Leogang brought some incredible racing as we saw racers take on a flat-out course with some of the fastest times we have ever seen here.
Vali Höll has remained unbeaten this week in Leogang as she finally takes an Elite World Cup win at home. From top to bottom Vali Höll lead the race building her lead at every split the Austrian rider crossed the line in first and 4.303 seconds ahead of Camille Balanche. Camille has had to settle for second place once again in 2023 as for the first time since 2019 she is not the winner in Leogang. Rachel Atherton backs up her win in Lenzerheide with another great performance as she ends the week in third place.
After the race in her broadcast interview, Vali Höll said: "Leogang is such a hard race for me. Last year was a disaster, I've never been so down and doubted myself. The years before, first injury then crashing on the last corner, every time I'm so close then it didn't work. After Lenzerheide I was so lost I didn't know what to do and it all just clicked this week.
"To do it here finally, it feels so good."
Andreas Kolb fought back from disappointment at round one to make it a clear Austrian domination as remained untouched on the hot seat. Riders tried and failed to topple the Atherton team rider but none could master the final sector and all lost time into the finish arena. Loic Bruni was the closest rider as he crossed the line 0.680 back and just behind the three-minute barrier. Jackson Goldstone continued to impress in his first year of Elite racing taking home third place after a small mistake in the final turn.
Following his World Cup win Andreas Kolb told the live broadcast: "It's so emotional for me. It's my ninth season elite, it took me ages to get here and I will never forget this day. It's unreal."
Check out the results below.
Results:
Elite Women
1st. Vali Höll: 3:23.222
2nd. Camille Balanche: 3:27.525
3rd. Rachel Atherton: 3:30.556
4th. Monika Hrastnik: 3:30.825
5th. Phoebe Gale: 3:31.074
Elite Men
1st. Andreas Kolb: 2:59.335
2nd. Loic Bruni: 3:00.015
3rd. Jackson Goldstone: 3:00.246
4th. Finn Iles: 3:00.786
5th. Luca Shaw: 3:01.048
The Elite Women's Race as it Happened
4:00 am PDT: The Elite Women's Race is Now Underway
After this morning's semi-finals it's Veronika Widmann who kicks off finals.
4:03 am PDT: Veronika Widmann Sets a Time of 3:41.549
Veronika Widmann is the first rider down and goes around 15 seconds back from Vali Höll's semi-final winning run.
4:08 am PDT: Jess Blewitt Ups the Pace
Jess Blewitt is looking rapid in finals as she lays down a run that would have been 6th in the semi-finals. Jess currently leads by 5.2 seconds with eight more riders.
4:12 am PDT: Gracey Hemstreet has an Incredible Run
Gracey Hemstreet is continuing to show her talent this year as she has taken the lead and beaten all but Vali Höll's time from the semi-finals.
4:16 am PDT: Phoebe Gale Goes 0.8 Seconds into the Lead
Another first-year Junior takes the hot seat as Phoebe Gale finds 0.884 seconds to hold the top time so far. We are still around four seconds behind the top semi-final run.
4:20 am PDT: Marine Cabirou Goes 2nd
Marine Cabirou was leading through the woods but the French rider lost almost a second to the line as she goes 0.564 back.
4:24 am PDT: Rachel Atherton is Back on Top
Despite losing two seconds to the finish Rachel Atherton still ends her run 0.5 seconds up to take the race lead.
4:28 am PDT: Monika Hrastnik Can't Match Atherton
Monika Hrastnik battled hard but she couldn't close the gap to Rachel Atherton. Monika goes into 2nd place, 0.269 back. There does look to be quite a bit of time left at the bottom of the track, let's see what the final three riders can do.
4:30 am PDT: Top 5 with 3 Riders Remaining
1st. Rachel Atherton: 3:30.556
2nd. Monika Hrastnik: 3:30.825
3rd. Phoebe Gale: 3:31.074
4th. Marine Cabirou: 3:31.638
5th. Gracey Hemstreet: 3:31.958
4:32 am PDT: Camille Balanche Flies into 1st
Camille Balanche is always a threat in Leogang and she is now the race leader with two more riders left. Camille currently holds a lead of three seconds although she is still just under a second off Vali Höll's semi-final run.
