Race Analysis from the Lenzerheide DH World Cup 2023

Jun 11, 2023
by Ed Spratt  
Rachel Atherton back between the tape at a World Cup.

The flat-out and dusty course in Lenzerheide delivered the good with some of the best racing we have seen in years. As the dust settles in Switzerland it is the British riders Rachel Atherton and Jordan Williams who came out on top, but who else was performing well at the World Cup opening round in Lenzerheide?

After a historic day of racing let's get into the results and stats.



Race Results


All eyes on last year s Junior World Champ Jordan Williams.

Elite Women

1st. Rachel Atherton: 3:07.514
2nd. Camille Balanche: 3:08.048
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: 3:08.301
4th. Vali Höll: 3:09.270
5th. Marine Cabirou: 3:11.118
Elite Men

1st. Jordan Williams: 2:39.222
2nd. Loris Vergier: 2:39.717
3rd. Loic Bruni: 2:39.907
4th. Laurie Greenland: 2:40.058
5th. Finn Iles: 2:40.232

Full results, here.



Sector by Sector Results


Camille Balanche will be looking to defend her title in 2023.

Overall Split Positions

Elite Women
Sector 1
1st. Rachel Atherton: 49.303
2nd. Camille Balanche: 50.380
3rd. Vali Höll: 50.765
4th. Nina Hoffmann: 51.214
5th. Marine Cabirou: 52.445

Sector 2
1st. Rachel Atherton: 1:34.267
2nd. Vali Höll: 1:36.367
3rd. Camille Balanche: 1:36.653
4th. Nina Hoffmann: 1:36.694
5th. Marine Cabirou: 1:39.492

Sector 3
1st. Rachel Atherton: 2:03.349
2nd. Vali Höll: 2:04.675
3rd. Camille Balanche: 2:05.301
4th. Nina Hoffmann: 2:05.515
5th. Marine Cabirou: 2:07.957

Sector 4
1st. Rachel Atherton: 2:42.740
2nd. Nina Hoffmann: 2:43.437
3rd. Camille Balanche: 2:43.458
4th. Vali Höll: 2:43.840
5th. Marine Cabirou: 2:46.000

Finish
1st. Rachel Atherton: 3:07.514
2nd. Camille Balanche: 3:08.048
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: 3:08.301
4th. Vali Höll: 3:09.270
5th. Marine Cabirou: 3:11.118


Elite Men
Sector 1
1st. Loic Bruni: 43.625
2nd. Loris Vergier: 43.873
3rd. Finn Iles: 44.173
4th. Laurie Greenland: 44.308
5th. Jordan Williams: 44.397

Sector 2
1st. Loris Vergier: 1:21.892
2nd. Loic Bruni: 1:22.242
3rd. Jordan Williams: 1:22.295
4th. Laurie Greenland: 1:22.382
5th. Finn Iles: 1:22.485

Sector 3
1st. Loic Bruni: 1:45.336
2nd. Jordan Williams: 1:45.819
3rd. Loris Vergier: 1:46.025
4th. Finn Iles: 1:46.114
5th. Laurie Greenland: 1:46.233

Sector 4
1st. Loris Vergier: 2:17.471
2nd. Jordan Williams: 2:17.472
3rd. Loic Bruni: 2:17.688
4th. Laurie Greenland: 2:18.039
5th. Finn Iles: 2:18.135

Finish
1st. Jordan Williams: 2:39.222
2nd. Loris Vergier: 2:39.717
3rd. Loic Bruni: 2:39.907
4th. Laurie Greenland: 2:40.058
5th. Finn Iles: 2:40.232


Split Rankings
Unlike previous years results for each individual split have not been published on the UCI site following the race. As there are now only 10 women and 30 men in finals we have done the calculations and tried to break down who was fastest at each split.


