RESULTS: Loudenvielle DH World Cup Finals

After a week marred by weather-related worries and a cancelled junior race, we were stoked to see the track holding up and the riders throwing down for finals. In the elite women's category, Vali Höll was pushed to the limit by a charging Nina Hoffmann, but the World Champ held on for an epic semi and final double win with 2 aggressive runs. Not backing down when the track is tricky to ride is definitely the key, although it's of course easier said than done. Vali now has the experience to walk that fine line between maximizing your speed and pushing too hard, and she has the results to show for it.

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As the men's final got underway, Remi Thirion rolled back the years with a solid effort, taking up residency in the hotseat until Dakotah Norton threw down an incredible run, super loose and wild. His time would hold up to many a contender, and it was only threatened once we got to the very pointy end of the race. Series leader Finn Iles was the big loser of the day, as he went off track at high speed and ended up DSQed for not re-entering the course where he left it. Jackson Goldstone pulled off the huge huck triple up top but was still down by 2.9 seconds at one point before pulling back into second place at the line. Up next, Loic laid down a vintage Super Bruni run, looking smooth and building speed all the way down the mountain to finally unseat Dakotah with three riders to go. Ever true to his wild style, Thibaut Daprela was right on Loic’s splits until a scary crash sent his bike flying through the safety net and 10 meters into the woods - we were stoked to see him get right up and roll down the track once he was finally able to recover his bike. Laurie Greenland set off with intent but 1.7 seconds back at the second split left him with too much to do even though he was pulling back time at the bottom. Last man to leave the start hut, Benoit Coulanges went looking for his first-ever World Cup win but a greasy turn saw him slide out while in touch at the splits, leaving Bruni to pick up his first win of the season AND take over the overall World Cup leader's jersey. Congrats to Loic and major #USDH shoutout to Dak in second!