Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceunink) proved unstoppable in the women’s race in Val Di Sole Trentino while Swiss maestro Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) bagged another win to add to his record-breaking total. Pieterse made it three UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic victories out of four in the 2023 series. The 21-year-old led for almost the whole of the five-lap race eventually carving out a lead of around a minute going into the final lap. Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Crux RockShox Pro Team) rode an impressively-consistent race to come in second. Australia’s Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins Racing Team) was third. Pieterse leads the overall going into the fifth round in August. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) is second and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) is third. In the men’s elite race it was a stunning 35th Cross-country Olympic World Cup victory for Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing). The 37-year-old won his second round of 2023 after pulling away from the field on the fourth of six laps. Schurter’s countryman Matthias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) battled through the field to take second place, nearly half a minute back. Newly-crowned European Champion Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third. Schurter leads the standings after four rounds, France’s Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is second and South African Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) is third. In the U23 competition it was a convincing win for Denmark’s Sofie Heby Pedersen (Wilier Pirelli Factory Team XCO) by 38 seconds from New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell. Friday’s Short Track winner Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) was third. Pedersen leads Switzerland’s Blöchlinger in the overall and Ginia Caluori (Thömus Maxon) is third. In the U23 men’s race, a double flat on the last lap saw race leader France’s Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) ship an almost 30-second lead to gift the win to Friday’s Short Track victor Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC). Frenchman Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) was second and the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third despite himself suffering an early puncture. Martin crossed the line in 11th. Boichis leads the overall from Dario Lillo (Scott Davos MTB Project) and Woods is in third. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
Jackson Goldstone attacked the Val di Sole Trentino course to claim his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup win! Check out the GoPro POV from his race run! The racing continues on Sunday when the fourth round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup gets underway. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
There can be few race tracks more intimidating than the infamous ‘Black Snake’ of Val di Sole Trentino, and once again it showed its teeth at the third round of the UCI Downhill World Cup today (Saturday). The Elite Women enjoyed the best of the conditions, with the valley of the sun living up to its name for their final runs. Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) gave a masterclass to the rest of the field on how to tame this famously savage track. After putting down the fastest time in the semi-final, she backed it up with a convincing win of nearly three seconds in the final. Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) couldn’t match her pace and was forced to settle for second, with Jess Blewitt (GT-Continental Factory Racing) posting her best race result to date to finish third. With five races left this season, Balanche still leads the overall standings ahead of Höll in second and Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) in third. Mid-afternoon rain showers certainly added spice to the Elite Men’s race with early starter Bernard Kerr (Pivot Factory Racing) enjoying a lengthy spell in the hot seat after a significant downpour left the middle section of the track extra slick and technical. But, after the sun came out again, times tumbled and it was Canada’s Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) who was able to make most sense of the rapidly-changing conditions to take his debut elite-level win. His compatriot Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) came close but couldn’t quite match the 19-year-old’s pace. France’s Thibaut Daprela (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) rounded out the top three with a trademark rollercoaster of a ride. Goldstone now leads the overall with Iles in second and Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) in third. The Junior racers got their chance to shine on Friday, when it was New Zealand’s Sacha Earnest (KIWIDH) who took the women’s win by an incredible 12 seconds. Things were much tighter in the men’s competition, where Canada’s Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) won by less than a second. The racing continues on Sunday when the fourth round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup gets underway. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
The rain started to come down just as the Elite Women took to the start line of the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup (XCC) in Val di Sole Trentino. Just a few hours earlier the riders had practised in deep dust, but the changing conditions didn’t slow down Laura Stiggers (Specialized Factory Racing) who came out on top after an intense sprint finish to the line with Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Pieterse’s efforts were rewarded with second place, whilst Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) took third which was enough to see her lead the series. In the men’s race Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) took the early lead, but it was not enough to best Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CCLCTV) who stormed to victory by an impressive two seconds. Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) took the second spot on the podium, with Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) rounding out the top three. Schwarzbauer maintains his series lead. The U23 categories raced their XCC on Thursday evening, with Ronja Blochinger (Liv Factory Racing) once more proving her dominance in the women’s field with an incredible winning margin of six seconds. Meanwhile in the men’s competition Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) won his race by a second. The action continues on Saturday when the UCI Downhill World Cup semi-finals and finals take place on the famous Black Snake of Val di Sole Trentino. And on Sunday the cross-country athletes are back between the tapes for the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. You can watch this weekend’s action live globally on GCN+, and across Europe on Eurosport.com and discovery+. For more information on Where to Watch: Val Di Sole Trentino, click here.
