The mudbath at the third round of the 2022 UCI Downhill World Cup tested the best on qualifying day in the Austrian alps.
Here’s who took the full fifty points in the Elites, and bragging rights in the Juniors as the mud continued unabated in Leogang for round three of the 2022 UCI Downhill World Cup.
Junior Women
Jenna Hastings made it count in qualifying with a hefty thirteen second lead on your Fort William winner Gracey Hemstreet. Vicky Clavel rounded out the top three. Hasting’s time would have put her in 11th in Elite Women.
Phoebe Gale, the only other protected Junior was up at the first split but then ran into trouble and would have to settle for eighth.
Junior Men
Jackson Goldstone would once again take the qualifying scalp that would show he’s ready to take the step up to Elites. A full nine and a half seconds in front of Lachlan Stevens-McNab and Henri Kiefer, and with a time that would have put him 13th in Elites…
Both Remi Meier-Smith and Jordan Williams would be green at the middle splits before falling foul of the lower sections.
Elite Women
Today would be the Camille Balanche and Vali Holl show. While 0.6 separated them, they’d be twelve seconds clear of Marine Cabirou in third. Nobody else could get close. Come the woods section, they’d be pulling away from the rest of the pack.
Elite Men
Benoit Coulanges built into his run to see off Finn Iles who’s clearly recovered well just half a second back. Three Brits finish off the top five, with Matt Walker leading out Danny Hart and Laurie Greenland. Troy Brosnan is clearly loving the mud to finish sixth.
Aaron Gwin has found some speed, and maybe lost his chain, to roll into 12th.
Amaury Pierron was on pace at the top split before clearly having a disaster in the second sector to finish 34th. Minnaar took a dive and finished 52nd too. Bernard Kerr had a disaster too, rolling into 101st. Vergier fared no better in 113th.