Iles and Wallace slide into top-10 at Austrian World Cup

After a week of rain and wild riding in the mud, the sun came out for downhill finals on Saturday. The Leogang course wasn’t quite dry, though, with the treacherous lower woods still slippery and causing havoc for many riders.

Canada slides out of the weekend with two top-10 finishes in the elite men’s race. One from Finn Iles, who returned from injury, and another from Mark Wallace.

Elite Men

Mark Wallace (Canyon Cllctv) qualified 10th in the mud on Friday. The Vancouver Island lost time in the drier, open sections up top in Leogang. As the course got steeper, the Canadian made up time in the still-muddy woods. His skills in the slippery conditions were enough to squeeze out a bit 10th place finish, Wallace’s best result this year.

After qualifying second, Finn Iles (Specialized) was fast at the first split. The Canadian national champ seemed to get hung up through the stumps before pulling time back on the fast motorway jumps. A few dabs through the lower woods cost Iles a second, putting him in sixth at the line. Impressive form for his first race back from injury.

The battle for the top step on the podium came down to two Brits. Danny Hard (Cube Factory) finally unseated Angel Alonso-Suarez (Commencal 100%). The Red Car Rocket was just barely holding on at a couple of points, but put together a clean run to take second.

Matt Walker (Madison Saracen) was back and forth with Hart the whole way down the course. But the young rider pulled ahead where it mattered, and takes the lead.

Benoit Coulanges (Dorval AM) Friday’s fastest qualifier, was flying through the top half of the course. The French racer came unstuck in the woods, though. With that, Walker denies France and Commencal Bikes the elite men’s win for the first time in 2022.

It’s Walker’s first elite World Cup win, and the Madison Saracen rider is thrilled.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s not a track I’ve done particularly well at in the past,” the 23-year-old said after the race. “I felt really good this morning. I was confident with my lines. I made some bold choices with tire choice and it paid off. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support. We worked so hard and it is amazing to actually achieve a goal like this.”

Hart takes second and Alonso-Suarez third. Amaury Pierron (Commencal Muc-Off) finishes fourth, to retain his World Cup overall lead, with Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton)

Canadians in Austria

After Mark Wallace and Finn Iles, it was Seth Sherlock (Intense Factory Racing) in 31st next across the line for Canada. Jake Jewett (Canyon Cllctv) followed in 51st and Lucas Cruz (Norco Factory Racing) in 57th.

Elite Women

Leogang proved to be a remarkably consistent – if consistently sketchy – venue on Sunday. Despite wildly changing conditions, the results remained impressively similar to years past.

Nina Hoffmann (Syndicate) was flying up top, carrying momentum from her Fort William win, before coming unglued in the woods and dropping back in the standings.

Marine Cabirou (Scott) and Vali Höll (RockShox Trek) both crash in the stumps. Höll’s struggles continued in the woods, making it a third straight year that the pressure of racing at home has hindered, instead of helped the Austrian.

For Camille Balanche, Leogang continues to be the opposite. The Swiss rider has held control of the Austrian track since winning her first world championships there in 2020 and wasn’t letting go today. On Sunday, the Dorval AM rider rode clean and fast to earn her third-straight win in Leogang. Her first was world championships in 2020. A World Cup in 2021 and now in 2022 cements the Swiss rider’s sensational skills in muddy, technical conditions.

“I am over the moon,” Balanche said of her latest win in Leogang, adding that equipment selection was tricky, and important. “I knew it was going to dry, but it was super hard to choose a tire. Still muddy in the wood and the wood is where you win the race. It was a last-minute change!”

Myriam Nicole (Commencal Muc-Off) rode consistently and safely navigated the treacherous woods. The world champion built momentum all the way down the course to take second.

Eleonora Farina (MS Mondraker)slid to third with Louise-Anna Ferguson and Monika Hrastnik (Dorval AM) rounding out the podium.

