Ragot takes first World Cup win
By Tour of Japan published
Jonnier keeps overall lead
The race for the World Cup title in the women's Downhill got a little tighter on Saturday, at round four in Champéry, Switzerland. World champion Emmeline Ragot (Suspension Center) took the first World Cup victory of her career and jumped into third in the women's overall standings behind leader Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain).
The rain, which had turned the steep 1,500 metre course into a slippery mud slide during qualifying, finally backed off for race day, but the damage had been done and, in some ways, the drying conditions made things worse. As the thick mud began to dry, it clung to bikes and turned to the consistency of peanut butter, doubling the weight of bikes and slowing forward momentum to a crawl. For the lighter, less powerful women, it was the worst, with riders literally coming to a halt in some corners as they pushed on the ground with their feet to keep moving.
Floriane Pugin (Scott 11) set the first fast, sub-6 minute time. Canada's Claire Buchar (Chain Reaction/Intense) also went under six minutes, but was more than 16 seconds behind Pugin. The young French rider stayed in the hot seat until the final three riders came down, with Ragot racing third from last and knocking over eleven and a half seconds off the top time. Jonnier was next, and moved into second, still nearly five seconds behind Ragot, and the fastest qualifier, Myriam Nicole (Commencal Superiders) slotted into third.
"I was a real balance not to fall, [because] the mud was very sticky," said Ragot. "I kept saying 'go slow, go slow, go slow' ... but not too slow or you will fall over! The end [of the course] it was terrible... I had a rock caught between my frame and my tire. It made a terrible noise. But now I feel good. I have been waiting for a win."
Jonnier now has 850 points to Pugin's 645, with Ragot up to 615 points.
Full results
1 | Emmeline Ragot (Fra) Suspension Center | 0:05:27.25 |
2 | Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain | 0:00:04.87 |
3 | Myriam Nicole (Fra) Commencal Superiders | 0:00:09.72 |
4 | Floriane Pugin (Fra) Scott 11 | 0:00:11.65 |
5 | Tracy Moseley (GBr) Trek World Racing | 0:00:12.08 |
6 | Manon Carpenter (GBr) | 0:00:18.11 |
7 | Claire Buchar (Can) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense | 0:00:27.87 |
8 | Petra Bernhard (Aut) RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 0:00:38.87 |
9 | Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Norco World Team | 0:00:39.72 |
10 | Céline Gros (Fra) Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute- | 0:00:41.16 |
11 | Mio Suemasa (Jpn) FFC | 0:00:51.71 |
12 | Martina Bruehlmann (Swi) | 0:00:52.77 |
13 | Miriam Ruchti (Swi) Dr-Gravity Union | 0:01:06.75 |
14 | Katy Curd (GBr) Rose Bikes | 0:01:07.63 |
15 | Caroline Sax (Fra) | 0:01:13.06 |
16 | Micayla Gatto (Can) Oakley/Commencal | 0:01:15.88 |
17 | Jacqueline Harmony (USA) Vixen Racing | 0:01:38.21 |
18 | Nicole Beege (Ger) | 0:02:01.84 |
19 | Morgane Charre (Fra) | 0:04:00.15 |
DNF | Emilie Siegenthaler (Swi) Scott 11 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense | 85 | pts |
2 | Scott 11 | 70 | |
3 | Santa Cruz Syndicate | 48 | |
4 | Commencal | 40 | |
5 | Suspension Center | 40 | |
6 | Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain | 35 | |
7 | Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz | 32 | |
8 | Commencal Superiders | 32 | |
9 | Norco World Team | 32 | |
10 | Lapierre International | 30 | |
11 | Mondraker Factory Team | 28 | |
12 | Trek World Racing | 28 | |
13 | MS Evil Racing | 26 | |
14 | Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team | 23 | |
15 | RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 23 | |
16 | Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie | 21 | |
17 | GT Bicycles | 19 | |
18 | Dr-Gravity Union | 18 | |
19 | Solid Aclass Factory Team | 17 | |
20 | Kenda-Playbiker | 15 | |
21 | Giant Factory Team | 9 | |
22 | Team Lac Blanc Massif Des Vosges | 8 | |
23 | Blackmountain Morewood United | 7 | |
24 | XMS Racing Squad | 4 | |
25 | Team Cingolani - Protone | 3 |
World Cup Standings after four rounds
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain | 850 | pts |
2 | Floriane Pugin (Fra) Scott 11 | 645 | |
3 | Emmeline Ragot (Fra) Suspension Center | 615 | |
4 | Myriam Nicole (Fra) Commencal Superiders | 540 | |
5 | Tracy Moseley (GBr) Trek World Racing | 519 | |
6 | Rachel Atherton (GBr) Commencal | 460 | |
7 | Claire Buchar (Can) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense | 374 | |
8 | Petra Bernhard (Aut) RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 326 | |
9 | Céline Gros (Fra) Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie | 321 | |
10 | Mio Suemasa (Jpn) | 316 | |
11 | Manon Carpenter° (GBr) | 307 | |
12 | Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Norco World Team | 155 | |
13 | Micayla Gatto (Can) | 140 | |
14 | Katy Curd (GBr) | 135 | |
15 | Miriam Ruchti (Swi) Dr-Gravity Union | 100 | |
16 | Harriet Rucknagel (Ger) | 90 | |
17 | Melissa Buhl (USA) | 75 | |
18 | Jessica Stone (GBr) | 70 | |
19 | Emilie Siegenthaler (Swi) Scott 11 | 65 | |
20 | Martina Bruehlmann (Swi) | 45 | |
21 | Joanna Petterson (RSA) | 40 | |
22 | Caroline Sax (Fra) | 30 | |
23 | Aimee Dix (GBr) | 25 | |
24 | Jacqueline Harmony (USA) | 20 | |
25 | Anais Pajot (Fra) Team Sunn Montgenevre | 20 | |
26 | Fanny Lombard° (Fra) | 20 | |
27 | Nicole Beege (Ger) | 15 | |
28 | Morgane Charre (Fra) | 15 | |
29 | Sophie Borderes (Fra) | 15 | |
30 | Birgit Braumann (Aut) | 10 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense | 309 | pts |
2 | Scott 11 | 260 | |
3 | Commencal | 240 | |
4 | Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain | 235 | |
5 | Santa Cruz Syndicate | 219 | |
6 | Trek World Racing | 196 | |
7 | Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz | 125 | |
8 | Suspension Center | 124 | |
9 | Commencal Superiders | 122 | |
10 | MS Evil Racing | 119 | |
11 | Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team | 109 | |
12 | Lapierre International | 105 | |
13 | GT Bicycles | 96 | |
14 | RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 92 | |
15 | Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie | 89 | |
16 | Norco World Team | 71 | |
17 | Dr-Gravity Union | 60 | |
18 | Giant Factory Team | 57 | |
19 | Mondraker Factory Team | 50 | |
20 | Kenda-Playbiker | 42 | |
21 | Kona | 41 | |
22 | Solid Aclass Factory Team | 28 | |
23 | Team Cingolani - Protone | 20 | |
24 | Team Sunn Montgenevre | 20 | |
25 | Blackmountain Morewood United | 16 | |
26 | Dirt Norco Race Team | 15 | |
27 | Massi Team | 8 | |
28 | Team Lac Blanc Massif Des Vosges | 8 | |
29 | Ancillotti Doganaccia Racing Team | 6 | |
30 | XMS Racing Squad | 4 |

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