Fabio Wibmer comes to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang with his spectacular bikeflip shows. The Master gives himself the honor! With his stunning Bikeflip show, YouTube star Fabio Wibmer will show off his outstanding skills alongside his partner Andrea Maranelli as part of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang. With free admission, a total of six spectacular shows await, four of them with the East Tyrolean himself, including a big primetime performance on Saturday evening (7.30 pm) as part of the Open Night at the Expo-Area. In addition to his spectacular trick show, bike multi-talent and YouTube star Fabio Wibmer will of course also be available to his fans for autographs and photos during the festival. BIKE Academy with renowned professionals and experts This year's edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang (16-18 September) offers a lot of action around the topic of mountain biking: A large exhibition area with free test material, free workshops starting almost hourly, with Andreas Kolb, Elias Schwarzler, Joost Wichmann, Jasper Jauch, Stefan Schlie, Lukas Schaefer or Hanna Steinthaler and a lot of supporting programs await. The perfect weekend to pay a visit to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang: Workshops and tours with the professionals are free, all trails and lines are open, there are discounted lift tickets for everyone, a fair, with bike brands such as Scott, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Pivot and much more., where visitors will be able to borrow the latest equipment for testing, and a spectacular supporting program, a la Fabio Wibmer.
Over the past ten years, the organizers of the Biberg Auffireradler in Saalfelden Leogang have experienced a lot: extraordinary sporting achievements, challenging weather conditions, well-known names on the starting list and countless participants from the region – because the Biberg Auffireradler lives above all on its spirit among the locals. In addition to the sporting competition, the cozy gathering after the award ceremony with the big raffle, supported by numerous domestic sponsors, is an annual highlight. But this social highlight has to be earned hard, because the route of the Biberg Auffiradler is a hard nut: again it goes over numerous turns with a crisp 700 meters of altitude and 5.5 kilometers from the parking lot of the summer toboggan run up to the Berggasthof Biberg. If you want to climb the coveted “Beaver deer” at the end, you have to prove true uphill qualities with this route profile. The launch will take place on Friday, September 2 at 6pm. Registration is possible in advance at https://auffiradler.jimdofree.com/ and at Sport 2000 SIMON in Saalfelden, or up to an hour before the start of the race.
For the first time, Austria’s largest bike region, Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, will host a “super-event” of the newly organized Mountain Bike World Cup for mountain bikers from 15 to 18 June. In addition to the downhill and cross country decisions (short track and Olympic discipline), the Enduro riders will also for the first time determine their World Cup winners at the Epic Bikepark Leogang and Saalbach Hinterglemm. Three exciting mountain bike disciplines in one weekend: there is reason for joy in Saalfelden Leogang due to a restructuring of the international cycling federation (UCI), which for the first time unites all the major mountain bike formats in a common calendar in order to promote the growth of the sport. The combined 2023 calendar for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the Enduro World Series includes 15 World Cup stops with 34 races and will take place in ten countries on three continents. Some new World Cups are also joined by renowned and experienced organizers, such as the team around Kornel Grundner and Marco Pointner in Saalfelden Leogang, which is given a special honor. From 15 to 18 June, Leogang will host the first meeting of the cross-country, downhill and enduro elite at the same venue. Leogang is one of only two triple World Cups in the coming season, which will start with enduro races in Oceania in March and end in Mount Sainte Anne, Canada, in October. “We are very proud to be part of the World Cup action again in 2023 and to be able to welcome a new discipline that fits perfectly into the EPIC Bikepark,” said the organizers, who have made the Mountainbike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang a real summer highlight in Salzburg and beyond over the past decade.
