Just a few days after the exhilarating showdown of the World’s best riders at the opening round in Lenzerheide, the World Cup heads to Leogang for another weekend of racing action. Before the racing begins we have given our best shot at predicting who we think could be the ones to watch this weekend.
After the bike park challenge of Lenzerheide riders are in for similar terrain in Leogang as the course is looking dry, dusty and absolutely flat out. The speeds were already higher than normal at the first round so expect some high numbers through the speed traps this week. Looking back at last weekend it was Rachel Atherton who came out on top in the Elite Women’s racing after an incredibly impressive performance saw her place consistent results throughout the week with the big payoff of the win during finals. One rider that would have wanted to do better was Camille Balanche who looked unstoppable during qualifying and semi-finals but just fell short at the last hurdle taking 2nd at her home race. Nina Hoffmann fought through a knee injury to get herself 3rd place after skipping the qualifying session.
The Elite Men’s racing saw Jordan Williams stamp his authority on the season and prove the doubters wrong as he took the win at his first Elite race. Loris Vergier would make a small mistake during his run potentially costing him the win but the speed is definitely there. The World Champion couldn’t quite beat his new teammate but a third place for Loic Bruni to start the season is nothing to complain about when the margins were as tight as in Lenzerheide.
Camille Balanche:
Before finals in Lenzerheide Camille Balanche was very much the rider to beat at round one taking the fastest time in both qualifying and semi-finals. While Camille may not have grabbed the home win in Lenzerheide she has clearly shown she has the speed this year. Since the World Champs in 2020, Camille has been unbeatable in Leogang so we expect she may secure another win here this week.
Rachel Atherton:
After her incredible win at the first round, it wasn’t clear when we would next see Rachel Atherton back between the tape. An announcement earlier this week revealed that Rachel is going to be returning again this weekend to see if she can top the podium once again and potentially beat ACC’s all-time win record. Following her win last weekend we think Rachel may just have the speed to topple the dominant Camille Balanche once again.
Vali Höll:
Since her move up to Elites Vali Höll has had some really bad luck while trying to take the home win at Leogang. After a tricky first round that didn’t go the best for the Austrian rider, she will be wanting to prove she is a real threat for the overall this year. Vali Höll will definitely be one to keep a close eye on this week.
Jordan Williams:
Jordan Williams has already proved he can beat the World’s best but now is his chance to show it wasn’t just a one-off. As Jordan heads into the second round as the series leader he will have a lot more pressure and eyes on him than last weekend, but if he can stay composed we think there could be another winning run coming his way.
Loris Vergier:
One rider that came so close to the win last weekend was Loris Vergier. A small slip-up during his finals run slowed him down just enough to miss the top step of the podium. With another round of racing this week he can take that frustration and aim it toward the win this week in Leogang.
Andreas Kolb:
Another rider just falling short of the win was Andreas Kolb. All week he was right up there looking fast and taking top times but a small crash in his race run ended any chance of a good result. Just like Vali Höll, Andreas will be on the hunt for that special home World Cup win and we think he could just do it if he can stay upright.
While we have made our main predictions for potential winners above there were other riders who we should mention as potential top performers this weekend.
Loic Bruni was another rider looking fast at round one and after a third-place finish, he will be looking for more as the Specialized team riders battle for the top spots after its podium domination in Lenzerheide.
Nina Hoffmann may have struggled with a knee injury last week but a third in finals was very impressive. The German rider was looking very quick heading into the season before her injury so if she is able to race we may see another top result from the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider.
Who Will Win the Elite Women’s Race?
Who Will Win the Elite Men’s Race?