When in sport fate crosses the cards of the protagonists, that is where it knows how to tell the most beautiful stories. It so happens that on a June day on the Black Snake, in Val di Sole, two champions with a recent past of falls, injuries and relapses, find themselves almost magically on a track that had already made them great.
Source: press release
It's the story of Downhill of Val di Sole 2024 at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series on Saturday 15 June, and the protagonists are called Amaury Pierron and Tahnee Seagrave.
Seagrave, 29 years old today, Junior World Champion in Val di Sole in 2016, in recent years has had to dodge much more frightening obstacles than the Black Snake forest, which she tamed today in spite of clouds, mud and mist. For her, the ordeal began in 2019, the year of her last World Cup victory before today's success, with a bad shoulder injury after a fall in Fort William. At the beginning of 2020, a broken ankle forced her on a new, long rehabilitation journey.
After finding competitiveness again in 2021, the Briton faced a further comeback from hell, perhaps the most difficult, due to a concussion due to a fall. An ascent that today, on her 29th birthday, can be said to have finally been completed: "Today I found the real Tahnee".
The emotion of the two winners, who had already celebrated as a couple in Daolasa in 2018, also ignited that of the large audience on the course and in the race field despite the weather, at times inclement in the skies of Val di Sole. Even on a day opaque for Christian Hauser from Trentino, only ninth among the Juniors, the Italian public was able to witness the career best of Stefano Introzzi from Como, 19th with the number 91 after having surprisingly qualified for the final. He too will remember this strange, magical day in Val di Sole for a long time.
Tahnee Seagrave's talent shines again in Val di Sole, six years after her first success on the Black Snake, the track that gave her the Junior world title in 2016. The British rider from Team Canyon CLLCTV proved to be the most solid athlete on Saturday in Trentino, managing to chase away the bad thoughts of a semi-final to forget.
But as we know, champions emerge at the most important moment and today Tahnee Seagrave's performance bordered on perfection. With a time of 4'31”.471, Seagrave left behind the French Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill), spaced by just 320 thousandths and as usual at ease on the Black Snake. Third place for the Slovenian Monika Hrastnik (Dorval Am Commencal) 941 thousandths from the top.
“I didn't think it was possible today, yesterday I was really far behind. I think today we finally saw the real Tahnee again. After so many injuries I had so many doubts about myself, and due to the concussion I also faced mental health difficulties. Getting back to the top took longer than people realize, and I'm just happy and grateful to be here. Yesterday I had worked hard; today at the gate I closed my eyes and told myself to be strong, trying to put all this energy into my race.”
Three athletes closed in less than a second for an Elite Women's race characterized by thick fog in the upper part of the track. The veteran Myriam Nicole (Commencal Muc-Off) stopped at the foot of the podium, together with her dream of hitting a legendary poker in Val di Sole. The fastest woman in the world, the world champion Valentina, completed the top 5 Höll (YT MOB), protagonist of the usual remarkable run but betrayed by a difficult passage on the stones in the upper part.
However, the path of the Italians, Gloria Scarsi and the landlady Eleonora Farina, stopped on Friday. New Zealander Jess Blewitt, who dominated the semi-finals, did not take part in the final due to a disastrous fall and a hand injury.
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | SEAGRAVE Tahnee CANYON CLLCTV FMD | 4:31.471 |
| 2. |  | CABIROU Marine SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY | 4:31.791 +0.320 |
| 3. |  | HRASTNIK Monika DORVAL AM COMMENCAL | 4:32.412 +0.941 |
| 4. | | NICOLE Myriam COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 4:35.427 +3.956 |
| 5. |  | HÖLL Valentina yt MOB extension | 4:38.192 +6.721 |
| 6. |  | HOFFMANN Nina SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 4:42.525 +11.054 |
| 7. | | GALE Phoebe * CANYON CLLCTV FMD | 4:44.615 +13.144 |
| 8. |  | ROA SANCHEZ Valentina * TRANSITION FACTORY RACING | 4:46.694 +15.223 |
| 9. |  | NEWKIRK Anne BEYOND RACING | 4:47.108 +15.637 |
| 10. |  | BAUMANN Lisa COMMENCAL LES ORRES | 4:59.319 +27.848 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