4:35 am PDT: Disaster for Nina Hoffmann with a Mistake in the Woods
Nina Hoffmann was storming down the Leogang course but a mistake through the steep woods ended her chances for the win. Nina crossed the line in seventh.
4:39 am PDT: Vali Höll Finally Wins in Leogang
Vali Höll has struggled to find her form at her home race since moving to Elite until today where she dominated with a win in semi-finals and the win in finals. What a performance to cross the line over four seconds in the lead.
The Elite Men's Race as it Happened:
5:03 am PDT: Joe Breeden Kicks Off the Elite Men's Race
Joe Breeden is the first rider down in finals as he sets a time of 3:09.234. Six seconds back from Finn Iles' semi-final run.
5:07 am PDT: Jack Piercy Goes 2.5 Seconds Faster
Jack Piercy takes a significant chunk off Joe Breeden's run as he now holds the hot seat.
5:10 am PDT: Another New Leader as Simon Chapelet Goes Fastest
Simon Chapelet drops the leading time by another half-second as he takes the lead. Already we are around three seconds off Finn Iles' run. Will we see the three-minute barrier broken today?
5:13 am PDT: Bernard Kerr Almost Takes the Fastest Time of the Week
Bernard Kerr gets loose as he almost matches Finn Iles' semi-finals run. With a 3:03.644 Bernard leads by 2.507 seconds.
5:17 am PDT: Disaster for Danny Hart
After leading into the final sector by 0.926 seconds Danny Hart's front tire comes off the rim and he slides off the course.
5:22 am PDT: Loris Revelli Takes 2nd
Loris Revelli is having a great week in Leogang as he comes closest to Bernard Kerr so far, 1.697 off the pace.
5:25 am PDT: Oisin O Callaghan Pushes Kerr Off the Top
Oisin O Callaghan shows his skills on this course as he is the first rider to best Bernard Kerr finding 0.233 seconds.
5:34 am PDT: After 10 Riders the Top 5 Are:
1st. Oisin O Callaghan: 3:03.411
2nd. Bernard Kerr: 3:03.644
3rd. Remy Meier-Smith: 3:04.137
4th. Antoine Vidal: 3:04.813
5th. Loris Revelli: 3:05.341
5:40 am PDT: Charlie Hatton Takes Over the Hot Seat
By the smallest of margins Charlie Hatton sets the fastest finals run so far, leading Oisin O Callaghan with a gap of 0.027 seconds.
5:42 am PDT: Dakotah Norton Sets the Fastest Time of the Week So Far
Dakotah Norton is the first rider to beat Finn Iles' semi-final run as he crosses the line with a 3:02.457. Dakotah's run improved upon Hatton's by 0.927 seconds.
5:46 am PDT: The Top 5 with 15 Riders Remaining:
1st. Dakotah Norton: 3:02.457
2nd. Max Hartenstern: 3:03.092
3rd. Charlie Hatton: 3:03.384
4th. Oisin O Callaghan: 3:03.411
5th. Bernard Kerr: 3:03.644
5:49 am PDT: A Big Run from Ronan Dunne Places Him 0.9 Into the Lead
Ronan Dunne is looking wild in Leogang as he splits the top three by one and a half seconds. Ronan Leads Dakotah Norton by just under a second.
5:52 am PDT: Jordan Williams Sits in 2nd
Jordan Williams won't be winning again this week as he ends his run 0.666 back.
5:59 am PDT: The Bad Luck Continues for Greg Minnaar
Greg Minnaar is having a rough season so far as he ends the race in 16th so far after a mistake sees him come to a halt in the woods.
6:01 am PDT: Laurie Greenland Falls Just Short of Dunne
Laurie Greenland led through the first three splits but a slower ride through the woods puts him in 2nd, 0.133 seconds back.
6:02 am PDT: The Top 5 with 10 Riders Remaining:
1st. Ronan Dunne: 3:01.548
2nd. Laurie Greenland: 3:01.681
3rd. Jordan Williams: 3:02.214
4th. Dakotah Norton: 3:02.457
5th. Max Hartenstern: 3:03.092
6:10 am PDT: Andreas Kolb Breaks the 3-Minute Barrier
Andreas Kolb become the first rider to get under three minutes this week as he leads the race by a huge 2.313 seconds.
