Pinkbike Primer: Everything You Need to Know Ahead of the Les Gets DH World Cup 2023

Sep 5, 2023
by Ed Spratt  
Myriam Nicole will be hungry to defend her rainbow stripes on home soil.

After the hectic racing in Loudenvielle riders are staying in France for another race weekend as the World Cup series heads to its final European stop at the classic venue of Les Gets. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 DH World Cup's sixth round in France.


What happened at the Last Round?


Super Bruni salute.

The first time in Loudenveille brought plenty of incredible racing action as the Elite riders delivered some of the best riding we have seen all year. It's a shame we couldn't see the Junior riders take on the course, hopefully, the weather will play fair this week and they will get to go head-to-head in Les Gets.

Vali Höll completed a perfect weekend in France as she went fastest in qualifying, semi-finals and finals. Conditions remained loose and greasy for finals with light rain threatening through the race. Vali Höll did lose a second in the 2nd split but she gained time from then on to secure the win by 2.84 seconds. Nina Hoffmann couldn't match the speed of the World Champ as she ended the day with 2nd place. Marine Cabirou completed the top three as she went five seconds off the pace on home soil.

Loic Bruni secured his first win in 2023 as he sought redemption after his disappointment in Andorra. As the track continued to dry through the men's racing it was Loic Bruni who bested the conditions that took out many of the top riders. Dakotah Norton secured his best World Cup result as he stormed into 2nd place, only 0.777 back. Laurie Greenland wrapped the top three riders and was the only other rider within a second of Loic Bruni.

Elite Women

1st. Vali Höll: 4:00.593
2nd. Nina Hoffmann: 4:03.433
3rd. Marine Cabirou: 4:05.945
4th. Phoebe Gale: 4:09.066
5th. Lisa Baumann: 4:09.757
Elite Men

1st. Loic Bruni: 3:31.785
2nd. Dakotah Norton: 3:32.562
3rd. Laurie Greenland: 3:32.664
4th. Jackson Goldstone: 3:33.141
5th. Remi Thirion: 3:34.363

Junior Women

1st. Sacha Earnest: 4:11.539
2nd. Erice Van Leuven: 4:15.249
3rd. Valentina Roa Sanchez: 4:21.127
4th. Lisa Bouladou: 4:21.791
5th. Lais Bonnaure: 4:24.957

Junior Men

1st. Ryan Pinkerton: 3:35.582
2nd. Nathan Pontvianne: 3:37.075
3rd. Christian Hauser: 3:37.110
4th. Rafaël Pelletier: 3:37.481
5th. Hugo Marini: 3:39.012

Vali Holl powers through the last corner on her way to to another win.
Loic Bruni was fired up after wet weather took him out the running last week in Andorra.

You can view the full elite results here.


Who is Leading the Overall?


After the fifth round of the 2023 season, it is Lisa Bouladou, Ryan Pinkerton, Vali Höll and Loic Bruni who lead the overall standings.

Elite Women

photo


Elite Men

photo
photo
photo


Junior Women

photo


Junior Men

photo
photo


Where is the Sixth Round?


Epic views all round here in Les Gets.

For the sixth round of the 2023 World Cup series, Les Gets plays host to the final European round as riders return to one of the fastest tracks on the circuit and one that recently has been dominated by French winners in the Elite Men's racing.

Gracey Hemstreet ripping the first turn which overlooks Mont Blanc.
Epic views and early autumnal vibes from lack of rain here in the French Alps.

Title
Golden dust and high speeds.


What's the Track Like?


Aimi Kenyon takes you down last year's World Championship course in Les Gets.
Track Stats:
Length: 2.4km
Descent: 614m
First World Cup Appearance: 2021


When and What Racing is Happening this Weekend?


The schedule provides non-stop action and a tough few days for riders with not a lot of time to rest. Here is a look at what you can expect to find happening this weekend.

