There are two types of soccer fan experiences you can have in France. You can go watch Monaco play at home, and sit next to a group of well-spoken people wearing ties, politely clapping when either team scores a goal, or you can attend a game in Marseille and have the hairs on your neck stand up as the crowd chants in unison while simultaneously trying to burn down the stadium from both ends. Not to mention the riots in the city afterward when the team loses (actually, they riot out of joy when they win, too…).
Rick Schubert
Downhill races in Switzerland are a bit like soccer games in Monaco then. No chainsaws please, and try to keep it down lest the neighbors complain. Les Gets, France, however, you guessed it – more like Marseille. This Alpine resort is at the very heart of Europe’s summer bike park scene, a melting pot of nationalities united in worship at the altar of shred that is the Portes du Soleil region. The only way to turn the volume up here is to bring the World Cup circus to town, and that is just what happened this past weekend. The French of course have a rich DH heritage, and we’re not just talking about winning (which they still do a lot of to this day, thank you very much). We’re talking about real fandom. The kind of fandom that sees thousands of people break down the barriers after the last racer goes by to storm the “pitch” and start the celebrations – assuming of course a French winner, which is almost something you can actually count on these days. Amuary down, Thibaut down, Loic a tiny bit off his game? No problem, Benoit to the rescue! Myriam is hurt – Marine will step up! Scenes of chaos as Les Gets braces itself for another night of debauchery and destruction in the wake of not one but two home victories, but that’s just par for the course and you know they’ll throw their hat in the ring when it’s time to organize the next one. Vive la France! – Iceman
Rick Schubert
Entry stats
Elite Men
Elite Women
Junior Men
Junior Women
Les Gets, France, has significant history as a downhill mountain bike race venue. From Peaty’s infamous front wheel washout at World Champs in ’04 to the triple French podium in ’22, drama and downhill go hand-in-hand in Les Gets. Despite start lists showing up extremely late, the latest antics of Discovery and the UCI seemed to fade into the background as weather cooperated with competition and talented riders were more interesting than schedule scandal and course safety conspiracy. Rick Schubert and Jack Rice share their images from France.
THE PITS
Flooks discussing retirement or shim stacks. We couldn’t quite tell. Rick SchubertThe huck that will live forever. Rick SchubertSea of red. Rick SchubertBlack on black on trippy. Kade’s whip trying to distract us from the real details. Rick SchubertAtherton’s high-tech naming conventions. Rick SchubertReserved seating for this reservoir. Rick SchubertEveryone’s favorite topic. Cable routing. Rick Schubert
With all the stack-shaming going on in the live feed booth, Dak has properly insulated himself from the attention. The expert commentators should know that this setup is hardly new for Downhill Jesus (as coined by @dolface‘s friends in the forum). Rick SchubertNow weight a minute! Rick Schubert
What did Jack find in the pits?
Valentina Roa Sanchez’s mechanic, Richy, keeping it light. That number will plate will also be half as light by the end of this article, too. Jack RiceThe Union’s Industry Nine bling. Jack RiceOur favorite Viking mechanic, Jokim, enjoying the high-class views as a squatter (see next photo for more about that). Jack RiceQuite the pit setup for the Union, eh? Well, we can all thank the Athertons. The UCI/ESO-assigned Union pits were halfway to Geneva, but the Athertons came through by letting the Union post up in the yard of their condo like the derelict, graffiti-writing, ne’er do wells that they really are. Jack RiceAnthony Poulson getting Emmy Lan’s Forbidden cleaned up. Jack RiceUnsprung Forbidden DH whip.Norco’s prototype DH bike. There’s something about the beauty of utility, isn’t there?Maybe every production bike with headset routing could come with these glue-on cable guides? Jack RiceSensus swirls on a fresh Gambler in the Scott pits. Jack RiceNow it’s time to mooooove on to bikes getting their wheels in French dirt. Jack Rice
THE TRACK – Take your pick or watch both
Chris Hauser of the Union with hauling, early practice run.
Dakotah Norton and Joe Breeden swapping lines and exploding berms.
THE JUNIORS
Ryan Pinkerton, #USDH destroyer, came in with back-to-back wins under his belt. The loose, Les Gets duff was reminiscent of home and it was Pinky’s race to lose this weekend. He didn’t lose. He smashed the victory by almost 4 seconds. Jack RiceValentina Roa Sanchez about to turn that #2 plate into a #1. Composed and on pace for victory, she gives her fans and team a heart attack with a drifting, berm-smashing assault of the final berm before crossing the line for the win and overall lead by 10 points. Jack RiceAnother #USDH rider on the podium! Evan Medcalf ran a strong, consistent weekend and placed 3rd – his best World Cup finish to date. Jack RicePinkerton on top once again. He has an 88-point lead in the overall as the circus heads for the USA. Jack RiceJorge and Vali proving that hard work, grit and determination pays off. Jack RiceValentina’s winning bike Jack RiceJunior Women’s Podium Jack RicePinkerton’s winning bike Jack RiceJunior Men’s Podium with two #USDH riders! Jack Rice
Before the clock turned on and the race was decided, the Juniors provided the first-run practice entertainment we’ve come to love this year.
THE ELITES
Wyn Masters, poppin’ wheelies for the people!
Kaos Seagrave, speed and style. photos by Jack Rice
Theo Erlangsen doing his best Wyn Masters impression.