6:15 am PDT: Thibaut Daprela Can't Match Kolb's Speed
Thibaut Daprela leads through the first three splits before falling behind Andreas Kolb's rapid sectors through the trees at the bottom. Thibaut finishes in 2nd, 1.725 behind the Austrian hot seat holder.
6:21 am PDT: The Top 5 with 5 Riders Remaining:
1st. Andreas Kolb: 2:59.335
2nd. Thibaut Daprela: 3:01.060
3rd. Loris Vergier: 3:01.546
4th. Ronan Dunne: 3:01.548
5th. Laurie Greenland: 3:01.681
6:24 am PDT: A Strong Ride Puts Luca Shaw in 2nd
Luca Shaw has ended his run with a great 2nd place, 1.713 seconds off Andreas Kolb.
6:28 am PDT: Jackson Goldstone Just Misses the Hot Seat
Jackson Goldstone led for some of his run but it is the final split that sees Andreas Kolb hold onto his lead. Jackson sits in 2nd with three more riders at the top.
6:36 am PDT: Loic Bruni Takes 2nd with 1 More Rider Left
Andreas Kolb could just take the home win as only Finn Iles is left to take on the Austrian's top time. Loic Bruni came close to the hot seat holder before the final sector once again saw a drop back behind the three-minute barrier.
6:38 am PDT: Andreas Kolb Takes the Win in Austria as Finn Iles Takes 4th
Andreas Kolb has joined Vali Höll on top of the podium making it an Austrian domination in Leogang.
Full Results:
Elite Women
Elite Men
Overall Standings:
Elite Women
Elite Men
I'm sorry but all these 2 do is repeat themselves, give basic information, and fake yell. It's genuinely like they are only there to get paid not cause they are passionate about the sport. I remember in previous years that Warnner would give so much background information that one cant deduct from a stream such as "spoke to her earlier today and she said that she is struggling a lot with that bottom woods section" or "Bruni had a small crash yesterday and seemed to be in a little bit of pain" these guys legit just go "she is on a mission" (CG) then 5 seconds later the rich guy will be like "she's going for the win today" like no shit that's the idea of racing to go for the win.
Why not give constructive feedback instead.
I find it a bit unfair - all this hate against ric and cg’s commentating - they doing a fine job in my opinion. Of course there is room for improvement.
Warner had phrases he repeated for years over and over again as well. Of course he brought that amazing excitement more to the people. But negative people please stop the hate already. it is their second race - why not give them time and accept that it is the beginning of an almost new era of the sport. It is common sense that it has to build up and settle in and it is just not the same as it used to be. Just because one is not used to new ways of things yet! Same goes for the coverage, which is quite good.. a lot more seen on the track. Junior racing semifinals.. lot more work in total..details will come over time eventually.
They don’t deserve the hate and all this stupid moaning in the Internet from people who let out their personal frustrations on others they don’t know. And they do love the sport and are not fake excited.
I'm not a fan of the new format though. Two race runs in a day is harsh at best.
1. Too much see // say. Meaning rider is pedaling “oh look he's pedaling”. The audience isn't dumb and can see the rider is pedaling.
2. Overly hyping moments when it isn't needed. If everything is at level 10 there is no room to elevate moments that should be hyped.
3 Poor use of hyperbole and metaphors. They should stop trying to do Warner lite.
4. Very little backstory and context to the athletes. Meaning, more context to who the rider is. That requires talking to the athletes prior to the broadcast and learning about their lives be it their race life or out just every day life.
5. Both announcers are going for the same points Ala Warner. Warner always had the straight man or woman with him that counterbalanced his hyperbole. Elliot was Warners opposite and this works in a broadcast setting. CG clearly wants to be the hype guy then Ric needs to be the straight man in the setup.
I think the critique is more than fair when you replace a legend with a new team. The question is whether they improve as you say. That means being open to learning. They have a month off in July, that is a good amount of time to practice, get better and deliver. Otherwise, it's gonna be a painful 8 years of this commentary & broadcast team.
Nothing is next level beyond more coverage of the juniors and semi.
You're the dude riding by on build days complaining to the people with the shovels.
All the bithching on Pinkbike is not making anything better
Does Rick have enough time on the hill and in the pits? He is also doing EDR and perhaps XC. Is he stretched too thin to be able to go have conversations in the pits to give a bit more background? Right now, as you say, they are both there for hype and a bit of tech analysis.
