4 Things We Learned at the 2021 Leogang DH World Cup
1. The 2020 World Champs Weren't as Much of a Lottery as We Thought
![Camille Balanche took the win for the women Slipping and sliding just enough to keep her speed up in the woods.]()
In the men's race, Brosnan jumped from eighth up to first but if you look at the fastest woods times, it's the same names that crop up this year as last year. Reece Wilson was fastest through the Red Bull key section and in fact all of Sector 4 with Remi Thirion, who won bronze at that race, just over a second behind.
Adapting to a changing track and reacting to a bike that's moving unpredictably beneath you are valuable assets for a rider to have and seeing the same names near the top of the timesheets once more is a clear indication that skill rather than luck allowed riders to prosper in Leogang's tricky new woods section.
2. Switzerland Earns its First Elite Downhill World Cup Win Since 2007
Despite its deep heritage in cross country, with legends like Schurter, Sauser, Neff, Frischknecht and Blatter, Switzerland has never enjoyed the same level of success in downhill. It's a country that holds some of the most legendary tracks in the World but on Saturday Camille Balanche became only the third ever Swiss rider to win a downhill World Cup.
![Balanche takes an eager look back as she begins realizing she may have pulled off the win again on the same track and similar conditions as Worlds in the fall.]()
3. It's Been a Long Time Coming for Brosnan
![Some fizz to celebrate a rare Monster 1 2 3 on the mens podium.]()
Despite the victories coming sporadically, Brosnan has been relentlessly consistent in the past seven years and has stood on the podium 26 times since that first win in 2014. The fact that he can still be competitive and challenging for wins seven years after he first broke through is testament to his mental fortitude and perseverance. Brosnan is always going to be knocking on the door and with the form he's carrying into this season, we don't think he'll be awaiting another three or four years for his next win.
4. Commencal is Dominating the Numbers Game
![A huge mistake in the lower woods cost Thibaut Daprela his first elite win today]()
Commencal now occupies the top two spots in the UCI Teams rankings with Dorval AM (on the current Supreme) in first place on 88 points ahead of Commencal / Muc Off by Riding Addiction (on the new Supreme) in second place on 71 points. The next nearest team is the Canyon Collective Factory Team but they currently sit on 53 points, already a fair way back on the two super-strong Commencal teams. With so much talent in its ranks, we expect the Commencal teams to be the ones to beat as the season progresses.
Other Notes:
• It's obvious that Vali is a force to be reckoned with. There's a generational shift taking place in women's DH; but, is it wrong for us to hope for at least a short period of time where Vali, Rachel, Tahnee, and all the other top women are all healthy and on form?
• Thibaut Daprela, wow.
• We've seen people gap into the wall before, and we're not sure if it's appreciably faster, but seeing Brook Macdonald attacking the course like that makes us happy.
Last year's woods section was a constantly shifting, minefield of roots and ruts and while it produced a pair of World Champions that not many people predicted beforehand, it seems it wasn't actually as much of a lottery as it appeared.
At World Champs last year, Camille Balanche was the only woman to make it down the course without crashing and this year again she looked the most comfortable in the woods, not putting a foot wrong and even popping out of the speed-sapping low line off the drop without needing to put in a pedal stroke. Monika Hrastnik also repeated her third place finish from World Champs, this time just behind Vali Holl instead of Myriam Nicole.
At World Champs last year, Camille Balanche was the only woman to make it down the course without crashing and this year again she looked the most comfortable in the woods, not putting a foot wrong and even popping out of the speed-sapping low line off the drop without needing to put in a pedal stroke. Monika Hrastnik also repeated her third place finish from World Champs, this time just behind Vali Holl instead of Myriam Nicole.
In the men's race, Brosnan jumped from eighth up to first but if you look at the fastest woods times, it's the same names that crop up this year as last year. Reece Wilson was fastest through the Red Bull key section and in fact all of Sector 4 with Remi Thirion, who won bronze at that race, just over a second behind.
Adapting to a changing track and reacting to a bike that's moving unpredictably beneath you are valuable assets for a rider to have and seeing the same names near the top of the timesheets once more is a clear indication that skill rather than luck allowed riders to prosper in Leogang's tricky new woods section.
2. Switzerland Earns its First Elite Downhill World Cup Win Since 2007
Despite its deep heritage in cross country, with legends like Schurter, Sauser, Neff, Frischknecht and Blatter, Switzerland has never enjoyed the same level of success in downhill. It's a country that holds some of the most legendary tracks in the World but on Saturday Camille Balanche became only the third ever Swiss rider to win a downhill World Cup.
It has been more than a decade since Marielle Saner last recorded a victory for Switzerland on home turf in Champery in 2007. Saner also won a World Cup in Schladming in 2004 and prior to her, Sari Jorgensen won in Nevegal in 1998. Camille Balanche has not been in the sport long but she's already one of Switzerland's most decorated downhill riders with a World Cup and World Championships win to her name. She just needs another World Cup win to equal Saner's record and judging by her run on Saturday, we don't think it will take her that long to achieve.
3. It's Been a Long Time Coming for Brosnan
On Saturday, Troy Brosnan became the 22nd member of the 3 win club for Elite men at World Cups. His last World Cup win was at Vallnord in 2017 and his first goes all the way back to Fort William in 2014. This gap of seven years marks the longest time a rider has ever had to wait between getting their first World Cup win and their third. The next rider on that list is Gee Atherton who took six years between his first win in Schladming in 2004 at his third at 3rd at Fort William in 2010, then Cedric Gracia and David Vazquez both have five years between their first and third.