It was Big Benny C’s weekend. 1st in qualifying with a 3:22. 1st in semi-finals with a 3:21 and went it mattered most, 1st on race day with a 3:19 just .160 ahead of Andreas Kolb. His first World Cup win and riots impending as a result. Jack RiceKade didn’t qualify for the race, but he’s permanently protected in our hearts. Jack RiceDylan Maples didn’t have the semi-final he’d hoped for and missed the show, but promising days ahead for this #USDH pinner. Jack RiceFrom a podium in Loudenvielle to just squeaking through the semis in 29th, Remi Thirion, had a solid 22nd race finish, 6.9 seconds off the pace. His style is unmatched. Jack RiceLoris Vergier, 3rd place by .363 seconds. A mind-numbingly insignificant time differential that could have been gained or lost anywhere on the track. Jack RiceDak doing Dak things. He was 3rd place in semis only to push too hard at the top of the track forcing a wash-out crash. We can already smell the Waffle House coming in two weeks, though. Jack RiceLots of serious looks when Daddy Danny Hart comes storming by. Serious because he’s going 3000mph. Jack RiceDylan Levesque is a sleeper of a shredder. He just quietly does his thing, and out of nowhwere, he tries to crowd out a podium position. In both semis and finals, he was 3.9 off the pace, but the difference was 7th in semis and 11th in finals. #TIGHTMonika Hrastnik with a fantastic result in 2nd place this weekend. She bumps up into 4th overall with two rounds to go. Jack RiceNina Hoffmann goes 3rd and hangs onto 2nd in the overall. She had the fastest first split, but slowly lost time and was just .5 off of Hrastnik in 2nd.Fairclough repping flat pedals and 164productions. Jack RiceHeart-breaker for Jordan Williams. Winner of the first World Cup this season as his first year in Elite, he was 31st in semis missing the show by .043 seconds. Jack RiceIt’s like the track markers move out of the way for Andreas Kolb. The happy Austrian held the hot seat until the last rider down, Coulanges, stole victory by just .160. Even so, Kolb was visibly stoked for Coulanges nabbing his first win. Jack RiceManual along if you feel like a room without a roof! Kolb. Happy.. Jack Rice.Loic wanted it. He always wants it, but 5th place, not even 1 second behind Coulanges is a stinger. The Top 5 riders were only separated by .655 seconds. Loic retains the overall, but Jackson Goldstone moves into 2nd, just 57 points back. Loris is in 3rd, 122 points off Bruni.Luca Shaw holding down the fort, 10th in the overall. He’s consistent, patient and ready to pounce at home in a couple weeks. Jack RiceMariana Salazar beating the crap out of cancer. So great to see her back on track with that infectious smile. Jack RiceJackson Goldstone, recovering, improving and stomping onto 4th place and bumping up into 2nd in the overall. Some serious knocking on the door of Loic after this weekend. Jack RiceRace day in Les Gets in pandemonium.Don’t worry though, they’ve got things on lock. Jack RiceMarine Cabirou with an attack that earns her the win by nearly 4 seconds. She primes the frothing French crowd with their first victory of the day and moves into 3rd overall while doing so. Jack Rice
Fast-forward a couple hours to see Benoit Coulanges giving the French crowd what they want…a reason to riot! This is Benoit’s first World Cup Downhill win after years of trying. Jack Rice
5 riders, .665 seconds. If they crossed the line at 25mph, that’s about 24 feet, or all the 5 bikes in line, head-to-toe.
Not gonna lie, this looks way more terrifying than going down the Les Gets track as fast as Coulanges. Benoit getting a free ride to the podium.Jack Rice
GET TO THE PODIUM! Jack RiceMarine’s winning bike. Jack RiceElite Women’s podium Jack Rice9 seconds later. Jack RiceBenoit’s winning bike. Jack Rice5th place, but still on the box for Loic. Jack RiceNice guys do finish 1st. And 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th and 5th. Jack RiceWash that Les Gets dust off! Jack RiceAnd Benoit was never seen again… Jack RiceAu revoir from France. We’ll see you in the backwoods of West Virginia soon! Jack Rice
Les Gets World Cup Downhill Top 5 Race Results (Complete Results)
Elite Men’s Top 5
Benoit Coulanges – 3.19.573
Andreas Kolb – 3:19.733
Loris Vergier – 3:19.936
Jackson Goldstone – 3:19.983
Loic Bruni – 3:20.228
Elite Women’s Top 5
Marine Cabirou – 3:47.390
Monika Hrastnik – 3:51.369
Nina Hoffmann – 3:51.807
Mille Johnset – 3:56.171
Gloria Scarsi – 3:57.194
Junior Men’s Top 5
Ryan Pinkerton – 3:25.358
Jon Mozell – 3:29.085
Evan Medcalf – 3:29.136
Leo Abella – 3:29.858
Kimi Viardot – 3:32.600
Junior Women’s Top 5
Valentina Roa Sanchez – 4:07.007
Sacha Mills – 4:10.405
Lais Bounnaure – 4:10.550
Lisa Bouladou – 4:11.448
Sacha Earnest – 4:13.937
Overall Leaders After Les Gets
Elite Men’s Top 5
Loic Bruni – 1330
Jackson Goldstone – 1273
Loris Vergier – 1208
Finn Iles – 1181
Benoit Coulange – 1112
Elite Women’s Top 5
Vali Holl – 1842
Nina Hoffmann – 1418
Marine Cabirou – 1328
Monika Hrastnik – 1021
Camille Balanche – 1020
Junior Men’s Top 5
Ryan Pinkerton – 283
Bodhi Kuhn – 195
Leo Abella – 189
Chris Hauser – 174
Hugo Marini – 142
Junior Women’s Top 5
Bodhi Kuhn – 195
Bodhi Kuhn – 195
Leo Abella – 189
Chris Hauser – 174
Hugo Marini – 142
Top 30 Team Standings After Les Gets
The 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup wraps up in North America with Snowshoe, West Virginia, (Sept 29 – Oct 1) and the final race of the season in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada (Oct 6 – 8).
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