All times CEST

Wednesday, September 6
• 14:00-17:00 // Training - Juniors Only

Thursday, September 7
• 08:30-12:00 // Training - Group B
• 12:00-15:30 // Training - Group A
• 15:45-16:00 // Qualifying - Junior Women
• 16:00-17:00 // Qualifying - Junior Men

Friday, September 8
• 08:30-10:30 // Training - Group B
• 10:30-12:30 // Training - Group A
• 12:45 // Finals - Junior Women
• 13:15 // Finals - Junior Men
• 14:00 // Qualifying - Elite Women
• 14:40 // Qualifying - Elite Men

Saturday, September 9
• 08:30-9:30 // Training - Qualified Women
• 09:30-10:30 // Training - Qualified Men
• 10:45 // Semi-Final - Elite Women
• 11:20 // Semi-Final - Elite Men
• 13:00 // Finals - Elite Women
• 14:00 // Finals - Elite Men

Note: All times are local and subject to change by the UCI/event organizer.


What's the Weather Expected to be?


After back-to-back weather-affected rounds, it's great to see that the currently predicted weather for Les Gets its mostly warm and sunny with very little chance of rain. If this holds we should be in for a great week of racing.

Wednesday, September 6

Partly sunny and very warm // 25°C // 2% probability of precipitation // wind 7km/h

Thursday, September 7

Mostly sunny and very warm // 25°C // 5% probability of precipitation // wind 7km/h

Friday, September 8

Very warm with sunshine and patchy clouds // 25°C // 3% probability of precipitation // wind 7km/h

Saturday, September 9

Partly sunny and very warm // 25°C // 25% probability of precipitation // wind 7km/h


Weather forecast as of Monday, September 4 from Accuweather.


What Happened Last Time in Les Gets?


The 2022 downhill World Champs provided some incredible racing in Les Gets. In the Junior racing Jenna Hastings and Jordan Williams came out on top and will take home the rainbow jerseys. The final riders in both races crashed out during their runs with Izabela Yankova not finishing and Jackson Goldstone coming 14th.

Vali Höll has become the first Austrian downhill World Champion after an incredible run put her just under a second ahead of Nina Hoffmann. Myriam Nicole couldn't take the win on home soil but still mages to secure the bronze medal. Despite only recently having surgery Camille Balanche crossed the line in fourth place.

Five times World Champion Loic Bruni reigned supreme in Les Gets as he dominated the Elite Men's field. Loic is World Champion once again as he now holds the second highest number of Elite Male titles and is only the fourth rider to have ever won the rainbow jersey on home soil. The French didn't just take the gold as Amaury Pierron took the silver and Loris Vergier secured the bronze medal.

Elite Women

1st. Vali Höll: 3:53.857
2nd. Nina Hoffmann: 3:54.763
3rd. Myriam Nicole: 3:57.304
4th. Camille Balanche: 3:58.062
5th. Monika Hrastnik: 3:59.570
Elite Men

1st. Loic Bruni: 3:20.478
2nd. Amaury Pierron: 3:23.059
3rd. Loris Vergier: 3:23.864
4th. Troy Brosnan: 3:24.388
5th. Laurie Greenland: 3:24.529

Junior Women

1st. Jenna Hastings: 4:18.541
2nd. Gracey Hemstreet: 4:20.411
3rd. Valentina Roa Sanchez: 4:34.485
4th. Aimi Kenyon: 4:38.146
5th. Lisa Bouladou: 4:38.572
Junior Men

1st. Jordan Williams: 3:28.324
2nd. Remy Meier-Smith: 3:34.240
3rd. Davide Cappello: 3:36.021
4th. Ryan Pinkerton: 3:36.044
5th. Bodhi Kuhn: 3:37.777


How to Follow the Racing?


Tune in to Pinkbike to catch all the Les Gets coverage throughout the week with results, photo epics, bike checks, race analysis and more.



Posted In:
Racing and Events DH Racing Pinkbike Primer World Cup DH Les Gets World Cup Dh 2023


