Photo Epic: Finals - Val di Sole DH World Championships 2021
Another year and another World Champs blows by in a blur of rainbow color. 20 years have blown by, incidentally, since the unfathomably accomplished Greg Minnaar claimed his inaugural medal in Vail, Colorado for Worlds 2001. This was a special one; the 11th world championship medal for Greg finally arriving after a 6 year drought and it happened to be not only gold, but on a track where the man has never previously won before. Overnight rain added to the confusion of how best to tame the infamously tricky Black Snake, but it was to be the Pietermaritzburgian puzzle master, 39 years young, who riddled the field a time none could contend with. Frenchman, Benoit Coulanges, was a whisker behind the GOAT and Troy Brosnan did the business for team Aus with a bronze medal.
No less exciting was the women’s race; Myriam Nicole bounced back from her year out of the stripes with a vengeance and stormed to a more than convincing 4.8 second victory, welcomed with a shower of congratulatory beer by top qualifier, Vali Höll who crashed out of contention on the greasy course. 2019 Val di Sole winner, Marine Cabirou, fought valiantly after her huge crash earlier in the season in Les Gets to claim silver, while defender of the rainbow jersey, Camille Balanche refused to be forced off the podium. Canadian, Jackson Goldstone, and Bulgarian, Izabela Yankova, earned their stripes in the junior races in true style.
Top qualifier, Loris Vergier, prepping for a fight with the Black Snake
The overnight rain did very little to help the blown out track and riders now struggled for grip on greasy hard-pack after a whole day of training in the dust yesterday.
Gracey Hemstreet took the final medal position in the junior women.
Lachlan Stevens-McNab takes bronze in the junior guys.
Kine Haugom of Norway charged hard for a silver medal.
Izabela Yankova over the last jump and into the stripes with 10 seconds to spare.
A big day for the young Bulgarian racer.
Second place for Jordan Williams who held down the hot seat until a certain young Canadian had his turn.
It was amazing to watch Jackson Goldstone attack the Val di Sole track on route to the gold medal.
A sprint to the finish and he claims the stripes for Canada.
Goldstone, Junior Wolrd Champ.
Izabela Yankova, Kine Haugom, Gracey Hemstreet with the gold, silver and bronze medals for the Junior Women
Jackson Goldstone, Jordan Williams and Lachlan Stevens-McNab took top honors in Junior men
Goldstone takes his first World Championship title at the first time of asking.
Pinned all week, Myriam Nicole was untouchable today.
Eleonora Farina rode strong and was the best placed Italian in any of the categories in 6th.
Top qualifier, Valentina Holl, fell foul of the slick track after a night of heavy rain mixed up conditions; particularly for the women’s race earlier in the afternoon.
Camille Balanche fought hard to protect the stripes, but was forced to surrender them on the day by 6 seconds... although she would still get a concilatory bronze.
Marine Cabirou won the last time the World Cup stopped in for a visit. She was surely one to contend today and did so with a spot on the podium.
Happy with her performance, Cabirou put up one hell of a fight and looked good on track all week.
Jess Blewitt held steady after her strong qualie and took top kiwi female honours in 8th place.
7th for Mille Johnset
Tahnee Seagrave grit her teeth and toughed it out today with an injury for 5th
Vali and Veronika wait as Myriam smashes split after split.
If you ever doubted Myriam Nicole's ability to tackle this course, just look at the splits.
The new champ offered her first drink after crossing the line faster than her winning margin.
Nicole looked like the woman to beat all weekend and ultimately she proved to be unbeatable.
4th and just out of the medals for Monika Hrastnik
Monika Hrastnik into fourth nine seconds back.
Myriam Nicole regains the World Championship stripes once more after losing them last season.
Your Elite Women's podium - 1st Myriam Nicole, 2nd Marine Cabirou, 3rd Camille Balanche.
Champagne showers never get old.
Full commitment into the final left hard corner
A great ride into 11th place for Andreas Kolb.
Luca Shaw taking the plunge into a 10th place finish.
Finn Iles overcame his injury struggles for a top 10 and top Canadian.
Wildcard man of the match was a close one between Kolb, Vidal and young Kiwi Tuhoto-Arike Pene, taking 14th.
12th for Antoine Vidal after an amazing qualifier just one day prior.
8th for David Trummer
Trummer sure is one low key 'top 10 on any track, when you least expect' kind of guy.
Reece Wilson had been struggling here all week, but found something today. He was on an amazing run before a front tire blow out a few corners from home left him in 15th.
Plagued by a few too many flats in training, Danny Hart held on tight for fifth.
Benoit Coulanges has been on fire and pushing hard for his first win, so losing out on gold by 0.22 is going to sting a little bit
One of these weekends will be Coulanges' before long.
After a couple of years taking names at the French nationals Coulanges has cemented himself as a top threat at the highest level.
Just 3.1 seconds back on the winning time was Brit, Matt Walker; enough for 7th place.
Greg Minnaar flying of the big ski jump and into the infamous final left hand turn
Minnaar launching his way into the finish arena on route to the World title.
Golden GOAT dust.
Into the hot seat Minnaar goes after an incredible run.
Nervous moments in the hot seat for Greg Minnaar as he watches the last few riders try to beat his time.
Less than half a second from the win was Troy Brosnan who closed out the podium.
World Champs are heaven for some and hell for others. Amaury Pierron went a little past purgatory.
Loris Vergier made Greg squirm on the hotseat after setting the fastest top two splits, but would cross the line a second off the pace
Vergier put down a good run, but it wasn't his day.
Loic Bruni and Loris Vergier close but so far from the glory they were after
As soon as the news fell that Daprela had had an off, Vergier wasted no time running to congratulate his former teammate.
Thibaut Daprela took two massive slams but escaped relatively unscathed.
You can't spell World Champs without 'YOLO'. Kinda.
Take a bow Greg Minnaar, you put on quite the show today
The special bond of Loic Bruni and the winningest.
Greg Minnaar and the Santa Cruz V10 rack up yet another World Championship victory.
The formerly well kept secret 'magic arm' bike-shooting technique, perfectly demonstrated by former World Champ 2009.
Your top 3 elite men: 1st Greg Minnaar 2nd Benoit Coulanges 3rd Troy Brosnan.
That's a wrap on the 2021 Mountain Bike World Championships from Val di Sole.
Greg Minnaar solidifying his claim as the G.O.A.T
Ending a 6 year world championships dry spell by striking gold in Italy
The new rainbow bearers headed into 2022.
Ciao, Worlds.
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80 Comments
NV maybe
With nine or so of Nico's wins coming in the world champs, it kind of makes me wonder what he was doing all the rest of the time. I guess either not racing or coming second to Peaty in world cups.
We all knew this kid was going places when this iconic video surfaced in 2010! It was my first 'faved' video on Pinkbike! Well done Jackson!!
@rossbellphoto Still shooting Canon?
He probably deserves better than that in his caption Pinkbike.
Does anyone proof-read anything before it's published? Hopefully that's at least one thing Outside can improve.