The dust has barely settled from last week’s UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa, but the Trentino region will once more play host to thrilling racing, this time courtesy of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups. This week the action has moved to Val di Sole, one of Italy’s most iconic race venues, with a rich history of UCI World Cup racing. Famous for the savagery of its downhill track and the technicality of its cross-country course, the valley will once more be alive with the sound of thousands of fans as they flock to see the world’s fastest racers in action. The action gets underway on Thursday when the U23 line up for the UCI Short Track World Cup (XCC) before the Elite get their chance on Friday evening. On Saturday it’s all about downhill, when both the Junior and Elite will once more test their limits in the UCI Downhill World Cup. In the women’s competition it’s still Switzerland’s Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who leads the overall standings, but she faces stiff competition to stay there as Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) will be feeling confident after her win on home soil in Leogang-Salzburgerland, Austria, just two weeks ago. Series leader and reigning UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) remains the rider to beat in the men’s competition, although doing their best to disrupt his dominance will be none other than his teammate Finn Iles, who lies just behind him in second place. Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) and Round 2 winner Andreas Kolb will also be looking to climb the points table and can never be discounted from a podium finish. On Sunday the action continues with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup (XCO). First out on course will be the U23, followed by the Elite racers in the afternoon. In the women’s race Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) still leads the standings, but not far behind lies Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) in second and third place respectively. And looking to turn on the speed for her home crowd will be Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team). The points couldn’t be tighter in the men’s standings, so expect a fierce battle on Sunday as racers compete for the overall lead ahead of the upcoming summer break. Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is the current men’s leader, however, just 15 points separate him and second placed Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing), who clocked up his 34th UCI World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, three weeks ago. And only 17 points behind him is third placed Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV). Italian rider Daniele Braidot (CS Carabinieri-Cicli Olympia Vittoria) will also be hoping for a strong ride on home soil. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. This weekend’s action will be available to view on Eurosport.com, discovery+ and globally on GCN+.
Leogang victor and home-nation hero Andreas Kolb reckons the technical, burly nature of the fearsome Val Di Sole track makes this weekend’s race a totally different animal. But the Continental Atherton rider says where you couldn’t really afford mistakes on the Austrian track, everyone expects to make them in Val Di Sole. Kolb was a hugely popular winner in Leogang as he and fellow Austrian Valentina Höll both took the top step making it a double celebration for the home fans at the second round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup. Höll and Kolb made it a historic day for Austrian downhill fans The 27-year-old is sitting in fourth in the 2023 rankings after his debut victory two weeks ago where, after crossing the line to a rapturous reception, he had a nervous wait as the top qualifiers came down. “I thought it would be enough for the podium,” he said. “I was pretty sure because I was, like, two seconds up but I did two mistakes at the top section, which were pretty costly, onto the motorway where you need to carry speed. And I thought, this will cost me the win. “I was like, one of them boys is going to destroy my dream now. “I actually had to rewatch Bruni’s and Finn's runs because I didn't really remember it. I was just in the hot seat, like, cramping, thinking, is it today?” Kolb had organised a bus for all his friends and family from Schladming to travel over to Leogang and said the celebrations had continued once he got home. The party went on long past the weekend for Kolb's fans He explained that the technical nature of Val Di Sole’s Black Snake track meant that, unlike Leogang, a few errors wouldn’t ruin a run. “You're not allowed to make any mistakes in Leogang, you need to hit the lines perfectly all the way down and carry speed everywhere,” he said. “And this one is more like you need to use your brain a bit more, I guess. Go a bit slower there. Set up high there. Just like have a good flow and not over ride the track too much. If you over ride this one, you end up crashing or just having loose moments for sure.” Kolb approves of the changes to the Val Di Sole track The threat of rain has been foremost in many riders’ minds with a less than perfect forecast predicting rain on Friday and Saturday. Kolb believes the track will hold up to rain better than in previous years after a lot of new material was added. He says he had a very wet qualifier in 2019 where he rode on the seat with both feet clipped out for 20 seconds. “I think I still qualified 21st or something because this was not really bad actually,” he said. “So I think it just shows how hard it is to ride here.. It's just so many roots, so many slippery rocks. But I think they did a good job this year. It will be better if rain comes down now. Extra dirt on the track has taken out many of the holes but it will certainly develop before the elite finals on Saturday Kolb said he was looking forward to the race but wasn't feeling any pressure to repeat his Leogang result. "I'm not sure if I can do it two in a row," he said. "This will be a bit too confident maybe, but yeah, I'm pretty sure I can do another one in the future."
