 READY TO THRILL RAJASTHAN'S PREMIER CYCLING EVENT 7th & 8th September 2019 AN EPIC TOUR CUM RACE IN ARAVALI’S
MTB JAIPUR is an Eco-Friendly initiative. It is an act to promote the cycling Enthusiasm for the next generation. It helps in providing a global platform for the local riders to interact with professional and successful riders. It will help them professionalize their skills and position towards cycling. This is a long term vision to organize this event each and every year, so that people across the country can have the fun of the Jaipur Aravali Mountain Ranges and its Warmness. MTB JAIPUR is promoting ‘Wildlife Eco-Responsible Tourism’ with the motto ‘Save Wildlife’.
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 Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer The second FMB Gold Event of the 2019 season saw the world's best Slopestyle athletes descend on the quaint Austrian town of Saalbach Hinterglemm, a tiny town that became the global capital of Slopestyle this weekend. Coming off of a win at Swatch Rocket Air earlier this season and an impressive 3rd place at Crankworx Innsbruck, Dawid Godziek travelled to GlemmRide with a chip on his shoulder, but also with realistic expectations. Defending Champion Torquato Testa (ITA) and top-level Slopestyle riders such as Emil Johansson (SWE), Nicholi Rogatkin (USA), Erik Fedko (GER) and Tomas Lemoine (FRA) also travelled to Austria with a mission of their own - whether it was to defend the title or to score a win to bounce back on the season, but Dawid Godziek (POL) turned out to be the man to beat after laying down a heater of a run, scoring 92.33, and holding onto that score for the rest of the day, and making it two out of two FMB World Tour Gold Event wins this year.  Rider: Dawid Godziek / Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer Dawid Godziek managed to secure his place in the finals thanks to a stellar run earlier in the day during qualification, scoring a clean 91.66 points, sandwiched in between Emil Johansson (SWE), who scored 93.00 and Nicholi Rogatkin, whose score also reached into the 90s with a score of 90.33. Jakub Vencl (CZE) and Tomas Lemoine (FRA) also found themselves within the Top 5 after qualifying scoring 88.33 and 87.00 points respectively. Dawid Godziek was surgical in his first finals run, looking to capitalize on his second place qualifier and looking to keep his recent high-scoring streak going. Starting things off with a big Barspin to Tuck No Hander on the first stepdown and following that up with his now-signature Twister-No Hand, he continued down the course and hit the new boner log feature with a Cash Roll, pulled a Double Tailwhip on the infamous hotel step-up and finished his run with a Truck Driver over the road gap and a huge Double Backflip X-Up on the final jump. His score of 92.33 sky-rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard, placing him more than 5 points above Erik Fedko (GER), but would prove to be unbeatable for the rest of the night, but that's not saying other riders didn't give it their all to battle it out for first place. Rewatch all of the GlemmRide 2019 Slopestyle action on-demand right HERE!  Rider: Emil Johansson / Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer Swedish rider Emil Johansson kicked things off with a Truck Driver to Inverted Turndown on the step-down and turned things up a notch with a huge Backflip Tailwhip to Barspin on the second jump. An Opposite Truckdriver to Inverted Turndown and a Fastplant 360 on the step-up put Johansson in front of the last two features - the road gap and the river jump - hitting those with a 360 Tailwhip and an Opposite 360 Tailwhip to Bar, Emil found himself sitting in 2nd place, less than 2.5 points behind Godziek. Visibly stoked in the finish area, the Swede's performance was rewarded with a clean 90.00.  Rider: Erik Fedko / Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer  Rider: Erik Fedko / Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer After finishing 9th in qualifying, young German phenom Erik Fedko needed to go big in finals to get within striking distance of the podium - and go big is exactly what he did. Known for his huge flip and whip combinations, the crowd was electric during his run. Dropping in with a 360 Tailwhip and throwing a huge Backflip Superman Seatgrab, the first third of the course was behind him, but those that thought that the German just landed his biggest tricks were in for a surprise. A 360 Downside Whip on the boner log and an Opposite Tailwhip on the step-up put Fedko within sight of the podium - a strong finish stood between him and a potential GlemmRide win. Wowing crowds with a Double Truckdriver over the road gap, Fedko pulled his biggest combo of the day - a super steezy 360 Indian Air Seatgrab to Barspin. While his run put him on the hot seat for quite a while, Erik was bumped down two podium spots by Dawid Godziek and Emil Johansson.  Rider: Dawid Godziek / Photo by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer The GlemmRide Top 5 was rounded out by Frenchman Tomas Lemoine, who scored 85.00 after a combo-filled run and 2018 winner Torquato Testa - who finished the day with a score of 83.33.
