Finals Results: Val di Sole DH World Cup 2018

Jul 7, 2018
by Pinkbike Staff  
Danny Hart will have his sights set firmly on the podium tomorrow but would love to take the win once more here.


What a race. While the weather threatened some chaos, it ultimately held off and racers didn't have to contend with changing conditions like they did in qualifying.

The steep, unforgiving track made for wide time margins, and line choice was absolutely everything.

In the junior men's, the number 1 plate Kye A'Hearn was missing after a crash in qualifying, and it was Butler 3rd, Kerr 2nd, and Thibault Daprela 1st. In the junior women's a familiar refrain: Valentina Höll took the win with a massive 17-second gap back to 2nd place Newkirk and 3rd place Johnset. Höll's time would have been good enough for 10th in elite.

In the elite women's race, Rachel Atherton put down a heater with 6 riders to go. Back from injury, taking risks, looking strong. With nearly 10 seconds of wiggle room, Rachel's time looked untouchable until Tahnee Seagrave, who held back for the first parts of the course, attacking through the last corner to take the win. Fastest qualifier Monika Hrastnik was the last woman down the hill, riding to an impressive 3rd place.

In the men's race, we've witnessed a true changing of the guard. Frenchman Thomas Estaque held the hot seat for quite a while, before Laurie Greenland stamped his run with a Sam Hill-esque foot out around that corner. Greenland would end his day in 2nd place. Danny Hart will be disappointed with 3rd, but on a podium of young guns it's good to see the man take his 20th world cup podium. Luca Shaw finally got to the bottom of a race run, perhaps being a bit conservative but still showing what he's capable and riding into 4th. But ultimately, the last man on the hill was the man of the moment, Amaury Pierron. A run full of different line choices and creative riding was rewarded and he took 1st place by over half a second.

We're still buzzing, Andorra next weekend is going to be insane.


Red Bull TV broadcast.
UCI results & live timing.


Final Results:

Elite Men

1st. PIERRON Amaury 3:36.788
2nd. GREENLAND Laurie 3:37.312 (+0.524)
3rd. HART Danny 3:37.448 (+0.660)
4th. SHAW Luca 3:39.036 (+2.248 )
5th. ESTAQUE Thomas 3:39.254 (+2.466)
Elite Women

1st. SEAGRAVE Tahnee 4:26.424
2nd. ATHERTON Rachel 4:26.547 (+0.123)
3rd. HRASTNIK Monika 4:28.029 (+1.605)
4th. HANNAH Tracey 4:29.718 (+3.294)
5th. WIDMANN Veronika 4:35.824 (+9.400)

Junior Men

1st. DAPRELA Thibaut 3:53.411
2nd. KERR Henry 3:54.546 +1.135
3rd. BUTLER Patrick 3:56.790 +3.379
4th. EDWARDS Kade 3:57.816 +4.405
5th. LEHMANN Hannes 3:59.006
Junior Women

1st. HOLL Valentina 4:43.057
2nd. NEWKIRK Anna 5:00.413 +17.356
3rd. JOHNSET Mille 5:00.673 +17.616
4th. ZIBASA Paula 5:03.574 +20.517
5th. SORIANO Samantha 5:05.744 +22.687







Live Updates:

4:49am PST - Adam Brayton takes the hot seat from Faustin Figaret with a 3:43.199!

4:50am PST - Charlie Hatton with a mega slam!

4:58am PST - Neko Mullaly with a strong run into 2nd place, just losing time at the end. Fairclough on track now.

5:05am PST - Baptiste Pierron starts a little slow but smashes every split after the first. 3:43.196 and into the hot seat.

5:11am PST - Switching over to the Red Bull broadcast now as the top men get ready, with Phil Atwill slotting into 3rd.

5:19am PST - Sounds like Aaron may try to race on his injured thumb. Clouds looking ominous, hoping things stay dry!

5:22am PST - Foot out around that final corner! Benoit Coulanges attacking the course moves into the lead.

5:26am PST - And just like that! Reece Wilson takes the lead, then Thomas Estaque takes it from him. Times are heating up.

5:34am PST - Finn Iles looking composed the whole way down slots into 3rd, maybe an error off camera.

