Rachel Atherton starts her comeback weekend at Lenzerheide World Cup
Six-time world champion is on course in Switzerland
Photo by:
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
After teasing her return in Fort William earlier this year, it looks like Rachel Atherton is starting her comback this weekend at the Lenzerheide World Cup.
Whether Atherton actually leaves the start hut is, apparently, still up in the air.
“A very last minute decision to come out and see if I can race,” Atherton posted online, adding, “I thought this would be the ‘easiest’ World Cup to try but some fresh sections are looking pretty hard! I’m Nervous, excited, scared, excited, tired, happy, relaxed all at once!” Atherton added that she was “rapidly changing her mind” in her Instagram stories.
In Fort William earlier this spring, Atherton did track walk and rode during practice, fuelling rumours of her long-awaited return to racing. With Fort Bill being one of the longest and most physical courses on the World Cup circuit, though, the Atherton Racing co-founder opted to put her comeback off for another day.
Long and winding road back from Les Gets
If Atherton does race this weekend, it will be her first race back since rupturing her achillies tendon in 2019 during practice for the Les Gets World Cup. Since then, Atherton’s also taken time away from racing to have her first child – who travelled with her to Swtizerland.
The six-time world champion shared the news, and her nervousness about the course, after track walk on Wednesday in Switzerland.
