Qualifying day landed just before the heavens opened in Mont Saint Anne and some four riders stated their claims for the Rainbow Stripes early on.
A dry track similar to practice greeted riders for qualifying at the 2019 UCI Downhill World Championships in Mont Saint Anne and it was four riders that made a bold statement making the rest of the pack scratch their heads as to how to catch up.
Elite Men
Danny Hart put in a stormer of a qualifying run and put in a time three and a half seconds up on second place qualifier Loris Vergier. From there back, Brook Macdonald was a second back on Vergier, with your defending World Champion Loic Bruni 0.8 back on the charging Kiwi.
Bruni’s countryman and overall title rival was a whisker behind and overall hopeful Troy Brosnan a second back again. The rest of the pack, from Jack Moir back would be four seconds adrift at the least.
Six seconds separate the top six, with Hart’s lead making up more than half of that.
Elite Women
While we didn’t pick Myriam Nicole in our predictions, it seems rather foolish that we wrote her off almost. There’s no doubt she’s been building towards this race all year and with a two second lead going into Sunday over title hopeful Tracey Hannah, it’s hers to lose.
Marine Cabirou would be a second back on Hannah, with Siegenthaler almost seven back in fourth. Tahnee Seagrave was a further six back in fifth.
It looks like a three horse race for the title. Can Myriam Nicole upset Tracey and Marine’s battle or will one of them find another gear on Sunday?
