Finn Iles scores first elite podium: Vallnord Downhill World Cup

Infamously steep and unrelenting, the Vallnord downhill track is always a favourite stop among fans and riders. Canadian fans have new reason to like the Andorra World Cup stop: Saturday’s racing saw Finn Iles score his first podium finish since moving up to the elite category after a successful junior racing career.

Vallnord crowned Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Loris Vergier with his first World Cup win after a string of close seconds and, on the Women’s side, saw Tahnee Seagrave edge out Rachel Atherton to land her third-straight win.

Elite Men – UCI World Cup Downhill Round #5: Vallnord, Andorra

After qualifying 19th on Friday, Finn Iles set a benchmark time early on in Saturday’s racing. Specialized’s young Canadian beat the top qualifying time of Luca Shaw (Santa Cruz Syndicate) by a full second. Either the track was running much faster, or Iles’ was feeling better after a crash in Friday’s practice.

Ed Masters (Pivot Factory Racing) was the first to challenge Iles time, going tenths of a second faster through the first two splits. By the bottom of the track, the New Zealand rider was a full 2.9 seconds behind. It loooked like Iles was in for a long day in the hot seat.

After his brilliant podium race last weekend in Val di Sole, Italy last weekend, Thomas Estaque was looking fast again in Vallnord. The French rider was within a second of the Canadian’s time all the way down and on a wild run, before crashing near the bottom of the course.

World Champion Loic Bruni was the next to top Iles first two split times on course. Iles teammate on Specialized Gravity Racing, Bruni was racing with 16 fresh stitches after crashing in his qualifying run on Friday, but still looking fast. Until, that is, nearly going off track in a rough, open section before the third split. Despite the mis-step, Bruni still crossed the line second, 2.3 seconds back.

Canada’s Mark Wallace was the next up in the start hut. After a big crash on Friday, Wallace wan’t looking too relaxed on course. The Vancouver Island rider steadily lost ground to his fellow countryman the whole way down the course, despite sending a big double that most riders were opting to roll. Wallace was sixth last weekend in Val di Sole, but Vallnord was not his race.

With 10 riders left at the top of the mountain, Iles chances of beating his eighth in Val di Sole were looking better with every rider downthe course.

Alexandre Fayolle (Polygon UR) and Connor Fearon (Kona Gravity) both crossed the finish outside Iles time. The worst the Canadian could do now would be matching his result from Italy.

Loris Vergier (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was the next rider up and, after crashing in his qualifying run, was a bit of an unknown. The perpetually fast French rider looked smooth on the steep, rough track, and was cutting time out of Iles at every split. Finding new ways through tech sections, Vergier ended up a full 4.5 seconds in the green by the time he crossed the finish line.

Sam Blenkinsop (Norco Facotry Racing) and Troy Brosnan (Canyon Factory Racing) both passed outside Iles time. With five riders left, Iles still sat in second.

Amaury Pierron was next and, racing in the home of his Commencal Vallnord team, looked determined as he launched onto the steep course. The French rider had won the last three-straight World Cup rounds. If he could win in Vallnord, Pierron would be the first rider take his first four World Cup wins consecutively. Through the mid-course time checks, Pierron was two seconds back of his French compatriot, Vergier. Half way down the course, the Commencal Vallnord rider seemed to settle, and start pulling back time. Crossing the finish line, though, he was still 1.2 seconds back. It was enough for second, pushing Iles into third, but not for the win.

Brook MacDonald (MS Mondraker) started off steady, but not slow. It proved a wise strategy on the long course, and the New Zealand rider build pace the whole way down the course. By the time he hit the final two flat corners to the grandstands, MacDonald was flying. He was still 1.6 seconds back, but it was enough to move him into third, and Iles, after a long, nervous stay on the hot seat, moved into fourth.

After a second place last weekend, MacDonalds’ teammate Laurie Greenland was looking to finally take the top step of a World Cup podium. Riding aggressively at the top of the track, Greenland nearly left the course in the exact place Bruni had his own close call just minutes before. Again later in the run, Greenland got sideways when his front wheel dug into one of the many major holes on the course. The young rider somehow saved his run both times, holding on for fourth by the bottom. With two riders left, Iles was now in fifth.

