It was the Frenchman, Amaury Pierron, the fastest in the Elite Men qualifications during the first day of the Mercedes-Benz UCI MTB World Cup, making it clear that he wants to finally enter the best of the Downhill. After the second place at the Val di Sole finals in 2017 and the double this year at Fort William and Leogang, look all from the highest place with a 4: 07: 250 time trial on an even more challenging and punishing Black Snake track. Just three seconds late (4: 10: 682) the young Canadian Finn Iles (class 1999). The third time was marked by French surprise Hugo Frixtalon who took advantage of the favorable conditions of the track during his single run (4: 15: 582). Fourth and fifth places for respectively the British Danny Hart - world champion in Val di Sole in 2016 - and the American Luca Shaw.
The top ten is completed by the outsider trio of Joshua Barth, Thomas Estaque, Reece Wilson, and top riders Loris Vergier and Laurie Greenland.
The challenging conditions of the track during the heavy downpours have put in crisis many top riders like the American Aaron Gwin (withdrawn), which however will be able to take part in the main race. High-level downhill riders like Troy Brosnan (53rd), Brendan Fairclough (34th), Gee Atherton (30th), Sam Blenkinsop (23rd), Loic Bruni (15th) and Connor Fearon (13th) instead successfully finished their run despite the difficulties.
In the women's field best scored time for the Slovenian Monika Hrastnik (5: 07: 522) pulling off the strong British Tahnée Seagrave (5: 17: 281). After Seagrave the Swiss Emilie Siegenthaler, the Australian Tracey Hannah, the Salvadoran Mariana Salazar, the other British Rachel Atherton. The top ten is completed by Katy Curd, and the Italian Eleonora Farina and Veronika Widmann (eighth and ninth) and Mariane Cabirou.
Among the Junior Men the best time was scored by the Frenchman Thibaut Laprela (3: 58: 952) in front of the Italian Giacomo Masiero (+0: 562) and the American Joseph Foresta (+4: 037). Cup leader Kyle A'Hern out of the finals (24th to 14: 125 from the top). In the women's field first is the Austrian Valentina Holl (4: 48: 096) ahead the American Anna Newkirk (+14: 800) and the Norwegian Millie Johnset (+22: 278).
Tomorrow the legendary Black Snake of Val di Sole, universally considered one of the most difficult and punitive downhill in the world, will sentence in a more stable weather.
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