Despite the victories coming sporadically, Brosnan has been relentlessly consistent in the past seven years and has stood on the podium 26 times since that first win in 2014. The fact that he can still be competitive and challenging for wins seven years after he first broke through is testament to his mental fortitude and perseverance. Brosnan is always going to be knocking on the door and with the form he's carrying into this season, we don't think he'll be awaiting another three or four years for his next win.
4. Commencal is Dominating the Numbers Game
There were times over the weekend when it seemed like every other bike on the mountain was a Commencal Supreme. The Andorran brand is supporting five teams this year - Commencal / Muc Off by Riding Addiction, Commencal 100%, Dorval AM Commencal, Commencal Nobl and Commencal 21. As you might expect, it was a successful weekend for the brand with half of the available Elite podium spots split between its riders.
Commencal now occupies the top two spots in the UCI Teams rankings with Dorval AM (on the current Supreme) in first place on 88 points ahead of Commencal / Muc Off by Riding Addiction (on the new Supreme) in second place on 71 points. The next nearest team is the Canyon Collective Factory Team but they currently sit on 53 points, already a fair way back on the two super-strong Commencal teams. With so much talent in its ranks, we expect the Commencal teams to be the ones to beat as the season progresses.
Other Notes:
• It's obvious that Vali is a force to be reckoned with. There's a generational shift taking place in women's DH; but, is it wrong for us to hope for at least a short period of time where Vali, Rachel, Tahnee, and all the other top women are all healthy and on form?
• Thibaut Daprela, wow.
• We've seen people gap into the wall before, and we're not sure if it's appreciably faster, but seeing Brook Macdonald attacking the course like that makes us happy.
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As a former ski racer... They can hit back, and hard.
Ski poles are designed with a hinge at the base where it's inserted in to the ground and will shear off if enough force is applied. They're not great at running a ribbon between as they will just all fall over together, even in skiing non hinged poles are used for this.
Was also thinking what about an inflatable pole.
Similar to those clappers at sport events but longer with some kind of weighted breakaway base
I should patent that before specialized does and sues me.
www.pinkbike.com/news/pauline-ferrand-prevot-crashes-out-of-nove-mesto-xcc-short-track-race.html
The real shame is the sport has drifted into benefitting a type of rider that are used to fast, dry tracks. We should however give those who excel in the wet the credit they deserve when the tracks suit them.
Wilson definitely knew what to do in the wet but to suggest any pro DH rider is unable to adapt to wet roots is a pretty flawed statement.
Well, DH racing on bikes tends to deteriorate courses as well. Think back to races where rain hit smack in the middle of the start order and really messed with the late starters. Between that, and the logistics of needing lift access, you end up in bike parks, and in those parks, you end up on tracks that don't blow out any more over the course of a race weekend.
This track at Leogang seemed to have achieved consistency a different way - the top is all bike parky, sure, and then you have the woods section that's already a fully rutted mess, so you get it wet and muddy and it stays consistently unpredictable with no two runs allowing the exact same lines. Which made it fair racing - it was universally tough for all starters. But it's atypical of what DH racing has become, and I'd argue that they can't really keep that up over the years because that section is going to erode something fierce and cause serious problems for the bike park. It seems like the organizers there got tired of people complaining at how bike-parky their track was, so it turned into a 'hold my beer' sort of thing where they just added that uber-gnarly woods section.
Curious what conditions actually favor specific riders. Wet vs. dry? Steep techy vs. smooth? Shorter vs. longer tracks? Maybe a subject for a Nerding Out-type post, looking back over multiple years of race conditions.
the UCI is bollox
And yeah, I know. Thibault... Yet still, he was really really quick through the fast upper section though lost soo much in a relatively short woods section.
As for the north-south thing, some remember (or have heard their old dads murmur) about Sam Hill, Champery, fourteen years ago. I wouldn't generalize. Some riders are good on some type of terrain, others are better on other. Brits pride themselves on being great in the wet but I wouldn't say they've excelled here (or at the worlds). At least not compared to those from Alps countries.
In some cases I’m sure the psychology is a huge factor and people like Hart know the odds shift further in their favour when it’s wet and rooty.
My point is really that these things aren’t a lottery when the same people get the measure of them and gp through consistently, as Reece did in practise for world champs. It was the same at fort bill a few years ago when it poured and the woods were described by many as ‘unridable’ yet Minaar went through them time and again.
Some riders are good as full gas, some are from BMX and like the flow and pump and others grew up on steep wet roots. All I’m saying is the conditions on that day suited someone skill set and comfort zone where it pushed others outside theirs. But hey, mountain biking is an outdoor sport, it’s done in the mountains where the conditions change and it’s great to see things mix up.
He even said after this race he was happy to prove his world champs wasn’t just luck, as some have clearly insinuated.
It’s horrible that people have tarnished what is the achievement of a lifetime when it was deserved and everyone raced the same track.
It is really nice that Camille showed it wasn't a fluke, putting in some incredibly composed riding to take the win again.
Do us Brits have an advantage in the slop? Maybe at a baseline level and psychologically, but the best riders can absolutely adapt to anything.
That would be really interesting. I think for the 10s it would be Gwinner but maybe Brosnan. I wonder who it would be for the nineties and noughties. Does Roots and Rain already have that, perhaps?
But I actually came here to highlight Camille Balanche as one of the exciting stories in 2021. The question is, how fast can she get? I think it is fair to say Balanche really was a surprise winning World's last year as she was consistently top 10 on average in 2019 (WC DH positions: 11,7,7,DNF,7,3,5,
I was listening to the Downtime Podcast yesterday and Eliot Jackson actually did say "they already have the best bike and they're updating it", before remembering he rides for SC and backtracking to "one of the best bikes".