The gravity riders were back at it for the latest round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Leogang, Austria. Enduro athletes would take to their racetracks first, followed by the downhill riders over the weekend. Leogang continues to be an excellent venue for racing mountain bikes, and the 2024 edition did not disappoint the fans.
Enduro racers faced six stages between the tape with over 45 miles of riding and 8,000 feet of descending. Continuing his EDR World Cup dominance, Richie Rude (Yeti Cycles) seems to be on another career year, taking the first step on the podium in Elite Men. Not to be discounted, Richie’s teammate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti Cycles) provided another stellar performance, slotting into third on the day. In the Elite Women, Ella Conolly (Cannondale Bikes) and Bex Baraona (Gowaan Gals) represented Maxxis in fourth and fifth place. Maxxis’ Junior EDR athletes popped off in Leogang, with Wei Tien Ho (Commencal Bikes) and Winni Goldsbury (Santa Cruz Bicycles) getting their first victories on the Mountain Bike World Series circuit. In addition, Emmy Lan (Forbidden Bikes), JT Fisher (Yeti Cycles), Sascha Kim (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) and Lily Boucher (Rocky Mountain Gravity Racing) represented the Maxxis brand on the U21 EDR podiums.
The Enduro success didn’t stop there: Next up was the E-EDR. Normally an EDR guy, Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) took on the challenge of racing the E-EDR race as well and came out victorious, placing first on the fast Orbea Wild. Fellow Orbea rider Flo Espiñeira also had a good race in Leogang, rallying to another win in the Women’s race.
The weekend saw the Downhill racers take to the challenging track in Leogang. The UNION’s Ellie Hulsebosch continues to impress in the Junior Women’s field, finishing second in treacherous conditions. Sacha Mills (Scott DH Factory) also placed well, securing fifth place behind Hulsebosch.
While the Elite racers had a slightly drier course than the Juniors, conditions were still extremely difficult to manage. Nonetheless, Maxxis athletes Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) and Lachie Stevens McNab (UNION) charged to their first-ever Elite podiums, an impressive feat on such a track. Marine Cabirou (Scott DH Factory) continued to add to her overall points with a fifth-place podium finish.
The World Cup athletes will be right back at it in Val Di Sole, Italy this weekend. See you there!
