2013 Val Di Sole WC 2 Final Results

Junior Men Results

1	LUCAS Dean	AUS19950502	AUSTRALIA	3:24.630
2	ATWILL Phil	GBR19950111	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+0.160
3	SHAW Luca	USA19961225	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+0.188
4	VERGIER Loris	FRA19960507	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+2.498
5	VERNASSA Gianluca	ITA19950904	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+3.788
6	ALGARRA NAVARRO Daniel	ESP19950314	SPAIN	+5.770
7	WALLACE Mark	CAN19950601	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+6.004
8	McCORMACK Stephen	IRL19951028	IRELAND	+6.265
9	ELLISON Luke	AUS19951030	AUSTRALIA	+6.611
10	FAYOLLE Alexandre	FRA19950720	FRANCE	+7.317
11	GRAHAM Innes	GBR19960703	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+8.730
12	ZABJEK Jure	SLO19951011	UNIOR TOOLS TEAM	+8.897
13	LEBL Martin	CZE19960816	CZECH REPUBLIC	+8.973
14	MEDICI Simone	ITA19950705	ITALY	+9.059
15	THUNELL Jakob	SWE19951109	SWEDEN	+9.136

Women Final Results

1	ATHERTON Rachel	GBR19871206	GT FACTORY RACING	3:43.810
2	RAGOT Emmeline	FRA19860527	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+5.235
3	PUGIN Floriane	FRA19890417	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+12.053
4	CHARRE Morgane	FRA19900609	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+14.233
5	NICOLE Myriam	FRA19900208	COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION	+15.495
6	BROWN Casey	CAN19901027	DIRT NORCO RACE TEAM	+16.060
7	CARPENTER Manon	GBR19930311	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+18.355
8	SIEGENTHALER Emilie	SUI19860919	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+20.180
9	CERNILOGAR Zarja	SLO19891218	BLACKTHORN GT	+21.090
10	GATTO Micayla	CAN19880821		+24.639
11	HANNAH Tracey	AUS19880613	HUTCHINSON UR	+26.948
12	KINTNER Jill	USA19811024	TEAM NORCO INTERNATIONAL	+28.856
13	GRIFFITHS Fionn	GBR19820827		+30.777
14	BARTOVA Jana	CZE19900217		+35.591
15	MARCELLINI Alia	ITA19910711	TORPADO SURFING SHOP	+41.857

Men Final Results

1	ATHERTON Gee	GBR19850226	GT FACTORY RACING	3:12.185
2	SMITH Steve	CAN19891125	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+1.001
3	MINNAAR Greg	RSA19811113	SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	+1.250
4	BRUNI Loic	FRA19940513	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+2.471
5	BROSNAN Troy	AUS19930713	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+4.121
6	GWIN Aaron	USA19871224	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+4.123
7	BRYCELAND Josh	GBR19900323	SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	+5.280
8	PAYET Florent	FRA19861121	EVIL CK RACING EVIAN	+6.341
9	HANNAH Michael	AUS19831121	HUTCHINSON UR	+6.442
10	PEKOLL Markus	AUT19871013	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+6.501
11	FERREIRO PAJUELO Antonio	ESP19900103	EVIL VENGEANCE TOUR	+8.760
12	KERR Bernard	GBR19910216	PIVOT FACTORY TEAM	+8.767
13	THIRION Rémi	FRA19900423	COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION	+8.780
14	SIMMONDS Matthew	GBR19870520	CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF	+9.119
15	MULALLY Neko	USA19930219	TREK WORLD RACING	+9.826

Brook MacDonald 'Robbed' Of World Cup Podium, Neko On Target

The hot dusty conditions on the super steep track in Val Di Sole saw Brook MacDonald on target for a 4th place result until a crash in the last sector of his run saw those hopes slip away. Meanwhile Neko Mulally who doesn't see this track as one of his strengths, was very pleased to take his 2nd best career result and be on target for the second half of the season.