Hop on board with GoPro and Jackson Goldstone as he guides you down the infamous "Black Snake" in Val di Sole Trentino, Italy! The course here is one of the tougher challenges riders will face all season offering a real test of riders' strength and technical ability. It looks like are in for a race week of mixed conditions as thunderstorms threaten the first two days. A hot and dry Friday leads into Saturday's potentially wet and thunderous day of racing. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. You can watch this weekend’s action live globally on GCN+, and across Europe on Eurosport.com and discovery+. For more information on Where to Watch: Val Di Sole Trentino, click here.
Downhill legend Greg Minnaar has won a World Championship at Val Di Sole but he’s also been choppered off the track with a broken back and had to run down the hill with a folded frame.This weekend will be the 41-year-old’s 12th race on the revered Italian track.And the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider says that it makes the tracks at the first two rounds in Switzerland and Austria look tame.“You know, Lenzerheide and Leogang are fast, they are steep, they've got some tech sections but when you come to Val di Sole it makes those two tracks look like a highway,” he said. Minnaar navigating the thick, dry dust in practice “And that's just the beast that this track is. It's incredibly tough. It's holes that just grow through the weekend. "They start off knee deep and end up waist deep. It's incredible. What amazes me the most is how these bikes actually skid over the top of most of these holes but you only see that when you're on trackside.”In 2021, the South African won his fourth World Championship title on the Black Snake track edging out France’s Benoit Coulanges with a stunning ride that confounded those who had written off his chances. As well as four World Champs, Minnaar has won the overall World Cup three times And in 2017, after breaking his bike in half during his final practice run in a title-deciding season finale with the USA’s Aaron Gwin, Minnaar had been forced to sprint off the hill to get another bike to make it in time for qualifying.In a testament to teamwork, another bike was built and Minnaar had the strength of mind to qualify in second behind Gwin just an hour after the crash which made the points race for the overall even closer.In the end an exploded rear wheel in the final for Minnaar and a near-perfect run from Gwin would see the American crowned as the 2017 series champion.Minnaar recalls that practice crash very clearly.“I've compressed through a section, caught the front end really hard and it’s flipped me over to the side and one of the course marking poles caught my bike sideways and the bike just wrapped around it,” he said.“But you know, in the heat of the time we've got our last training session going into qualifying and so I'm just trying to get this bike from mid-mountain down to the bottom to rebuild a new bike to get back up for qualifying.“I've had some great results here, I’ve gone off in a helicopter so this venue has been like a mixed bag for me.”
Welcome to Val di Sole Trentino, the last UCI Mountain Bike World Series event before the summer break from racing. Here’s where you can tune in to catch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups this weekend, including Cross-country Olympic, Cross-country short track and downhill. Watch live on GCN+ globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+ across Europe, plus select races on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. You can follow all of the live timing for each race here. Friday 30 June Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:12.40 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Junior FinalsLive on GCN+ globally, Eurosport 1, Eurosport app and discovery+ across Europe:17:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup - Elite Saturday 01 July Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:10:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite Semi-Final Live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:45 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite Finals Miss the live action? Catch it on Eurosport 2 on Sunday 18 June. Sunday 02 July Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:08:25 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - U23Live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - Elite Or, catch it later on Eurosport 1 at 18:50 CEST
Val di Fassa Trentino always delivers - and this time it served up the toughest race of the season to date. The Italian venue's first outing as a UCI Enduro World Cup laid down an absolute beast of a course for the enduro and e-enduro riders - resulting in a new face on the men's podium and the closest ever race finish in the women's competition.
Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Matt Walker (Pivot Factory Racing) held nothing back to win round five of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Val Di Fassa Trentino. The hugely-physical five-stage race in the Italian Dolomites was a test of technique and fitness but also sheer strength and proved properly challenging as bright sunshine brought premium track conditions but also temperatures approaching 30C. Courdurier won the first, third and fifth stages In the pro women’s race, Courdurier was dominant from the gun, taking the first stage of the day, and winning two more on her way to victory. The series leader has won three times in Val Di Fassa before but her compatriot Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) pushed her all the way, leading into the final stage by less than a second. In the end Courdurier won that stage and the race pushing Charre into second. WeRide Fulgur Factory Team’s Melanie Pugin was third, making it an all French podium. In the men’s race, Matt Walker’s win was a hugely popular one and his first at this level, despite coming close with a top three last season. The Kiwi won the day’s last two stages and gained strength as others faded. France’s Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) was second on the day after taking two stages, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) ended up third after losing some 30 seconds with a puncture on stage four. Rude though will carry the series leader’s jersey into round six. Rudeau's technical skills suited the Val Di Fassa tracks well In the U21 women’s race, it was another win for Canada’s Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team), her fourth of the season. France’s Lily Planquart won three of the day's five stages but would be hit with a five-minute penalty for starting a stage late. Italy’s Sophie Riva (Sunn French Co by Alpe D’Huez) was second and Elly Hoskin of Canada was third. France’s Lisandru Bertini (Lapierre Zipp Collective) dominated the U21 men’s race, winning four of the five stages. Alexis Icardo (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) won the remaining one and was second on the day. Canada’s Johnathan Helly was third. In the third round of the UCI E-enduro World Cup, it was wins for France’s Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Miranda Factory Team’s Laura Charles. Marry won two of the day’s eight stages while a puncture saw series leader and downhill legend Fabien Barel lose some six minutes to leave him in last place. GasGas SRAM Racing’s Alex Marin was second and France’s Hugo Pigeon (Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team) was third. France's Kevin Marry was consistent when it mattered Charles won two stages but her consistency saw her beat series leader Florencia Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) by some five seconds. Germany’s Ines Thoma won the day’s final stage and ended up third. Team of the day were Lapierre Zipp Collective. Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team lead the series. Full race results are here Individual rankings and team rankings are on the event page here To follow all the action from the UCI Enduro World Cup, tune in to the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel for the official race highlights, bike checks and exclusive athlete interviews. Recaps and highlights from the racing are also available on Eurosport and globally on GCN+. The world’s best enduro and e-enduro racers have a break now but are back in action for round six of the series in France’s Loudenvielle Peyragudes from September 1 - 3. Don’t miss next week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Series action from Val Di Sole Trentino where the stars of downhill and cross-country will be in action. Here’s where to watch everything that goes down there in round three of the downhill and round four of the cross-country.
We caught up with mountain bike legend, Mick Hannah and Yeti engineers ahead of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa Trentino to geek out over Mick's Yeti 160-E that he has been developing with the team for the past few years. Sick Mick has had a great start to the E-Enduro season and currently sits second in the overall standings, but with endless data acquisition and industry-pushing technology, could we see him rise to the top step onboard one of the fastest bikes on the circuit?
Practice day in Val di Fassa Trentino for the UCI Enduro World Cup provided some epic conditions. A morning downpour tried to spice up the riding ,but the tracks actually improved as the day went on, providing some all-time conditions! Due to the weather practice was split across two days. Riders got to grips with three stages on Friday (two, three, and five), before taking on stages two and four on Saturday.
Hop on board with GoPro and Rhys Verner and head deep into the Italian Dolomites to see how he tackled the incredible stages from the UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa Trentino!
