RACE HIGHLIGHTS | Round 1 Elite Men UCI Downhill World Cup | Poland Bielsko Biala

Highlights from the Elite Men UCI Downhill World Cup Bielsko Biala.

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here in Basco Bava. Let’s have a look at the track then to just under 2 km in length. Vertical drop of around 400 vertical meters. Average gradient about 20.4% 4% and steepest part of it really arrives right at that bottom, the wood section we’re entering now. Choices to be made in there. Next up, Max Hartenstein from Germany on that cube factory racing set up against the fourth split. So, 215 FCI Dino World Cup could be set to have a new leader, Max Hartstone. There’s a big hole in the way out of that rot in the righthander, you know, but Hart Stern heads down towards the finish line. Max Hartinstein. Is he going to go into the hot seat? Just about the only heat possible here in Poland today is achieve Hartin 1.1 seconds faster. Great ride and he made a lot of time in that pedaling section when he went into the green. Everyone take a deep breath and we’ve mentioned Emory’s tires in years past. He’s had this special compound that is specifically set for these wet conditions. He’s 2.8 seconds off. Armory Pon as he heads into the woods. No. Amarie Perro on an absolute run here at Bubawa. Early doors in this elite men’s final. Makes it through the section that took him out yesterday. He’s got to keep it up right through this massive mud hole. Hold on. Keep your feet in the pedals today. Emory. Amry P on huge crash there yesterday. Not follow today. Amry Pon down the line throws that common s across it and goes fastest by 3 and 12 seconds. Tell you what, that is a stacked lineup in that common s mockoff by Riding Addiction right now, isn’t it? at the first split. So, sorry, excuse me. 4/10 faster at the first split and is back free at the second split. So, Verier is well in contention here. Dances on the pedals down through this really choppy section. Verier just plays it safe there. Doesn’t take the stump gap. Oh, look at Peron on the hot seat. Verier down towards the line then. Can he displace his new teammate? Crosses the line and go second. 3.076 076 seconds back. So where you start on a day like today as we get ready to see Benaku launch for the first time on a Scott downhill factory prototype machine. Uh the weather may be a bit roulette but I mean they they had every opportunity to Benwaku launch. We know he’s really really good in the wet. What is this time and beam going to tell us? Benwaku launch goes cross and he’s fastest by 310 of a second is a big factor when we’re chasing these minute margins here. He was fourth here last year. Seventh in the UCI World Cup overall. What’s the second split going to tell us? Benwanch stands on the pedals, crosses it across that gap. He’s still 3/10 of a second ahead. Nico, he had a nice inside line here in practice. Let’s see if he sticks with it. No, he’s out to the outside. I think it’s just so wet, isn’t it? Yeah, they’re just running the maybe a free hub’s gone or something. Anything can happen on a day like today, Nico. 3.6 seconds back. Heartbreak for a Baku launch. Yeah, these conditions so hard on equipment. Oh, not scared. quite big coming into the Michelin section there. He knew he couldn’t pedal so he had to do it in the steep. Ben well as ever. It’s been buckling. It’s been all action. Benj crosses a line. What could have been? But still home in fourth place. 4.1 seconds. Chains off the front ring. Somewhere he won that last year. Next up, Tibo Deprell. The French national champion now riding for road racing after a year spent as a privateier. Tibo Deprella on a run here. two times a UCI World Cup downhill winner in the past. Can’t get real racing. Their first win here today. He just sat down into the woods there, which looked kind of strange, but he’s just taking a rest. He makes that big double jump out. The first time we’ve seen a few. He’s 6 up at the moment. Yes. 6/10 of a second offer Drella here. He was 18th in the World Cup overall last season. Wow. It’s 3/10 of a second faster. Still 47.7 km an hour through the speed trap. Scrubs the stump. Oh, too much. Did he lose the pedals there? Just the way. I mean, we’re still talking about just 1 second. But let’s see if he jumps the stump. He did it this morning in practice. Nope. Goes to the high line. It’s just not there today. Is it? So, well, not as far as TB Del is concerned anyway. It’s still been good though. It’s been all action. First Ben Waku launch was delayed. Now, Tibo Deprella, is he going to get across under the hot seat? Second place, 1.2 seconds. Josh Carlson is pointing and nodding as Martin Maze leaves the start hut. Normally, we question the use of his neck warmer, but on a day like today, I’d take anything up there. But this man making the jump from the UCI Enduro World Cup to race downhill full time again, he’s going to have to step it up. He was mentioning before just how physical this track was. You had to pay attention to the bottom. So maybe that aggression is what he needs to step up. But look at the condition. All right, I’ll take it back. Come on, Martin. M is absolutely ruling the dice stone through that really choppy section. Getting away with it, Nico. Yeah, he’s so balanced and clean through these ruts. What a start of that brand new FMD team. Oh, it’s been absolutely stellar so far. Doesn’t look like he’s put a foot wrong in this run. It’s It’s a really clean end. Three and a half back. Oh, a sun though between three and four. So, something has not gone well in that middle part of the run. Oh, Maze almost getting sent over the front of the bike. No, we did see some footage of some crew rolly polying down the hill there, but not the time for Martin Mace to send her on down through his forward. Martin May grabs a couple of pedal strokes, heads down the line, crosses it. Next up though, Richie Roode, a man who when he puts maximum effort through those pedals, threatens to turn the Earth back on its axis. I think his arms are bigger than my legs. Richie, you kind of forget every offseason when you haven’t seen