I do think Cedric calls out some things I don't notice, so I appreciate that.
Honestly, I'm missing some empathy from the commentators. They have superficial sympathy. Reece has empathy. He knows what it means to be in the racers shoes. Cedric might know that but doesn't bring it. Rich has a different role but seems to lack the depth of knowledge.
Oh well. They are just getting started. Hope their producer reads this and summarizes this positively into actionable next steps for the whole production team.
Would be better if Eddie met up with Charlie Murray and gave a mtb version of the ACC.
Then we tried the German commentary and it was great, even if we didn't understand every single thing!
Lots if insight about the riders, the races and the sport, they paid close attention to the race, the times, the lines, etc. Their tone and voices were pleasant to hear, with just the right amount of excitement.
I wonder who those guys were, they were both really good. I hope they'll stay for the season, we're sticking with Deutsche commentary for future races! It actually made me want to work on my Deutsch more.
Thank you guys, if you ever read this, you saved this broadcast for us
Also, YES ANDY !!!!!!!! xD
Clearly you are having nostalgic bias and confirmation bias. You don't like paying for a service you used to have for free regardless of the quality hence you will never be satisfied.. During RedBull days people kept complaining about the lack of cameras on the course, and the commentaries from Rob Warner or Claudio Caluori have never been what I would call legendary. The former was simply stating like a robot at the beginning of each run how talented each rider was, then was waiting for the splits to be red or green to either put himself into "complacent" or "OMFG that is some epic stuff I will go hyperbolic" mode depending if it was red or green. Claudio was trying to guess if the section was fast between splits and some "wow" and it was pretty much like fliping a coin.
The reality is commentary wasn't better, we were just used to it. And commenting DH is hard. Speed is not visible. Bruni looks always effortless regardless if he is winning or not, Brosnan looks always chirurgical, Greenland always look so springy and A. Pierron always look so close to the edge. I could go on and on with every single style of rider. Sometimes composed ender up being the fastest, sometimes it was the wildest run. My point is, unless a rider crash or you get the chance to spot a small mistake like a front tire nearly washing out or too much skid in a specific place it is very hard to figure out if a rider is making up or losing time. That mean commentaries can't really be so insightful and commenters ended up following a bland recipe that they think work best.
And I don't f*cking care how rider x's dog is named, who is single or dating someone else, or what is their preferred color.
My biggest issues:
- The splits, they take forever to acknowledge them, are they watching a different feed? Maybe they are??
- The repeating of each other. Cannot remember the rider "1.2 seconds in the green" then the other said the exact same thing, this happened a few times.
- The speed trap. IT WAS ON THE MOTORWAY!!! They didn't talk about it until they were well into the woods, sorry the riders were not hitting 50-55kms in those woods. Again maybe they watch a different feed?
- Easy to tell who had a bad split. In the Semi's Nina went down right near the finish. They were shocked when other riders were able to close a 3 second gap on her. Did they forget she crashed?? Rob was great at this knowing who was fast in a certain split or who wasn't. "Nina went down in the last split so Camille can make that up"
I can hear Rob calling these races in my head. As a fan it is not hard to see what is happening on course for each rider, the splits tell a story within the race that can help build excitement without screaming. Rob was realistic if a rider was out of it and then hyped it up if a rider could possibly make up time in a split! He really knew what was going on and showed it. These guys are lost in the race, overwhelmed?
Are they walking around the pits talking to the riders? Taking notes?? If you have ever been to a World Cup then you know Rob was constantly walking around the pits, on track during practice and talking to everyone from mechanics to team managers, anyone that had something he could use.
Also if a split time says something important about the race I will need to hear that announcement at the same time I see it on screen, not five, ten seconds later. Is like watching a movie with subtitles out of sync. That's something Rob excelled at, he was on top of the info that mattered and delivered it right on time. That's the main point of commentary, otherwise is just people pointing out the obvious.