5:36am PST - Gwin on track!

5:39am PST - Gwin off the pace, nursing an injured thumb. What an absolute warrior. Getting some points but 9+ seconds back.

5:43am PST - The chainsaws are out in force today, and thankfully the weather looks like it's going to hold for now.

5:51am PST - Mark Wallace goes across 2nd, 1.5 seconds back. A problem up top cost him, making up a lot of time throughout the rest of the track.

5:55am PST - Troy Brosnan getting bounced around by this rough course. Goes across 5th. Playing it safe for the overall?

6:01am PST - So many Commencals. I'm claiming it's all due to the Resurgence of High Pivot Suspension article.

6:03am PST - Brook on track, but about 2 seconds off the pace. Good ride, possibly into the top 10.

6:05am PST - Sam Blenkinsop wearing gloves is just wrong. 5+ back.

6:15am PST - BRUNI GOES DOWN! He was up, sending gaps left and right... That run looked destined for greatness, until it wasn't.

6:21am PST - Laurie Greenland is on fire! Oh god he goes sideways on Sam Hill's corner! Greenland takes the hot seat by 1.9. Enough?

6:22am PST - Big slide out crash in the first few corners for Loris Vergier. Back 11 seconds by split 1, but rides aggressive the rest of the track. Good to see.

6:27am PST - Luca Shaw riding conservatively, maybe gun-shy after two rounds with massive speeds and massive mistakes. Pulls back time towards the bottom to go just 1.7 back into 2nd!

6:31am PST - Danny Hart attacking hard. Can he pull back .2?

6:32am PST - No! He goes 2nd, 0.1 back.

6:35am PST - PIERRON TAKES IT! What a come from behind run! Different lines all over the place to take the win by half a second.


Author Info:
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Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,465 articles