Elite Women

Sector 1
1st. Rachel Atherton: 49.303
2nd. Camille Balanche: 50.380
3rd. Vali Höll: 50.765
4th. Nina Hoffmann: 51.214
5th. Marine Cabirou: 52.445

Sector 2
1st. Rachel Atherton: 44.964
2nd. Nina Hoffmann: 45.480
3rd. Vali Höll: 45.602
4th. Gracey Hemstreet: 46.160
5th. Camille Balanche: 46.273

Sector 3
1st. Vali Höll: 28.308
2nd. Marine Cabirou: 28.465
3rd. Camille Balanche: 28.648
4th. Gracey Hemstreet: 28.801
5th. Nina Hoffmann: 28.821

Sector 4
1st. Gracey Hemstreet: 37.719
2nd. Nina Hoffmann: 37.922
3rd. Marine Cabirou: 38.043
4th. Camille Balanche: 38.157
5th. Vali Höll: 39.165

Final Split to Finish
1st. Gracey Hemstreet: 24.411
2nd. Camille Balanche: 24.590
3rd. Tahnee Seagrave: 24.727
4th. Rachel Atherton: 24.774
5th. Nina Hoffmann: 24.864


Elite Men

Sector 1
1st. Loic Bruni: 43.625
2nd. Loris Vergier: 43.873
3rd. Finn Iles: 44.173
4th. Laurie Greenland: 44.308
5th. Jordan Williams: 44.397

Sector 2
1st. Jordan Williams: 37.898
2nd. Loris Vergier: 38.019
3rd. Laurie Greenland: 38.074
4th. Finn Iles: 38.312
5th. Angel Suarez: 38.597

Sector 3
1st. Loic Bruni: 23.094
2nd. Jackson Goldstone: 23.297
3rd. Jordan Williams: 23.524
4th. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene: 23.551
5th. Finn Iles: 23.629

Sector 4
1st. Loris Veriger: 31.446
2nd. Jordan Williams: 31.653
3rd. Laurie Greenland: 31.806
4th. Jackson Goldstone: 31.809
5th. Finn Iles: 32.021

Final Split to Finish
1st. Jordan Williams: 21.75
2nd. Jackson Goldstone: 21.762
3rd. Laurie Greenland: 22.019
4th. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene: 22.04
5th. Danny Hart: 22.086




Story of the Race


Elite Women



Elite Men



The Perfect Run


Elite Women
The Perfect Run: 3:04.705 (2.809 seconds faster than the race winner)

//Rachel Atherton: 49.303 // Rachel Atherton: 44.964 // Vali Höll: 28.308 // Gracey Hemstreet: 37.719 // Gracey Hemstreet: 24.411 //




Elite Men
The Perfect Run: 2:37.813 (1.409 seconds faster than the race winner)

//Loic Bruni: 43.625 // Jordan Williams: 37.898 // Loic Bruni: 23.094 // Loris Veriger: 31.446 // Jordan Williams: 21.75 //




Stats Breakdown



photo


photo



All 11 Elite Women's race runs were plotted.

The top 15 race runs were plotted before including results at positions 20, 25 and 30

photo

photo

You can hover over the graph to reveal the lap improvement times.

You can hover over the graph to reveal the lap improvement times.



