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Brits dominate UCI Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide - Recap and Race Results

If ever there was a race destined for the downhill history books, it would surely be the opening round of the 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) would race for just the second time in four years. The excitement around her return was palpable and, it transpired, throughly justified. Just 21 months after giving birth, Atherton would cross the finish line in first place. 

In the men's race there was an equally commanding performance from Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity), who was rewarded with a win at his first time of asking - Lenzerheide represented his first ever Elite UCI World Cup competition.

In the women’s semi-final, Swiss National Champion Camille Balanche (DORVAL AM COMMENCAL) came out on top, beating Great Britain’s Rachel Atherton (CONTINENTAL ATHERTON) by 1.7 seconds. German National Champion Nina Hoffman (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) placed in third.

But it would be Great Britain’s Rachel Atherton that adapted to the new format best, edging out Switzerland’s Camille Balanche by a margin of 0.5 seconds, with German Champion Nina Hoffman having to settle for third.

Speaking about her finals win, Atherton said: "A crazy day, I just can't believe it. It's a surprise for sure. Sometimes I think and know I can win but today I had no idea. I just wanted to stay safe and have a good run. It's the most relaxed I've felt at a race because I did not think I could win. A top three would have been amazing but this is so cool. Lenzerheide is a really short, intense track and it gets rougher every year. It's the best track in the best location though. I have no plans for a comeback. Leogang is next week and I am exhausted. I have only trained for two months and everything hurts. I don't think I could race again next weekend. I just want to get to World Champs in Fort William."

Jordan Williams (SPECIALIZED GRAVITY) would get the better of the quick turnaround for finals, taking the first downhill win of the year ahead of France’s Loris Vergier and current UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni. It was Williams’ first race in the Elite category.

Williams had this to say about his first Elite UCI World Cup victory: "This is just insane. Lenzerheide isn't one of my favourite tracks so I just rode as good as I could. I don't know where I found the speed. Certainly having fast riders in Juniors helped push me along before heading into Elite. I didn't focus on trying to win or sending it hard, I just tried to put down the best run I could and see where I ended up. Finn and Loic are great. Loïc's a machine and I was sure he would beat me today."

The full results from today’s races as well as the schedule for the upcoming races of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lenzerheide can be found here.

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