Numerous workshops for all skill levels, the latest test material and much more waiting for you! Saalfelden Leogang will once again be at the centre of the mountain bike action in autumn – the special thing about the BIKE Festival, which also stops at Lake Garda and in Willingen? In addition to numerous renowned bike brands that travel to the Pinzgau with the latest material for testing, this year again some professionals have plenty of time and patience in their luggage to pass on their knowledge to the bike-loving amateurs and to exchange with the fans. For three days from 16 to 18 September, everything revolves around the topic of bike in the EPIC Bikepark Leogang: A large exhibition area with the latest trends on the market and lots of free test material awaits, as well as almost hourly, free workshops for all levels and with well-known experts, including Austria’s most successful male downhiller, Andi Kolb, who could also be recruited as a coach for the BIKE Academy, such as Elias Schwaerzler, Joost Wichmann, Jasper Jauch, Stefan Schlie, Lukas Schaefer or Hanna Steinthaler. The numerous trails and lines in the EPIC Bikepark serve as “classrooms” – participation in the workshops is like admission to the festival grounds free of charge. Discounted lift tickets are available on all three days of the event (minus 15 percent): “It’s the perfect weekend for a visit to the EPIC Bikepark Leogang. All workshops and tours with the professionals are free, all trails and lines are open, there are discounted lift tickets for everyone and a trade fair where visitors can borrow material for testing”, Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Tourism, is also looking forward to the fourth edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang. The popular junior competition, “Scott Junior Trophy Pumptrack”, is also back and offers the youngsters the opportunity to prove their skills on Sunday. Registration for the BIKE Academy tours and workshops for the BIKE Festival in Leogang 2022 starts on August 16th. Participation is free: https://leogang.bike-festival.de/
With a bit of luck, hidden QR codes on the lines and trails are the way to a unique grand prize: an Epic Bike Package filled with everything the biker’s heart desires – including a brand new SCOTT Gambler 920. The award ceremony will take place during the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang from 16 to 18 September. After the successful #20epicyears treasure hunt last year, the lines and trails at Epic Bikepark Leogang are once again a direct route to a special sweepstakes. What's inside? A complete bike equipment to which all long-term partners of the Saalfelden Leogang region and the Epic Bikepark Leogang have contributed. What to do about it? Bike, bike and bike again at Epic Bikepark Leogang. With five letters to the dream package A treasure map with an emoji puzzle points the way to the trails, where boards with a total of five QR codes and associated slogan letters await. If you follow the clues, collect all the letters and put them together correctly at the end, you have the chance to win the jackpot. Simply enter the answer word online on the website of the Epic Bikepark Leogang, submit it and you're done. Those who pedal more often have a higher chance of winning The letters change every two weeks. So if you do your rounds in the Epic Bikepark Leogang more often, collect more solution words and send them online, you have a higher chance of dusting off the Epic Bike Package in the end. So, off and on the lines and trails and with a bit of luck on the way to the grand prize, which will be awarded at the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang (16th to 18th September). Epic Bike Package: 1x Scott Gambler 920 1x Multicover Travel Set incl. World Traveller 125, Wash Bag, Snow Gear Roller and Mission Pro 28 by EVOC 2x Bike-Outfits from FOX (1x Women, 1x Men) 1x Knee Protectors and a Xult Downhill Helmet by IXS 1x Armega Goggle Anti Fog Clear Lens and Armega Forecast Film System - Full Kit of 100% 1x Bottle for Life Bundle by MUC-OFF 1x GoPro HERO 10 Black incl. SD Card, Chesty & Handlbar Mount by GOPRO 1x GRAVITA ALPACA X5 + ALPACA TOOL CARRIER Saddle and GRAVITA TENSOR Shoes by FIZIK 1x MAXXIS Assegai & Minion Tyres Set Win the EPIC BIKE PACKAGE (saalfelden-leogang.com)
For the first time this season, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang brought together the worlds of Cross-Country and Downhill. The World Cup weekend in Epic Bikepark Leogang impressed with spectacular runs, a large dose of drama and spectators witnessed history in the making. Smiles and pride were seen all across the board, no matter whether they were organisers, race teams, riders or fans. Following a succesful first edition in 2021, the World Cup returned to the Saalfelden Leogang region in full force, with Cross-Country and Downhill riders descending on the Epic Bikepark Leogang. The quaint Austrian town has an established history in the Downhill world, with spectacular runs throughout the years. Even though Cross-Country has only been on the Leogang race calendar twice, there are already patterns emerging. For example, so far only Loana Lecomte (FRA) and Mathias Flückiger (SUI) have won the Cross-Country races (both Short Track and Olympic distance) and Local Hero Laura Stigger seems to have a subscription to Olympic distance third place finishes on the track with the most meters of climbing. Another pattern that has emerged over the years is the atmosphere that the amassed spectators bring with them. Over the three days, the 21,500 gathered spectators turned up in great spirits, cheering on more than 800 riders from 40 countries all the way from race start to finish, with fans gathered course-side as well as in the finish area. Even though bad weather looked to mess with the good spirits, the clouds parted right on time for the Cross-Country Short Track races on Friday evening and the sun would stay in place for the rest of the weekend. Drama and joy were readily interchanged, especially during the Downhill racing on Saturday. While Vali Höll, racing on her home turf, saw disaster strike during her race run, with two crashes putting her out of podium contention, finishing in sixth place, fellow Austrian Andreas Kolb had a