Tomorrow at the Out of Bounds Festival, the downhillers will get down to business for the first time with the qualifiers (from 12.30 pm): eleven starters from Austria will also be battling it out for a place in the final of the best 80 men. For the dirt jumpers, it's all to play for tomorrow: the final of the 26TRIX (from 10.00 am) will take place without Austrian participation.
It's all set! At the first downhill training session, the Leogang World Cup "Speedster" course was more challenging than ever. A few changes were made to the 3.1 km course, much to the delight of Markus Pekoll, the best-placed Austrian in the World Cup rankings: "The course is better than ever, the organisers have got the maximum out of it. Technically, it's really difficult in between, you have to make sure you can carry the momentum with you. It's a real challenge. Personally, I messed up the timed run by default today, which gives me hope for something good for the qualification," smiles the Schladming native: "My speed is very good again. I've already had good results here. I love this track, which should also be reflected in the result," says Pekoll confidently for tomorrow's men's qualifying, which starts at 12.30 pm with the juniors.
For David Trummer, Austria's best-placed starter at the last World Cup in Fort William, today's training run was also about getting to grips with the course. After all, the "Speedster" doesn't bear its name for nothing: although it has been slowed down this year with an additional rocky passage, a "Rockgarden", it is all the more technically demanding: "I still have my problems with the course, the training run wasn't 100 per cent good. I hope that will change by tomorrow," says the Styrian, still struggling with the adapted course: "My goal is to qualify tomorrow. A top 20 finish would be really cool again."
An American and a Brit could make history
Everything is ready for the sixth Downhill World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang. An event that has so far been characterised by an American with his legendary runs: Aaron Gwin, who won last year without a chain, caused a sensation two years ago with his ride on a flat tyre and is coming to Leogang as the World Cup leader. His female counterpart, Rachel Atherton, could also make history with victory number ten in a row in Leogang.
As the world's best dirt jumpers will also crown their winner tomorrow at 10.00 am as part of the 26TRIX, Saturday at Bikepark Leogang will be a day of superlatives.
Downhill World Cup, starters from Austria:
Men Elite (11 starters from Austria):
Markus Pekoll, Styria
David Trummer, Gnas, Styria
Manuel Gruber, Styria
Boris Tetzlaff, Vienna
Andreas Kolb, Styria
Andre Vögele, Tyrol
Pascal Engel, Junior National Champion, Styria
Peter Mihalkovits, Burgenland
Fabio Wibmer, Tyrol
Hannes Bichler, Tyrol
Manuel Widmann, Upper Austria
Men Juniors (5 starters from Austria):
Markus Daxbacher, Lower Austria
Sandro Partell, Tyrol
Andreas Persterer, Upper Austria
Sebastian Pirker, Carinthia
Moritz Ribarich, Lower Austria