him in a few months. When you see him again, you forget how physically imposing Richie Rude is. Look at the speed of him up here, Nico. All downhill all the way for Richie Rude. That’s beginning to pay off here. 170 beats per minute on the whoop life carrying some great speed through that key section there. That motto section. Look at him on the pedals hard. That visibly looks quicker than anyone we’ve seen so far. I always think for the enduro riders when it gets hard and it gets gnarly, but he’s got some track left. Carrying great speed through that Michelin section at the bottom. Richie Rude, he’s got that bike dialed thanks to Shauna Hughes and the crowd in the woods know it as well. Rude gets away through there. Slings it left. Heads across the gap. Is this going to be the new fastest time of the day? Richie Roode heads towards the bottom. Richie Roode goes second to Armory Pon by 7/10 of a second. Niko Malali Mo Richie in a sprint. I’d say it’s Luca. He’s one of the strongest guys I know. Luca Shaw leaves a star hut to open his UCI downhill world cup account for 2025 for the Canyon Collective squad. The bike looking absolutely perfect underneath him as well. Not having to fight the bars at all. Just tracking a lovely arc through those corners. Get through that really tricky little righthander. Carrying good speed as he heads down towards the second split now. Expect him to be strong on the pedals right here. And saves a bit of energy up there. He didn’t have to pedal. gets the step down and half second half a second up for Luca Shaw on that time of Amarie Pieron. Here he comes then Lucas Shaw. This is where he needs to be super super aggressive and super super strong if he wants to be Amarie Pon today. He’s a guy who’s normally had the fastest splits on the motorway sections which involves pedaling pumping. That’s what we have coming up here. This is one of the more physical ones. Just a bike dog in wanted to swing hard left there. That’ll cost him. Interesting how good Luca looked at the top, but he’s just getting a bit ragged towards the bottom. Whereas Emory Biron looks quite calm and chill at the top and aggressive at the bottom. So something to consider for our top five riders. Yeah, the pendulum starting to swing a bit towards the bottom now, isn’t it? Of this track here in Sturk Mountain Resort. 2.9 back. The time the meets in the bottom half. Luca Shaw crosses the line, slots it in in fourth place. Good run. Oshino Callahan leaves the start hot then. Irish national champion sleeve on him and another rider has done a lot of winning on the way in here and he is a man who will not be scared of a lack of traction. I called in quickly to see him this morning. Big smile as ever. Loving it. Just so excited. One of those kids just really excited to go and race his bike every time. Yeah. Yeah. Boost out of there. managed to get that compression right. And what’s great to see is as well in that junior the junior ranks more and more Irish riders starting to appear now. And it’s because of the influence of the likes of himself and Ron and Don. Yeah, absolutely. Has absolutely destroyed the field so far. Oh, Shino Callahan. Is he about to displace Armory Pon as he swings it right and heads towards the super steep bottom section? He’s not holding back here either. Nope. didn’t have to check up through there. Gets back on the pedals. Heads left and there’s just one more corner before he crosses the line. Is Oshino Callahan about to go back into the hot seat. Oino Kalahan crosses the line and goes fastest in the Elco Ba 610 of a second faster. The white team of Gunnar claps on. He’s immediately moved at the finish line. The Irish fans are loving it. Oshino Callahan, is he about to win? Can he beat Oshino Callahan? 143 ft per minute. He’s calm now. We know he revs low. That will spike though. How do you rate Loy’s chances today, Nico? I’d say they’re pretty high. He’s not a mud specialist, but he’s a guy who likes to start last. He loves the pressure. He wants to win this championship and win races, and he’s got a new bike to show. Look how smooth he is through that top section. Like Brun. Let’s see what the first split says then. Brun crosses it and goes fastest by 6/10 of a second. Lo Brun now. Lo Brun crosses the second split beam. Does the big gap and he’s still nearly 7/10 ahead, but he’s not gained anything on Oshino Callahan yet. Brun perfect through there. Clips him. Clips a course pole goes high in that turn. He looked he was inside of it. Right at the top of his powers if he wants to take a victory here today. Oh, serves his way right into that rut. Turns left. Lloyd Bruny just one corner to go. Heads towards the line. Is it going to be enough? Lloyd Bruny crosses the finish line and wins. It’s start by Park. A 10 from the second is enough to do it. Oshino Carahan will be second. He tasted a defeat here last season. He didn’t like it. He’s come back and he’s got the job done in Poland. Mike Brun takes the win at round one. Pick the bones out of that one. What an amazing elite men’s race. Brun O’ Callahan peron your top three. Then it was Richie Rude up in fourth of one of the runs of the race. Depa Shaw, Verier Hart, great result for him up in eight. Martin Mays was superb and nenw what could have been for the fast Frenchman. Pinkerton Isles, Tyrion Williams, Peron Breeden, Maples, Capello Hart, round out the top 19, but we can head down to hear from the man himself. Here’s Lo Brunie. Super Brun strikes again. You came second here last season. You weren’t going to settle for that today, though, were you? No, last season was a bit stingy with finishing so close to the win. I didn’t think I had it in me with the offseason a bit complicated and the weather being so far from my favorite conditions. But I never really uh complained. I just kept on riding. Had good feeling. The bike was working really well. We had some last minute changes on the suspensions and I think we did well to do that cuz the track was so rough. It was really sticky and physical. So I’m absolutely pasteurized. But I’m uh super happy to start a season this way. It’s amazing.