Earlier in the day Greg Williamson, fresh off his break out ride in Fort William, was sending it down the hill in absolute style, getting green lights all the way from split to split, only to have the front wheel wash out in the corner made infamous by Sam Hill in 2008.

"I was really enjoying myself in the run, especially the last sector and I don't know, my hand slipped alittle and the next thing i know I was surfing the ground. I'm happy with my speed but just disappointed not to convert it into big points today".

George Brannigan was 6 tenths up on the first split, but was suffering all week to get the right suspension set up for this track and ultimately crashed, but will be racing between now and the next World Cup to get his set up where he needs it.

Neko was the third rider from the team to tackle the course and despite the temptation to push much harder, rode a smart race to arrive incident free at the line in 4th place, which was ultimately good enough for 15th, and has moved from 24th to 16th overall.

Brook was aiming for his first top 5 on this track in 5 years, and was well and truly on target the cross the line in 2nd but a loss of the front wheel and damage to his bike resulted in a 24th spot, and a 3rd place overall in the World Cup.

"About half way through my run I was havign trouble seeign and concentrating. My reaction time was suffering. This schedule here was pretty stupid, almost dangerous. It was 7 hours between my last parctice run and the race run and the day was just too long. The UCI need to get this sorted, you can't be off the track for so long betwen practice and a flat out race run. Having said that, I'm sitting top 3 before the summer break and I'll be keen to chase the podium again in Andorra next month".

2013 Val Di Sole WC 2 Qualifying Results

Junior's Qualifying Results

1	ATWILL Phil	GBR19950111	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	3:28.095
2	NIEDERBERGER Noel	SUI19950821	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+0.573
3	GRAHAM Innes	GBR19960703	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+4.647
4	SHAW Luca	USA19961225	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+6.069
5	ELLISON Luke	AUS19951030	AUSTRALIA	+6.669
6	FAYOLLE Alexandre	FRA19950720	FRANCE	+8.588
7	MEDICI Simone	ITA19950705	ITALY	+8.885
8	VERNON Taylor	GBR19960912	GT FACTORY RACING	+9.242
9	LUCAS Dean	AUS19950502	AUSTRALIA	+9.332
10	VERGIER Loris	FRA19960507	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+9.586

Women's Qualifying Results

1	ATHERTON Rachel	GBR19871206	GT FACTORY RACING	3:51.866
2	RAGOT Emmeline	FRA19860527	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+6.188
3	CARPENTER Manon	GBR19930311	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+10.578
4	CHARRE Morgane	FRA19900609	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+10.585
5	PUGIN Floriane	FRA19890417	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+12.891
6	SIEGENTHALER Emilie	SUI19860919	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+18.461
7	HANNAH Tracey	AUS19880613	HUTCHINSON UR	+18.892
8	KINTNER Jill	USA19811024	TEAM NORCO INTERNATIONAL	+20.601
9	BROWN Casey	CAN19901027	DIRT NORCO RACE TEAM	+25.072
10	CERNILOGAR Zarja	SLO19891218	BLACKTHORN GT	+25.183

Men's Qualifying Results

1	ATHERTON Gee	GBR19850226	GT FACTORY RACING	3:15.475
2	GWIN Aaron	USA19871224	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+1.362
3	SMITH Steve	CAN19891125	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+2.007
4	MACDONALD Brook	NZL19911125	TREK WORLD RACING	+3.266
5	HILL Samuel	AUS19850721	CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF	+3.931
6	HART Danny	GBR19910920	GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM	+4.691
7	MINNAAR Greg	RSA19811113	SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	+5.015
8	BRUNI Loic	FRA19940513	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+6.267
9	PAYET Florent	FRA19861121	EVIL CK RACING EVIAN	+6.364
10	SIMMONDS Matthew	GBR19870520	CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF	+6.801
11	THIRION Rémi	FRA19900423	COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION	+6.834
12	HANNAH Michael	AUS19831121	HUTCHINSON UR	+8.375
13	FERREIRO PAJUELO Antonio	ESP19900103	EVIL VENGEANCE TOUR	+8.418
14	READING Jack	GBR19881210		+8.575
15	NEETHLING Andrew	RSA19840805	GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM	+8.703

The Athertons Sweep At Fort Bill

Round one of the Downhill series at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano became a family affair, with the brother and sister team of Gee and Rachel Atherton (GT Factory Racing) crushing the competition in the elite men's and women's races at Fort William, Scotland, on Sunday.