147 Comments
  • 102 0
 OMG I don't think I've ever yelled at the screen so much hahaha. Luca went 27th 9th 1st 1st 2nd on the sectors. What a race. worldcup.eliotjackson.com/results
  • 10 0
 Not since 2013.
  • 2 1
 Yeah Luca is on fire, unlucky, but on fire
  • 21 0
 It was similar with Monika Hrastnik! 6th 1st 1st 1st 3rd. So close to the W
  • 16 0
 It's a great time to be a downhill fan
  • 5 0
 Very cool race replay visualization/animation on your site.
  • 1 1
 @lukehmail: it's true: 4x is the awesome!
  • 2 0
 @EliotJackson: this is so awesome! Especially the replay speed, mmm...
  • 4 2
 Several riders are showing real poise. Pierron, obviously. But I really think that Luca is ready for a win. I like that his results are so consistently good, and that he doesn't seem to need to get loose to do it. The comparison to Minnaar is obvious. He just needs to keep building, and then seize the moment when it's there. Remember how many podiums that Gwin was on but barely missed the win back in his first year on the WC. Once Luca gets his first win, and when Gwin is back from injury, we've basically got a three-way race, with anyone in the rest of the top ten ready to make it interesting. Great time for downhill!
  • 2 2
 @kvnsimons: Gwin started in 2006 and started winning in 2011.
  • 2 0
 @kvnsimons: Eh Luca has been in touch to win but bad luck and poor decisions have prevented him from doing that. Gwin has more been of a raw talent that progressed rapidly and then dominated with insane predictability. Luca is on a slightly different path but he's another shining star for U.S. downhill. I can't wait for him to win his first and when that happens, it will be one of many.
  • 3 0
 @EliotJackson Your website is a nerd fest! I love it, thank you
  • 1 1
 That race replay is sweet! Shows maybe Greenland needs to work on fitness, losing right at the bottom!
  • 61 2
 That thumb must be killing Gwin. As soon as crossed the finish line he pulled his hand in, The whole track must have been very painful to ride, Hats off for trying.
  • 31 0
 Crazy. I dislocated my pinky in a DH race. I was out for months, let alone finishing the race run. A year later and it's still not perfect. I can't even imaging racing at this level a day after re-injuring that thumb. Even then... he was only like 10 seconds off top pace. Not bad all things considered. What a beast.
  • 5 5
 Im just wondering why? I know its his job and he wants to keep YT, his sponsors and The Mob in the spotlight, but with the race schedule being so tight I cant imagine that he’ll heal that thumb enough to be in true form for the rest of the season. My only guess is that Gwin would sooner try to keep on race pace to keep his skills up so when the thumb does heal it’ll be like he never stopped. I hope that he comes back next year strong and healed and we get a Pierron/Gwin battle!
  • 15 4
 @PHeller: I wonder if he would be sitting out and trying to get 100% healthy if he had teammates that could compete for the win. I know that's a dick comment and I really love the YT Mob, but look at the Syndicate. Greg ain't rushing back.
  • 18 10
 @MikeAzBS: I think it's more a personal demand of Gwin. A saw his face during one of the interviews, looked pretty painful. If he wants to race, he races and yeah kinda dick comment from you, because Neko Mulally came in 18th. That is a top result in a world cup on that track.
  • 19 0
 @PHeller: Also a bit of pride , Gwin is a racer through and through
  • 55 6
 which brings me to a conclusion that very few people really want to be a pro. They say it’s a dream of theirs, but it isn’t. Just like Gwinny wouldn’t sit in the office for 8 hours you wouldn’t ride down the gnarliest track with a f*cked up thumb risking damaging it for the rest of your life, feeling the weight of obligations to sponsor hanging on your neck, prrssing on your chest. Racers are a special breed. Admit to yourself that you are not made of that clay but instead you can take other sacrifices and your life will feel better for you. As it should
  • 2 0
 I have a feeling that he goes home, misses next race. The overall is getting out of reach. He said he considered going home and taking a month for it to heal. In that month he can miss one race come back and have two races before before World Champs. I bet he wants to give it a go next week but he is also smart and has smart people advising him and it would seem that going home to heal would be the smart move.
  • 2 0
 @mfoga: I could seeing him sitting out a few races and refocusing for Worlds. The overall is pretty much gone at this point with Pierron's current form. And he's done really well at Lenzerheide in the past. He's got a legit shot to capture the elusive rainbow jersey, really the only thing missing from his incredible career.
  • 2 1
 @PHeller: overall points standings?
  • 4 1
 If you wanna drive McLaren's you can't get injured.
  • 1 0
 @mfoga: I wonder if Gwin healed up, missed one race, and came back and won the last two if he'd be in contention or not.
  • 2 3
 @wakidesigns that is some wise sh@t right there. Props.
  • 5 9
flag PHeller (Jul 7, 2018 at 15:01) (Below Threshold)
 @WAKIdesigns: I have no idea who you're responding to because pretty much nobody insinuated they wanted to be pro, and nobody insinuated that Gwin wasn't anything but one of the best racers this sport has seen. I think you're trolling.
  • 3 2
 @MikeAzBS: only weenies like eliaso would see your comment as a dick comment. I'm picking up what you're putting down. Next time, don't be so inviting to douche canoes such as eliaso who will agree with your self degradation. Say what you gotta say without worrying about being anything. It's the pinkbike message boards and there are a lot of idiots here who throw a hissy fit over nothing. Just speak your peace and move on. Eliaso will probably not be happy about my comment but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
  • 1 0
 @mfoga: Gwin taking a month off and missing a WC race or two to come back healed and win World Champs would be soooo bittersweet awesome!
  • 1 1
 @PHeller: I think he was speaking to himself in the third person? He's a lot like Trump in that sense. Or was it his insiders take on pro life from an outsider? Either way...just ignore him and hope he wanders off.
  • 3 0
 @MikeAzBS: I have a very strong feeling that even if Neko and Angel where expected to slot 1st and 2nd, Gwin wouldn't be any less motivated to race for the win if he where physically capable of it. I rekon he rolled this run to grab some points just to be prepared for the possibility that Pierron's run wasn't pretty. If Pierron mechanical'd, DQ'd, or crashed and only netted a few points as well, Gwin would still be in the running. As Pierron laid down an incredible run and really pulled ahead in overall, Gwin is now going to take some time to rehab.

