Andreas Kolb thrills home fans by securing double Downhill gold for Austria in Leogang in remarkable show

“Is he on the run of his life?” asked Cedric Gracia on commentary. “Is it his day?” It turned out it was with a fabulous time of 2:59.335.

Irish youngster Ronan Dunne, who had been the fastest at that point, was the first out of the leader’s area to come and congratulate Kolb, giving him a big hug.

Kolb then had an anxious wait as Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) all come down and fell narrowly short of the time he had set with Bruni the best time at 0.680 behind.

Last out the gate was Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) as the Canadian went in pursuit of the leader’s time.

But it was joy for Kolb as Iles slipped up right at the end and he secured an incredible victory, his first UCI Elite level win, as the Austrian crowd went crazy.

“What a day for Austria!” screamed Gracia on commentary.

Speaking afterwards an emotional Kolb said “It’s hard to talk to be honest. It’s so emotional for me. It’s my ninth season and it took me so long to get here, I will never forget this day, it’s unreal.

“I don’t know [where the extra time came from], I did a few mistakes, quite a few big ones, but every mistake I kept pushing and kept pushing and the bottom woods were insane. The crowd, that’s the reason I go fast – they’re insane.

“It’s insane [on Holl winning earlier], I saw Vali winning with four seconds, we already had one Austrian on the podium so no pressure on me and I just went for it.”

Bruni took the silver whilst Goldstone won bronze with Iles just behind in fourth.

Earlier in the race there was to be no repeat of last week’s heroics for British teenager Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) as he put in a solid performance but ended well off the winner.

There was also disappointment for another British rider, Danny Hart (Cube Factory Racing), as he was putting down a really good time but had to watch his front tyre blow out when he was in the woods.

It was British rider Joe Breeden (Intense Factory Racing) who kicked off proceedings for the final in Leogang, and he set an initial time of 3:09.234. Though he was the first to race, he finished last among the riders who crossed the line without being disqualified on their way down.

He was followed by fellow Brit Jack Piercy (Commencal Les Orres) who soon moved into the hot seat with a time of 3:06.671. He went on to finish 26th.

Piercy remained in the lead for only a few minutes as the next rider to cross the line, Simon Chapelet (Cube Factory Racing), set the fastest time immediately after. The time of 3:06.151 saw him eventually finish 24th.

Before Chapelet had time to get comfy in the leader’s seat, Bernard Kerr (Pivot Factory Racing) crossed the line in 3:03.644 and moved into first place, and was 18th at the end of the race.

The next rider to go down the course, Danny Hart (Cube Factory Racing) was on track to set a fast time that would have possibly given him the lead. An issue with his front wheel saw him crash off the course into the netting, which resulted in disqualification.

Dante Silva (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) was the next rider to take on the course, and his time of 3:06.661 saw him move into third at that moment.

Loris Revelli (Canyon CLLCTV Pirelli) followed, and he earned a provisional second place with a time of 3:05.341. There was soon a new leader in the top three as the next rider, Oisin O Callaghan (YT Mob) secured the hot seat with a time of 3:03.411. The Irishman would go on to finish 17th.

Change continued in the top three, this time in third as Antoine Vidal (Commencal Les Orres) took the provisional spot on the podium with a time of 3:04.813. He was then moved out of the top three by Remy Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) who crossed the line in 3:04.137.

The hot seat was then occupied by Charlie Hatton (Continental Atherton) with a time of 3:03.384 that saw him finish 20th at the end of the day. Hatton was swiftly moved down to second by the next rider, Dakotah Norton (Intense Factory Racing), who took the lead when he crossed the finish line at 3:02.457 and would eventually finish 14th.

German rider Max Hartenstern (Cube Factory Racing) then moved Hatton down to third, as his time of 3:03.092 secured him a brief stint in the second seat. Ronan Dunne (Continental Nukeproof Factory Racing) soon took the lead and knocked Norton to second and Hartenstern to third. The Irishman’s time of 3:01.548 gave him an overall eighth place.

South African Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), regarded by many as one of the greatest in the sport, started off strongly. He ended up clipping a tree with his wheel and this cost him valuable time, and he finished 27th overall with 3:07.692.

Laurie Greenland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) stormed through the first three time checks as he got his final run underway and a time of 3:01.681 put him into second place. Fellow Brit Matt Walker (Madison Saracen Factory Race Team) soon joined him on the podium in third after he crossed the line at 3:01.970, and subsequently knocked Williams out of the top three.

It was then the turn of European champion Kolb. After a slight mistake at the top, he regained composure well and his time of 2:59.335 put him straight into the lead and he was the only one of the day to break the three-minute mark. After jubilant celebrations with the home crowd, many wearing fake moustaches to replicate the look of Kolb, the Austrian took his place on the hot seat and faced an anxious wait to see if he had done enough to secure a historic win.

Thibaut Daprela (Commencal / Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) moved into second place with a time of 3:01.060 before fellow Frenchman Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) worked his way into the top three after he crossed the line at 3:01.546. He was soon displaced by Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) who then moved to second with a time of 3:01.048 while Kolb remained in first.

It was then Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) who took the second seat with a finish time of 3:00.246. There were now three riders who stood between Kolb and his first elite World Cup victory.

The first to cross the line was Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) with a time of 3:01.754 which put him well away from Kolb’s lead. Then it was the turn of world champion Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity). He crossed the line in 3:00.015 which put him agonisingly close in second, but it wasn’t enough to displace the Austrian. The final rider to go, Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) lost time due to a small wobble on the final corner and wasn’t able to significantly challenge Kolb. He finished fourth at 3:00.786.

And with that, victory was secured for the Austrian. The home crowd erupted as he rushed to celebrate with them, and was hoisted upon shoulders to wave to the crowd with a celebratory drink in his hand and a huge smile on his face. Kolb and Holl became the first two riders to secure a double win for Austria, a moment that was made even more special by winning in their home nation. After nine years, Kolb finally had his first UCI World Cup win and was joyfully congratulated by fans and fellow riders alike.

– –