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6 of the best racing moments from Vallnord
The Andorran bike park has become a firm fixture in the DH and XCO seasons since it made its debut back in 2008. From family affairs to record-breaking rides, these are the venue's best races.
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Vallnord in Andorra has one of Europe’s best bike parks and a bustling summer mountain bike scene. It also has a reputation for producing some of the sport’s wildest and most memorable racing.
The resort has hosted Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events since 2008, including downhill (DH), four-cross and cross-country olympic (XCO) races, and in 2015 it staged the DH and XCO World Championships. The first downhill race on the circuit was memorable as it saw brother and sister Gee and Rachel Atherton make history by taking the wins in the men's and women's races.
Tens of thousands of fans line the courses each year and they're never disappointed: Vallnord always provides some of the most exciting World Cup racing of the season. For 2022, the DH course gets a total overhaul and moves to a new part of the hill, while the XCO course follows much of the route used when the World Cup was last in town in 2019.
Here's our pick of the best moments in Vallnord's history...
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1. Rémi Thirion wins in Commencal’s backyard, 2013
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UCi DHi Highlight Vallnord 2013
Watch all the downhill MTb action from the UCI DHI in Vallnord, Andorra, 2013.
Following a break from hosting World Cups between 2010-2012, Vallnord was back with a bang in 2013. An all-new track brought racing down into the valley (previously the events took place entirely in the bike park, which is above the town of La Massana) and right to the doorstep of bike manufacturer Commencal’s headquarters.
The technically gifted Rémi Thirion was racing for the Andorran brand at the time and put together an incredible run, on a steep course suited to his sublime skills, to deliver a dream if unexpected win.
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2. Nino Schurter scores a hat trick and shows what’s to come, 2013
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Highlights from Men's UCI XCO at Vallnord 2013
Watch the highlights from the Men's XCO race at the 2013 UCI championships in Vallnord, Andorra.
Vallnord’s first year hosting an XCO World Cup alongside the DH saw none other than Nino Schurter claim victory. It was Schurter’s third win in a row during a 2013 series that saw him on the podium at all but one World Cup event, securing him the World Cup series overall.
Schurter also won the 2013 World Championships, Swiss National Championships and scored second place in the European Championships. Not a bad year, then.
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3. SuperBruni is born, 2015
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UCI DH World Championships highlights 2015
All the incredible action from an amazing days racing in Andorra.
Loïc Bruni is a name synonymous with downhill mountain bike racing and also with winning – his two elite World Cup overall titles and four elite World Championship gold medals confirming his status as superhuman.
But Bruni had to work for his ‘super’ status. After a solid junior racing career including a World Championships win, Bruni took several seasons to really get going in the elite category. But in 2015 in Vallnord, SuperBruni donned his cape and put together a pin point-precise race run to win his first elite World Champion’s jersey. The win came before he registered his first-ever World Cup win. It was a massive moment for the Frenchman and his many fans.
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4. Myriam Nicole wins a World Cup six years after her first, 2017
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Myriam Nicole’s Vallnord winning run
Myriam Nicole's winning run at the UCI DH World Cup Rd 4 finals in Vallnord, Andorra on July 1, 2017.
Myriam Nicole delivered another win for Commencal on the brand's home turf and more importantly registered her first World Cup win since 2011 in Val di Sole – a pretty long break for a talented rider like her not to be standing on the top step of the podium.
Putting in a strong run from top-to-bottom as the penultimate woman down, Nicole crossed the line in the lead. Last woman down Tracey Hannah then crashed in her run. Cue huge celebrations from Nicole and everyone at Commencal's headquarters in Andorra later that evening.
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5. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå sets another record, 2018
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Women's XCO highlights at Vallnord
Check out the highlights from the women's XCO race at Vallnord in Andorra.
Look back through the ages of mountain biking and there’s one name you’ll notice a lot: Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå. The Norwegian XCO racer began her career in 1993 and stood on World Cup podiums around the globe for the next 25 years, accumulating an Olympic gold, four World Championships and a record 30 World Cup victories.
Her 30th and final win was in Vallnord in 2018, a race that made her the most decorated female XCO racer of all time at the age of 45.
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6. Rachel Atherton is confirmed Queen of Andorra, 2019
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Rachel Atherton's run
Watch Rachel Atherton's downhill run in Vallnord, Andorra.
Rachel Atherton’s name is atop results sheets at venues the world over. She has won every title in downhill mountain biking, scored a perfect season in 2016 (winning every World Cup race and World Championships – all while she was on a staggering two-year winning streak) and has a tally of 39 World Cup wins and counting.
Atherton’s excellence shines bright in Vallnord; she's won four World Cups and one World Championships here between 2008-2019, her latest on-board her own Atherton Bikes rig.
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