Atherton wins Val d'Isere downhill World Cup

Round six of the downhill at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Val d'Isere, France turned out to be a much more difficult course than anyone anticipated, with many top riders crashing and performing below expectations. Rachel Atherton (GT Factory) took her fourth win of the season to extend her lead over Emmeline Ragot (MS Mondraker Team) in the overall standings, with one round remaining.

Atherton won round six ahead by 1.49 seconds ahead of Ragot and 3.12 seconds ahead of Floriane Pugin (Scott11).

Petra Bernhard (Alpine Commencal Austria) was the first to record a sub-2:50 run, but Myriam Nicole (Commencal / Riding Addiction) immediately took nearly seven seconds off the leading time, good enough to eventually finish fourth. Floriane Pugin (Scott 11) then knocked a further second off, but the final two riders were in a class of their own.

World champion Emmeline Ragot (MS Mondraker) was 1.6 seconds faster than Pugin, but Atherton, the fastest qualifier, once again showed that her return this season, after struggling with injury, is complete - finishing a second and a half ahead of Ragot and recording the only sub-2:40 time of the day.

"I am so happy," said Atherton. "I think this is the most nervous I have been all year. This track is very, very difficult. One day it's dry and then it's really, really wet, so tire and suspension changes are so important, and you don't know how it's gonna be on your race run. Everyone was just playing it like a guessing game.

"I almost crashed today [in training]; I landed on my seat. My stomach was hurting really bad, but I thought, this is like Fort William: I need to just switch off and then switch back on for the race. I have learned that from racing and crashing."

Several riders were missing, including Jill Kintner, who is recovering from surgery following a crash earlier this month, and Tracey Hannah, who crashed out earlier this weekend

Atherton now holds an 80-point lead over Ragot, 1,200 points to 1,120, with Nicole a distant third at 892 points.  There is one round of the downhill World Cup remaining in mid-September.

