THE BLACK SNAKE & THE HEARTACHE

Val di Sole’s downhill track is a no-holds-barred a air that rewards bravery and precision, but punishes the tiniest mistakes. Blanketed in roots and rocks, the ‘Black Snake’ beats up bikes and riders alike. The world’s best riders struggled to find form during qualifying this year, as the weather changed what’s usually a dust bowl into a slip ’n’ slide. Come finals, though, it was business as usual as the sun dried the Italian mud to dust. Tahnée Seagrave made up for her disqualification in Leogang and took the win over Rachel Atherton, with Slovenia’s Monika Hrastnik bagging third with a standout ride. In the men’s, Amaury Pierron made it a hat trick, ahead of Laurie Greenland and Danny Hart.

For the fourth round, the series moved on to Vallnord, Andorra, one of the riders’ favourite tracks. The steepest course on the circuit, it’s a mix of loose shale, awkward roots, sharp rocks, steep chutes, hard compressions and huge jumps. It was Seagrave, once again, who came out on top (pictured), while a heartbroken Atherton had to settle for second place, ahead of Tracey Hannah, after a mistake mid-run. Despite another storming performance from Pierron, he had to make do with second, as fellow Frenchman Loris Vergier claimed his first World Cup win. Brook Macdonald rounded out the men’s top three.

The series now heads to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, for its sixth round, on 12 August.