FINAL RESULTS - Val di Sole World Cup Downhill 11

100% bravery and no shortage of drama.

The 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill season concluded with the most treacherous and challenging track racers faced all year in Val di Sole, Italy. Steep, rough and full of big hits with rocks, the track rewarded bravery and aggression. There were race wins and World Cup overall wins on the line today, and since there we no points awarded in qualifying at this final race, there appeared to be strategy at play with race day starting position. Some protected riders seemed to roll out of the start and not complete a run or just hold back with the game plan that rain may be a factor as the afternoon wore on. A lower qualifying position meant an earlier start, so rain could possibly be avoided. Regardless, the race action did not disappoint.

As the World Cup race coverage shifts from Red Bull to the Discovery network in 2023, this was Rob Warner's last World Cup webcast commentary for the forseeable future. Vital can't thank Red Bull TV and Rob Warner enough for their work and dedication to the sport of downhill racing over the years. They created an environment that let lifelong fans and those new to the sport feel like they were at the event. Rob Warner is truly the modern-day voice of downhill and his exuberance, history and one-liners will be truly missed. Tracey Hannah Claudio Caluori, and Eliot Jackson, thank you as well for your fantastic additions to the commentary this year, too!

#allHailRobWarner

THANK YOU, ROB WARNER!

Thank you, Rob, Tracey, Claudio and Eliot!

Gracey Hemstreet continued a strong season in the Junior Women's class with a win today. The victory sealed the deal for the Norco Factory team rider as she nabbed the World Cup overall with Phoebe Gale and Yankova Izabela rounding out 3rd.

The hotly contested Junior Men's class saw Jordan William take his third race win of the year. He won by over 9 seconds! His season-long battle with Jackson Goldstone ended this afternoon, however, as Goldstone finished the race in 4th, but secured enough points to capture the World Cup overall win. #USDH comes in firing with Ryan Pinkerton taking 2nd place today! STOKED! Remy Meier-Smith rounds out the Top 3 in the category.

The Elite Women's category was full of excitement. Myriam Nicole and Nina Hoffman came down early and after a flying run, Nina sat in the hotseat, but only for a few moments as Myriam put down a blistering time, 4 seconds ahead of Hoffman. Myriam's time held for the duration of the race, and she ended up taking the race win with that 4-second margin. Camille Balanche followed Nicole's race run and crossed the line 10 seconds off the winning pace. with 8 riders remaining, it would come down the last rider and newly crowned World Champ, Vali Holl, to remove Camille from an overall victory. If Vali won, she would win the title. Vali, with a solid run, didn't quite have the pace, but managed a 3rd place result and she was clearly satisfied with fist pumps in the finish area. In her post-race interview, Vali said was just happy to survive after being sick and vomiting earlier in the week. Camille Balanche, 3 weeks out of shoulder surgery with 18 screws holding her collarbone together, took a podium race result in 5th and clinched the 2022 UCI World Cup DH overall on the roughest track of the year. Strategy, consistency and determination came together for the Swiss rider.