Overall Standings







Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
3,021 articles

66 Comments
  • 55 13
 Please kick cedric off the commenting. Nothing against him personal, but he is just not a commentator.
1. His English is really bad.
2. Barely any proper insights.
3. Very poorly explains stuff (for example difference between a whip and scrup).
4. Feels like he tries to be excited or funny.
5. And for me the absolut worst: Ric tried to ask him some good questions. He either didnt respond at all or super poorly.
=> Bring on injured current athletes instead. Reece Wilson would be awesome.
  • 11 1
 Gotta agree...although I do think he's got the vibe, just premature - his commentary was largely fluff & uninformed. It was so bad that me & the buds turned off commentary and all pretended to be Rob Warner...which was prob also terrible but hiliarious (to us) and way more interesting. He's got potential - and he's a great guy & rider, but that doesn't automatically equat to a good commentator. Rob Warner had to do training - that he hated at 1st, fought against it - until he realized there was an art to it and he had lots to learn and it made his commentary world class. Cedric seemed like a puppy - excited and fun, but untrained, unfocused and not yet schooled in the process... but maybe he can get better & figure it out. If so he could be good. Ric seems good - but why not get a woman in the box too? Tracy Hannah was great. Emilie would be great...lots of options.
  • 17 0
 He definitely did have eagle eyes and noticed a lot of stuff very quickly (punctures, rain etc)
  • 3 0
 @xTwoSnakesx: True - there were a few times he made those calls & I was saying "noooo, you're high...." but then, yep - flats. That takes some skill.
  • 9 0
 Even if he's far from perfect, he's still leagues ahead of that Swiss guy (who he is essentially replacing, rather than Rob) in terms of language, tone of voice and humour, and that's not an opinion.
  • 2 0
 Ric's voice doesn't cut though at all. He just kinda faded into the background.
  • 4 0
 Cedric may not be a professional commentator (and we've been spoilt with Rob W), but let's not forget how much he has done for the sport. There is nothing he doesn't know about DH bikes and racing. I'd take him over Claudio any day,
  • 5 0
 I think one solution maybe not to replace him but to add a third commentator. I do agree he wasn't great but it must be so hard commentating not in your first language. I thought Ric did really well. I did feel they missed the split times a few times where someone was up and zero excitement from them but there must be so much to keep track of in the box. We have to remember this was the first race things will get better.
  • 2 0
 @paul83uk: AGREED - how about Tracy Hannah or Emilie - just an experience woman rider with charisma & actual recent track / riding knowledge. Women aren't gonna be drawn in by Ric & Cedric. I've been too harsh on Cedric - he's go the tone & the excitement, just needs training...tons of potential and he seems super amped. And all this is just commentary, not the racing but it does matter. It can be make or break for viewership and if ESO is all about that (which it seems they are) seems like getting a woman in the box and training Cedric would be front & center....well, and of course rider safety (etc.)
  • 3 0
 @Mtn-Goat-13: 100% bring back Tracy. She was funny and insightful and genuinely knows the craft of DH racing. Reece has killed it in the past with commenting, so bring him in if he's gonna be injured for a while.
And while Ric was decent, I felt the thing we missed from Robs commentary (aside from the epic hype, the LOOK AT THE TIME!!! and the awesome one liners) was his huge depth of knowledge of the sport and the riders. He did his research and it showed. He'd mention how a new hot seat time stacked up against the fastest qually time (or semi in this instance), he'd mention when a rider last won a race, how they did at this venue in the past, or countless other pieces of info that added to the depth and professionalism of his commenting. Yes, he was loose AF in the past (freecaster drunkeness was hilarious) and yes he had to train at his craft, but that depth and professionalism has not been replicated with the new commentators.
  • 2 0
 @bakenbikin: Agreed - she would add a lot (if she doesn't get shouted out by puppy-dog excited Cedric though - if that is channeled & trained correctly, would be great). Yeah Rob's freecaster days look amateurish vs. his later days but because he got training & really took it seriously, made hard choices he didn't think were "core" but which absolutely made racing stand out - esp when NOT to speak. Rob is simply irreplaceable - and replacing him is like trying to make XC look like DH racing...but Ric was fine (and will improve) and Cedric was all over the map (and will improve). Someone commented on one of these posts that "is the commentary really all that this is about?" and while that's not quite the point vs. the whole experience - and given that ESO claims to want to bring mtn-biking to the world - yeah it does matter. I can live with it b/c the racing was so amazing. Seeing Rachel & Jordan take it and the races going up to the last run was insane - can't believe we had to wait 40 damn weeks for that...I can wait a few weeks for the commentators to improve.
  • 43 1
 The most disappointing part of the commentary was that Reece didn't talk about his house on Vancouver Island with the jumps off the roof.
  • 16 1
 He was probably really tired after flying that little plane from Canada, especially with all the smoke...
  • 5 6
 Obligatory “ThAts ThE wRoNg ReEcE” comment.
  • 20 2
 Great race in the men's, with splits being all over the place.

What a run by Jordan, he may have got lucky with Loris and bruni making small mistakes, but that's racing. Has anyone ever one a race in their first race in elites?

