RESULTS: Loudenvielle Junior Downhill Finals

The juniors would have been excited to see clear skies and a dry track this morning, but Loudenvielle is no joke and the combination of a cut-up track and dry, grippy conditions proved to be treacherous to say the least. As the speeds increased so did the risk of crashing, as more than a few riders were to find out the hard way with bodies and bikes flying into the undergrowth all over the track.

The junior women got the day started, with Heather Wilson doing her best to stand up to the Kiwi onslaught after a slow qualifier saw her rely on her protected status to get into the finals. Mission accomplished as she slotted into second place in the main event, behind Erice van Leuven who did her fresh rainbow jersey proud with a solid win here in France. Sacha Earnest rounded out the podium in third place while Eliana Hulsebosch saw a crash put an end to her efforts. In the overall standings, the musical chairs continue with Erice now holding a slim lead over Heather and Eliana.

In the junior men's category, mayhem was the order of the day. We saw all sorts of dramatic crashes, as even the newly crowned Junior World Champ Asa Vermette went out the front door after getting crossed up going into a berm. But the story of the day has to be Luke Wayman who threw down a fantastic run and took the hotseat despite crashing heavily in the last turn and walking his bike across the finish line. He saw off numerous contenders and it was only when we got to the very fastest qualifiers that he had to give up his position to Tyler Waite. George Madley was a few seconds off the pace when he in turn took a huge tumble in the last section, leaving only fastest qualifier Max Alran in the start gate. Splits were tight all the way down, but Max found the extra edge he needed towards the end of the track and scored a hugely important win that sees him overtake Asa for the lead of the overall standings with just one race left to go this season.

As for the weather...the clouds were moving in again as the juniors were wrapping up, so we'll need every finger in the house crossed that the rain stays away for the elite finals, coming up in just a short moment now.

2024 Loudenvielle UCI Downhill Final Results - Junior Women