Full Results

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Elite women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Rachel Atherton (GBr) GT Factory Racing0:02:38.97
2Emmeline Ragot (Fra) MS Mondraker Team0:00:01.49
3Floriane Pugin (Fra) Scott110:00:03.12
4Myriam Nicole (Fra) Commencal / Riding Addiction0:00:04.25
5Manon Carpenter (GBr) Madison Saracen Downhill Team0:00:04.90
6Emilie Siegenthaler (Swi) Scott110:00:08.18
7Petra Bernhard (Aut) Alpine Commencal Austria0:00:11.12
8Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team0:00:12.79
9Mio Suemasa (Jpn)0:00:13.50
10Morgane Charre (Fra) Passion Velo.Fr0:00:14.37
11Tahnee Seagrave° (GBr)0:00:18.46
12Chloe Gallean° (Fra) Dagg - Racing0:00:19.86
13Mélanie Pugin (Fra) Team Morzine - Avoriaz / Haute - Savoie0:00:20.53
14Zarja Cernilogar (Slo)0:00:21.49
15Anita Molcik (Aut)0:00:23.72
16Fiona Ourdouillie° (Fra)0:00:26.40
17Caroline Sax (Fra) Team Lac Blanc / Solid / Batibois Alsace0:00:28.10
18Elke Rabeder (Aut)0:00:29.30
19Jana Bartova (Cze)0:00:31.53
20Harriet Rucknagel (Ger)0:01:25.56
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Teams
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1GT Factory Racing99pts
2MS Mondraker Team87Row 1 - Cell 3
3Santa Cruz Syndicate81Row 2 - Cell 3
4Scott1150Row 3 - Cell 3
5Commencal / Riding Addiction42Row 4 - Cell 3
6Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team38Row 5 - Cell 3
7Lapierre International36Row 6 - Cell 3
8Devinci Global Racing31Row 7 - Cell 3
9Trek World Racing28Row 8 - Cell 3
10Hutchinson United Ride26Row 9 - Cell 3
11Monster Energy-Specialized22Row 10 - Cell 3
12Chain Reaction Cycles.Com / Nukeproof22Row 11 - Cell 3
13Madison Saracen Downhill Team22Row 12 - Cell 3
14Giant Factory Off-Road Team21Row 13 - Cell 3
15Alpine Commencal Austria18Row 14 - Cell 3
16SC-Intense15Row 15 - Cell 3
17Pila-BlaCK Arrows-MTB Herin School Asd14Row 16 - Cell 3
18Passion Velo.Fr12Row 17 - Cell 3
19Dagg - Racing9Row 18 - Cell 3
20Kona9Row 19 - Cell 3
21Team Morzine - Avoriaz / Haute - Savoie8Row 20 - Cell 3
22Topcycle By Trek7Row 21 - Cell 3
23CK Racing Santacruz6Row 22 - Cell 3
24Team Lac Blanc / Solid / Batibois Alsace4Row 23 - Cell 3
25Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team3Row 24 - Cell 3
26Unior Tools Team1Row 25 - Cell 3
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Elite women individual World Cup standings after round 6
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Rachel Atherton (GBr) GT Factory Racing1200pts
2Emmeline Ragot (Fra) MS Mondraker Team1120Row 1 - Cell 3
3Myriam Nicole (Fra) Commencal / Riding Addiction892Row 2 - Cell 3
4Tracey Hannah (Aus) Hutchinson United Ride732Row 3 - Cell 3
5Emilie Siegenthaler (Swi) Scott11705Row 4 - Cell 3
6Floriane Pugin (Fra) Scott11500Row 5 - Cell 3
7Manon Carpenter (GBr) Madison Saracen Downhill Team425Row 6 - Cell 3
8Petra Bernhard (Aut) Alpine Commencal Austria402Row 7 - Cell 3
9Morgane Charre (Fra) Passion Velo.Fr381Row 8 - Cell 3
10Anita Molcik (Aut)380Row 9 - Cell 3
11Jill Kintner (USA) Team Norco International363Row 10 - Cell 3
12Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team239Row 11 - Cell 3
13Miriam Ruchti (Swi) SC-Intense232Row 12 - Cell 3
14Mio Suemasa (Jpn)230Row 13 - Cell 3
15Micayla Gatto (Can)221Row 14 - Cell 3
16Miranda Miller (Can)140Row 15 - Cell 3
17Tracy Moseley (GBr)124Row 16 - Cell 3
18Fionn Griffiths (GBr)115Row 17 - Cell 3
19Casey Brown (Can)95Row 18 - Cell 3
20Tahnee Seagrave° (GBr)90Row 19 - Cell 3
21Céline Gros (Fra) Team Morzine - Avoriaz / Haute - Savoie90Row 20 - Cell 3
22Luana Maria De Souza Oliveira (Bra)84Row 21 - Cell 3
23Mélanie Pugin (Fra) Team Morzine - Avoriaz / Haute - Savoie75Row 22 - Cell 3
24Harriet Rucknagel (Ger)75Row 23 - Cell 3
25Caroline Sax (Fra) Team Lac Blanc / Solid / Batibois Alsace75Row 24 - Cell 3
26Zarja Cernilogar (Slo)70Row 25 - Cell 3
27Jacqueline Harmony (USA)65Row 26 - Cell 3
28Claire Buchar (Can)57Row 27 - Cell 3
29Alia Marcellini (Ita) Torpado Surfing Shop55Row 28 - Cell 3
30Jessica Stone (GBr) Unior Tools Team50Row 29 - Cell 3
31Chloe Gallean° (Fra) Dagg - Racing45Row 30 - Cell 3
32Martina Bruehlmann (Swi)35Row 31 - Cell 3
33Sarah Newman (GBr)30Row 32 - Cell 3
34Fiona Ourdouillie° (Fra)25Row 33 - Cell 3
35Gabriela Williams (Cze) CG Racing Brigade25Row 34 - Cell 3
36Carina Cappellari (Swi)20Row 35 - Cell 3
37Lauren Rosser (Can)20Row 36 - Cell 3
38Elke Rabeder (Aut)15Row 37 - Cell 3
39Tamara Maria Ulrich (Aut)15Row 38 - Cell 3
40Jana Bartova (Cze)10Row 39 - Cell 3
41Jaime Hill (Can)10Row 40 - Cell 3
42Jaime Rees (USA)5Row 41 - Cell 3
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World Cup team standings after round 6
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1GT Factory Racing463pts
2Santa Cruz Syndicate347Row 1 - Cell 3
3MS Mondraker Team346Row 2 - Cell 3
4Trek World Racing289Row 3 - Cell 3
5Lapierre International280Row 4 - Cell 3
6Devinci Global Racing276Row 5 - Cell 3
7Hutchinson United Ride255Row 6 - Cell 3
8Scott11238Row 7 - Cell 3
9Giant Factory Off-Road Team231Row 8 - Cell 3
10Commencal / Riding Addiction201Row 9 - Cell 3
11Monster Energy-Specialized179Row 10 - Cell 3
12Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team133Row 11 - Cell 3
13Chain Reaction Cycles.Com / Nukeproof127Row 12 - Cell 3
14SC-Intense86Row 13 - Cell 3
15Madison Saracen Downhill Team83Row 14 - Cell 3
16Team Norco International82Row 15 - Cell 3
17Alpine Commencal Austria78Row 16 - Cell 3
18Passion Velo.Fr74Row 17 - Cell 3
19Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team67Row 18 - Cell 3
20Kona45Row 19 - Cell 3
21CG Racing Brigade37Row 20 - Cell 3
22Team Morzine - Avoriaz / Haute - Savoie35Row 21 - Cell 3
23Topcycle By Trek32Row 22 - Cell 3
24Team Lac Blanc / Solid / Batibois Alsace28Row 23 - Cell 3
25Pila-BlaCK Arrows-MTB Herin School Asd20Row 24 - Cell 3
26CK Racing Santacruz17Row 25 - Cell 3
27Unior Tools Team11Row 26 - Cell 3
28Torpado Surfing Shop10Row 27 - Cell 3
29Dagg - Racing9Row 28 - Cell 3
30Team Are Bikepark By W-Racing9Row 29 - Cell 3
31Dirt Norco Race Team4Row 30 - Cell 3
32Ghost Factory Racing TeamRow 31 - Cell 2 Row 31 - Cell 3

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