And as for the background and color stories, is not only they should work the pits and talk to people. They should also have a producer that is feeding them cold hard facts to add up to the commentary. For example people keep saying "this was the tightest race we seem in a bit" Well, was it? I guess if you have somebody sitting in a computer with the data at hand they could be fed that info and not only give an opinion but also valuable information, like is it really the tightest race, or when was the last race we saw that? Maybe there are any other significant bits of info about Leogang apart from Gwin chainless run (Ric repeated that so many times) that they could provide to better understand for example how the speed, overall times, technical difficulty of the track has progressed over the years? How the talent pools compare now to maybe 5/10 years ago? So people can go afterwards and say "It is the tightest race ever because somebody looked it up properly and they commented it in the live feed"
This is a pure Money grab.
But hey the racing itself has been excellent.
I don't know if CG asked for anything, but he didn't refuse though, which is a big fail. He was already not good at commenting in french, why did they make a deal with him? Nobody talented enough wanted to do the job in the shadow of Warner?
The bad new is that CG signed a contract and certainly has to finish the season, which means tons of shit storms to come against him.
m.pinkbike.com/photo/24983421
There was probably some sort of clever, insightful criticism of the modern identity movement and how the subscribers to that ideology have a devastating and irrational aversion of facts in here - but I'm too lazy to type it out right now.
The only thing Rob had going for him, were his hype moments and having a good connection to the riders. So he could sprinkle in some bits about the riders were feeling about things.
Claudio always spotted stuff that average viewers didn't. Watch replays and see.
What?
Telling me that someone is pedaling in a place where every rider pedals is not insightful.
Agreeing with something Ric said, but misunderstanding him and then adding some incoherent comment to the commentary is not insightful.
Yelling a string of commentary, but losing his line of thought and not finishing what he was saying is not insightful.
Elliot Jackson was insightful. Get him back.
He/she is on a mission!
French Lines!
Is it a day for [name]?
Wow he/she is 'really' on it!
Look at the line!
What happened there?
Is/she on the run of its life!
Is it his/her day?
He/she is on the limit!
Can he/she do it today?
Wow wow - wooooooow - WOOOOOOOOW
He/she is aggressive!
He/she destroyed the corner!
Whaaaa!
He/she is dangerous!
Ohh that's clean!
Whaaa he/she is flying is down!
He/she is carrying at lot of speed / momentum!
It's so tight!
He/she is the most talented rider from (choose your country)
Not too much braking here now!
Rob: Ugh! Amazing!
PB Commenters: he’s the best!
He/she is carrying at lot of speed / momentum!
Is it a day for [name]?
Wow he/she is 'really' on it!
Look at the line!
He/she is on a mission!
Can he/she do it today?
Is/she on the run of its life!
Is it his/her day?
He/she is on the limit!
He/she is aggressive!
He/she destroyed the corner!
Whaaaa!
What happened there?
Ohh that's clean!
It's so tight!
French Lines!
Whaaa he/she is flying is down!
He/she is dangerous!
Wow wow - wooooooow - WOOOOOOOOW
Some seem to really not like CG's over excited style, but loved when Rob did it. Come on guys, give these two a chance.
Little to no insight, project work, other races, personal insight and other info on riders beyond previous Uci results, nickname calling and why, explanation of injuries and those who didn't make it to the final.
The biggest problem for me is poor interpretation of what's happening.
I'm no expert but I've watched this sport with the Mrs who doesn't ride for the last 3 years.
She can spot a fast ride/line slow ride/line most the time, These guys aren't reading it well at all constantly amping up slow rides.
It gets tiring to hear and follow when it's smoke and no trousers.
I want to find the positives but in truth it's piss poor and will likely result in me dropping watching all but the final highlights and I imagine many others the same cause 3 hours of listening to this isn't enjoyable as it once was.
If nobody watches then what happens to the sport?
It is a good example: in the Spanish version, you have a generic presenter who does not now anything about the sport and just reads from a piece of paper (name, nationality, some random past results) with ZERO emotion.
By his side, there is a fairly good rider with experience in world cup racing, but the man does not have the experience behind the mic to come up with the right words, valuable info, etc at the right times.
Also, there is ZERO humour between them
That is what makes me appreciate the job that specially Ric does. He is not as charismatic as Rob, but he is a proffesional who can talk for hours and hours about bike racing without being cliché
Cami Balanche is in first in the standings: She hasn't finished lower than 2nd in qualis, semis, or finals through the first two races. She picked up 100 points in semis last week and Vali only got 12 points for a 14th in semis. That difference is exactly the same as how far apart they are now in overall points (680 vs. 592).