British riders have always upped their game at what is, essentially, their home course, and this year was no different. Fort William is considered one of the gravity centers of the sport, and boasts some of the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds of the year. At nearly five minutes long, the track is also one of the hardest, requiring technical skills for the rocky upper section, and power and fitness for the bottom half.

Rachel Atherton qualified first among the women, over six seconds in front of Emmeline Ragot (Lapierre Gravity Republic), but the defending overall World Cup champion has been burned before in Scotland, finishing second the last three years. Fort William was the only major downhill result missing from her resumé.

Emilie Siegenthaler (Gstaad-Scott) set the first sub-5:30 time, which held until Nicole Myriam (Commencal/Riding Addiction) went below 5:25. Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen) then took the leading time below 5:20, but Ragot and Atherton were still to ride. Ragot couldn't manage to overtake Carpenter, so it was down to Atherton, and the British champion did not falter, finishing over ten seconds ahead of her compatriot.

"Winning is just ridiculously hard here," Atherton commented. "I have qualified first a few years here. You can't let your guard down. It is such a wild track and that run was just so messy all the way down, I was just thinking I'm throwing it away, the other girls are going to be smoother. I couldn't believe it when I crossed the line and finally heard the crowd cheering, instead of groaning like normal. I can't believe it."

Atherton leads the overall standings with 250 points, followed by Carpenter at 190 and Ragot at 180.

Unlike the women, the men's race did not have a single clear favourite. Danny Hart (Giant Factory), the 2011 world champion, qualified first, but less than two-tenths of a second ahead of Gee Atherton.

The leading time crept down slowly, with Austin Warren (Pivot Factory Team) the first to go under 4:50. Local Scottish rider Greg Williamson (Trek World Racing) was the next to spend any length of time in the Hot Seat, but the fastest riders were just starting to come down.

Sam Hill (ChainReactionCycles.com/Nukeproof), who won the world title in Fort William in 2007, broke the 4:40 mark, but that would not prove to be enough to make the podium. Only two riders later Brook MacDonald (Trek World Racing) took the lead, with five riders remaining, setting the stage for some of the closest times ever seen. The next three riders all came within nine-tenths of a second of MacDonald, but none could surpass the New Zealand rider.

Then it was the turn of Atherton, the 2010 winner at Fort William. The British champion was running the rock sections at the top noticeably faster than any other rider and, although he lost a few tenths of a second in the lower half, he still crossed the line 1.142 seconds faster than MacDonald to take the lead. Hart covered the top sections of the course almost as quickly as Atherton before fading in the pedaling section to finish seventh.

"I can't begin to describe it," said Atherton. "It is a pretty emotional feeling. It has been a while since I won here, and my sister won on the same day. It doesn't get better than this. I was scared, but it was a smooth run. This is the first run on a new bike but it went smooth. I couldn't have asked for a better run really. I am stoked to start the World Cup series like this. Bring it on, I say.”

Atherton leads the World Cup with 240 points, followed by MacDonald with 180 and Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing) with 162.

In the new Junior mens’s World Cup category, Noel Niederberger (Gstaad-Scott) was the top finisher, followed by Michael Jones (FMD/Intense Cycles) and Lucas Dean (Australian National).