career-best run, finishing on the podium in fifth place, less than a 2.5 seconds behind race winner Matt Walker (GBR) and becoming the first Austrian ever to finish on a World Cup podium. As usual, the gathered spectators were treated to much more than 'just' spectacular racing. Ahead of the Downhill finals, fans were treated to an air show, courtesy of the Flying Bulls. Pilot Miguel Hochleitner showed off his aerial acrobatics on board of the Trojan 28B, with the Top Gun soundtrack accompanying him. Meanwhile on Sunday, Senad Grosic hosted a BMX Show, which wowed Cross-Country enthusiasts in between the women's and men's races. Following the race action, fans were able to come face-to-face with some of their heroes and idols at the FOX Racing signing session. The Team Area was also frequently visited as the hunt for more signatures took attendees through the pits, where they could get an exclusive look behind the scenes of a race weekend. Meanwhile, the Expo Area was jam-packed with the latest and greatest of the bike world. "Thanks to the weather, the weekend didn't start great, but things picked up quickly once the rain stopped and made way for sunshine on Saturday and Sunday, becoming the perfect stage for the weekend's racing. Spectators were amazed by the racing here in Leogang. Andreas Kolb's podium place was the cherry on top for the Austrian fans, and I'm elated because of that. The same goes for Laura Stigger, who had an outstanding race," said Kornel Grundner, World Cup organizer and Director of the Leogang Cable Car. "After the first few hectic days, also because of the weather, today was the cherry on the cake of an incredible event. The weekend was great, and the racing was sensational. The weather gods played along and thankfully we had perfect weather across all the races, from Friday's Cross-Country Short Track, Saturday's Downhill and Sunday's Cross-Country Olympic racing. The crowd always makes it special and we witnessed history in the making once again. We couldn't be happier," said Marco Pointner, World Cup organizer and CEO of Saalfenden Leogang Touristik GmbH. The World Cup weekend carried the "Green Event Salzburg" label, which meant a focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives. The World Cup organizers offered a ticket refund for public transport, free regional shuttles, motivated teams and spectators to separate their trash and use recycling bins where possible, launched the MTB World Cup app in order to limit the use of paper and much more. Another initiative was the "Every Can Contributes", which focussed on the recycling of beverage cans. The free shuttles were a hit as well, covering approximately 1400 kilometres, which is about the distance from Leogang all the way to Barcelona. For everyone that missed the weekend's race action, replays are available on-demand on Red Bull TV.
The skies have cleared and the weather has heated up as the riders tackle the challenging, although mostly dry, course in Leogang, that will push the legs, lungs and courage of the athletes as long steep climbs meet technical and steep descents. Loana Lecomte completes back-to-back perfect weekends in Leogang After a strong performance in short track, Loana Lecomte will certainly be looking to have a similar Leogang to last year, winning both events while Austrian’s Mona Mitterwallner and Laura Stigger will be looking to capitalize on their home-field advantage and get their first wins of the season. Of course, no one will have an easy victory as this stacked field is hungry. Strong challenger and reigning World Champion Evie Richards (GBR) is out of this race with a back injury while Pauline Ferrand-Pr´evot (FRA) will also not be racing, choosing to focus on other events. An immediate pile-up right out of the start saw Austrian’s Mona Mitterwallner’s hopes of getting out in front early disappearing before her eyes. She ended up in a pile-up that saw an issue with her handlebar alignment. She ran her bike up a section of the first hill but was unable to mount her bike and join the pack, running back to have it fixed. Despite her tough fight back into the race, she ultimately ended the day in 15th place. Olympic Champion Jolanda Neff (SUI) was able to hop into the lead early on in the start lap, but she was unable to add any real distance on competition and crossed the finish line just slightly in front of a challenging Loana Lecomte. In the first big climb of the second lap, Lecomte and Rissveds were able to get by Neff and add some distance between themselves and the competition. Meanwhile, Mona Mitterwallner headed back on course and quickly began to make some moves. The distance between the leading group of Rissveds and Lecomte has grown substantially through the first lap, putting them 30 seconds in the lead. Following a good start for Jolanda Neff it appears her legs just aren’t there for her today as she falls back to 20th place. Ultimately, she pushes back up to 8th place to end her day. The battle for the final podium spot is the closest to watch with Specialized riders Frei (SUI) and Stigger (AUT) within a second of each other and playing leapfrog throughout the first three laps. Meanwhile, the undefeated Rebecca McConnell is having a challenging race as she falls back to sixth place with two laps left. Lecomte continued her dominating performance through the next laps, and her lead grew until she ultimately crossed the finish line 1:13min. ahead of a spent Rissveds to grab her 6th career World Cup win. Austria's best hope lay on the shoulders of Laura Stigger, who sat in third place with one lap left. The exciting fight for third between Stigger and Frei continued into the last lap. It was an incredible show of determination as both riders were out of the saddle, but Stigger was able to add a few bike lengths on Frei, grabbing 3rd by just a few seconds. Just behind Frei was a persistent Terpstra (NED), grabbing herself a 5th place finish here in Leogang. An elated Loana Lecomte spoke on how she's feeling after her win. "Last year I was the first person in a long time to win 4 World Cups, and this year I was the first person to win a perfect weekend in the same place. So I am very happy to be honored in mountain bike history.” Cross-Country (XCO) Results Elite Women: 1. Loana Lecomte (FRA) 1:15:42 2. Jenny Rissveds (SWE) 1:16:55 3. Laura Stigger (AUT) 1:17:10 4. Sina Frei (SUI) 1:17:23 5. Anne Terpstra (NED) 1:17:52 Overall World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Rebecca McConnell (AUS) 1093 2. Loana Lecomte (FRA) 916 3. Anne Terpstra (NED) 713 4. Laura Stigger (AUT) 698 5. Jenny Rissveds (SWE) 695 Fluckiger staves off Schurter (SUI) for another perfect weekend in Leogang In a group of men who are all ready and in great shape to go to battle to take top honors, it is impossible to know who will finish the day on top. There is no doubt that Mathias Fluckiger will be looking to continue his streak and go back-to-back perfect weekends in Leogang. Meanwhile, Schurter (SUI) will be looking to add another World Cup win, solidifying himself in the history books with the most World Cup wins of all time. Dascalu, Fidel, Albin, and the rest of the riders will do their best to make sure neither of these rider’s plans come true. A notable absence from the men's race was Tom Pidcock, who will not be racing this weekend, choosing to focus on road bikes in order to set himself up for the Tour de France. A quick start from Henrique Avancini (BRA) saw him rocket out of the start but he wasn’t able to hold onto it as Vlad Dascalu (ROU) got by him and immediately began upping the pace of the race. Nino Schurter showed off his fitness and strength as he passed Dascalu on the first big climb of lap one. Although there was no major separation between the riders, Schurter was leading the pack. Fluckiger changed up the top 5 with an impressive push, jumping multiple spots on the final climb of lap one putting himself in fourth place joining Hatherly, Dascalu, and Cooper behind Schurter. These men worked hard and did everything they could to not let Schurter take off as he set a challenging pace. The battle was on and the group stuck together. Dascalu was able to grab the lead for a moment before Schurter showcased his strength again and reclaimed his spot out front. The group was close, with Dascalu, Hatherly and Fluckiger all crossing the second finish line all within a second of each other, trailing Nino Schurter closely. An impressive boost from Mathias Fluckiger as he capitalized on the other seemingly relaxed riders was able to pass Hatherly, Dascalu and Schurter to take the lead. Breaking up the pack and pushing himself and Shurter out in front by 7 seconds. The two fight it out and Schurter is able to get past Fluckiger to regain the lead as these two continue to bounce back and forth. With 2 laps left, the Swiss riders took a commanding lead leaving Hatherly (RSA) 8 seconds back and Marotte (FRA) another 22 seconds back from him. Fluckiger was able to put his head down again and battle past Schurter on the first big climb of the fifth lap, with the two continuing to lead by a large margin. An all-out sprint for the final laps sees Fluckiger unable to drop Schurter and Schurter unable to pass. The final hills saw Fluckiger gaining the smallest margin on Schurter coming into the finish. A final sprint put Fluckiger 6 seconds up, earning himself another big win here at Leogang. This gave Mathias the perfect weekend he was looking for but caused Schurter to fall short on his search for the most World Cup wins. Marotte pushed hard but fell back as Dascalu battled past him, leaving him with a 5th place finish. Hatherly also lost some momentum as Dascalu picked up the pace to close the gap. Hatherly was able to hold on long enough to grab 3rd place, giving Dascalu a well-earned 4th place finish. “After Friday's win and today’s, I know I am in good shape - but this is just so tough. It was a great battle once again with Nino, this time a better end for me, and I am really happy about that! Congrats to him. This is tough, really tough. It’s a really demanding course here, lots of climbing and you never really have the chance to recover.“ stated a visibly exhausted yet thrilled Mathias Fluckiger Cross-Country (XCO) Results Elite Men: 1. Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) 1:15:31 2. Nino Schurter (SUI) 1:15:37 3. Alan Hatherly (RSA) 1:16:10 4. Vlad Dascalu (ROU) 1:16:16 5. Maxime Marotte (FRA) 1:16:40 Overall World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Nino Schurter (SUI) 964 2. Vlad Dascalu (ROU) 775 3. Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) 711 4. Alan Hatherly (RSA) 692 5. Thomas Pidcock (GBR) 600 Great performances in U23 makes for exciting racing A super strong showing for U23 racers saw a very close battle for the woman as Puck Pieterse (NED) was narrowly able to best Line Burquier (FRA) to walk away victorious over 4 laps. The men's race saw a little more distance between competitors with Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) firmly grabbing the victory 19 seconds in front of second place. Will the Swiss be able to capitalize on home soil? This season is only a third of the way through, despite the amount of action we’ve already gotten to experience so far. The battle between Mathias Fluckiger and Nino Schurter is only going to heat up as they both begin to think about overall points. It is safe to say that Schurter will be doing his absolute best to win the race next month in Lenzerheide as he would be absolutely thrilled to capture the record for most World Cup wins on home soil. Sina Frei has been looking strong all season. A 4th place finish in Leogang will undoubtedly have her confidence high as she heads back to try and collect a World Cup win at home. Successful World Cup with a difficult start Despite difficult conditions at the beginning, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang developed into the expected great MTB festival. More than 21,500 spectators followed the exciting World Cup decisions of the past few days, saw great drama and outstanding triumphs. After the rain stopped, big and small fans flooded the Expo Area to marvel at the hottest innovations in the bike world or to hunt for autographs in the Team Area. Not to mention the many side events, such as a Flying Bulls air show. For more information about the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang, head over to www.mtb-weltcup.at. For everyone that could not make it to the double World Cup, the full action can reviewed on Red Bull TV.