Don't forget that Minnaar has also gone to some extreme measures to race through injury when it had a chance to pay off.
  • 48 0
 I have to admit. After his first win, I thought Pierron would be a one hit wonder...
  • 5 23
flag PHeller (Jul 7, 2018 at 7:31) (Below Threshold)
 At this point, with Gwin being injured, Pierron is pretty much garunteed the championship unless he falls off the map or get injured himself. Which is a bummer, because I wanted to seen Gwin battle it out with somebody before he inevitably retires.
  • 11 0
 I think it will be a few years until retirement, hopefully.
My dream would be for him to tie the GOAT, then have them battle it out for eternity.
@PHeller:
  • 7 0
 @PHeller: why are you under the assumption that gwin is retiring soon? he has at least 3-5 years left as a WC contender IMO.
  • 8 2
 There’s no doubt he’s an excellent rider. Just a shame we can’t see how’d be fairing up against a healthy Gwin and Minnaar
  • 4 0
 @PHeller: dunno about that man, pierron has competition these races have been mighty close. pierron hasnt come through the finish line with a lead any greater than 1 second yet
  • 1 0
 @PHeller: Nonsense
  • 1 7
flag t1000 (Jul 7, 2018 at 9:45) (Below Threshold)
 @krisrayner: wasn't Gwin healthy before Val di sole? I thought yes
  • 7 0
 @t1000: nope, f*cked thumb
  • 34 1
 Pat Butler 3rd place!!!!!! So happy for you Pat, mum and dad would be very proud! Stoked for you!! Top speed as well!
  • 24 1
 VALi DI SOLE!!!!
  • 18 0
 I just peed a little after greenland.
  • 82 1
 I have the same problem going past Norway
  • 6 7
 @Dropthedebt: You've won today's internet!
  • 3 1
 @Dropthedebt: Dammit...thats funny. Im a little jealous
  • 2 7
flag WAKIdesigns (Jul 7, 2018 at 10:15) (Below Threshold)
 @scary1: indeed...
  • 1 2
 @Dropthedebt: Superb! We salute you.
  • 15 0
 The only thing as consistent as Vali winning every race is daylight coming second.
  • 13 3
 Pierron really reminds me of Josh Bryceland when he was at the top of his game in downhill. Both stupidly fast and wild riders, and have kinda similar personalities. They even look a little alike...
  • 11 3
 More than 40 racers already went down before red bull started broadcasting... Shame
  • 9 0
 Poor Loris let one through to the Keeper when he crashed!
  • 2 0
 No one in Nth Murcia is gonna know what your on about????
  • 2 0
 @aushred: hahahahahaha... Should have said he had a brown dog growling at the back door...
  • 7 0
 BRUNI NOOOOOOOOOO!!! Gutted for ya.. Pierron though what a beast stocked for him!!
  • 8 0
 Tahnee
  • 4 0
 Pierron seems to be doing the same thing as ratboy did, floating about near the top then suddenly gets a streak of amazing form and confidence and keeps winning!
  • 3 1
 Frixtalon to start in 20th after qualifying 4th. :/

There's a start list and live timing on here:

