The organizers put on a great event and are already looking forward to hosting their next double World Cup, which will take place in Saalfelden Leogang from June 10 - 12, 2022.
Already for the tenth time the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup took place in Epic Bikepark Leogang, but for the first time with the two traditional disciplines Cross-Country and Downhill as part of the Out of Bounds Festival. Across disciplines, a total of 629 athletes from 44 nations were at the start of the first double World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang. Friday's racing was heavily influenced by rainfall on the day before. Riders were faced with slippery descents and challenging conditions, but by Saturday morning, Leogang was flooded with sun.
For the Downhill riders, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang was the first World Cup race of the season. The new track sections, especially Vali’s Hölle, was the key section where the best riders decided the victory among themselves. In the Downhill Elite Troy Brosnan (AUS) and Camille Balanche (SUI) turned out to be the fastest riders.
In Cross-Country, the forest sections were just as tough, while the long, steep climbs showed who was in best shape endurance-wise. Over the entire weekend, 1,600 spectators were onsite to cheer for their favorites; the excitement of the audience created a great atmosphere. Both the World Cup race over the Olympic distance and the Short Track race were won by Mathias Flueckiger (SUI) in the Cross-Country Elite. In the women's race, young Loana Lecomte (FRA) took a superior double victory.
Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik and organizer of the event: "The efforts of the previous year have paid off. By hosting the World Championships, we got the chance to hold double World Cup events in the future. We are very happy about such a successful event. Thanks to all helpers; without all parties involved this would not have been possible!"
Kornel Grundner, Managing Director of Leoganger Bergbahnen and organizer of the event: "We’ve got great feedback from all sides, and that the best was to have fans and spectators back at the races onsite again. The atmosphere and the weather were perfect and we are already looking forward to the upcoming double World Cup next June."
With a sophisticated health and safety concept, it was possible for spectators to attend a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for the first time since 2019. Especially for the athletes, but also for the staff and helpers, this was a great highlight.