2013 UCI World Cup Round 1 Fort William Final Results

Junior Men's Final Results

1	NIEDERBERGER Noel	SUI19950821	GSTAAD-SCOTT	4:49.931
2	JONES Michael	GBR19950222	FMD RACING / INTENSE CYCLES	+3.464
3	LUCAS Dean	AUS19950502	AUSTRALIA	+3.659
4	VERGIER Loris	FRA19960507	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+4.055
5	ATWILL Phil	GBR19950111	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+4.952
6	WALLACE Mark	CAN19950601	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+5.835
7	SHAW Luca	USA19961225	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+6.659
8	GRAHAM Innes	GBR19960703	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+7.161
9	GULLAND Morgan	GBR19950624	GREAT BRITAIN - B	+9.091
10	VERNASSA Gianluca	ITA19950904	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+9.453
11	CORNFORTH Cameron	IRL19950409	IRELAND	+13.123
12	KNOTT Peter	AUS19950616	AUSTRALIA	+13.183
13	VARLEY Aiden	AUS19960816	AUSTRALIA	+14.718
14	McCORMACK Stephen	IRL19951028	IRELAND	+15.616
15	COLOMBO Francesco	ITA19951209	TEAM AIROH AXO SANTACRUZ	+15.703

Women's Final Results

1	ATHERTON Rachel	GBR19871206	GT FACTORY RACING	5:08.846
2	CARPENTER Manon	GBR19930311	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+10.139
3	RAGOT Emmeline	FRA19860527	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+11.373
4	NICOLE Myriam	FRA19900208	COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION	+15.450
5	CHARRE Morgane	FRA19900609	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+16.646
6	PUGIN Floriane	FRA19890417	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+18.148
7	SIEGENTHALER Emilie	SUI19860919	GSTAAD-SCOTT	+20.384
8	KINTNER Jill	USA19811024	TEAM NORCO INTERNATIONAL	+21.154
9	HANNAH Tracey	AUS19880613	HUTCHINSON UR	+23.413
10	CERNILOGAR Zarja	SLO19891218	BLACKTHORN GT	+26.497
11	SEAGRAVE Tahnee°	GBR19950615	FMD RACING / INTENSE CYCLES	+29.412
12	GATTO Micayla	CAN19880821		+36.309
13	SUEMASA Mio	JPN19830401		+37.803
14	VERBEECK Vaea	CAN19901125		+41.174
15	GRIFFITHS Fionn	GBR19820827		+43.915

Men's Final Results

1	ATHERTON Gee	GBR19850226	GT FACTORY RACING	4:36.712
2	MACDONALD Brook	NZL19911125	TREK WORLD RACING	+1.142
3	SMITH Steve	CAN19891125	DEVINCI GLOBAL RACING	+1.361
4	BLENKINSOP Samuel	NZL19881028	LAPIERRE GRAVITY REPUBLIC	+1.489
5	HANNAH Michael	AUS19831121	HUTCHINSON UR	+1.968
6	HILL Samuel	AUS19850721	CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF	+2.131
7	HART Danny	GBR19910920	GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM	+2.644
8	MINNAAR Greg	RSA19811113	SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	+4.065
9	BRYCELAND Josh	GBR19900323	SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	+4.084
10	WILLIAMSON Greg	GBR19920608	TREK WORLD RACING	+5.416
11	BEAUMONT Marc	GBR19840925	GT FACTORY RACING	+6.555
12	BROSNAN Troy	AUS19930713	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+6.603
13	SMITH Joseph	GBR19900704	CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM / NUKEPROOF	+8.112
14	PEKOLL Markus	AUT19871013	MS MONDRAKER TEAM	+8.298
15	NEETHLING Andrew	RSA19840805	GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM	+8.356
16	COLE Cameron	NZL19880203	YETI FOX SHOX FACTORY RACE TEAM	+8.380
17	THIRION Rémi	FRA19900423	COMMENCAL / RIDING ADDICTION	+8.628
18	DALE Sam	GBR19900212	MADISON SARACEN DOWNHILL TEAM	+8.658
19	DELFS Mitchell	AUS19890725	EVIL VENGEANCE TOUR	+8.758
20	GWIN Aaron	USA19871224	SPECIALIZED RACING DH	+8.901