Day four of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, delivered thrilling downhill racing, with Valentina Höll of Austria and Loris Vergier of France clinching the top spots in the Women Elite and Men Elite finals, respectively.
Women Elite: Höll’s Historic Hat Trick
Valentina Höll continued her dominance in downhill racing by winning her third consecutive world title. The Austrian rider, who came into the race as the leader of the 2024 UCI Downhill Women Elite Ranking, displayed nerves of steel as she delivered a masterclass on the fast, dusty track.
Race Highlights:
- Myriam Nicole (France), a two-time UCI World Champion, set a blistering pace early in the competition, going more than three seconds faster than her own fastest qualifying time. Her run looked unbeatable until the final competitors took to the track.
- Tahnée Seagrave (Great Britain), who finished second overall in the 2024 UCI World Cup, came within 0.7 seconds of Nicole’s time, positioning herself in second place with only three riders remaining.
- Both Nina Hoffmann (Germany) and Marine Cabirou (France) failed to match Nicole’s time, setting the stage for a dramatic final run by Höll.
- Höll’s run was a display of high-risk, high-reward racing. Despite nearly losing control several times, she maintained her speed and crossed the finish line 0.520 seconds ahead of Nicole, securing her third consecutive world title with a time of 3:00.212.
“I had such a hard time after the long break to get back up to speed, I really doubted myself. I was scared I didn’t know how to race a bike anymore. But to do it three times in a row it’s insane! Myriam [Nicole] is one of the best in the world, I really don’t feel like I am up at their level, but somehow I am… women’s racing at the moment is amazing.”
Reflecting on her win, Höll said,
Final Results:
- Valentina Höll (Austria) – 3:00.212
- Myriam Nicole (France) – +0.520
- Tahnée Seagrave (Great Britain) – +1.212
Men Elite: Vergier’s First Elite Title
In the Men Elite final, Loris Vergier (France) took home his first elite world title in a race filled with high drama and unexpected turns. The Frenchman, who was competing on his home away from home in Andorra, managed to edge out his competitors on a day that saw pre-race favorites stumble.
Race Highlights:
- Danny Hart (Great Britain), a double UCI World Champion, set an early benchmark with a time of 2:38.944. This time held up for much of the race as riders struggled to find the pace on the tricky course.
- Greg Minnaar (South Africa), a four-time UCI World Champion, ended his 28th appearance at a UCI World Championships with a respectable 23rd place, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
- The defending champion, Charlie Hatton (Great Britain), could only manage a 14th-place finish, confirming that the rainbow jersey would have a new owner.
- Benoît Coulanges (France) temporarily took the lead, but Vergier soon knocked him out of the hot seat with a time of 2:38.661, just 0.148 seconds faster.
- American Dakotah Norton and Austrian Andreas Kolb were unable to challenge for the podium after crashing and falling off the pace, respectively.
- Loïc Bruni (France), a five-time UCI World Champion, was the final rider down the hill and looked set to claim his sixth title. However, a crash while leading by 1.8 seconds ended his hopes, leaving Vergier to celebrate a long-awaited victory.
“It’s like I’ve been unlucky in the past years, and I got lucky this time. It was unreal. It was a bad season and I’ve turned it round today. Thanks to Loïc [Bruni] for crashing, otherwise it would have been so hard. But I’m UCI World Champion, and waaa! It’s insane.”
Vergier, ecstatic with his victory, remarked,
Final Results:
- Loris Vergier (France) – 2:38.661
- Benoît Coulanges (France) – +0.148
- Finn Iles (Canada) – +0.169
The 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships have once again demonstrated the excitement and unpredictability of downhill racing, with both Valentina Höll and Loris Vergier etching their names in the history books with remarkable performances.