www.uci.ch/mountain-bike/ucievents/2018-mountain-bike-uci-mountain-bike-world-cup/162153118/widgets/live-timing-results-185534
  • 9 5
 1st place qualifier goes down last!!!!! what the hell is this.... I can get behind their thinking behind the new start list, but I think they should let the protected riders that didn't get a good result go down first and not touch the sacred top 10!! also why is Shaw going down last and not pierron that just makes no sense. Pierron being first in points, and yesterday's fastest qualifier. This has angered me...
  • 7 0
 Pierron is going down last. Protected riders go last in order of qualification. Its a stupid rule in its current execution. Iles is going down way to early. And then theres Fayolle...i dont want to criticise him, cause hes not responsible for the rule, but we will see him all year on TV despite qualifying very low this season....i bet he feels unconfortable about that situation himself...it's still his DESERVED but LUCKY strike in Lourde in Spring 2017 that keeps him in competition, thats just to far away to justify that and unfair to other riders
  • 1 2
 @chainzuck: Oh yeah good to see that pierron is going down last now, for some reason when I checked it showed Shaw going last which made no sense, but still definitely feel like so many riders are getting robbed as you say, like Iles and Frixtalon... The UCI definitely have some work to do with all this, I just hope they listen and make changes. Whatever happens I'm really looking forward to this race it's going to be awesome haha
  • 4 4
 @macimecdufour: if Frixtalon has been at the end it would’ve been an extremely slow run in the middle of 5 competitive guys. Perfect example of new rules working.
  • 5 0
 @bulletbassman: Extremely slow run??? He was only 9 seconds back and ended in 22nd place. With 3:30 gaps between racers, Frixtalon wouldn't have caused any issues whatsoever. The new rules would not have made any improvement here in terms of preventing Frixtalon from causing a problem with the competition.
  • 2 1
 @ka-brap: we got to see his run dude, it was all good. Chill. It was better he went earlier in my opinion too
  • 1 1
 @ka-brap: i mean, he was noticeably slower in person...just sayin
  • 3 0
 I would rather see ed masters than fayolle. We know fayolle isn’t going to be competive. @chainzuck:
  • 7 0
 LOOK AT THE TIME!!!
  • 8 0
 Ah yes, it's 11.30. Thanks for the prompt, I should go to bed.
  • 2 0
 @bigtim: 1:41am here and I'm still at the pub, hmm.
  • 9 4
 The elite women field is going to get very interesting when vali turns 18
  • 4 11
flag Muckal (Jul 7, 2018 at 3:58) (Below Threshold)
 They should let her start in Elite women next year already.
  • 9 2
 Still not on par with top elite women, but I can see her on top in 2-3 years maybe when she gains more confidence and experience.
  • 1 0
 FYI, Juniors is 17-18 years old.
  • 2 0
 @Muckal: She doesn't want to.
  • 3 0
 @Verbl-Kint: she is 16.
  • 3 0
 @endurogoat: For age categories in UCI-sanctioned races, the rider's age on Dec. 31 of that year will be followed.
  • 4 7
 If she carries on the way she is now, she will be the most dominant athlete cycling has ever seen... Female male DH XC Road doesn't matter, she will have more titles than anyone else in any discipline ... Let's appreciate that we will witness that rise to greatness, one race at a time!
  • 5 0
 Reece Wilson though! On fire.
  • 4 0
 I'm assuming I missed something... Mike Jones didn't qualify, or did he drop off the face of the earth?
  • 3 1
 anybody else think there should be relegation from the protected riders list. I'm thinking fayolle shouldn't be there. I don't think he has a top 20 time all year.
  • 3 0
 Loved seeing Nicole on video chat congratulating Amaury from a hospital bed at the finish line.
  • 7 3
 Obligatory what-if-Vali-raced-in-Elites ranking: 10th place.
  • 4 0
 2 more years and the pierron brothers make it 1 2 3 on the podium
  • 5 0
 Finn might have something to say about that.
  • 1 0
 wait. i thought there were only 2 pierrons?
  • 3 0
 Holy shit!!! That pedalling at the bottom by Pierron was amazing.
  • 2 0
 What a race! It's midnight and I'm so pumped! Both women's and men's were crazy!
  • 3 0
 On another note harts jersey looks rad haha
  • 2 0
 Amaury is on fire!!! Fun to watch these younger riders coming thru the scene.
  • 4 1
 Vali Höll. Holy smokes!
  • 10 0
 Hölly smökes!
  • 3 1
 Good to see 2 young Brits in the junior top 5
  • 1 0
 Good result by Henry Kerr!
  • 3 1
 What did Rachel do in that top section???
  • 20 1
 Ride her bike
  • 2 0
 Amaury must be French for alien. What a season this has been for him! Wow!
  • 1 0
 And that bike! Time to consider one
  • 1 0
 Those Commencals this year seem to be on point, plus the team seem to have the lock on awesome young French kids
  • 2 0
 Yeah Vali
  • 1 0
 what happened to Ausie junior male who had won a few previous world cups?
  • 3 0
 Kye crashed in qualifying and didn't make the cut (as they only let 20 juniors through for the final). Despite having the number 1 plate, there's no protected status in the junior categories so he had to sit on the sideline and watch.
  • 1 0
 Scrub that, I was looking at the wrong timings
  • 2 0
 Pierron is on fire !
  • 2 0
 Pierron WTF !
  • 15 18
 Awesome race!
But the real news here is a dude got 12th in the woman's race!
IOC & UCI need to sort their shit out & not let a transgender person compete just because they've meet the "acceptable" level of hormones for their chosen gender.
There's so much more to it than that!
The push to be "inclusive" is over riding basic science.
I feel sorry for all the other elite woman who have busted their arses & worked hard for results, only to have them hijacked by someone who has rode MTB as a male for 90% of their life
  • 11 3
 I don't think that's the real news here sorry
  • 2 5
 Seriously? Sort of reminds me of a trans kid (male, or "was") winning the state wrestling championship for girls... high school, I think? Can't remember. Anyway...
  • 5 8
 @russthedog: keep your bigoted comments to yourself bro
  • 3 7
flag dwojo (Jul 7, 2018 at 15:24) (Below Threshold)
 Sorry double post but that comment was meant for you.
  • 5 0
 @dwojo:I think you replied to the wrong person. Or do you don't know the meaning of bigot.
  • 2 0
 @russthedog: yeah sorry mate. I did hit reply to the wrong person.
  • 1 1
 @OzzyPhil: Giving me an error in the link
  • 4 4
 I think you need to re-read some of those articles. "Basic science" shows us people don't fit into just 2 boxes from a gender point of view (probably not even from a bigot/non-bigot point of view) - there's a spectrum of hormone levels in all of us and whilst it's true to say that the majority of people can be classified as male or female, as soon as you dig deeper you realise that even that is flawed. Do you categorise people by their physical appearance? What about those women that are XXY? Extra levels of testosterone in development may well lead to greater muscle development and bone density, but in DH the fastest riders are not necessarily the burliest, both in mens' and womens' DH.
  • 1 0
 Feels like a change of the guard happening at WC!
  • 1 0
 you know the track is gnarly when you see Blenki wearing gloves
  • 1 0
 Tough but great race!
  • 1 1
 bummed for laurie, stoked for my fantasy team
  • 1 0
 Got both Greenland and Pierron in my team so would have been stoked either way ????????‍♂️
  • 1 0
 @JacReed: i had danny also but its serious business and every point counts
  • 2 0
 @JacReed: meh, you and your accurate predictions...