Especially in the women's competition, luck and drama were very close together: while Camille Balanche secured her third victory in the third race in Leogang, local hero Vali Höll again failed to win in front of her home crowd. There was still reason to celebrate for the Austrian fans, because Andreas Kolb secured fifth place and the best placement of the Austrian Downhill men to date. Former overall World Cup winner Matt Walker secured the first World Cup race victory of his career in Leogang. Balanche (SUI) completes the 3-peat in variable conditions Fortunately for both the riders and the 20,000+ spectators, the rain has finally stopped and the sun is shining, giving the wet and muddy course a chance to dry. However, it’s safe to say that despite a little warm weather, the slippery track and mud that has accumulated is a challenge that every rider will have to face. As was expected coming into this race, the final wood section acted as both the toughest section of the course and a section that would make or break a run. Coming off her win in Fort William, Nina Hoffman (GER) came into the wood section well into the green but lost it early into the mud. She was able to get moving again only to go back off line shortly after, ending her chance of standing on top of the podium today. Eleonora Farina (ITA) showcased her skill through the wood section and was able to keep her feet on the pedals and put down a clean run. Hitting the wood gap coming out of the wooded section gained her even more time, crossing the finish line over five seconds up. Myriam Nicole (FRA) looked to be holding a little back through the motorway. A mistake up top saw her battling to get back into the green which she was able to do before the wooded section. She powered through, finding herself deeper in the green and gaining 4 seconds on the leader by the time she crossed the finish line. A terrible-looking crash towards the top for Marine Cabirou (FRA) would end her chances. Fortunately, she would be able to ride away and make it to the bottom. Valentina Holl (AUT) was certainly keen to win on home track and was 7 seconds into the green when a small crash near the top would see her fall back half a second into the red. She was looking strong into her namesake wood section, but lost it again when she went over the bars, ending her chances. A visibly disappointed Vali fell to the ground at the finish line, where she sat in 5th place. Camille Balanche (SUI), the qualifying winner, rode a clean run from top to bottom. She found herself in the green right away, hitting all of the jumps, clearing the wood section, and hitting the Red Bull drop - all adding to her winning margin. Balanche, the final rider, crossed the finish line 11 seconds in front of second place giving her the hat-trick in Leogang. "It was way better. I tried not to risk it too much, because now it’s so fast I was not expecting this. I didn’t make the mistakes at the top and then when you start your run without mistakes it’s just better in the head. It felt really good, I’m so stoked. Third time in a row here is a dream, even more in quali and then crossed the line first. I’m on the moon.” said a visibly stoked Camille Balanche Downhill (DHI) Results Elite Women: 1. Camille Balanche (SUI) 4:08:218 2. Myriam Nicole (FRA) 4:19:586 3. Eleonora Farina (ITA) 4:24:281 4. Louisa-Anna Ferguson (GBR) 4:29:876 5. Monika Hrastnik (SLO) 4:30:258 Overall World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Camille Balanche (SUI) 685 2. Myriam Nicole (FRA) 555 3. Valentina Holl (AUT) 460 4. Eleonora Farina (ITA) 395 5. Nina Hoffmann (GER) 368 Matt Walker (GBR) takes home first World Cup win A notable absence in the men's category is Scotsman Reece Wilson. Wilson took to social media to let fans know that he has not been feeling himself lately and is taking some time to get back to feeling good. Loic Bruni who injured himself in Fort Williams will also be out for this round. After a long time off his bike with a severe ankle injury, last year's winner, Troy Brosnan, was able to make a return and qualified in 6th place. Back from recovery as well, six weeks off the bike following a concussion saw Finn Iles back to full strength with a solid 2nd place finish in qualifying. Amaury Pierron (FRA) was sitting in second place coming into the woods, but was incredibly strong throughout the section, powering over the roots and nailing the corners. A brief foot dab was the only visible fault. Pierron crossed the finish line in first place, over a second up. Pierron would end the day in 4th