Traditionally, a Hero of the Weekend was also awarded during the Podium Ceremony - and the title stays in Austria after Bernd Winkler (AUT) won it in 2018. Sending it big all weekend and pushing himself to higher levels, battling from prequalies all the way to finals (in which he finished 9th with a 74.66), Peter Kaiser will now take the title back to his stomping grounds in Innsbruck. GlemmRide Slopestyle 2019 Podium: Dawid Godziek 92.33 Emil Johansson 90.00 Erik Fedko 86.66 Photos by © Richard Bos / Dope Hammer  RACE RECAP BPBP - CHINA YAK RU ENDURO - NEPAL BMX BANJAAREY - INDIA  #issue #57 #mtbmagasia #race #recap #bpbp #jiande #hangzhou #china #yakru #enduro #himalaya #nepal #bmx #banjaarey #wanderer #jaipur #udaipur #jaisalmer #jodhpur #ajmer #pushkar #rajasthan #india
 Event Sino Epic is the first national Mountain Bike event to take Cape Epic which is the most famous cycling event in South Africa as race model. Through 3-day event, the cyclists can visit the most famous places of interest in Gan Nan, such as Mila Riba Buddhist Palace, Bola Temple, SANGKE Prairie, LABRANG Monastery. Cyclists can experience customs of Gan Nan, and meet the local Buddhist culture.  Gan Nan Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is situated in the southwest of Gansu Province, neighboring Dingxi and Longnan in the east and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in the north. It is bounded on the south by Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province in the neighborhood of Guoluo, and Huangnan Tibetan autonomous prefectures of Qinghai Province in the west.  Race Schedule   Groups   Day 1 Start and Finish: He Zuo Shambhala Square 1.U18, U15 and Low Carbon Group 10KM with high altitude 2912.1m and low altitude 2881.7m , climb 33m  Team Time Trial 7.7KM with high altitude 3024.3m and low altitude 2894.4m , climb 176.5m  Day 2 Start and Finish: He Zuo Shambhala Square Legend Men Team, Legend Mix Team, Elite A, Elite B, Master, Gravel, Tibetan Men, Tibetan Women 43KM with high altitude3283.3m and low altitude 2891.1m , climb 544.3m  Tibetan 10KM Run 10KM with high altitude 2912.1m and low altitude 2881.7m , climb 33m  Day 3 Start:He Zuo Shambhala Square Finish:Lu Qu County Legend Men Team, Legend Mix Team, Elite A, Elite B, Master, Gravel, Tibetan Men, Tibetan Women 136.6KM with high altitude 3216.2m and low altitude 2794.8m , climb 1601m   If you want more infos about the race or want to participate please get in contact with us!  #mesumvermaphotography #mtbmagasia #looseriderschina #bpbp #jiande #zhejiang #hangzhou #china #mtb #train #downhill #dji #mavic #air #drone
 #claudiocaluori #bpbp #bravepeakbikepark #mtb #downhill #train #dji #mavic #air #drone #mesumvermaphotography #jiande #zhejiang #hangzhou #china
 Fabio Wibmer / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA – 2019 – The second stop of the 2019 Crankworx season did not disappoint. Massive tricks, exciting racing, tough crashes and incredible runs – the Mons Royal Dual Speed & Style and Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle provided the goods. Here are some of the highlights of the action-packed style events: Innsbruck provides the goods Innsbruck has given fans and athletes everything they have hoped for – but the weather also put everyone’s nerves and patience to the test. The Speed & Style course was as spectacular as ever with the two lanes criss-crossing and riders having to jump over each other twice on the way to the finish line – a one of a kind course in mountain biking. The spectacular track also made for incredible racing and some dramatic moments – including a run with handlebars unintentionally turned backwards. The Slopestyle riders on the other hand battled with high winds throughout the week, which limited practice and saw the competition first postponed and then moved back a day altogether. The thousands of fans who had patiently waited and turned up for the show on Sunday were however more than rewarded by one of the most incredible Slopestyle competitions in history.  Martin Soederstrom competing against Kyle Strait / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool Speed & Style continuous to deliver excitement The Mons Royale Speed & Style at Crankworx Innsbruck once again demonstrated, why the unique format is as spectacular as it is unpredictable. It’s hard to determine which background gives riders the greatest advantage, as the stacked line-up of riders race each other head-to-head while throwing huge tricks. The big favorite, reigning Speed & Style World Champion and defending Innsbruck Speed & Style Champion, Tomas Lemoine (FRA), got off to a good start, beating Tyler McCaul (USA) with both his tricks and speed. But then, just like in Rotorua, his day got cut short. While Lemoine was derailed by a flat tyre in Rotorua’s semi-final and a crash