I didn't find the commentating to be bad, but could have used a bit more excitement for the last few runs.
  • 11 0
 Last time I won against Bruni and Vergier they both made big mistakes . Jordan deserves so much credid! He is a beast, and still growing! The future is already on top, incredible.
  • 12 0
 Isn't the winner usually the rider that makes the fewest mistakes while still pushing hard. If not I'd expect we'd see the winning run much closer to the perfect lap. Luck is something that's basically out of the riders control like weather changes or a mechanical failure.
  • 4 0
 Is Williams the first to win his Elite debut race since Voilluoz? I can’t think of any other (men) that have done that? That’s a fair old set of shoes to step into. Fair play to the lad, just outstanding.
  • 2 0
 Impressive
  • 2 0
 I don't think it was small mistakes, all of the top guys were on about the same for that last sector except Jackson and Jordon (horizontal lines on the graph)
  • 16 2
 This new elimination race format is good news for consistent and clinical guys like Bruni and Williams. It's bad news for the super aggressive "checkers or wreckers" guys like Pierron. If you ask him to do three runs, he's bound to crash on one of them.
  • 7 0
 I've seen a few comments like this and I was more thinking if there's gonna be semi's & finals, why not split them into 2 separate days or at least just use the quali's / finals format (as it was) at least the 1st year. This format seems unsafe and designed for TV, but even then - if ESO (whoever) is trying to bring DH to the planet, this format does not seem to match. How many people want to sit through semi's and THEN watch 3 hrs of finals - paid - on GCN or Discovery? Seems like even most fans are pissed at this new format, some even bored with it as being too much. Dunno - I can watch racing every day all day, but it does seem that the semis / final format maybe takes that go-for-it edge off of both runs (?)
  • 8 2
 From a viewers perspective it was honestly too much. Between semi's and finals there was 5-6 hours of racing.im not sure I want to watch two hours of everyone riding down at 85%.
  • 13 0
 Major congrats to Jordan! So much media rile up about Jordan Vs Jackson. Jordan came and made things happen today and in an incredibly humble fashion too. Mad respect to where his head is at and how he handles himself
  • 6 0
 This is great, I love how Jordan gained momentum as he went down the hill. He's crashed out on a few of the preseason races after smashing qualy so was wondering if he would follow the pattern of previous Jnrs and let the pressure get to him. But he rode like a boss today. Yeah I know- Goldstone had his appendicitis, but people don't realize the Jordan had a testicle transplant last week. Yeah he got bigger ones...
  • 1 0
 I think those testes may have then doubled in size after the transplant!
  • 7 0
 Awesome race !! Mad to see Rachel blitz that. My 9year old boy was going mad for Jordan. He’s pumped for riding tomorrow!

Commentary was decent I thought
  • 4 0
 Killer stats visuals btw - loved watching the graphs move to illustrate times & speeds.

Wild to think Rachel dropped off the map a few years, fully made & reared a human, gets back on & wins... our whole crew was just screaming at the end of her run. One of the best DH moments I've seen in years. Well - in spite of the format weirdness, TV schlock, Cedric's puppy-like commentary, and how this format seems to be made for TV (even then not that intriguing vs. quali's and finals) and seems to compromise rider safety and that go-for-it attitude that made finals so exciting in past years. Still - they are showing up to race so I'm gonna watch.
  • 3 0
 LOVE the stats break down! Whats a race!

