RESULTS: Loic Bruni and Tahnee Seagrave Qualify Fastest in Fort William

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Just like that, a whole off-season's worth of team changes, equipment updates, and training is put to the test. Once that timing beam is broken with qualification and points on the line, we go from who is "looking dialed" to who is actually "going fast" in a heartbeat. And as it turns out, with few exceptions, the top dogs are still the ones to beat! Loic Bruni has already put the rest of the Elite Men's field on warning, beating out team mate Finn Iles by 3 seconds and putting more time into the rest of the field. Amaury Pierron will be pleased with his return between the tapes after being away from racing in 2023, scoring a solid 7th place here in qualifying which he will surely be keen to build on now. As for the GOAT, he's right there in the top ten too, which comes as no surprise given how fast Greg has always been on this track. Both Dakotah Norton and Laurie Greenland had issues in their runs, but they are protected for the semi-finals so they are still in the game later today (they will be added to the 60 riders who qualified outright). There was some drama late in the session with a number of riders getting red-flagged and being granted a rerun, including Granddad Brayton who took advantage of his second attempt and made the cut for the semis.

In the Elite Women's category, Tahnee added a qualifying win to her great tally in the latest Lit Kit poll, signaling that she has well and truly put her injury woes behind her and is ready to battle it out for the top spots once again. #USDH ripper Anna Newkirk seems to be finding more and more speed as the seasons go by, she will be quite pleased with her third place performance here in qualifying. Defending Champ of Everything(tm) Vali Höll has some work to do after finishing fifth, while Myriam Nicole unfortunately narrowly missed out on qualifying for her big return to racing action. 15 women go though to the semis later today, so stay tuned for more updates - and don't forget to play Vital Fantasy for a chance to win some great prizes (not to mention the bragging rights)!

In the Junior Women's category, Erice van Leuven picked up right where she left off last year, qualifying first with a healthy margin. With some of her competition from last year now racing in the elite category, she'll be looking to make the most out of her second year in the juniors - and she's off to a good start here.

The Junior Men were last to drop in today, and as always, excitement levels were high. Every season serves up a fresh batch of new kids on the block, arriving for their first year as juniors with high expectations, like #USDH standout Asa Vermette and the phenom Alran bros, the latter freshly signed up to the flagship Commencal Muc-Off team. Both Asa and Max Alran delivered on their promises, snagging 3rd and 2nd place respectively (with Max's brother Till sitting in 12th). But the day belonged to Daniel Parfitt, who laid down a heater to take top honors, far exceeding any of his World Cup results as a first-year junior in 2023. The kids are alright!