in the small final, in Innsbruck it was the round of 8 where things went wrong for him, when it seemed like he had an issue in the air on the first trick jump. The replay revealed, that Lemoine somehow got his handlebar hooked during a 360 double-bar spin and subsequently landed with his handlebar backwards. Somehow he managed to hold on, land and continue his run despite the bar facing backwards and not being able to use the brake, he still raced through the gates and even pulled a backflip on the second jump. The straight backflip ended up costing him too much compared to Kyle Strait’s (USA) Double-Tailwhip and he wasn’t able to come back in the second run. Strait however moved on and beat Sam Reynolds in the semi-finals, which meant the Gold medal was to be decided between two legends of the sport. After making his way through the field, retired Slopestyle legend Martin Söderström (SWE) was keen on regaining the top step of the podium, a place he hadn’t been since Crankworx Rotorua in 2018. Out of the gate it was clear that it would be almost too close to call in both Speed and Style. After crossing the line, Söderström was only behind 0.01 seconds going into the second run. Both riders gave it their all in the second run, Strait however gave just a fraction too much and crashed out, handing Söderström the victory. The bronze medal went to Garett Mechem (USA), after Sam Reynolds (GBR) crashed on the last jump whilst leading in the small final.  Winners pose for a group photo on the podium during Dual Speed & Style event / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool Emil Johansson and Brett Rheeder battle it out at the top What a show! Starting a day later than planned due to high winds, the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle was absolutely worth the wait. Defending Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Champion Brett Rheeder (CAN) came firing out of the gate and scored a 92 in his first run, distancing Dawid Godziek (POL) in second place by a full 8.5 points. Rheeder’s run looked hard to beat, but young Swede Emil Johansson had big things planned after abandoning his first run following a mistake. Johansson had been struggling with a mystery illness (detailed in the new short movie ‘Every Mystery I've Lived’) and all but vanished from the scene for almost a year following his sensational debut season on the highest level of slopestyle, that saw him crowned Slopestyle World Champion in 2017. Under pressure to perform in order to not lose his spot on the Crankworx World Tour, the young Swede put on a slopestyle master class in his second run. Johansson got off to a strong start with a 360-Unturndown before throwing a Quadruple-Truckdriver on the second jump, an Opposite-360-Tuck-No-Hander on the boner log, a 360-Tailwhip-to-Double-Barspin and Opposite-360-Invert-to-Downside-Whip on the two hips, a Backflip-Barspin on to and 360-Tailwhip off the whale tail, before finishing his run with an Opposite-360-Tailwhip-to-Barspin on the final jump. It’s a small miracle that the judges were even able to follow the technical difficulty of the run, but in the end Emil’s clean and precise performance was rewarded with a score of 95 points and the lead. Rheeder, who watched Johansson’s run from the bottom of the course knew, that he had his work cut out for himself. While several riders stepped up their game, none came close to the Swede’s spectacular run. Rheeder was the last one to drop into his second run and he was hell-bent to get his first victory in Innsbruck and to keep his hopes of winning the Crankworx Triple Crown of Slopestyle alive. With all the pressure on him, the Canadian showed an incredibly varied run that included a Flat-Drop Backflip-Tailwhip, Frontflip-Barspin, Backflip-Opposite-Tailwhip, Opposite-Cork-720, Cork-720-Barspin, 360-Downside-Whip, Opposite-Truckdriver and a Backflip-Opposite-Double-Tailwhip. After several minutes of anxious waiting and heated discussions between the judges, Rheeder’s run was awarded with 95.5 points and his first victory in Innsbruck, while the crowd and viewers enjoyed one of the most spectacular battles in Slopestyle history.  Dawid Godziek / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool  Brett Rheeder / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool  Emil Johannsson / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool More spectacular runs than you can shake a stick at The jaw-dropping battle between Rheeder and Johansson might be the front-page news, but that shouldn’t distract from the outstanding skills of the rest of the field. The Slopestyle level is as high, as it has ever been with virtually every rider showing a run, that could have easily won it all in previous years. One stand-out was Wildcard-rider Dawid Godziek (POL), who, amongst others, showed a 1080-Tuck-No-Hander, a Cashroll-Barspin and a Double-Backflip-X-Up - three tricks that haven’t been seen at a Crankworx World Tour competition before - in a run that earned him 89.5 points and the bronze medal. Further highlights were Tomas Lemoine’s Backflip-No-Hander-Barspin, Erik Fedko’s (GER) 360-Indian-Air and Backflip-Superman-Seatgrab and Torquato Testa’s (ITA) Backflip-No-Foot-Can-Can on the boner log and Double-Backflip on the second hip. The level of riding has been so high in Innsbruck, that one can only wonder what the Slopestyle riders have planned for August’s season finale at Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler.  