Last weekend’s Elite Women’s race winner, Tahnee Seagrave and four-time world champion Rachel Atherton join a strong British contingent in the third round of downhill racing at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Austria.
About the Mercedez-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
The Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a ten-round competition encompassing three different mountain bike formats.
The World Cup is comprised seven rounds of cross-country and downhill races along with the debut of a new event in 2018 - cross-country short circuit, which features six times.
This weekend’s racing in Austria marks the third round of downhill competition and comes directly off the back of last weekend’s contest in Fort William. The final four rounds feature all three disciplines, with race weekends in Val di Sole, Italy and Vallnord, Andorra in July followed by Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada and La Bresse, France in August.
Elite Women
Tahnee Seagrave claimed a huge victory in the second round of downhill racing in Fort William, improving on the time of her nearest rival – Myriam Nicole – by almost 10 seconds with a flawless run. With back-to-back weekends of racing, Seagrave will be looking to capitalise on her excellent form in Austria.
Last year’s champion, Myriam Nicole, maintains first position in the 2018 elite women’s rankings, but will need a strong showing in Leogang to keep the British rider at bay – especially after winning last year on the same course.
Four-time world champion Rachel Atherton had an eventful outing at Fort William. On paper her third-place finish was a strong showing, but after her chain snapping early in her run and suffering a crash in the latter stages, Atherton may well have secured the win under different circumstances.
Seagrave will compete for her trade team Transition Bikes / Muc-Off Factory Racing, whilst Atherton will be riding for Trek Factory Racing.
Elite Men
Two-time world champion Danny Hart remains the highest ranked British rider in the competition after the second round in Fort William, however the performance of the weekend from a British rider went to Reece Wilson.
The 22-year old Scottish rider, competing on home soil, produced one of the rides of his life in the Men’s Elite final and was leading the competition for a considerable period of time. In the end it wasn’t enough to hold onto the victory, but his fourth-place finish was enough to see him make a significant climb up the overall rankings.
The winner of last weekend’s racing was the exciting 22-year old French prospect, Amaury Pierron. The Commencal / Vallnord rider managed to edge out strong competition from overall contenders, Troy Brosnan and Loris Vergier by less than a second.
Aaron Gwin has won three years in a row at Leogang, but after the tight racing at Fort William last weekend – this year’s trip to Austria is likely to be equally competitive as the overall rankings start to take shape.
The venue
The Mercedes Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup heads to Leogang, Austria for the next round of racing.
The race will be located in the Austrian Alps and remains Austria’s premier mountain bike destination. Aaron Gwin is colloquially known as ‘Mr. Leogang’ due to his three wins in a row and seemingly invincible hold over the event.
In 2020, the Leogang course will play host to the 2020 Mountain Bike World Downhill Championships.
Schedule (UK times)
Saturday 9 June
11.15am: Qualifying - junior women
11.30am: Qualifying - junior men
12.30pm: Qualifying – elite women
1.00pm: Qualifying – elite men
Sunday 10 June
8.45am: Final – junior women
9.15am: Final – junior men
11.30am: Final – elite women
12.30pm: Final – elite men
How to follow
- Watch the elite men’s and elite women’s races live on Red Bull TV
- Follow @BritishCycling for updates on Twitter
- Report will appear on the British Cycling website