Second last at the top was Danny Hart (Madison Saracen). Always at home when the track gets steep, Hart was finding creative ways down the top half of the course. At other times the “Red Car Rocket” looked like he was struggling against the course. Hart slotted into sixth, just behind Iles.

All eyes were now on Luca Shaw. The Santa Cruz Syndicate rider had set the fastest qualifying time for a third time in 2018 at Vallnord, but had yet to convert that into a win in finals. Starting out, Shaw had his characteristic smooth riding style, but the pace wasn’t there. Shaw was already four seconds back from Vergier’s time when he crashed near the bottom of the course.

Shaw’s mistake, though, meant his Syndicate teammate Loris Vergier had won his first ever World Cup downhill. A resurgent French downhill squad went 1-2 with Pierron in second. MacDonald stayed in third, his teammate Laurie Greenland fourth.

Holding on to fifth, was Finn Iles. In just his fifth race as an elite, the young Canadian had landed his first World Cup podium at on the notoriously steep Vallnord track. It’s an impressive result for such a young rider, and shows Iles is well on his way to transitioning a  successful junior career into the start of a great run in with the elites.

Behind Iles, Mark Wallace was the next fastest Canadian, finishing 18th. Henry Fitzgerald (Norco Factory Racing) was 37th in Andorra and privateer Canadian Magnus Manson close behidn in 39th.

Elite Women – UCI World Cup Downhill Round #5: Vallnord, Andorra

Coming into Saturday’s finals in Vallnord, Rachel Atherton looked like the rider to beat. Trek’s prolific World Cup winner had set a qualifying time 12 seconds faster than her closest rival, Tracy Hannah (Polygon UR) rider in second.

Eleonora Farina set the early time to beat. The Italian would remain largely unchallenged until Enduro World Series star Cecile Ravanel (Commencal Vallnord) came down the course. The French enduro racer has been racing World Cup on and off between EWS events this year, and looks more comfortable on the big bike every round. Ravanel started off steady, but started clawing back time as the course tipped down into the steeper, more technical sections. Crossing the line, Ravanel was just 0.14 seconds behind Farina.

No other rider could come close to Farina’s time. Then Tahnee Seagrave appeared in the start gate. The Transition-Muc OFF rider qualified third on Friday, but was looking determined out on course. She quickly moved ahead on time, putting a massive 14 second lead into Farina by the end of her run and putting the pressure squarely on Atherton’s shoulders to match the blazing fast time.

Tracey Hannah was the second last Woman on course. The Australian looked fast, but wasn’t matching Seagrave’s splits. Hannah finished eight seconds back, but still comfortably in front of Farina to sit second.

Only Atherton remained at the top of the course. The Trek Factory Racing rider set the fastest times through the first two splits and looked like she was on her way to her second World Cup win of the season. Then, in the same section where Bruni and Greenland had had close calls, Atherton caught an awkward bounce through a chundery section, going off course through the race tape. Climbing back on course and getting back into her run, Atherton was still in second on course, but Seagrave’s time was gone.

Seagrave took her third World Cup win of the 2018 season, with Atherton second and Hannah third.

Junior Men – UCI World Cup Downhill Round #5: Vallnord, Andorra

Canada had two junior men racing in Vallnord, both from the Kovarik Racing team. Kendall McLean was the top finisher, landing just inside the top 10 to finish 9th. Not far behind, Ben Wallace finished 11th.

Thibault Daprela (Commencal Vallnord) added to the rising wave of French talent in Vallnord, winning the Andorra World Cup round with a 6.456 second gap on his team’s home course.

Junior Women – UCI World Cup Downhill Round #5: Vallnord, Andorra

Valentina Höll (YT Mob) continued her dominance of the Junior Women’s category. The Austrian finished 1st, 15.305 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. The junior’s time (5:08.528) would have been fast enough for 7th in elite Women