Goldstone took the victory with less than a tenth of a second advantage (59 hundredths, a nothing) over Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), while Hemstreet enjoyed a larger margin of victory, but was forced to wait with bated breath until the end, with Valentina Hell (YT MOB) last to exit the ramp and ready to snatch victory until the final meters of his race.
Meantime Rose Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) gave joy to the packed Austrian stands by winning the Junior women's final, while Oil Clark (MS-Racing) won the overall Junior men's title with his triumph.
A STAR IS BORN AS HEMSTREET CONFIRMS ITS FIRST WIN
The slow elite women's competition exploded in the final heats, with Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) absent following an accident during morning training. Marine Cabirou (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) maintained the lead for a long time, finishing 4 seconds behind Harriet Harnden for AON Racing – Tourne Campervans.
As one rider after another crossed the finish line without even getting close to Cabirou, her first win in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburg and her ninth career UCI World Cup victory looked increasingly likely – until Hemstreet took off.
Hemstreet crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of Cabirou and the podium soon passed to Canada, followed by America, while Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / 5DEV) finished in 3rd place (still without a World Cup win). But Vali Holl was missing: the favorite and home idol. Too bad the Austrian couldn't find the right rhythm and finished in 3rd place.
Hemstreet's supremacy also means she is the new UCI World Cup leader after Tahnee Seagrave (Orbea / FMD Racing) started strong but appeared troubled by an old injury in the more technical second half, losing time and finishing sixth, while Höll, still without a win, is waiting to find her old form again.
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | HEMSTREET Gracey * NORCO RACE DIVISION | 3:21.962 |
| 2. |  | NEWKIRK Anne FRAMEWORKS RACING / 5DEV | 3:22.827 +0.865 |
| 3. |  | HÖLL Valentina yt MOB extension | 3:24.389 +2.427 |
| 4. |  | CABIROU Marine CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 3:25.117 +3.155 |
| 5. |  | BLEWITT Jess CUBE FACTORY RACING | 3:25.932 +3.970 |
| 6. |  | SEAGRAVE Tahnee ORBEA / FMD RACING | 3:26.259 +4.297 |
| 7. |  | BALANCHE Camille YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM | 3:28.596 +6.634 |
| 8. | | HARNDEN Harriet AON RACING – CAMPERVANS TOUR | 3:29.571 +7.609 |
| 9. |  | POOR Glory MS-RACING | 3:30.026 +8.064 |
| 10. | | FERGUSON Louise-Anna AXESS INTENSE FACTORY RACING | 3:30.501 +8.539 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
GOLDSTONE FLOATING TOWARDS MAPLE DOUBLE
The men's race was beautiful with all the top riders present in the final: Oisin O'Callaghan (YT MOB) remained in the fight for quite some time until he fell hard to the ground while his Team Mate, and home idol, Andrew Kolb He sent the crowd into raptures by finishing his run in 1st place. But the big guns still had to come.
We had to wait for Ronan Dunne and Jackson Goldstone to begin to understand the progress of the race. Goldstone surprises as usual with a fantastic run full of speed and style. Not even a Loic Bruni in great shape manages to leave him behind even if only by 59 hundredths: practically nothing!
They can do nothing Lori's vergier, in the rainbow jersey, and the leader of the UCI World Cup Amaury Pierron (both Commencal Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), The very young German Henri Kiefer made Goldstone vibrate and then came dangerously close to the Canadian's time. The German of the Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team he finished 3rd, 5 tenths behind: an excellent performance after the great misfortune of Loudenvielle where he was stuck at the starting gate due to problems with the chain.
Pierron's decline meant Bruni now takes the lead in the UCI World Cup with a 45-point advantage over Goldstone, who said in his winner's interview that Bruni had joked that he wouldn't speak to the Canadian for a week after such a close race and such a slim lead.
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
| 1. | | GOLDSTONE Jackson * SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 2:57.229 |
| 2. | | BRUNI Loic SPECIALIZED GRAVITY | 2:57.288 +0.059 |
| 3. |  | KIEFER Henry * CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 2:57.764 +0.535 |
| 4. | | STEVENS-MCNAB Lachlan * TREK FACTORY RACING IE | 2:58.437 +1.208 |
| 5. | | GREENLANDLaurie SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 2:58.638 +1.409 |
| 6. |  | DUNNE Ronan MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH | 2:58.799 +1.570 |
| 7. |  | BROSNAN Troy CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 2:58.906 +1.677 |
| 8. | | KOLB Andreas yt MOB extension | 2:58.910 +1.681 |
| 9. | | DAPRELA Thibaut ROGUE RACING – SR SUNTOUR | 2:58.921 +1.692 |
| 10. | | HARTENSTERN Max CUBE FACTORY RACING | 2:59.093 +1.864 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
