UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup – Elite women and elite men semi-finals LIVE

11:09 – change in second!

Dylan Levesque (Scott Downhill Factory) into second with a time of 2:45.2.

11:06 – new fastest time!

Thibaut Daprela (Commencal / Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) takes the lead and moves into the hot seat with 2:43.6. Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) also moves into second with a time of 2:45.4.

11:05 – struggle for Minnaar

Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) suffers with his back wheel and finishes in 3:16.8

11:03 – Zwar in fourth

Swedish national champion Oliver Zwar (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) finishes in 2:47.8

11:00 – Dunne into second

Ronan Dunne (Continental Nukeproof Factory Racing) moves into second with a time of 2:47.5. Roger Vieira (Impact Racing) finishes with a time of 2:59.9.

10:58 – more finishers

Max Hartenstern (Cube Factory Racing) finishes in 2:48.2, Hugo Frixtalon (Commencal IC Studio) in 2:48.3, Dante Silva (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) at 3:39.0, Dan Slack 2:48.9. No change to the top three.

10:53 – top ten

Stevens-McNab, Atwill, Dooley, Chapelet, Vernon, MacDonald, Vidal, Pene, Zwar Kvist, Pierron.

10:50 – change in fourth!

And just as I said about MacDonald moving into fifth, he’s moved down to sixth by Simon Chapelet (Cube Factory Racing) who crosses in 2:47.9.

10:49 – top three still the same

No change at the top, but Brook MacDonald (MS Mondraker Team) moves to fifth with 2:48.2.

10:48 – more time updates

Jakob Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing) with 2:50.0, Johan Garcin (Scott Downhill Factory) with 3:21.5, Antoine Vidal (Commencal Les Orres) with 2:48.2, Antoine Pierron (Union – Forged By Steel City Media) with 2:49.1, and Kade Edwards (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) with 2:56.2.

10:43 – top three

Stevens-McNab still in the hot seat, Phil Atwill (Propain Positive) second with 2:47.8, Austin Dooley (Commencal/Schwalbe) third with 2:47.9.

10:37 – finish time update

Mark Wallace (Norco Factory Team) moves into third with a time of 2:49.2. Other times include: Léo Grisel (Les Arcs Mountainbike Team) 2:49.8, Seth Sherlock (Intense Factory Racing ) 2:50.1, Jack Reading 2:49.6, Tristan Botteram 2:51.4, Davide Palazzari (Rogue Racing – After Skull Team) 2:52.3, Thomas Estaque (Commencal IC Studio) 2:49.9.

10:34 – top three update

Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Union – Forged By Steel City Media) sets the new fastest time of 2:46.6, Taylor Vernon in second with 2:48.1, Pau Menoyo Busquets (Commencal/Schwalbe) third with 2:49.2.

10:27 – new fastest time

Jamie Edmondson (Chili Racing Brigade) moves into the hot seat with a time of 2:49.2. Samuel Blenkinsop finishes in 3:04.5.

10:25 – time updates

Muñoz sets a time of 3:34.6, Theo Erlangsen crosses in 3:27.2, Adam Rojček moves into the hot seat with a time of 2:51.4.

10:24 – crash!

Juan Fernando Muñoz (IJ Racing-Chigüiro Extremo) is off to a ferocious start but has an early crash, he’s back on his bike.

10:23 – first time set

Guionnet sets a time of 2:52.0.

10:20 – men’s race begins!

Ian Guionnet is the first to get going in the men’s semi final, where 60 riders will be reduced to 30 for the final.

10:14 – Balanche takes the win!

The Swiss rider sets a time of 3:10.1 on home soil Atherton moves to second, Hoffman into third.

10:12 – new fastest time!

Atherton takes the lead! Her time is 3:11.9, Hoffmann in second with 3:13.7, Hemstreet in third with 3:13.7.

10:11 – Höll finishes

Höll still finishes with flare and a time of 3:24.4.

10:10 – World Champion Down!

Valentina Höll (RockShox Trek Race Team) comes off her bike after an impressive ride in the build up.

10:08 – Hrastnik into third

European champion Monika Hrastnik (Dorval AM Commencal) moves into third with a time of 3:14.9.

10:06 – Gale finishes

British rider Phoebe Gale (Canyon CLLCTV FM) sets a time of 3:21.6, pretty impressive given she’s only 18!

10:04 – Cabirou moves into third

Marine Cabirou (SCOTT DH Factory) sets a time of 3:15.5 which takes her into third, Seagrave down to fourth.

