Bodhi Kuhn survives rain to land Leogang DH podium
Rossland racer battles through adverse weather to take overall lead
After a few dusty days of practice, sudden storms created chaos for the junior men’s downhill race in Leogang on Friday. The top qualified riders, and most Canadians, dropped after a weather delay long enough that Discovery had already turned off the live broadcast cameras for the day.
Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing) toughed out the rain to finish second. The Rossland, B.C. racer was as the only rider to come close to Léo Abella (Commencal Less Orres) pre-rain delay time.
Rain wreaks havoc on junior men
Léo Abella (Commencal Les Orres) was the last rider down in the reasonably dry weather. After the French junior finished his run, the UCI suspended the race for a weather delay. When racing resumed over 40 minutes later, racers faced a completely different and unfamiliar track. After practicing in the dry all week, Leogang was back to its wet and wild self but juniors would not have a chance to practice, or even see the track, before dropping in for their race runs. A section of stumps near the top of the track and out in the open was particularly treacherous, with lines possible in the dry rendered nearly unrideable by the now greasy roots.
The storm’s timing did not work out well for most Canadians. Of the seven qualified for the 25-rider junior men’s final, the majority dropped in for race runs after the weather delay. Bodhi Kuhn had qualified second, Tegan Cruz third, Dane Jewett fourth and Ryan Griffith sixth.
Only Kuhn was able to match that result. The Trek Factory Racing rider defied the weather to finish second in the rain in finals. With that result, Kuhn moves into the ovreall World Cup lead going into the third round in Val di Sole.
Dylan Marino (Outlaw) finished sixth in the final. Jewett, Brock Hawes and Cruz finished 16th, 17th and 18th. Ryan Griffith was 20th and Jake Polito 23rd at the end of the day.
Junior Women
The junior women were lucky enough to get on course before the storm. Lisa Bouladou of France earned her first World Cup win. Aimi Kenyon (Pinkbike Racing) followed in second just ahead of Rily Miller of the U.S.A.
Thursday’s fastest qualifier, and winner of the last round, Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) crashed hard in her race run before the first split time.
Replays of both finals are below, though there is no sound for part of the women’s and the junior men’s cuts out before the vast majority of racers drop in for their run.
