FINAL RESULTS - 2019 Val di Sole UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill 2

Racing at the 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill in Val di Sole, Italy, is in the books, and there was no shortage of drama and action before the day was done. After a chaotic qualifying session on Friday, favorable weather and consistent, ever-drying course conditions were a welcomed sight on what Claudio Caluori says may be the most difficult World Cup course in ten years. The course had some remaining moisture and slick spots from Friday, drying throughout the race, but weather was not a deciding factor in results today. After his run, Marcelo Gutierrez said the track was "on point right now." The challenging course provided the upsets today with fresh faces on the top of the podium in every class!

Props to Red Bull showing so many Elite Men's riders today!

The Elite Men's race climaxed early as a result of the unusual qualifying results, but the unusual suspects toward the end of the race put on a great show with some personal-best finishes at a World Cup DH. Here are some of the highlights.

• The Denim Destroyer, Johannes Von Klebelsberg went quick, stayed up and ran a very respectable 3:46.98 ending up in 13th! A great result for the privateer.
• Charlie Hatton was just outside of the Top 10 with a flawless run.
  
• David Trummer smooth and reserved at the top to open up at the bottom and actually gain time. Something very few riders did. His momentum is rolling like a freight train right now and he took 6th today.
• Loris Vergier with a calm, collected run ultimately takes 3rd.
  
• Minnaar with a crash during a run that could have seen him in medal contention. He ended up 7th.
• Loic Bruni, despite feeling like he was not on form, put a big dent in the lead with 10 to go and ends up 2nd, increasing his overall lead. "At this point in the season I have to think about winning races, but also the overall," Loic said in a post-race interview.
  
• Troy Brosnan suffering with his worst result of the season in 10th place. The tie in the overall race has been broken and Brosnan is now in 3rd.
  
• Danny Hart was ahead of Loic, challenging for the hotseat until a flat tire sucked his advantage away. Danny still managed a podium result in 5th.
• Remi Thirion broke through the Top 10 and landed in 8th with his smooth, polished style.
  
• Laurie Greenland and Val di Sole are a perfect match. The loose, active riding style of Laurie paired with the perilous nature of the course made for an epic run full of critical lines, precision gaps and mind-bending pace. Greenland took 2.8 seconds out of Loic Bruni's time, grabbed the hotseat and never left. Laurie earns his first-ever World Cup Downhill victory in Val di Sole! "This is literally what I've been working for my whole life," Greenland said after the race.
  
• Jack Reading had a solid run with some good splits up top. He ended up 21st.
  
• Amaury Pierron, winner of the last race in Les Gets, kept losing time the entire way down the course, unable to match Laurie, Loic or Loris, going 4th. His pace ahead of Troy Brosnan, helped him take 2nd in the World Cup overall. "It's World Cup. If you're not 100%, you can't win," said Amaury after explaining he struggled all weekend.
  
• Brook Macdonald, the last real threat to challenge Laurie's time struggled with a crash and a lackluster result.
• Forrest Riesco was given an opportunity through the chaos of qualifying and capitalized. The Canadian privateer had a great run and found himself 15th.
• Italian, David Palazzari, second-fastest qualifier also took advantage of his opportunity to race at the end and stomped his run. He crossed the line in 12th place, extremely happy with his result.
• First-place qualifier, Joe Breeden, held it together as the last man down the mountain and ended up 25th.

Mille Johnset took down Vali Holl in the Junior Women's class. Vali has been an almost unbeatable force, but Mille had been on her heels all weekend and made the pass into 1st place today. Mille took the win by 1 second. Vali indicated on Instagram that she was scared of the course all weekend and is glad "to get a kick in the ass again" heading into Switzerland. #USDH rider, Anna Newkirk placed 5th in 4X World Champs yesterday and survived the Val di Sole course for a 3rd place result in downhill.

First World Cup DH, first win! Kiwi wonder grom, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, did something amazing as he landed at the top of the results sheet in the Junior Men's class, just .339 seconds ahead of Zak Gomilscek. Kye A'hern took 3rd only .418 off the winning pace showing just how close the racing is in the Junior category.

Marine Cabirou pulled out a massive victory in the Elite Women's class. The French rider qualified 2nd and had a flawless, flowing run through the steeps and rocks of Val di Sole. Hitting all the critical lines, she took the lead by over 18 seconds when she crossed the line with Tracey Hannah remaining. Hannah, first-place qualifier, started the course and by the second split, it was apparent she was probably out of the running for a win. Tracey crossed the line 11.776 back for a 2nd place and Cabirou took her first-ever World Cup Downhill win.

Elite Men's Final Race Results, 2019 Val di Sole World Cup DH

Elite Men's 2019 World Cup Overall Standings After Val di Sole

Elite Women's Final Race Results, 2019 Val di Sole World Cup DH

Elite Women's 2019 World Cup Overall Standings After Val di Sole

Junior Men's Final Race Results, 2019 Val di Sole World Cup DH

Junior Men's 2019 World Cup Overall Standings After Val di Sole

Junior Women's Final Race Results, 2019 Val di Sole World Cup DH

Junior Women's 2019 World Cup Overall Standings After Val di Sole

PIT BITS - Val di Sole World Cup DH