I thought I might have a chance but I get f all from the girls with Nicole out.
  • 1 0
 @Milko3D: yeah, same. As far as I can see, I'm still getting 600+ points... but picking Gwin absolutely screwed me. The one round I had a chance of winning... lol.
  • 2 0
 I got the top 4 in men's. That fanny pack is mine for shore!
  • 2 0
 @Vernon2145: You only want the fanny pack? To each their own... I'll gladly take the pump. Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Amaury, Laurie, Reece Wilson, Brook MacDonald and Tahnee are all in my team so I'm not complaining
  • 1 0
 @bikerwithproblems: I picked Mike Jones instead of Reece Wilson, and Aaron Gwin instead of Danny Hart and Laurie Greenland. Bad move. #missedopportunity
  • 1 0
 Wait a sec... holy crap. I was using the wrong scores. If I counted it right, I'm getting 835 points?! On the one hand, that makes me very happy. On the other... This round had huge potential... if I hadn't picked Gwin, I probably would've broken 1,000, won this round, and been vying for the overall. $#!/($$=$&**&@$$!!!!!!!! lol
  • 3 0
 @bikerwithproblems: you got 99 problems but FantasyDownhill ain't one Big Grin
  • 1 0
 805 or 835, I forget which. Let's go with 800+ ... hope I counted correctly.
  • 1 0
 @mtbikeaddict: where are you getting the numbers from? Are they what is awarded to the riders?
  • 1 0
 @Vernon2145: No, that's what I did first, but it was erroneous. PB points are different from UCI points; PB gives little more, e.g. 250 instead of 200 for 1st. Go to your fantasy page (play now button in your profile) and click "How To Play". It's the first box in the group of three in the upper left of the page. Scroll through the "How To Play" and towards the bottom it'll give you the scoring chart for PB Fantasy DH. It gives you points per position, and I compared that with the results to determine the scores. Smile
  • 5 6
 No one's gonna mention the guy on 29'er wheels is winning... it might only get you a1/2 second but welllllllll
  • 1 1
 Out with the old...IN with the new.
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