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82 Comments
  • 74 3
 NEWSFLASH: UCI moves official sign-on time to last Friday and locates sign-on desk under a staircase in a haunted mansion. All riders therefore are prohibited from racing except a V. Helsing from Amsterdam. Mr Helsing signed on accidentally after getting lost on a Vampire hunt.
  • 1 0
 Too good
  • 71 0
 Will Gwin also be present during the commentary for this race? I really hope he will.
  • 16 1
 I really hope so too, but I guess it depends how much his comment about the semis pissed off ESO. :-)
  • 34 1
 Gwin in the booth, Gracia doing excited interviews at the finish. That'd do it
  • 8 1
 @mashrv1: That would actually work. Cedric is dude, just not cut out for this job. Ric, not sure, he's getting better, but still a ways to go.
  • 6 2
 @mashrv1: The finish line is definitely a better place for excitedly yelling French gibberish into the microphone.
  • 1 0
 @mashrv1: absolutely
  • 3 0
 Gwin's insights were really really spot on. My only small gripe is the same I have sometimes with Eliot Jackson, sometimes they're a few sentences into explaining something interesting but the timing isn't quite right and they end up sorta interrupted by what's happening on the screen. That being said, still miles ahead of the 2023 announcing thus far
  • 79 11
 NEWS FLASH : Cancelled due to puddle on track.
  • 8 2
 they are seriously thinking about the million pine cones in the track... be alert to news to come
  • 10 1
 @Lagr1980: how did pine cones get into a pine forest? Bizarre
  • 6 3
 @IllestT: it's getting out of hand. You can't see the forest for the trees nor the trees for the cones.
  • 31 0
 Remi Thirion deserves a shout out here. Fifth in tough conditions, his best result and first podium since 2020. His 7th podium and first for Giant. Sixteen years of world cup racing - that's impressive.
  • 2 1
 I love to see Giant again on podium !!!!!
  • 21 1
 "Dakotah Norton secured his best World Cup result....."
.
He's one of those riders who make me wonder why he hasn't won a World Cup race yet. Bernard Kerr is another.

Who are other riders that you think should have had that one special finals run and got a first by now, but just haven't managed to break through? Coulanges? Hatton (no WC wins)? Someone else?
  • 26 0
 Angel Suarez, and does Luca Shaw won once?
  • 10 0
 Coulanges yes... he's an absolute rocket ship but the days he has his best days, someone else also has theirs.... so he's not quite won one ... He'll get there though.
  • 4 4
 @rms195: I believe Luca won 2 races in 2014.
  • 6 0
 @Bibico: you're right, had to google that. He won 2014 as a junior 2 times, so he's long overdue for his first elite win.
  • 11 0
 Dak had like 4-6 noticeable mistakes and was still less than a second off a near perfect Bruni. From listening to Vital's B-Practice pod he seems to be seriously stoked on riding his bike right now and it is translating to his performances. If my betting app had a World Cup DH section I would be putting some units down on him standing on the top step by the end of the season.
  • 7 0
 Same reason a lot of riders havn't and won't ever win a WC. There are these guys called Loic, Amaury, Loris, Gwin, Atherton, Hill, Minnar, Peaty, Vouilloz who just dominate and are just better at Downhill than everyone else and any time a guy like Dakota can put together a great run, one of those guys can put together a better one. Dakota is finally putting together a result at 31 years old and then along comes Jackson, Jordan and Thibaut who is eventually going to stop crashing be be very very good.
  • 2 0
 @rms195: Whoops... I didn't realize those were Juniors wins.
  • 1 1
 Nobody! Its racing after all, sometimes luck can be on your side, other times, there are just faster guys racing! That's the beauty of racing, some folk look fast, some talk about being fast, other just turn up, look under control and win.
  • 2 0
 It's because winning a WC DH race has become so exceedingly difficult. You have to give your best, risk a lot, and still remain calculated to produce minimum mistakes. BK and Dak may be fine chaps and damn fast, but a champion must have it all.
  • 2 0
 @on-the-move: exactly, same reason almost no one won a Grand Slam when Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer were all playing.
  • 5 0
 @rms195: Luca had three 1st place qualifiers in 2018. And a couple of race runs where he was on pace to win, but then blew up somewhere.
  • 21 0
 Been screaming for Dak for years now and dyin' to see him win one but I think he prob go one second of drag from the hair and he needs to listen to more metal b/c he ref's country music here & there and that just can't speed ya up at all. Metal Dak, metal. Metal is your friend. Dump the tractor music.
  • 2 0
 @captaindingus: Pretty much this. I think if he'd just had 1-2 less (out of 7 on camera?) clip-outs he'd have one by 2-3 seconds. The fact that he still was this fast in spite of the slps actually says a lot for a dude that self-admittedly gets way too stressed & worked up so in a sense, Dak's there and he could totally roll Snowshoe or MS-Anne.
  • 1 0
 @toast2266: yes, he is one fast man on a DH bike. That's why he is on my "list" of contenders for a WC-win.
  • 2 1
 Worst part is if ESO gets what the next Dakota probably never ever gets a chance to win. Those are the guys that so easy to root for when you see what they did to try and make it.
  • 2 0
 @rms195: I've been rooting for Angel since his YT days, after all the injuries he showed podium pace at times, just hindered by so many silly crashes.