place. Angel Suarez Alonso (ESP) was next in the starting gates. His splits bounced back and forth between red and green, always staying close to Pierron’s times. Angel looked strong through the wood section and powered through the final jumps into first place. Angel’s efforts would be enough to finish his day on the podium, in third place. Thibaut Daprela (FRA) was riding a wild run and was looking like he might be able to challenge the leader board. A crash in the woods would take that chance away. Starting off the race in the green and looking lightning-fast for the first split, Laurie Greenland (GBR) lost over 8 seconds before the second split. He was able to ride a fast rest of the race and salvage some points but certainly didn’t end up where he wanted to finish, far back on the leaderboard. Danny Hart (GBR) found himself up by over a second into the motorway. He was able to crush the rest of the run and stay in the green through the wood section and come out a second up. Hart crossed the finish line in first up by over a second with three riders left up top. Danny’s time in the hot seat wouldn't last long as his fellow countrymen was up next and would directly knock him off. Matt Walker (GBR) found the green by the second split by the narrowest margin. He lost the green for a moment but aggressively attacked the woods and found himself back in first. He was able to hold onto it and crossed the line knocking his fellow Englishman out of first. Two riders to go. We saw some potentially over-aggressive riding up top, causing Finn Iles (CAN) to fall back a little bit, but the battle was far from over. He worked hard to try and make it back, but it wasn't enough - 6th place with one rider left. The top qualifier Benoit Coulanges (FRA) looked fast and in control through the top of his run, gaining over a second on Matt Walker. He wasn't able to continue his clean riding, losing a foot and crashing in the woods. A disappointment for Coulanges, putting him in 20th place. Although Coulanges couldn’t hold on to get his first World Cup win, Walker watched from the hot seat and claimed his. An exciting day for the Englishmen with both 1st and 2nd going to Great Britain. Coulanges’ mishap gave the Austrian fans a reason to celebrate, too, as local hero Andreas Kolb (AUT) remained in fifth place, securing the best Austrian DH World Cup result in history and his first podium. “Honestly, I can’t put it into words. It's unbelievable just trying to absorb the moment as much as possible. Honestly, I didn’t expect it this week. It’s not a track I’ve done particularly well on in the past. I felt really good in practice this morning. I was confident in my lines, I made some bold choices with tires, and it paid off“ beamed an excited Matt Walker. Downhill (DHI) Results Elite Men: 1. Matt Walker (GBR) 3:28:816 2. Danny Hart (GBR) 3:29:141 3. Angel Suarez (ESP) 3:30:370 4. Amaury Pierron (FRA) 3:30:530 5. Andreas Kolb (AUT) 3:31:249 Overall World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Amaury Pierron (FRA) 580 2. Matt Walker (GBR) 443 3. Danny Hart (GBR) 401 4. Benoit Coulanges (FRA) 380 5. Laurie Greenland (GBR) 354 Neither qualifying winners hold onto top spots through the finals Jackson Goldstone (CAN) and Jenna Hastings (NZL) were unable to hold onto their top qualifying position through the finals. Both riders went for it but finished in second place. Phoebe Gale (GBR) put down an incredible run and took top honors over 14 seconds into first place. Jordan Williams (GBR) came out on top of the men's race with a run that put him 4 seconds faster than Goldstone. Warm weather will make for great Cross-Country racing Clear forecast and dryer conditions will certainly make for some great Cross-Country racing tomorrow. As the mud dries and the ground hardens the speed that these riders will have to find will increase. For more information about the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountainbike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang, head over to www.mtb-weltcup.at. For everyone that cannot make it to the double World Cup, the action can be followed live on Red Bull TV. It wouldn't be a Leogang World Cup stop without a packed schedule of side-events. Before the XCO final on Sunday a BMX show hosted by Senad Grosic will take place. The Expo Area will be filled to the brim with the latest and greatest from the bike world and in the Team Area, visitors can get a look behind the scenes at the daily life of athletes during a World Cup weekend. Both areas can be visited on Sunday (09:30 - 17:00).
