A Fresh Start
The anticipation for the second round of the 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup was high. A brand new venue and a brand new track meant that every rider was on the same page. From the first few steps during trackwalk it was clear, the Polish had built one incredible course!
Practice was one of two halves. The day started with blue, sunny skies and a dry, dusty track. The course was fast from the get-go, with more than a few riders finding the limit. In typical World Cup fashion, the heavens opened! Mudguards were bolted on, and jackets zipped up - the day must go on!
Saturday brought the first true timed test in the form of Qualifying and the ever popular Semi-Finals.
Camille Balanche and Loris Vergier were first to assert their Polish dominance, taking the top honours for Qualifying. Neither could go two for two though, as Vali Höll and Dakotah Norton topped the timing sheets for Semi Finals.
We'd already seen four different names at the top this weekend, but we weren't done yet! On the women's side it was Marine Cabirou who put down an absolute heater to win the second round by nearly 1.2 seconds! On the men's side, Ronan Dunne etched his name into the history books with his first Elite World Cup Downhill win. What a weekend!
We're only two races in, and this season is keeping us on the edge. Long live downhill!