Emil Johansson / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool  Winners have a champagne shower / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool Lemoine builds lead in King of Crankworx Standings; the Slopestyle World Championship is Rheeder’s to lose After winning the Slopestyle competitions in both Rotorua and Innsbruck, the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Champion title is Brett Rheeder’s to lose, as he has accumulated 2000 points and sits comfortably in front of Tomas Lemoine (1556 points) and Torquato Testa (1320 points). More important for Rheeder however is the fact, that he heads to Crankworx Whistler with a shot at the Triple Crown of Slopestyle title. The illusive title has only been won once (by Nicholi Rogatkin in 2018) and after winning Red Bull Rampage, the Slopestyle World Championship and countless Crankworx Slopestyle events, it’s the only major title still missing in Rheeder’s trophy case. Following his Speed & Style victory in Innsbruck and second place in Rotorua, Martin Söderström, who stepped in as co-commentator on the Slopestyle live-stream, now leads the Speed & Style ranking comfortably with 180 points in front of opening round winner Billy Meaclem (NZL) and Kyle Strait. With a solid performance at the final round in Whistler, Söderström can now tie up his first Speed & Style World Championship title. Thanks to his outstanding results in Pumptrack, Speed & Style and Slopestyle, Tomas Lemoine extended his lead in the overall King of Crankworx standings. Proving that his streak of great results in Rotorua (1st in Pumptrack, 2nd in Slopestyle and 4th in Speed & Style) was anything but a fluke, the young Frenchman secured himself a third place in Innsbruck’s Pumptrack Race, 5th place in the Mons Royale Speed & Style and 5th place in the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle. As a result, Lemoine (360 points) leaves Innsbruck with a lead of 58 points in the King of Crankworx ranking on Keegan Wright (NZL, 322 points) in second place and 68 points on Adrien Loron (FRA, 311 points) in third. Can Rheeder win the Triple Crown of Slopestyle? Can Söderström become the next Speed & Style World Champion? Will Tomas Lemoine be crowned King of Crankworx? Only one thing is certain: it’s all play for at Crankworx Whistler. Re-watch the entire live-broadcast and all the highlights of the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle and Mons Royal Dual Speed & Style on-demand and anytime on redbull.tv. Get the latest on everything bike related on the Red Bull Bike Channel at redbull.tv/bike.  Winners Crankworx Pumptrack / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool  Tomas Slavik / Saskia Dugon / Red Bull Content Pool  Loic Bruni / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool LEOGANG, AUSTRIA Thunderous crowds, a treacherous track, an unforgiving clock and some high-speed racing, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang had it all. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend's racing in the Austrian Alps: Leogang is ready for the World Championship in 2020 Leogang once again turned into the hotbed of downhill mountain biking last weekend, drawing in crowds from all over Europe. With a changed track, spectators were in for some real adrenaline-pumping action right out of the start gate. Thousands of fans lined the track, watching the world’s Downhill elite battle it out on the track appropriately called “The Speedster”. With the alpine sun hitting the track, the conditions were loose, dusty and fast and the cow bells and chain saws were out in force, creating an atmosphere unlike any other World Cup stop, from top to bottom and in the finish corral, showing that Leogang has what it takes to play host to the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships from September 4 to 6, 2020.  