The international Cross-Country elite racing kicked off the promising World Cup weekend in Saalfelden Leogang with two spectacular XCC races that were hard to beat in terms of excitement and drama. In the end, Loana Lecomte and Mathias Flückiger won their respective races in difficult conditions. Loanna Lecomte (FRA) puts it together for a dominating race win in the mud Traction would be a battle for the women competing for starting spots and overall points in the Cross Country Short Track race. Wet conditions leading up to the race created soft, slippery conditions which made the large climbs on this track even more challenging. Sadly for fans, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was notably absent as she has chosen to focus her efforts on future events. Rebecca McConnell was able to blast out of the start and put herself in the holeshot position early on in the race. This course saw riders go straight out of the start into a massive climb which established much larger gaps between riders than we are used to seeing in these Short Track races. Lap one ended with McConnell (AUS) in the lead and Rissveds (SWE) following closely behind. McConnell was looking strong and held onto the lead through laps 1, 2, and 3 but Loanna Lecomte (FRA) was able to battle past McConnell in the 4th lap of the race. Lecomte was able to add loads of distance on the rest of the competition through the next two laps, finishing the 5th lap over 14 seconds in front of her closest competitor. Behind her, a group of 4 battled hard for second place, with McConnell at the back of that pack. Loanna continued to push her body and dominated throughout the remainder of the race. Riding hard and adding time on her competitors with each lap, she crossed the line heading into the final lap up by a whopping 21 seconds. This is even more impressive considering she was battling a flat rear tire for the final few laps. The final lap saw some change up with Terpstra (NED) battling through the group of 4 to grab second place, looking over her shoulder to see her Ghost teammate Bohé in third place crossing the final finish line. An exciting podium to see, with Loanna Lecomte winning back to back Leogang Short Track World Cup wins and her second short-track win overall, with Bohé finding her first Short Track World Cup podium finish. “I felt good and now I’m feeling good. I had a flat tire on the last 3 or 2 laps so I tried to push slowly to be able to finish the race. My leg is good and I can't wait for Sunday’s race. I didn’t expect to win today so if it can be possible, I will do that. I did it today and it’s a very good start for the weekend. We will see Sunday results. No pressure, just enjoy the time on my bike.” said an elated Loanna Lecomte after her incredible performance through seven laps XCC Short Track Results Elite Women: 1. Loana Lecomte (FRA) 21:21 2. Anne Terpstra (NED) 21:30 3. Caroline Bohé (DEN) 21:40 4. Alessandra Keller (SUI) 21:48 5. Rebecca McConnell (AUS) 21:55 Overall World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Rebecca Mcconnell (AUS) 740 points 2. Alessandra Keller (SUI) 540 points 3. Loana Lecomte (FRA) 530 points 4. Anne Terpstra (NED) 504 points 5. Jolanda Neff (SUI) 475 points Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) battles for his second straight win at Leogang Round 4 of Short Track started with the men shooting straight out of the start gate into the first large grassy climb. Short Track World Champion Phillip Columbo (SUI) went down right off the bat, creating a large pile-up in the middle of the pack. Lap 1 ended with Avancini (BRA) in front of a very close race. The standings remained the same through lap 2 with Avancini in the lead and Dascalu (ROU) right on his tire with a large group of riders closely tailing them. The third lap showed a little more action with a bottleneck before the wood bridge requiring many riders to push their bike to the top of the slippery wood feature. Halfway through the race, a notable Nino Schurter (SUI) sat in 11th place. Swiss riders Fluckiger and his fellow countryman Albin were able to push past Avancini to head into first and second respectively with two laps to go. Albin was able to stay with Fluckiger for a brief period, but Mathias took off and was able to add massive distance on the rest of the competition. He started the final lap with a 17 second advantage. The battle for second place was the one to watch as Dascalu was able to stave off Albin, Avancini, and Schuermans to get the best Short Track finish of his career. This impressive performance by Fluckiger gives him his second Leogang Short Track race win in a row and an exciting start to a busy weekend. Some notable riders out of the top spots were current point leader Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) who finished 30th, Nino Schurter (SUI), who finished 11th, and Filippo Colombo who did not finish the race. “I was excited before the race and in the race. Actually this track suits me. I don’t know if it’s the track or just the location but I just enjoy riding here and when you enjoy it it’s normally a good performance.“ said an obviously thrilled Mathias Fluckiger. XCC Short Track Results Elite Men: 1. Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) 21:46 2. Vlad Dascalu (ROU) 21:57 3. Vital Albin (SUI) 22:07 4. Henrique Avancini (BRA) 22:10 5. Jens Schuermans (BEL) PHOTO Overall XCC World Cup Standings Top 5: 1. Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) 541 points 2. Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) 538 points 3. Henrique Avancini (BRA) 535 points 4. Alan Hatherly (RSA) 512 points 5. Nino Schurter (SUI) 490 points Everchanging conditions and a tight qualifying will certainly make for a great final. Tomorrow's Downhill is sure to be an exciting event to watch. As with Cross Country, the rain has made the downhill course even more challenging. The forecasted sun may turn the mud into an even trickier Peanut butter-like substance that will have every rider reevaluating their race strategy. This morning's qualifier saw Jackson Goldstone (CAN) continue his powerful riding this season with a 9-second lead over second-place while Jenna Hastings (NZL) was able to cross the line over 12 seconds ahead of second place for the juniors. Elite qualifying saw more strong riding as Camille Balanche (SUI) was able to put down a clean run, narrowly beating Vali Holl's time of 4:25.620 with a time of 4:25.019. Setting up for a dramatic finish for tomorrow's final. The men's elite qualifying was also a very close race with Benoit Coulanges (FRA) taking top honors with the next 4 riders all within 3 seconds of his time. Tune in tomorrow as the world’s fastest downhiller riders take to the mud to battle it out in Leogang Austria. For more information about the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang, head over to www.mtb-weltcup.at. For everyone that cannot make it to the double World Cup, the action can be followed live on Red Bull TV. It wouldn't be a Leogang World Cup stop without a packed schedule of side-events, including an air show of the Flying Bulls with the Trojan 28B and pilot Miguel Hochleitner Saturday before the DHI Elite finals and “Long Live Chainsaw” film screening at XCO VIP grand stand the following evening at 6:30 pm. Before the XCO final on Sunday a BMX show hosted by Senad Grosic will take place. The Expo Area will be filled to the brim with the latest and greatest from the bike world and in the Team Area, visitors can get a look behind the scenes at the daily life of athletes during a World Cup weekend. Both areas can be visited on Friday (12:00 - 20:00), Saturday (10:00 - 20:00) and Sunday (09:30 - 17:00).
