RESULTS and REPLAY: Les Gets UCI World Cup Downhill Elite Semi-Finals

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Sunshine greeted the racers in Les Gets as they woke up to a big day of racing. The elite women got us started with the 15 fastest qualifiers taking on the semi-finals (plus Nina Hoffmann who was DSQed after crashing in qualifying but made the semis thanks to her protected status). As has been the case recently, Vali Höll was in a class of her own, laying down a run that didn't even look like she was pushing it but still saw her up by 3.4 seconds at the line. Marine Cabirou rode well but will need to find something special if she is to upset Vali in this afternoon's finals. Nina looked off the pace, probably still feeling the effects of her crash.

In the elite men's category, the racing was tight and just 1 second separated 15th place from 30th...it's not easy to get into the big show these days! At the top of the leaderboard, the French once again proved just how deep their talent pool is. With Amaury and Thibaut out, Benoit Coulanges has stepped up over the last few races and is due a big win soon. Today, he backed up his fastest qualifier spot with a semi-final win, beating Loris Vergier by 0.2 seconds setting up another French 1-2. Dak Norton will have something to say about it all, but he'll need to find 2 seconds at least if he is to get close to that top podium spot. Series leader Bruni was up on Benoit's time at the first split, but appeared to have crashed somewhere off camera so we'll have to wait and see to find out what he really has in the tank. Jackson Goldstone also rode really well and looked like he might well be able to squeeze a little more time out of this track this afternoon, especially the top section. Stay tuned to find out, finals coming up right soon!