Loic Bruni / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool The French are on fire The French are continuing their dominance as Loic Bruni (FRA) secures his second win this season and bounces back from his 8th place finish in Fort William, which was won by fellow Frenchman Amaury Pierron, making it three out of three for the French this season. After a less-than-ideal qualification run on Saturday, Bruni would find an extra gear on finals day – but it wasn’t until the very last rider was in the finish corral that his victory was safe. Coming out of the gate on fire, Bruni was up by 0.7 seconds at the first split and kept building his lead from there – making light work of the wood section and opening up the throttle on the motorway section, the fast Frenchie entered the woods with 2.5 seconds to spare, an advantage that was already solid, but that Bruni was still trying to push further. Crossing the finish line with a lead of 3.2 seconds, the last part of the track proved crucial for Bruni to take the win ahead of Greg Minnaar (RSA) and Troy Brosnan (AUS), who both could have taken the win if not for small mistakes on the track that cost them valuable thousandths of a second in the battle for first.  Greg Minnaar / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool The GOAT is back Following an injury-heavy 2018 season, not qualifying in Maribor, and finishing an atypical 6th in Fort William (having won there a historical 7 times), Greg Minnaar needed a podium spot, and what better way to do that than in Leogang, where he’s been on the podium 9 times (including this year), 5 of which were in the Top 3 and winning the World Championship title there in 2012. After winning the qualies on Saturday, Leogang knew it was in for a treat come Sunday. Coming out of the gate on fire and clinically dismantling the top part of the track, Minnaar entered the ‘Roots of Asitz’ less than a second behind Bruni. Minnaar found half a second in the roots, closing the gap to the Frenchman and the large crowd in Leogang knew it was coming down to a photo finish. Racing along the final section of the track and almost sending the final jump to flat, Minnaar crossed the line in second place, 0.3 seconds behind Bruni, proving that you should never count out “The GOAT”. It’s not every day that the Top 3 are separated by less than 0.8 seconds once all is said and done.  Troy Brosnan / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool Nina Hoffmann climbing her way to the top In only her second year racing on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit, Nina Hoffmann (GER) is fast on her way to become the next household name among the Downhill racing elite. After finishing in third place in Fort William she now backed up her solid performance in qualies with a second-place finish in Leogang, right behind Tracey Hannah. Hoffmann would make quick work of Kate Weatherly’s (NZL) time – gaining a massive four seconds on the Kiwi on the upper section. Continuing to attack the track through the technical sections and pressing on the gas on the motorway, she held a massive lead coming into the final woods section, where she managed to find more time, passing the finish line almost seven seconds faster than Weatherly. With only Rachel Atherton and Tracey Hannah left at the start, she was sure of a Top 3 finish, but Rachel Atherton’s (GBR) crash at the top would see Hoffmann move up one more spot, giving her back to back podium appearances. Can she maintain her momentum in Andorra?  Tracey Hannah / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool Another one bites the dust Fast, loose, tight – the Leogang track had it all. The dusty conditions played their trick on many riders, and took out heavy hitters along the way – both Loris Vergier (FRA) and Rachel Atherton (GBR) were on what could have been a winning place before washing out in different sections of the track – Vergier near the bottom, Atherton close to the top. Just these two crashes alone have some serious repercussions on the Overall Standings – Vergier is outside of the Top Five looking in, with less than 30 points difference to Greg Minnaar (RSA). If we take a look at the Top 3 in the Men Elite, only 70 points separate them: Troy Brosnan (AUS) currently holds 520, Loic Bruni (FRA) has 515 and Amaury Pierron (FRA) is sitting in third with 450 points. Danny Hart (GBR) is currently sitting in 4th with 435 points. Can he hold off Greg Minnaar in Andorra? Meanwhile Tracey Hannah (AUS) has taken a 150 point lead on Rachel Atherton, while Germany’s Nina Hoffmann is only 25 points behind the Brit.  Tracey Hannah / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool  Danny Hart, Greg Minnaar, Loic Bruni, Troy Brosnan, Aaron Gwin / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool  Marine Cabirou, Nina Hoffmann, Tracey Hannah, Kate Weatherly, Veronika Widmann / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool Re-watch the entire live-broadcast and all the highlights of the second round of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on-demand and anytime on redbull.tv. Get the latest on everything bike related on the Red Bull Bike Channel at redbull.tv/bike.