Results: 2022 World Cup DH#3 – Leogang, Austria

Elite Women

1.	n°1		BALANCHE Camille DORVAL AM COMMENCAL					4:08.218
2.	n°2		NICOLE Myriam COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION					4:19.586 +11.368
3.	n°6		FARINA Eleonora MS MONDRAKER TEAM					4:24.281 +16.063
4.	n°32		FERGUSON Louise-Anna GREAT BRITAIN					4:29.876 +21.658
5.	n°11		HRASTNIK Monika DORVAL AM COMMENCAL					4:30.258 +22.040
6.	n°3		HÖLL Valentina ROCKSHOX TREK RACE TEAM					4:33.011 +24.793
7.	n°10		BERNARD Mathilde SCOTT MANIGOD SHOT					4:34.658 +26.440
8.	n°12		JOHNSET Mille COMMENCAL / 100%					4:37.854 +29.636
9.	n°4		HOFFMANN Nina SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE					4:41.374 +33.156
10.	n°23		VAN DER VELDEN Siel COMMENCAL VEE					4:42.469 +34.251
11.	n°20		PIERRINI Léona OSMOS GRAVITY TEAM					4:44.800 +36.582
12.	n°14		RØNNING Frida Helena UNION					4:53.980 +45.762
13.	n°16		SALAZAR Mariana LES ARCS MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM					4:54.264 +46.046
14.	n°8		WIDMANN Veronika MADISON SARACEN FACTORY TEAM					4:57.722 +49.504
15.	n°9		PARTON Mikayla GREAT BRITAIN					5:16.420 +1:08.202
	n°5		CABIROU Marine SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY					DNF

Elite Men

1.	n°5		WALKER Matt MADISON SARACEN FACTORY TEAM					3:28.816
2.	n°4		HART Danny CUBE FACTORY RACING					3:29.141 +0.325
3.	n°13		SUAREZ ALONSO Angel COMMENCAL / 100%					3:30.370 +1.554
4.	n°1		PIERRON Amaury COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION					3:30.530 +1.714
5.	n°40		KOLB Andreas CONTINENTAL ATHERTON					3:31.249 +2.433
6.	n°6		ILES Finnley SPECIALIZED GRAVITY					3:31.547 +2.731
7.	n°7		VERGIER Loris TREK FACTORY RACING DH					3:31.944 +3.128
8.	n°15		HATTON Charlie CONTINENTAL ATHERTON					3:33.232 +4.416
9.	n°22		NORTON Dakotah INTENSE FACTORY RACING					3:33.638 +4.822
10.	n°37		WALLACE Mark CANYON COLLECTIVE FACTORY TEAM					3:34.549 +5.733
11.	n°52		GWIN Aaron INTENSE FACTORY RACING					3:34.646 +5.830
12.	n°20		LEVESQUE Dylan SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY					3:35.441 +6.625
13.	n°21		TRUMMER David MS MONDRAKER TEAM					3:35.669 +6.853
14.	n°30		DICKSON Jacob MS MONDRAKER TEAM					3:35.834 +7.018
15.	n°11		SHAW Luca CANYON COLLECTIVE FACTORY TEAM					3:35.873 +7.057
16.	n°61		BROSNAN Troy CANYON COLLECTIVE FACTORY TEAM					3:36.059 +7.243
17.	n°24		EDWARDS Kade TREK FACTORY RACING DH					3:36.170 +7.354
18.	n°2		GREENLAND Laurie SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE					3:36.931 +8.115
19.	n°14		MEIER-SMITH Luke PROPAIN FACTORY RACING					3:37.360 +8.544
20.	n°3		COULANGES Benoit DORVAL AM COMMENCAL					3:38.118 +9.302
21.	n°23		WILLIAMSON Greg COMMENCAL / 100%					3:38.413 +9.597
22.	n°17		VIDAL Antoine COMMENCAL LES ORRES					3:38.477 +9.661
23.	n°35		LUCAS Dean SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY					3:38.642 +9.826
24.	n°81		ATWILL Philip PROPAIN POSITIVE SUPPORTED BY VEE					3:38.818 +10.002
25.	n°53		REVELLI Loris CANYON COLLECTIVE PIRELLI					3:39.056 +10.240
26.	n°16		PIERRON Baptiste DORVAL AM COMMENCAL					3:39.290 +10.474
27.	n°59		PIERRON Antoine CANYON COLLECTIVE PIRELLI					3:39.478 +10.662
28.	n°60		CRAIK Ethan GT FACTORY RACING					3:39.698 +10.882
29.	n°18		KERR Bernard PIVOT FACTORY RACING					3:40.234 +11.418
30.	n°76		BLENKINSOP Samuel NORCO FACTORY TEAM					3:40.350 +11.534
31.	n°146		SHERLOCK Seth INTENSE FACTORY RACING					3:40.593 +11.777
51.	n°150		JEWETT Jakob CANYON COLLECTIVE FACTORY TEAM					3:46.611 +17.795
57.	n°49		CRUZ Lucas NORCO FACTORY TEAM					3:49.358 +20.542