I thought the discovery/GCN+ coverage was pretty good for a first go. My only issue was I thought they were shortening the tracks so they would have 100% camera coverage and full runs shown - we still had the first part of the track missed with riders going down and not seeing it!
  • 1 0
 Might not be the best place for this comment, but has anyone else had issues logging into GCN+? I signed up and got logged in my tv, but have not been able to get it to work on my phone. I gave the login to my dad as well and he can’t get in on phone or iPad. For whatever reason my wife was able to get in on her phone. It’s pretty frustrating I signed up for an app that says “stream on multiple devices” and I can’t get singed in.
  • 1 0
 My phone would stay a black screen on the app after logging in when I tried to view the race
  • 4 1
 Great stats. I really like that. Please do that for all XCO riders throughout the whole races tomorrow. Thx.
  • 5 2
 Couldn't the riders wear some small gps unit that records splits with a lot higher granularity than this?
  • 3 0
 @VTwintips I think they already do, Bernard showed it in one of his videos yesterday. Also not sure what you mean by granularity? They measure to the thousandths at 4 splits. Maybe I'm wrong but about current tech but gps is limited in accuracy for a reason i.e military use. Some companies use a combination of gps units to calculate to a higher accuracy but I doubt they'll have something like that. General map overlay and what not would be feasible with good reception though.
  • 1 0
 Go Gracey Go! #1 in 2 sectors. #4 in 2 sectors, 1st year in elites. So much style. So excited to watch this Canadian! 1st in 2 Sectors!
  • 1 0
 The graphs are awesome but I think they could have used some more colours. Green, orange, pink etc instead of subtle variations of blue.
  • 2 1
 Except that for most males - who are colorblind - greens / orange / pink (anything w/ red) won't show up and can even look identically shaded.
  • 1 0
 @Mtn-Goat-13: well 8% of males have deficient colour vision, a good percentage but not most. And colour confusion in deficient people (there are females too), is way more complicated than than.
  • 1 1
 @singletrackjamaica: That was a typo for me - didn't mean most males (I know the stat) - I meant mostly males vs. women, but either way - its a prob for me so f*ck that. Use colors / shades/ values everyone can see - that's not hard. Its easy.
  • 1 0
 Scientific standard would be using a variety of line types for colorblind (and black and white printers back in the day).
  • 2 0
 The overall points graphs could use the totals included, but they're an awesome touch, regardless.
  • 1 1
 These graphs are great, but for future race reports the Perfect Lap graphs could orient the Y-axis the same way it is for all of the other graphs (fastest time at the bottom, not the top).
  • 1 0
 Couple PB stories using the word “historic”. What’s the historic part?
  • 2 0
 First DH with new format, epic comeback for Rachel, first elite win for in first elite race for 19yrs. Some history right there but expect the partying will be even more historic for Jordan's crew
  • 1 1
 Super interesting. If you’re protected it’s like it doesn’t even make sense to try in qualifying. Use it as an extra practice run, save energy then give it in semis?
  • 1 0
 If we combined semi finals and finals into one run, who was fastest? Or who had the fastest average?
  • 1 0
 Did Sian Ahearn crash or get injured?
  • 2 0
 Go Rachel. Back on top!
  • 1 0
 Charts and graphs: Overload
  • 2 2
 Just signed up for Discovery + to watch the replay. Now WTF is it?
  • 1 0
 I've been hearing that some people in the United States having issues with the providers. Quite frustrating
  • 9 0
 Doesn’t work in US
Have to do GCN+
  • 1 1
 did you figure it out? I'm trying to watch it and can't find it.
  • 2 2
 @brighterlights: You have to sign up for GCN+, which is all cycling bullshit. Discovery+ has so many channels and shows it would be worth the sub for the rest of the family to utilize. GCN+ isn't worth it IMO.
  • 1 0
 @chriskneeland: I finally got around to having a good look at the rest of GCN+ and indeed most of the road stuff is decidedly lower grade. The cyclocross races in winter might be a bit interesting but I struggle to get out of bed for the Giro and there's no Tour, no Worlds, and no Paris Roubaix. I haven't singed up yet because we went to Whistler bike park instead. I probably will later....
  • 2 1
 @chriskneeland: bummer. I guess my days of watching UCI DH are over. f*ck you very much, Discovery.
  • 1 0
 @brighterlights: look to youtube
  • 4 4
 I analyzed that the pink canyon bikes dont go well with orange forks Frown
  • 3 3
 Holy crap, how did Jackson and Charlie claw all that time back!
  • 2 5
 Can we boycott the uci for having such shit race layouts with only 30 men and 10 women? That sucks
  • 1 0
 Has nothing to do with the UCI mate.
  • 1 0
 @xTwoSnakesx: I mean you're just flat out wrong, but ok.
  • 1 3
 This is a lot of reading. Need a video for this
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