear the sound of the rain, the water on the ground, makes you feel like you’re riding really fast. I just love it.”

Bruni was another to cheer in delight as he was told in his post-race interview that he had secured the overall victory, saying: “I didn’t know! No way, actually? Oh my god, sick – Apart from that, I was really happy with today’s performance. We have a bad spell on the World Cup at the moment, we see conditions change on the last minute so it’s quite difficult to deliver proper race runs. I’m really proud of my performance and my team, we tried to stay confident, so super happy.

“My mechanic one minute and a half before I dropped in showed me [Amaury’s crash], which lifted some pressure, he’s an absolute danger-man in these conditions, so it kind of released a little bit of pressure. Most of the lines were destroyed, so it was a new kind of ride… struggle-bus! I tried to have fun, the crowd was still pretty amazing, so can’t complain. I knew if I could put aside the negativity of failing [at the UCI World Championships] I could keep riding pretty solid, and I think I showed this weekend the pace is good, and even on wet conditions we are not too shabby!”

Donne Elite

Risultati completi donne elite

The women’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup title was decided amidst driving rain as YT MOB’s Valentina Höll sealed victory with a second-place finish just a week after winning the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

Home favourite Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took her first win since 2022 as she surged to victory in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, besting overall race leader Höll by 1.145 seconds. But second place was enough for Höll to secure the overall series win with one round to spare, as her closest challenger Tahnee Seagrave crashed amid dismal conditions at the close of the race.

Britain’s Phoebe Gale (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) set the fastest time early on, but it was another Brit and Canyon rider, Seagrave, who had laid down the marker in qualifying. The Fort William winner was the only rider who could have prevented Höll from doubling up on rainbow stripes and UCI World Cup glory, and the crowd was buzzing ahead of their hotly-anticipated clash.

Höll put disappointing fifth places in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) and Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) behind her last week as she charged to a third straight UCI World Championships title in Andorra. The 22-year-old lost 0.277 seconds to Gale in the top section in Loudenvielle, where the visibility continued to deteriorate, but she only got better as the course went on. The Austrian qualified seventh, 8.657 seconds off the pace, but had clearly saved her best for when it mattered. She built up speed and attacked every part of the course to best Gale’s hot-seat time by 3.657 seconds.

Myriam Nicole had come second to Höll in last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships by just half-a-second and the Frenchwoman – who qualified third fastest here – was clearly determined Loudenvielle-Peyragudes wouldn’t see the same result.

After a succession of top-five finishes she was due a win and, roared on by the home crowd, she slipped into the provisional lead by just 0.047 seconds at the second time split. She dropped 0.363 down at the third split but a flying run saw her power back into the lead, and she crossed the line 1.145 seconds ahead of her Austrian rival to move into the hot seat.

The exposed, open top section of the mountain was almost completely obscured by thick fog as the race continued, with the faster qualifiers setting off in white-out conditions and unable to see the lines in front of them.

A result of fourth or better for fastest qualifier Tahnee Seagrave would guarantee the title would go down to the wire in Canada, but it was to be a bitter disappointment for the Brit.
Seagrave posted a faster time at the first split but her hopes of taking her first senior title came to a crashing halt as she hit the deck in the early section. The Brit has been back to her best this season but went down in the lashing rain and couldn’t recover, finishing 10th.

Risultati uomini junior, donne junior.