Pinkbike Primer: A Completely New Track for the 2022 Vallnord DH World Cup

We are back in Vallnord for another World Cup weekend and this time we see a brand new course on a different part of the mountain from the last time we were here. Find out everything you need to know for round five below.

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The Track

2022 sees a whole new course for Vallnord with a flat out and loose course sitting on a different higher part of the mountain from the last race here. The new track may not be quite as steep as the classic track here, but once some holes start forming it could be a tricky one for riders with each run having new lines being destroyed or created in the dust.

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Previous Winners

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What Happened in 2019?

It's been quite a while since we were last at Vallnord and with a completely different track previous results have been thrown out the window. But, when we last visited Andorra we saw Loic Bruni just win out over Loris Vergier and Rachel Atherton took a big win against Marine Cabirou.

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What Happened at the Last Round?

In the junior racing, Gracey Hemstreet laid down another rapid run to pull ahead of the fastest qualifier Phoebe Gale by just under two seconds. Jenna Hastings wrapped up the top three, five seconds back. Kicking off the day for Pinkbike Racing Aimi Kenyon made another podium appearance in fifth place. For the junior men, it was Jackson Goldstone who came out on top going one and a half seconds faster than Lachlan Stevens-McNab. Jordan Williams was fastest in the first two splits but lost time on the second half of the track and ends the day in third place.

Myriam Nicole put together an absolutely wild run on the dusty and blown-out course to secure a massive win of over four seconds. Camille Balanche improved upon her top qualifying run but she just didn't have the speed to match Myriam. Eleonora Farina was the only other rider within nine seconds of the winning run and completes the top three. Pinkbike Racing's Léona Pierrini finished the day in 12th place.

The Commencal team takes a clean sweep of the Elite racing as Amaury Pierron speeds into the top spot by over 1.4 seconds. Finn Iles had been the man to beat for a large portion of the race but it wasn't enough for the win. Greg Minnaar has a great run to take third place and even beat Amaury in split two. Finally, PB Racing's Thibault Laly made the live feed and ended the day with a great 29th place.

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Overall Standings After Round 4

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Elite Women

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Elite Men

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Junior Women

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Junior Men

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Weather Forecast

We are in for a very warm week of racing for the fifth round of the DH World Cup, with an almost completely exposed course things will get very dusty and loose for riders.

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The Schedule

Thursday, July 14
• 08:45-11:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 11:15-12:30 // Official Downhill Training - Group A and B (mixed training)
• 12:45-15:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 15:30-17:00 // Downhill Timed Training Session
• 17:00-17:45 // On Foot Downhill Course Inspection - Riders and Teams

Friday, July 15
• 08:45-10:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 10:15-11:45 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 12:15 // Seeding Run - Junior Women
• 12:30 // Qualifying Round - Junior Men
• 13:30 // Qualifying Round - Elite Women
• 14:00 // Qualifying Round - Elite Men
• Followed by // 30 minutes On Foot Downhill Course Inspection - Riders and Teams

Saturday, July 16
• 08:15-09:15 // Official Downhill Training - Junior Women, Junior Men, Elite Women
• 09:45 // Final - Junior Men
• 10:30 // Final - Junior Women
• 10:50-11:05 // Official Downhill Training - Women Elite qualified for the final
• 11:05-12:05 // Official Downhill Training - Men Elite qualified for the final
• 12:30 // Final - Elite Women
• 13:30 // Final - Elite Men
• Awards to follow

Note: All times are local and subject to change by the event organizer.

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How to Watch

Pinkbike will be providing you with the best daily coverage from Vallnord this week. Tune in to Pinkbike to catch photo epics, videos, and results from Timed Training, Practice, Qualifying, and Finals, as well as tech bits and news.

You can also watch the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on redbull.tv. The live DH broadcast starts on Saturday, July 16 at 12:25pm CEST.

Schedule: Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Leogang LIVE on Red Bull TV:

Vallnord DHI Women: July 16 Live on Red Bull TV 12:25 CEST
Vallnord DHI Men: July 16 Live on Red Bull TV 13:45 CEST

(All times CEST, replay available immediately following the races. Times subject to change at organizers' and Red Bull's discretion.)

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2022 Fantasy League

Don't forget to complete your DH Fantasy team for the first round this weekend, because the fantasy league is a whole lot more fun if you participate in each race.

Posted In:
Racing and Events DH Racing Pinkbike Primer World Cup DH Vallnord World Cup Dh 2022