Riders have not had long to get over the packed weekend of racing in Lezerheide as it is already time to qualify for the second round of the year in Leogang. Some surprise wet and windy weather played havoc during qualifying particularly affecting the men’s competition.
As riders try and figure out how to attack the now wet course in Leogang after getting dusty practice laps, let’s get into the results and stats.
Overall:
1st. Vali Höll: 3:32.941
2nd. Camille Balanche: 3:34.960
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: 3:37.265
4th. Monika Hrastnik: 3:38.626
5th. Tahnee Seagrave: 3:40.224
1st. Davide Palazzari: 3:11.755
2nd. Matt Walker: 3:11.998
3rd. Ian Guionnet: 3:12.926
4th. Johan Garcin: 3:14.217
5th. Loris Revelli: 3:15.655
Full results, here.
A closer look at the top five overall race positions as riders passed through each timing gate.
Sector 1
1st. Camille Balanche: 38:511
2nd. Vali Höll: +0.032
3rd. Tahnee Seagrave: +0.58
4th. Rachel Atherton: +0.609
5th. Monika Hrastnik: +0.9
Sector 2
1st. Camille Balanche: 1:31.699
2nd. Vali Höll: +0.465
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: +1.597
4th. Rachel Atherton: +2.555
5th. Monika Hrastnik: +2.873
Sector 3
1st. Vali Höll: 2:13.793
2nd. Camille Balanche: +2.222
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: +2.913
4th. Rachel Atherton: +5.027
5th. Tahnee Seagrave: +5.032
Sector 4
1st. Vali Höll: 2:57.273
2nd. Camille Balanche: +1.711
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: +3.386
4th. Rachel Atherton: +5.547
5th. Monika Hrastnik: +5.881
Finish
1st. Vali Höll: 3:32.941
2nd. Camille Balanche: +2.019
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: +4.324
4th. Monika Hrastnik: +5.685
5th. Tahnee Seagrave: +7.283
Sector 1
1st. Ian Guionnet: 34:454
2nd. Matt Walker: +0.048
3rd. Fernando Juan Munoz: +0.347
4th. Johan Garcin: +0.403
5th. Loris Revelli: +0.728
Sector 2
1st. Ian Guionnet: 1:22.677
2nd. Matt Walker: +0.365
3rd. Davide Palazzari: +1.356
4th. Johan Garcin: +1.49
5th. Loris Revelli: +1.783
Sector 3
1st. Matt Walker: 2:02.025
2nd. Ian Guionnet: +0.616
3rd. Johan Garcin: +0.817
4th. Dante Silva: +1.835
5th. Sam Blenkinsop: +1.916
Sector 4
1st. Matt Walker: 2:39.264
2nd. Ian Guionnet: +0.635
3rd. Davide Palazzari: +0.718
4th. Johan Garcin: +2.078
5th. Dante Silva: +3.452
Finish
1st. Davide Palazzari: 3:11.755
2nd. Matt Walker: +0.243
3rd. Ian Guionnet: +1.171
4th. Johan Garcin: +2.462
5th. Loris Revelli: +3.900
Elite Women
Elite Men
The top 15 qualifying margins were plotted before including results at positions 20, 25, 30, 35 and 35. The green area marks riders who have qualified to semi-finals.
The top 15 qualifying margins were plotted before including results at positions 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 and 155. The green area marks riders who have qualified to semi-finals.
Vali Höll & Camille Balanche are Going to be Tough to Beat
In the Elite Women’s qualifying it was Vali Höll and Camille Balanche who were in a league of their own as they traded blows at the front of the race. From the second split onward no other rider would come within a second of the pair and by the end they would be well clear of the rest of the field. Vali Höll would perform best in the tricky conditions as she pulled just over two seconds ahead of Camille Balanche. Camille Balanche herself would build another two-second plus gap back to third-placed Nina Hoffmann. While Vali Höll was strong in qualifying if the past few years in Leogang have taught us anything it’s that Camille Balanche is dominant in the wet here. We are in for a real fight between these two and we can’t wait to watch it unfold tomorrow.
The Sector Between Split 4 & the Finish was Crucial for the Men
While the men’s race ended up being a bit of a mess with changing conditions offering very different challenges as the riders made their way down the one thing we have spotted is how the final sector to the line really changed up the top five. Heading into the final part of the course we saw Matt Walker and Ian Guionnet changing hands of the race lead and seemed like the riders on top during their runs. But in the final section, Matt Walker lost around 0.9 seconds and Ian Guionnet about 1.2 to the eventual fastest rider. We are not sure what they may have down here but one thing that is certain is that qualifying winner Davide Palazzari must have had a great split as he jumped from third to first, this follows a strong ride through the always wild lower woods where he also made up time. The final part of the course seems to have been a trouble area for Dante Silva as he was on his way to a top-five finish before this part of the course knocked him back to 8th position. If conditions remain for tomorrow this will be a spot to keep an eye on in the live broadcast.
Riders Will Have to Start Over Tomorrow
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the washout that was qualifying is that all the lines and practice so far could be completely useless if the course remains wet for tomorrow. Practice is very limited in the morning with an already packed racing schedule giving riders no chance to properly reset once the semi-finals begin. Riders will be paying close attention to any footage from today’s qualifying hoping to find a line they can get some practice on ahead of the first fight against the clock to advance into finals.