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Gee and Rachel Atherton Score Consecutive DH Wins
See some action highlights from Val di Sole as the Athertons lock down 2013's top spots so far.
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UCI DH Val di Sole recap
A recap of the men's and women's elite downhill races from UCI Val di Sole 2013.
With temperatures soaring into the 80s during the Val di Sole practice sessions, the world's best downhill riders had plenty to contend with as they took on one of the sport's most notoriously demanding courses. The mountainous Italian landscape holds so many surprises that this stop is more about survival than anything else.
In the final, she was five seconds ahead of Emmeline Ragot at the finish. The attention then turned to Gee, to see if he could follow up with his own victory.
Greg Minnaar was back on track at Val di Sole
© Sven Martin
Greg Minaar, after a disappointing start at Fort William, appearing back in form at Val di Sole, visibly pushing hard. Hart, Hill and MacDonald looked good in qualifying but all got bitten at one point by the unpredictable course. Stevie Smith blazed down the hill to ultimately land in second.
Last year’s front runner and series champion, Aaron Gwin, had some work to do after a shaky season opener. Things looked back on track with his second place qualification but he wasn’t able to replicate that come his finals run, eventually finishing outside the top five.
Gee was the last rider on the hill, but since he seems to thrive in pressure situations, it's not entirely a surprise that he came through with a blistering run. Crossing the line with a second of cushion over Stevie, Gee locked up the top of the podium once again for the Atherton family.
Men’s Results
1. Gee Atherton (GT Factory Racing) 3:12.185
2. Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing) +1.001
3. Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) +1.250
4. Loic Bruni (Lapierre Gravity Republic) +2.471
5. Troy Brosnan (Specialized Racing DH) +4.121
6. Aaron Gwin (Specialized Racing DH) +4.123
7. Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) +5.280
8. Florent Payet (Evil CK Racing Evian) +6.341
9. Michael Hannah (Hutchinson UR) +6.442
10. Markus Pekoll MS Mondraker Team +6.501
Women’s Results
1. Rachel Atherton (GT Factory Racing) 3:43.810
2. Emmeline Ragot (Lapierre Gravity Republic) +5.235
3. Floriane Pugin (Gstaad-Scott) +12.053
4. Morgane Charre (MS Mondraker Team) +14.233
5. Myriam Nicole (Commencal / Riding Addiction) +15.495
6. Casey Brown (Dirt Norco Race Team) +16.060
7. Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen Downhill Team) +18.355
8. Emilie Siegenthaler (Gstaad-Scott) +20.180
9. Zarja Cernilogar (Blackthorn GT ) +21.090
10. Micayla Gatto +24.639
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