DOWNHILL WORLD CUP #6, LOUDENVIELLE, FRANCE
What can you say? Downhill racing is a tough sport, and round six of this year’s Downhill World Cup in Loudenvielle, in the French Pyrenees, was especially challenging for the INTENSE Factory Racing (IFR) and MS INTENSE Racing (MS) teams. The Loudenvielle track is a tale of two halves. The top section is open and fast (in dry conditions), with twists, turns, and jumps where maintaining momentum is key. But at around the 1 minute 20 second mark, the track begins to drop, steepen, and turn nasty. Even in dry conditions, this lower section is a grueling test of both bike and body. In the rain, it became treacherous—nearly unrideable in several spots.
Weather in the Pyrenees is unpredictable, even on the best days. Early September, when summer gives way to autumn, is especially tricky. Unfortunately, it poured for most of the week. While there were some brighter moments, the rain dominated, making the racing conditions even more difficult.
Due to the weather, the schedule had to be adjusted, including the cancellation of the semifinals. Riders went straight from qualifying to the final races. This meant the men’s elite field was cut from 144 to just 30 in one go, and in the women’s elite, 37 riders were reduced to 10! Adding to the chaos were course holds, red flags, unpredictable weather, and reruns.
With only 10 women advancing to the finals, both Lou Fergusson (IFR) and Eleonora Farina (MS) missed out on qualifying. Lou finished 12th, and Eleonora placed 15th. As Eleonora explained, “Ten girls had a rerun after a red flag in drier conditions. With only 10 spots in the final, I was out! It’s part of the sport. Sometimes it’s like this, and you just have to accept it.”
The elite men faced their own challenges and also missed the cut. David Trummer (MS) placed 127th, Jacob Dickson (MS) 45th, Joe Breeden (IFR) 44th, and Tuhoto Ariki-Penne (MS) finished just outside the top 30 in 31st—missing the final by only 0.032 of a second. As Tuhoto said, “Annoying, but it happens.”
For the junior IFR riders, it was another weekend of disappointment. Oscar Griffiths didn’t start, and Ryder Lawrence crashed out, finishing 89th. Ryder reflected, “I’m not very happy about this weekend. I was feeling really good on the course and having a solid qualifying run until I crashed close to the bottom. I’m getting frustrated with these little mistakes, but I’ll head home and work on it.”
With a month-long break until the final round of the World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne on October 5th, the riders are determined to regroup and aim for a strong finish in Canada.
