DH World Cup Rd 8 – Val di Sole – Preview & How to Watch

And just like that we’re heading into the final round of the 2022 DH World Cup season… Surely, nothing can eclipse last weekend’s World Championships in Les Gets but it’s happened before. Snowshoe 2019 anyone?

All photos: Red Bull Content Pool

Things to note… as it’s the final round there are no points available for qualifying, it’s all on the race.

Elite Women – Current Standings

1. Camille Balanche 1335
2. Vali Hoell 1216
3. Myriam Nicole 1155
4. Eleonora Farina 951
5. Nina Hoffmann 933
6. Monika Hrastnik 707
7. Mille Johnset 533
8. Veronika Widmann 473
9. Jess Blewitt 418
10. Anna Newkirk 332

The tone for the 2022 season was set at Round 1 where Balanche took victory, closely followed by Nicole and Hoell. The ‘big 3’ have been a level above the others this season.

Coming into Round 7 in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Balanche hadn’t finished outside the Top 3 and looked to have the title in the bag. A broken collarbone in practice gave the others a sniff. Nicole, who was sitting in second coming into that race couldn’t capitalise on it.

Hoell did though, taking victory and leapfrogging Nicole into second. Since then, the 20-year-old Austrian has become World Champion and would be the favourite to retain the title she won so dramatically in Snowshoe last season if Balanche hadn’t had her collarbone double plated (top and bottom). The Swiss rider wants this title to go with her 2020 World Champs win and it would be hard to argue that she doesn’t deserve it.

Last weekend in Les Gets, just 2 and a half weeks after that surgery she finished fourth. Sure, we’ve all heard of Jorge Lorenzo, the MotoGP rider who broke his collarbone in practice but had surgery that evening and raced the next day but, this is DH where the impacts are huge, and the upper body takes the brunt of them. Nowhere are the impacts harder or the holes bigger than Val di Sole so it will be interesting to see how she copes. 

Nicole has won here twice before and since her first victory here in 2011, only Rachel Atherton (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016), Tahnee Seagrave (2017 and 2018) and Marine Cabirou (2019) have won on Italian soil and none of them will be lining up this weekend.

It’s not a track Hoell favours (in fact it’s her least favourite), but if she takes victory Balanche will need to finish fourth or better to take the overall; fifth and she’d lose out by one point. If Hoell finishes second, Balanche needs to finish eighth or better. If Hoell finishes second and Balanche eighth Camille will win the overall by one point. It’s tight at the top!

If it isn’t Nicole or Hoell who else could claim victory? Well, realistically probably only Nina Hoffmann. The German won in Fort William earlier in the season and will be on a high after winning a silver medal last weekend. 

Elite Men – Current Standings

1. Amaury Pierron 1245
2. Finn Iles 996
3. Loris Vergier 758
4. Laurie Greenland 731
5. Andreas Kolb 626
6. Danny Hart 624
7. Bernard Kerr 623
8. Greg Minnaar 623
9. Benoit Coulanges 590
10. Matt Walker 564

Amaury Pierron has one hand firmly on this title. With 250 points available this weekend Finn would need 61 riders to qualify (60 qualifiers plus protected riders) and then he would need to win and Amaury to finish 61^st. It’s unlikely, particularly given that Finn had a big crash last weekend at Worlds and didn’t line up for his race run but, it’s possible.

Pierron smashed his wheel at World Champs in Val di Sole last year and has also had a DNF on this track. If Finn starts, Pierron’s priority should be getting the bike across the line but that’s not how he rides. After losing out to Loic last weekend in Les Gets he’ll want to finish the season in style so expect fireworks!

If Finn doesn’t line up on Saturday, he should still get second. Loris Vergier would need to win to take that place from him. As with the women it’s a track that the same riders tend to do well on. Since Gwin’s first win here in 2011 only Gee Atherton (2013), Danny Hart (2016), Pierron (2018) Laurie Greenland (2019) and Greg Minnaar (2021) have tasted success.

Greenland will be one of the favourites this weekend. His 2019 victory is his sole World Cup win, but he also claimed a silver medal at the 2016 World Champs. He’s riding exceptionally well having finished second to Finn by 0.2 at the last round. 

Other riders to look out for:

Troy Brosnan – 3^rd in Mont Sainte Anne, 4^th in Les Gets and Bronze medallist in Val di Sole in 2021

Aaron Gwin – 4^th in Mont Sainte Anne, 8^th in Les Gets, 4 times victorious in Val di Sole, winning in 2012 by nearly 8 seconds

Elsewhere there are battles raging everywhere as riders try to finish the season strongly and either protect what they’ve got or try and make the jump up the rankings. Tenth ranked Matt Walker (knee) won’t line up this weekend and both Thibaut Daprela (eleventh) and Aaron Gwin (twelfth) should overtake him. 

The battle is also on for riders to remain in the Top 20 so they’ll start next season protected. Mark Wallace currently sits in twentieth on 322 points. Dak Norton (290), Loris Revelli (268) and young guns Antoine Vidal (265) and Ethan Craik (260) will be pushing him hard. 

Junior Women – Current Standings

1. Gracey Hemstreet 380
2. Phoebe Gale 355
3. Jenna Hastings 250
4. Izabela Yankova 245
5. Aimi Kenyon 210

With 60 points available the title is between Hemstreet and Gale. If Gale were to win Hemstreet would need to finish outside the Top 4 to lose the title. 5^th would give them both a tie on 415 and they’d both have 4 race wins. If this were to happen, we believe it then comes down to most recent win so Gale would take the overall. Yankova took the win in 2021 and looks to be coming into some late season form, however Hastings will be wearing the Stripes she claimed from the Bulgarian last weekend.

Junior Men – Current Standings

1. Jackson Goldstone 400
2. Jordan Williams 326
3. Lachlan Stevens-McNab 271
4. Tegan Cruz 207
5. Bodhi Kuhn 181

With 5 wins and 2 second place finishes from 7 rounds, Jackson Goldstone has already captured the 2022 overall. He’ll be smarting from the wound his great rival Jordan Williams inflicted last weekend though, taking his World Champs title. Williams will only get to wear the Stripes for one race as both riders head up into Elite next season. Lachlan Stevens-McNab is injured after a big one in Les Gets but will hold on for third.

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A post shared by Lachie Stevens-McNab (@lachiestevensmcnab)

The Track

It’s brutal. Let Reece Wilson take you down the 2021 track. There will probably be some new sections, but the Black Snake doesn’t change much or get any easier…

It will be great to see the 2020 World Champion back in the saddle this weekend. 

The Weather

This is where it could get spicy. The riders got lucky in Les Gets but Thunderstorms are predicted on Thursday and Saturday…

How To Watch It

Saturday 3^rd September

Women’s DH Final @ 11:25am UK

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/live/uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-2022-val-di-sole-dh-women

Men’s DH Final @ 12:45pm UK

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/live/uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-2022-val-di-sole-dh-men

If you didn’t have enough reasons to tune in already, this could be Rob Warner’s swansong so let’s hope it’s a race to remember!

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