Btw, any update on him? I saw some track preview where they mentioned he had just crashed, he didn't race nor scored any points this round
  • 4 0
 @Mtn-Goat-13: He made those mistakes because he couldn't ride that fast without making them though. Then there is Bruni who just went even faster and looked mostly very clean. Benoit and Thibaut were both faster than Norton but they blew it up. That kinda shows that was Dakotas limit and if he was going to go as fast as those two he would have stacked it as well, doesn't mean the win isn't there for him but in those conditions it's extremely hard to push, just to hang on to those mistakes is incredible considering everyone else who had a mistake blew up immediately, and that was a lot of big names. You're wrong about country music though mate, Blue Grass riffs slap harder than most metal.
  • 3 1
 @on-the-move: Agreed on Dak - good assessment. I was wrong (really). Joke on the hair of course and...

...bluegrass doesn't exist in my world. Hurts my teeth & turns my guts to even think about but good on ya, have at it. Only thing worse (or equally bad) is the Dead and jam bands - unlistenable. I won't even call that music.
  • 3 0
 @on-the-move: One thing that was covered in the post race analysis was that Dakota had a wetter and harder track to ride, by the time Bruni came down the track was easier.
Even Bruni alluded to this and put his qualies effort in to ensure he was down later on an easier track!!!
7 Days previous Bruni was raging at getting a harder track. But thats racing.
  • 2 0
 @betsie: Also true but - Dak does tend to lose it at high speeds vs Logic, its a trend. Still seems odd though, given his strength vs a kid like Jackson. But yeah, def worse conditions as you say. It's funny how even with better or worse conditions some riders and excel or implode, make one bad or perfect move & it can change everything. Run it all again, as we've seen w/ Semi's (the finals before the finals) and it's another set of winners.
  • 1 0
 @iiman: Crashed hard in training at Loudenville hit his head and has been dealing with the concussion aftermath, not racing this weekend. Gutted for him
  • 19 1
 “Note: All times are local and subject to change by the UCI/event organizer.“

Bit of an understatement eh
  • 19 1
 Les Gets it started in here!
  • 2 0
 Pourri.
  • 6 0
 Daprela has posted that he broke his scaphoid, and that his season is mostly likely over. big bummer. hope he heals up well...
  • 3 0
 GoPro has posted Thibaut's cam video of his run up to the moment of his crash.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UPPPpfpbMc
  • 2 0
 @Bibico: hope GP paid him for the footage
  • 1 0
 Dude I just want him to be consistent, even though it's exciting to watch he's gotta get it under control because it will still look awesome with his style of riding.
  • 3 0
 Does anyone know if the offhand mention of Jackson Goldstone having his spleen removed is true? Ric said it during the Loudenville broadcast, but that seems odd when all we ever heard before was talking of appendicitis. If it's true, then it's downright shocking Goldstone rode as well as he did so soon.
  • 6 0
 I think that was just a slip-up by Ric, as everything until that point never mentioned his spleen, only appendix. Maybe Ric thinks they're one in the same?
  • 3 0
 @adamkat: He said he spoke to Jackson's dad, though, which gave me pause. Maybe it was a slip-up, but kind of a weird one...
  • 11 0
 @adamkat: gwin said he thought it was his spleen and ric said he did.

He didn’t have his spleen removed
  • 21 4
 @bgoldstone: I heard he had a spare spleen put in—confirm or deny??

Side note: how does calling him “gifted” sit with you? Every time I see that I get a little pissed off for the guy. He’s undoubtedly seen more miles of trail than most racers twice his age, and surely he works super hard. Training training training.

I don’t go to whistler often, but back when he was a really little guy I’d see him like 20 times a day in the park, every day I was there—that’s some intense training, living every second of your youth going that fast! And surrounded by such skill.