10:03 – Seagrave finishes

She sets a time of 3:18.3 which puts her provisionally into third.

10:01 – Widmann finishes

Veronika Widmann (Continental Nukeproof Factory Racing) crosses the line in 3:22.7.

09:59 – Seagrave is off!

The Brit starts her semi-final.

09:56 – more times in

Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Factory Team) crosses in 3:13.7, Yankova in 4:09.1, Mille Johnset (Canyon Collective Factory Team) in 3:21.6, Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) in 3:19.5, Harriet Harnden in 3:18.8, and Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) with the fastest time so far at 3:13.6.

09:52 – Yankova is down!

A nasty crash for Nikolaeva Izabela Yankova (Gen-S) who stays down.

09:51 – time for Ferguson and A’Hern

The Brit sets a time of 3:33.4, A’Hern in at 3:27.6.

09:48 – 3:24.4 for Baumann

Baumann sets a time of 3:24.4, Sian A’Hern (YT Mob) and Louise-Anna Ferguson (Continental Nukeproof Factory Racing) have set off behind her.

09:47 – bridge completed

She’s trough into the woods for a steep descent, she picks her line straight down the centre of the route.

09:45 – Baumann kicks off proceedings!

Swiss rider Lisa Baumann (Commencal / Les Orres Team) is the first to go!

Format

There are 18 riders from 13 nations taking part and they will be reduced to 10 for the final later on today.

Ones to watch

Keep an eye out for World Champion Valentina Höll (RockShox Trek Race Team), the reigning UCI World Cup winner from 2022 Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who is racing on home soil in Switzerland, British rider Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FM) returns, as does fellow Brit Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) who has an incredible 39 UCI World Cup wins, can she make it 40?!

Welcome!

Good morning and welcome to day two of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lenzerheide in the Swiss Alps . Today it’s all about downhill as the riders compete against the clock down a challenging descent. You can watch the action on Eurosport and Discovery + as well as following the live updates here.

Saturday – What’s on

As well as the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, there’s plenty of sport to watch on this warm weekend!

You can watch the French Open, Speedway GP, and 24 Hours of Le Mans all on Eurosport today.

For cycling fans, Criterium du Dauphine – Stage 7 will be starting at 12:10 (BST) on Eurosport and Discovery +.

And this evening it’s Manchester City vs Inter Milan in the Champions League final which will be broadcast live on BTSport from 18:00 (BST).

Weekend of Champions

On June 10 and 11, strap yourself in for a live sport rollercoaster ride. With the finals of Roland-Garros, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Speedway Grand Prix, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the Criterium du Dauphine, MotoGP and the Champions League final, it’s the Weekend of Champions live on Eurosport, discovery+ and BT Sport.

From Germany to Switzerland, Canada to the Netherlands and right across France including Paris, Cannes and Le Mans, wall-to-wall live coverage will showcase the breadth, depth and sheer volume of Warner Bros. Discovery Europe’s sports portfolio on the weekend of June 10-11.

Dubbed the Weekend of Champions, owing to the sheer amount of world-class action across multiple sports, over 300 Warner Bros. Discovery staff, including production staff, experts and reporters will be on-site across a host of locations over the weekend – from the UEFA Champions League final to Roland-Garros and Le Mans and more. Delivering over 70 hours of live, premium content to millions of sports fans across the continent across multiple platforms.

‘Hectic, fast, fun’ – What to expect when the UCI Downhill World Cup starts this weekend

The UCI Downhill World Cup returns for 2023 with a new format that brings with it greater demands for all the riders taking part.

The addition of a semi-final race will determine which riders make the final, with the top 30 men and top 10 women all progressing.

“I would say downhill racing, there’s a set course, you go from the top to the bottom, you have to beat everybody else. There’s lots of preparation that goes into it but that’s the easiest way to describe it,” Iles said.

“It’s pretty hectic, a lot of crashes. It’s dirty, it’s fast, it’s a lot of fun.

“It’s changed things a little bit, it’s more of a mental prep for me. Being prepared to do two full speed runs in a day has been a big change for me, but I like the changes a lot.

“This is going to allow for a lot of different people to come to the top of the standings, a lot of different riders on the podium.

“The finals is everything. It’s still the most points, but I think being consistent through the whole weekend is a lot more important this year, so you’re getting maximum points in qualifying, semi-finals and then the finals. You have to be switched on the entire time.”

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