How to Watch Lenzerheide World Cup (DH#4/XCO/XCC#5) in Canada

It’s been a full month since the last mountain bike World Cup, but Lenzerheide, Switzerland is bringing a full roster of XC and DH action back this weekend. The double header starts Friday with short track cross country racing. Downhill takes over the slopes of Switzerland on Saturday before the Olympic distance XC race on Sunday.

46 Canadians are on the start list across junior, under-23, elite categories in downhill and cross country. The huge team will be hunting for podiums and experience, with newer riders joining the experienced elites in Switzerland.

Canadians to watch in Lenzerheide

What have Canadians been doing with the time off since Leogang? Well, winning Crankworx whip-off events, podiuming at Enduro World Series rounds and racing Canada Cup rounds back here in Canada.

Lenzerheide has been kind to Canadian racers in the past. Emily Batty and Elliot Jamieson won bronze world championships medals at the same venue back in 2018, in elite XCO and junior men’s DH, respectively.

Cross country: injuries and comebacks

Batty’s back in Europe for Lenzerheide, but will be missing her Canyon MTB teammate Jenn Jackson after the Canadian elite XCO champ broke her elbow in Leogang.

While Jackson is out, Léandre Bouchard, Canada’s elite men’s XCO national champ, is returning to World Cup racing after his own injury in Brazil. He’ll join Gunnar Holmgren, who has had a break-out elite year, the Disera brothers and several more Canucks in the elite men’s racing.

A huge squad of under-23s are in Switzerland for the weekend’s racing. That includes Carter Woods, Emilly Johnston, Roxane Vermette, Tyler Orschel and several more heading over for their first international races of the year.

Downhill: Canadians on the move

Canadian riders are charging hard in downhill right now. Finn Iles is back to health, with a sixth in Leogang after injury stalled his excellent start to 2022 in Lourdes, where he was second. Mark Wallace was right behind Iles in Austria, finishing 10th. Patrick Laffey and Seth Sherlock have also posted fast results this season, the later finding time to score two Enduro World Series podiums in his time “off” between downhill events. Elliot Jamieson will be looking for speed where he won his junior medal in ’18.

Gracey Hemstreet and Jackson Goldstone continue to lead the next generation with stellar results in the junior races. Hemstreet won two rounds and finished third in Leogang. Goldstone’s yet to finish off the podium this year, even when he crashed in his race run. They’re joined by a big crew of juniors, including Tegan Cruz, Bodhi Kuhn, Tristan Lemire, all of whom have strong results this year, and newer riders like Joy Attalla and Wei Tien Ho who will be racing their first Euro events of 2022 after strong domestic results.

International riders to watch

Downhill: Pierron’s year

Amaury Pierron is once again the name on top in the men’s downhill World Cup. He won in Lourdes and Fort William before Matt Walker finally ended his streak in Leogang. On the women’s side, a battle for the overall is heating up between Camille Balanche, who won in Leogang, and the perpetually fast Myriam Nicole.

Cross Country: Schurter’s hunt for 34

When Loana Lecomte won the Leogang World Cup it interrupted Rebecca McConnell’s otherwise perfect season. The Australian will be looking to restart her overall campaign after winning the first three World Cups in a row. 2016 Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds is also on the move, just waiting for her first XCO win of 2022. One name absent from the Leogang, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, will be back on the start line for Lenzerheide.

The big news, though, will be Nino Schurter’s hunt for a historic 34th World Cup win. Schurter will be on home turf in Switzerland this weekend, which could give him the boost he needs after several close finishes already this year. But it was another Swiss rider, Mathias Flueckiger, who foiled Schurter’s efforts at the last round in Leogang.

Broadcast Schedule: World Cup DH#4 & XCO/XCC #5 – Lenzerheide, Switzerland, July 8-10, 2022

Racing in Switzerland starts Friday with Short Track XCC. Elite races will be broadcast all weekend live on Red Bull TV.

July 8 – World Cup XCC #5

Elite Women XCC: 08:35 PST / 11:35 EST
Elite Men XCC 09:30 PST / 12:30 EST

July 9 – World Cup Downhill #4

Junior Men/Women (Not Televised)

Elite Women DH: 03:25 PST / 06:25 EST
Elite Men DH: 04:45 PST /  07:45 EST

July 10 – World Cup XCO #5

Under-23 Men/Women (Not Televised)

Elite Women XCO: 01:45 PST / 04:45 EST
Elite Men XCO: 04:00 PST / 07:00 EST