Then we tried the German commentary and it was great, even if we didn't understand every single thing!
Lots if insight about the riders, the races and the sport, they paid close attention to the race, the times, the lines, etc. Their tone and voices were pleasant to hear, with just the right amount of excitement.
So you're saying it was Pekoll, I wonder who the other guy was, they were both really good. I hope they'll stay for the season, we're sticking with Deutsche commentary for future races! It actually made me want to work on my Deutsch more.
Thank you guys, if you ever read this, you saved this broadcast for us
Rick… Keep doing what you’re doing. As a hast commentator, you’re doing fine and will get better and more relaxed as time goes by.
Cedric… With the reputation you have, get into the pits and talk to the racers. Find out what they’ve been up to before the race and during practice. Get their highs and lows and pick up a few stories along the way. It’s only to someone like you where they’ll just open up. Anyone else wouldn’t have the immediate acceptance. You’re the “colour” man… for both on air commentators to be doing the same thing gets you where you are… passable, but you’ve got a tough act to follow and people will be looking for you to fail. As far as I’m concerned, if this is how you do with little direction, you’ll be fine.
Note to Discovery… you need a better director.
Did I just write this like it would be read by them?
We’ll, as long as it’s read by you fine people, that’s enough for me.
Ric: Over cooked it
CG: overcooktit
Ric: Over cooked it
CG: overcooktit
Ric: yes Over cooked it
CG: yes, overcooktit
But 28% of the Women Elite who posted qualifying times raced in the Finals.
30% of the Men Juniors who posted qualifying times raced in the Finals.
But 45% of the Women Juniors who posted qualifying times raced in the Finals.
I thought this might be a discussion about the race but it seems that’s not the case. About 95% of this conversation is about the commentary and the majority of this is just pointless, puerile nonsense. Your toys will be on the floor underneath your prams.
Guess you guys are media critics not mountain bikers.
www.redbull.com/at-de/live/uci-mtb-weltcup-2023-leogang-downhill
???
I’m happy enough about the coverage, and I know it’ll improve.
Chris is just so amazed at how fast and scary DH racing is, and Cedric is captain obvious. Frankly I found them more distracting from the racing today than last week.
I know it will get better, because it can’t get worse.
The Rachel effect is real, “After Lenzerheide I was so lost I didn't know what to do...”
After leading into the final sector by 0.926 seconds Danny Hart's front tire comes off the rim and he slides off the course.- SHRALPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
free on RedBull TV
Brilliant!
Any comments on actual rides?
Give it a break already.
Still having issues with the logistics and flow on the GCN+ app (and it sucks not having a Roku app). Beyond that, I don't like the semifinal structure, especially how it flows into a tiny 10-women final (excluding true contenders from the chance to win). I haven't watched any of the men's semi-final coverage because I, like most people, have limited time available and the final run is where the magic happens. The semi introduces dumb risk and winnows the women's field down way too much.
He needs to know that down means slower and up means faster!!!
Not aware of Cedric's achievements. I only know the 2015's onwards and, of course Stevie Smith, Sam Hill and Steve Peat.
But up means faster and down means slower. It just is!
Missed it was out on the bike
Full replay of the Juniors races are on both the GMBN and UCI Mountain Bike World Series Youtube channels.
Why not give constructive feedback instead.
I find it a bit unfair - all this hate against ric and cg’s commentating - they doing a fine job in my opinion. Of course there is room for improvement.
Warner had phrases he repeated for years over and over again as well. Of course he brought that amazing excitement more to the people. But negative people please stop the hate already. it is their second race - why not give them time and accept that it is the beginning of an almost new era of the sport. It is common sense that it has to build up and settle in and it is just not the same as it used to be. Just because one is not used to new ways of things yet! Same goes for the coverage, which is quite good.. a lot more seen on the track. Junior racing semifinals.. lot more work in total..details will come over time eventually.
They don’t deserve the hate and all this stupid moaning in the Internet from people who let out their personal frustrations on others they don’t know. And they do love the sport and are not fake excited.
The hate is fair and deserved, If your in an IT job and can only use notepad... should you be there?????
Dont be dumb.
Goldstone was on for the win.