The guy is phenomenal, but I suspect he’s worked very hard too.
  • 1 0
 edit
  • 3 0
 I hear he had a Gallstone
  • 4 0
 @owl-X: Just for a child to start riding at such a young age and then stick with it through all the potential distractions and other shit that life throws at you is phenomenal. He could have chosen to be a ski bum like every other talented kid in Whistler but he stuck to his path all the way through.
  • 6 1
 Oh boy another round of World Cup Roulette.
  • 4 0
 I've been checking PB all day long and there's no cancellation yet. Guess that's good news so far.
  • 1 0
 @CarbonShmarbon it's in the post race wrap up show from full attack where the host speaks to loïc, Myriam (pompom), and the track designer. The show is in French. Full attack is a channel on YouTube.
  • 3 0
 Does anyone know what's going on with Jordan Williams?
  • 2 2
 Idk man I think he had a crash in Ft William practice but I might be making that up. Looks so tight and careful when he rides, gets still 17th and among people who look like they're hanging it out and pushing hard. Hopefully he can find what he needs to go fast again.
  • 4 0
 First year at the elite level. He is a kid. There is a lot going on there just making that jump. Overall, he is still doing historically well compared to many racers in their first season on elites. He'll get it sorted. Just needs a bit of time to develop.
  • 2 1
 team rumor, true that Dakota doesn't have a ride next season? Loïc alluded to it in a post race interview talking about Dak's race.
  • 1 0
 I'm too lazy to find the clip, what did he say?
  • 1 0
 Dak and Joe Breeden are not entered for Les Get's by the entry list lol
  • 2 0
 Dak and Joe Breeden are not entered for Les Get's according to the entry list, hopefully an overlook
  • 1 0
 Anyone know if there will be any televised coverage that can be obtained through VPN use? I was able to watch world champs on BBC.com that way.
  • 2 0
 love these pb primers - way more useful than anything the uci puts out
  • 5 0
 www.pinkbike.com/news/pinkbike-primer-everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-les-gets-dh-world-cup-2023.html
"Where is the Sixth Round?"

I find this part particularly useful.
  • 1 0
 @commental: It would have been more fitting if the sixth round was in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent
  • 1 0
 Most of the time i go to the uci website it says down for maintenance...
  • 2 0
 Why does GCN+ not have it up as being broadcast??
  • 2 0
 I'm seeing all the usual slots here
  • 2 0
 @mashrv1: Okay - thanks -it's my poor lack of Fremch - was looking for Les Gets - it's LES PORTES DU SOLEIL
  • 5 0
 @neimbc: no not you, for some stupid reason they’re calling some of the races after the area they’re in rather than just the town or resort.

Les portes du soleil is the name for the area which has something like 14 resorts in it.

It’s a bit like if they called Fort William the Lochaber WC DH or Snowshoe the
Pocahontas County WC DH
  • 6 0
 @cypher74: @neimbc:

Well it is a bit differeny, Les Portes du Soleil is not a county or an administrative region but a kind of Metaresort encompassing smaller resorts who associated between each others to compete with bigger ski/summer sports resorts.

So it makes sense for them to promote Les Portes du Soleil as lifts are interconnected, passes are global, etc.
  • 5 0
 @cypher74: I bet Ric calls it Les Portes de Soleil in the commentary!
  • 6 0
 @Davec85: 6000 times....
  • 6 0
 @weeksy59: Val Di Sole Trentino, say it with me, 6000 more times.... Holy hell that guy says that a lot, STILL.
  • 5 0
 UCI lists it as well as PDS probably since the exact resort is depending a bit on the resort:
DH = Les Gets
EDR = Chatel
XCM = Morzine
XCO = Les Gets
  • 4 0
 @Davec85: I think he'll go the whole hog with Les Gets Les Portes de Soleil
  • 1 0
 Valentina Roa Sanchez can win World Cup !!!! Vamos Valentina vamooooosss !!!!
  • 1 1
 ...in the standings from UCI it says Dakotah got third and 257 points, and Laurie got second and 276 pts, but those should be reversed, right?? Conspiracy! Dak got robbed!!
  • 4 0
 When they indicate 2nd or 3rd they're referring to the number of points the rider earned over the course of qualifying/semi/final. Greenland got more points than Dakotah because he did better in quali and semi.
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