Last weekend Brandnertal Bike Park in Austria hosted the last race of the 2019 iXS European Downhill Cup. Conditions were dry, fast and all-time compared to last year's heavy rain, and the riders had to face a really wild track at speed.
With the GC on the line, it was an intense race with many ups and downs. Izabela Yankova looked good all season long and was surely the favorite for the U17 female title, but as she struggled in qualification and finals she lost it by just 10 points. Kine Haugom was the one who put it all together and surprised herself with the overall championship.
Veronika Widmann, 3rd place overall in the 2019 World Cup season, was the woman to beat this weekend. She had to score just a few points, but came out swinging and took the win by 6 seconds securing the overall.
In the Elite Men it was Constantin Ruetsch coming into the finals race with the lead. Erik Irmisch, who suffered an injury, sat in second but wasn't able to start, so it was all about taking it easy for Ruetsch. But Brandnertal had different plans for the Swiss rider. Ruetsch suffered big bruises in a crash on Saturday and had to make the best out of a difficult situation. In the end he finished 16th and scored enough points to win the overall.
Picture above, Janine Huebscher
