World Cup # 5: Snowshoe - Finals


The first of two final rounds of the World Cup took place on Wednesday in Snowshoe, WV. And it turned out to be a difficult one for our riders. Fortunately, they keep their #1 plates in the overall and will have the opportunity to return to the podium this weekend!

In the women’s competition, Myriam Nicole could have practically secured her victory in the overall in this 5th round. Although she was the fastest for a good part of the race, a crash in one of the rock gardens slowed her down a lot, even more so because she had to stop and move her saddle back. She still limited the damage a little by taking 4th place and she’s still leading the overall before the last final this weekend. "What a disaster ... but this is the game and I love it! I still got 4th place. Cannot wait for Saturday!"

Consistent Camille Balanche gained some ground in the overall by taking an excellent 2nd place in the final! Less than 100 points behind Myriam, the final round on Saturday promises to be tight!
Behind her was teammate Monika Hrastnik in 9th and Mariana Salazar was 16th.

Difficult day for our guys although all is not lost...
Thibaut Daprela, despite being amongst the best through the start of the race, suffered a mechanical in the rock garden that caused him to hit the deck, fortunately not too seriously. He retained his place as leader in the overall and like with the ladies, the final on Saturday will be incredible! “Obviously that’s not how I wanted to finish my run. The good news is that I felt really good on the bike and was quick. So, i'm happy to keep this leader's jersey until the final round."

Amaury Pierron is still suffering from pain after his fall in the practice but is making ground and becoming stronger. He achieved an excellent 10th, followed closely by Benoit Coulanges (11th) and Angel Suarez (14th) who both gave us great runs to watch.

There was a first podium for Tristan Lemire in junior men! After a good qualifying time he took 3rd place! It’s well deserved for the him since he's only progressed and gained speed throughout the season. There was also a nice performance for Raphael Iniguez in 12th. In the Junior Women, Siel Van Der Velden also climbed onto the podium finishing 3rd and the local Ella Erickson was 4th!

See you on Saturday for the 6th and last round of the World Cup season! The stakes are huge for this final: Myriam Nicole and Camille Balanche for women and Thibaut Daprela for men are still likely to win the general classification!

Photos: Keno Derleyn