 Team VRz a collective team of the 8 professional athletes and 4 crew members, which is now the most iconic team in the MTB Freestyle community which represents MTB Freestyle riding along with hidden and talented artists in their hometown Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Team VRz undertake work in the form of live performance, commercials, online promotion, brand promotions, event guesting and much more. VISUALIZED BY - VRz Visuals https://www.instagram.com/vrzvisuals/ AUDIO COURTESY - https://soundcloud.com/nightdilla_off... MTB FREESTYLE SHOW AT INEXT BIKEATHON 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CShEh... FOLLOW TEAM VRz ON FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/TheTeamVRz INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/TheTeamVRz TWITTER - https://twitter.com/TheTeamVRz LINKEDIN - https://www.linkedin.com/company/thet... FOR SHOWS AND ENDORSEMENTS BOOKING CALL / WHATSAPP - +91 7376181664 EMAIL - teamvaranasiryderz@gmail.com FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT US ON - http://www.teamvrz.com #teamvrz #redbull #gopro  Finn Iles / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool FORT WILLIAM, SCOTLAND – Storms, rain, an unforgiving track, crashes and incredible runs, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William had it all. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend's racing in the Scottish Highlands: Storms, rain and a punishing track After several years of fair weather and sunshine, the infamous Scottish weather struck back. Storms and heavy rain tormented riders and equipment throughout practice, qualifying and finals in what even the most seasoned locals amongst the large crowd braving the weather would describe as very wet. Contrary to most tracks, the majority of the 2.8km-/ 1.8mi long course actually becomes grippier in the wet, as the moisture binds the slippery and loose gravel found on the top half of the track. The wood section, which resembled a muddy bog, visibility problems due to rain and mud on rider’s lenses and high winds still made for uncomfortable and challenging conditions, which caught many riders out on the notoriously difficult track. Loic Bruni (FRA), Finn Iles (CAN), Gee Atherton (GBR), Kade Edwards (GBR), Tahnée Seagrave (GBR) and Monika Hrastnik (SLO) all had heavy crashes in the days leading up to the finals, whereas Aaron Gwin (USA) and Reece Wilson (GBR) hit the ground / a tree hard in their race runs. While most walked away bruised and battered but still able to race, Hrastnik (concussion) and Seagrave (shoulder) weren’t so lucky and had to sit out, with the latter definitely missing the next World Cup in Leogang and likely also the following stops in Vallnord and Val di Sole. The Junior Men and Junior Women fields are catching up to the two Dominators Thibaut Daprela (FRA) and Vali Höll (AUT) have been dominating the Junior categories in the last year and are the big favorites in every single race, but in Fort William the grip of the two youngsters over their respective fields loosened. Höll enjoyed a perfect season in 2018 by winning every single race and qualifying since she started racing in the Junior category with times that even threatened the Elite podium. She started her 2019 campaign in similar fashion by winning both the qualifying and race in Maribor as well as the qualifying in Fort William. However, on race day, for the first time in over a year, the winner wasn’t Höll. Leading the race comfortably, two crashes in the middle wood section ended her unprecedented winning streak and saw her cross the line in second behind Anna Newkirk (USA), who took her first World Cup win. On the other hand, Daprela, who won five of the seven World Cups in 2018, placed 2nd in the remaining two and also won the 2019 season opener, came under threat by two riders racing their first-ever World Cup. Both Luke Mumford (GBR) and Patrick Laffey (CAN) gave the young Frenchman a good run for their money, finishing a mere 0.8 and 2.1 seconds behind Daprela and rewarding themselves with a second and third place finish in their World Cup premiere. Daprela and especially Höll, who will be racing in front of a home crowd in Leogang, will be eager to reassert their dominance at the next World Cup.  