First day of training in Saalfelden Leogang for the downhill and cross country world elites, who will face each other next weekend at the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountainbike World Cup at Epic Bikepark. The first sampling on the challenging routes took place today in adverse weather conditions. With the track the best came local matador Vali Hell, the fastest of the timed training session. The first training session in Saalfelden Leogang turned into a wet, cold and, above all, muddy affair for the downhill and cross country runners. But weather-wise, improvement is in sight. At the first scan of the track, therefore, the home aces approached it a little more cautiously today. For Laura Stigger and Mona Mitterwallner, the first World Cup decision is already on the agenda tomorrow with the short track (from 5.30pm): “The course is great to ride, but I was content with the B-Line today and didn’t want to risk anything,” explains Mitterwallner, who like compatriot Laura Stigger is one of the narrow favourites. One lady from Australia is the big chaser this weekend: Rebecca "Bec" McConnell. The Australian recently not only claimed a World Cup hat-trick, but also dominates the overall short track standings. In the men's elite, the duel between Nino Schurter (SUI) and Tom Pidcock (GBR) came to an end. The Swiss legend won the opening race in Brazil and is at the top of the overall standings after two more second and third places. With another victory over the Olympic distance, Schurter would also become the sole record holder for most World Cup victories with a total of 34 World Cup victories. The chances of that record are good as English fly-half Tom Pidcock pauses in Leogang to prepare for the Tour de France. Still, Schurter and Leogang – this is not yet the great love relationship. Quite the opposite to another Swiss: Last year the strong climber Mathias Fluckiger cheered in the short track of Leogang, can he strike again this year? Vali Hell fastest woman in timed training session For the downhillers, around the Saalbacher Valentina “Vali” Héll, who was able to win today’s training run, the qualifying runs are on the program tomorrow (from 12.30 pm). With her victory in Lourdes and a second place in Fort William, Camille Balanche (SUI), who also feels comfortable in Leogang poodles, leads the leaderboard. The Swiss not only won the World Cup race in Pinzgau last year, but also the World Cup in 2020. World champion Myriam Nicole (FRA) and Fort William winner Nina Hoffmann (GER) will also have a say in the victory. After two wins in two World Cup races in the men's elite, Frenchman Amaury Pierron is drawing circles alone. He also dominated today's training in Leogang. His fiercest pursuers Laurie Greenland (GBR), Thibaut Dapréla (FRA), Benoit Coulanges (FRA) and the last ailing Finn Iles (CAN) do not yet seem to have found a remedy to Pierron's dominance. Plenty of programming outside of the racing scene On Friday (12 to 8 p.m.), Saturday (10 to 8 p.m.) and Sunday (9.30 to 5 p.m.) the Team & Expo Area offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at professional mountain biking. Here you can watch the riders during the race preparation, but also look over the shoulder at the mechanics during the fine tuning of the bikes. Of course, countless exhibitors also give the opportunity to take a closer look at the innovations in bike technology and bike accessories and test them in the Shimano Test Area. Those who want to go further with the riders will have the opportunity to get a coveted autograph at a Fox Racing signing session on Friday at 4pm at the box office of the valley station Asitz. But not only on the ground, but also in the air, the supporting program at the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountainbike Worldcup in Saalfelden Leogang plays all the pieces. On Saturday at 12.15pm, before the final of the downhill, Flying Bull pilot Miguel Hochleitner will conjure up an impressive airshow with artistic aerial displays in the sky with the historic North American T-28B. On Sunday, we will go to BMX. Before the final of the Cross Country Riders Senad Grosic puts on a brilliant show at the event venue. Also not to be missed on the World Cup weekend: the parties in the surrounding bars. The “Warm Up” takes place on Friday in the Kralleralm, the Rider’s Party rises on Saturday in the Outback. Special tip: A free ride with the effis! On Fridays, public access throughout Salzburg is free and on Saturdays and Sundays the event ticket is also the ticket with the SVV & UBB (S-Bahn & REX). For those who cannot attend the double World Cup live, there is the possibility to watch the final races live on Red Bull TV and ORF Sport+.
