How to Watch: World Cup XCO/DH racing in Lenzerheide, Switzerland
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Photo by: Bartek Wolinksi / Red Bull Content PoolAfter a break for Val di Sole world championships and, for the cross country racers, Tokyo Olympics, World Cup racing is back this weekend. Both XCO and DH athletes are in Lenzerheide, Switzerland for the last weekend of European racing before the World Cup concludes with a double round in the U.S.A.
A big Canadian team headed to Val di Sole, Italy for world championships. Having made the journey, most of those athletes will be back between the tape this weekend in Lenzerheide, plus some that didn’t make Cycling Canada’s selections.
After a brief interlude for worlds, which were only available on FloBikes in Canada, World Cup racing is back on Red Bull TV for Lenzerheide. All the elite races will be broadcast live on Red Bull TV. The full race schedule is at the bottom of this page.
Cross country
Lenzerheide is where Emily Batty won a bronze medal at world championships back in 2018. Hopefully the return to a familiar venue will see the Canadian back towards the front of the race.
It’s also Catharine Pendrel’s last European World Cup. The Olympic bronze medallist has announced her plan to move on from World Cup racing to the next phase of her career at the end of this season. With the 2021 calendar ending in Snowshoe, W.Va., this weekend’s Swiss event could be her last World Cup across the pond. Not that Pendrel’s slowed down much, she was still the fastest Canadian in the elite cross country race last week in Val di Sole.
It’s Loana Lecomte that leads the overall standings, though. The French woman hasn’t had the same level of success in the races since the last World Cup in Les Gets back in July. After sitting out Val di Sole, though, Lecomte will surely be keen to defend her lead in Lenzerheide.
On the men’s side, Mathias Flueckiger is still on the front of the World Cup. After losing world championships to fellow Swiss rider, the iconic Nino Schurter, Flueckiger will want to re-establish his position at the front of World Cup racing.
Downhill
For the gravity crowd, Lenzerheide is the end of a busy three weeks of racing. Loris Vergier and Myriam Nicole were the top riders at the Maribor World Cup, one week before worlds in Val di Sole. Nicole repeated the following weekend, winning her second rainbow jersey. She stood on the podium next to Greg Minnaar, who landed an incredible fourth world championship title in his 20+ year career.
Canadian fans will have their eyes on Jackson Goldstone, though. The Squamish junior has two World Cup wins and a silver, plus his world championship title from Val di Sole. While Goldstone definitely attracts the spotlight, and deservedly so, the Canadian juniors have had a very strong year all around. Gracey Hemstreet leads the women, with her bronze in Val di Sole and 5th in her first race back in Maribor.
Broadcast Schedule: World Cup DH#4 & XCO/XCC #5 – Lenzerheide, Switzerland, September 3-5, 2021
Racing in Switzerland starts Friday with Short Track XCC. Elite races will be broadcast all weekend live on Red Bull TV.
Sept. 3 – World Cup XCC #5
Elite Women XCC: 8:20AM PST / 11:20 EST
Elite Men XCC: 9:15 AM PST / 13:15 EST
Sept. 4 – World Cup Downhill #4
Junior Men/Women (Not Televised)
Elite Women DH: 3:30AM PST / 6:30 EST
Elite Men DH: 4:45AM PST /Â 7:45 EST
Sept. 5 – World Cup XCO #5
Under-23 Men/Women (Not Televised)
Elite Women XCO: 03:00 AM PST / 06:00 EST
Elite Men XCO: 05:30 AM PST / 08:30 AM EST