Rachel Atherton / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool  Amaury Pierron / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool New faces on the podium On the women’s side of racing, the 2018 season was dominated by a battle between three riders who split up the World Cup wins between themselves – Myriam Nicole (FRA), Tahnée Seagrave and Rachel Atherton (GBR). A broken ankle sustained just before the start of the season saw Nicole sitting out the first races of the season, turning the anticipated three-way battle for the Overall Title into a British duel between Seagrave and Atherton. In Fort William, Seagrave, running the number one plate of the World Cup leader for the first time in her career following her win at the season opener in Maribor, crashed hard on her first practice run, injured her shoulder and was forced to sit out, leaving Atherton as the sole favorite with Tracey Hannah (AUS) looking like a distant second. Hannah was having none of it however, put down the fastest time in qualifying and showed up green throughout the first two-thirds of the finals. As Atherton nervously watched on from the hot seat, a small slip up just before the motorway saw Hannah’s lead diminish and she eventually crossed the line in second just outside of Atherton’s time. Behind Atherton and Hannah, German Nina Hoffmann made the most of her first trip to Fort William, showing a spectacular performance and rewarding herself with a third place and her first ever World Cup podium in what was only the sixth World Cup start of her career. Marine Cabirou (FRA) and Veronika Widmann (ITA) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth. The French continue their dominance Amaury Pierron (FRA) catapulted himself to fame by winning his first World Cup in Fort William in 2018, kick-starting a spell of French Downhill domination on the way. Pierron backed up last year’s victory in Fort William with two more consecutive wins and the Overall World Cup title. Returning to the venue of his first World Cup victory, the conditions were the polar opposite of the dry and dusty track of the previous year. However, just like in previous races throughout the last year, it was once again the French who would make the most sense out of the difficult and demanding track. Heading into the finals as favorites after placing first and second in qualifying with a four second lead to third place, Loris Vergier (FRA) and Pierron didn’t disappoint. Following a fantastic run by the young gun Finn Iles (CAN), who was still bruised and battered by a crash sustained in practice, it was Australian Troy Brosnan, who sat in the hot seat with a time that looked unbeatable. A whooping 3.5 seconds clear of Iles and with only the two Frenchies left at the top, Brosnan watched on as Pierron attacked the top-section of the track hard. With splits showing up green and margins getting bigger, Pierron sprinted along the motorway, clearing the large jumps before shocking the crowd and viewers by nosediving towards the finish line at break-neck speed. To everybody’s surprise, including himself, he somehow miraculously managed to hold on, crossing the line a massive 3.5 seconds ahead of Brosnan. Vergier, the last rider left up top, gave it his all in a smooth, fast and composed run but in the end Brosnan’s and Pierron’s times were out of reach and he had to settle for third. Seven of the last eight World Cups have now been won by a French rider, will the French dominance continue in Austria this weekend? The Overall Rankings are wide-open With two widely different podiums in the first two races in all categories, the Overall Rankings are as close they can be. Going into the next race in Austria’s Leogang, Troy Brosnan leads the Elite men’s field with 350 points. Just 20 points behind the Australian lies defending Overall World Cup Champion and Fort William winner Amaury Pierron, followed by Maribor winner and defending World Champion Loic Bruni with 301 points and Danny Hart (GBR) with 292 points in fourth. On the women’s side of racing, Rachel Atherton has taken over the lead from injured Tahnée Seagrave. Just 30 points behind Atherton, Tracey Hannah moves up into second with 400 points, followed by Marine Cabirou and Nina Hoffmann with 290 and 285 points respectively. Re-watch the entire live-broadcast and all the highlights of the second round of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on-demand and anytime on redbull.tv. Get the latest on everything bike related on the Red Bull Bike Channel at redbull.tv/bike.  Marine Cabirou, Tracey Hannah, Rachel Atherton, Nina Hoffmann, Veronika Widmann / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool  Finn Iles, Troy Brosnan, Amaury Pierron, Loris Vergier, Danny Hart / Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool |
