MTB cycling: Hardly anyone expected Alexandre Fayolle, but the Frenchman clinched victory in front of his home crowd in the first run of the UCI MTB Downhill World Cup 2017. Different for the women: Defending champion Rachel Atherton starts where she left off in 2016 - with a win.
The weather in Lourdes, France, once again tipped the scales: While the women “only” had to contend with dusty conditions, the onset of rain during the Men Elite race turned the track into a sled. The top riders starting last got it right and none of the favorites were able to convert their skills into a good time let alone a win. Thus, in the Men Elite class, there were three riders on the podium that no one really expected beforehand. The question of whether 29" will be the wheel size of the future also has to be postponed for the time being: The extremely good performance of the Santa Cruz Syndicate Team in Qualify could perhaps already be interpreted as the pioneer of a new trend.
UCI MTB Downhill World Cup 2017 #1 – Lourdes: Podium Women Elite
- Rachel ATHERTON, GBR, 3:21.430
- Tracey HANNAH, AUS, 3:24.009
- Tahnee SEAGRAVE, GBR, 3:24.165
UCI MTB Downhill World Cup 2017 #1 – Lourdes: Podium Men Elite
- Alexandre FAYOLLE, FRA, 2:52.758
- Mark WALLACE, CAN, 2:56.084
- Marcelo GUTIERREZ VILLEGAS, COL, 2:56.199