Elite Men's race notes

  • Greg Minnaar suffered a big crash in training, hitting his head and putting a hole in his helmet. He did not race, and hearing he's in good spirits as he's getting x-ray'd at the hospital.
  • Amaury Pierron was guaranteed World Cup overall winner, as Finn Iles, the only rider who could challenge him, did not race due to a crash in World Champs at Les Gets the week prior.
  • As Elite Men's webcast got underway and Neko Mulally was on track, a rain shower came down! The course was dusty-dry and it didn't seem to be a big factor...yet.
  • Congrats Flo Payet, finishing his race run and retiring after an epic career!
  • Mark Wallace's run showed the rain at the top was strong and impacted the track. The bottom remained dusty.
  • The rain subsided, but sections of the course that were not under tree cover are filled with greasy roots with about 30 riders to go.
  • Ben Zwar's rear tire blows off the rim, but he finished.
  • Crash for FrixFrix, but sick jump to manual lander across the line.
  • Good to see Luca Shaw back in it! Solid run, but 4th at the time across the line.
  • Troy Brosnan with a smoking run, but clearly the rain is impacting the open sections. 4th at the line. Could playing the rain game backfire as the course dries out?
  • Luke Meier-Smith crashed and the webcast showed the open, rooty section near the top was still greasy.
  • Matteo Iniguez hangs onto the hotseat with a 3:51 and doing it with style in a Vanzacs hat. Dean Lucas photo-bombing in Matteo's hotseat interview LOL.
  • Reece Wilson returns to racing after dealing with a round of concussions and safely crosses the line with a 4:08. 20 riders remain.
  • Danny Hart, probably not the run he was hoping for, but considering the challenges of having his newborn baby girl in the hospital for the last month or so, we're glad to see him across safely! Our hearts go out to him and his family.
  • BERNARD KERR on a freaking smoker! He proved the course is ready for smashing! Hopping, popping, smashing and foot-out drifting the infamous left hander, Kerr crosses the line 7.1 seconds into the green with a 3:44. "An absolute Whopper from BK," says Rob Warner later on in the webcast LOL!
  • Lucas Cruz with a solid run into 2nd place just sniping Iniguez. 15 riders remain.
  • Henry Kerr (no relation to Bernard) on the gas and in the green, loose and wild, besting Bernard Kerr's splits. On his way to the line successfully drifting the Sam Hill left, he washes out on the final right-hand turn before the finish. Such a bummer for him. BK keeps the hotseat, and the banter between Warner and Claudio about not being able to tell which Kerr was fastest on the split time graphic was priceless. Gonna miss that shit.
  • Ollie Zwar with a consistent, controlled run and into 2nd place with a 3:50 flat.
  • Dylan Levesque with some mistakes, but still crosses the line in 3rd at the time.
  • We don't care where Remi Thiron finishes because he's so rad to watch. A mistake-free run slotted him into 2nd with a 3:50.
  • Amaury Pierron, holding nothing back having clinched the overall had a big crash in an upper section of the track. He would not contest for the win or tie the record for most World Cup wins in a season currently held by Aaron Gwin with 5. Pierron finished his run safely.
  • David Trummer with a flat rear tire finished his run.
  • Laurie Greenland, riding with a broken foot had an off-camera incident some time after split 1 but finished the run.
  • Charlie Hatton, the first rider to seriously challenge Bernard Kerr's time was in touch, almost equal through the key section, but slowly lost time near the bottom, finishing in 2nd with a 3:47.
  • Newly crowned World Champ, Loic Bruni, looked fluid up top and then a series of small mistakes lead to insurmountable time losses against Kerr. 3rd place with a 3:48. Kerr remains in hotseat.
  • Thibaut Daprela with a fast first split, lost time throughout and ultimately suffered a flat tire, crossing the line. 5 remain.
  • AARON GWIN IS BACK! The loose, ragged race-run Gwin has returned. Fastest through all splits, despite losing time throughout the run, he kept his advantage all the way through the finish besting Kerr by .5 seconds. Will it hold?
  • Benoit Coulanges looks so good on a bike! He battled the track and was red at all splits but kept clawing back time the whole way down, nearly getting Gwin. 2nd place with 3 to go.
  • INVEST IN HEADSET SPACERS!!! Dakotah "Stack Height" Norton takes the lead and bumps Gwin out of the hotseat by 1.3 seconds! His run was calm and cool, with hardly a pedal stroke throughout the run. Dak played it perfectly. His best finish regardless.
  • LORIS VERGIER IS FROM ANOTHER WORLD! Flawless, spritely, hardly hitting a hole the entire way down, he increased his gap through every sector as the track progressed and crossed the line THREE seconds ahead of Dakotah. Incredible and we get one last World Cup "LOOK AT THE TIME" from Warner. Amazing. Andreas Kolb remains.
  • Andreas Kolb handled the pressure of the last man down the mountain. And while he did not win, he ran an aggressive run and slotted into 2nd place for his best World Cup finish. Loris Vergier wins and jumps up into 2nd for the overall.
  • JORDAN WILLIAMS with the fastest time of the day by 4 seconds with a 3:35!
  • As Amaury was given the World Cup Overall trophy, Claudio cracks a good one saying "back in the day it was a piece of crystal, now it's just wood." HAHAHA.
  • Bernard and Kolb on the overall podium in disbelief. So good!
  • Bittersweet ender to the broadcast with the crew going over their 10 years of highlights. Thank you Rob, Tracey, Claudio and Eliot! Rob said, "we've lost the rights to the World Cup, but Red Bull will be back in a big way, I promise. Sometimes you're better off when you start from scratch." #popcornemoji

Elite Men's Race Results

Elite Men's Overall Results (Top 10)

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Elite Women's Race Results

Elite Women's Overall Results

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Junior Men's Race Results

Junior Men's Overall Results

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Junior Women's Race Results

Junior Women's Overall Results

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WinningBike
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