The 2013 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup series concluded Sunday in Leogang, Austria. Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Team Norco International), who claimed a bronze medal in BMX at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, posted the Americans’ top result Sunday, placing fourth in the elite women’s competition.
Kintner missed a spot on the elite women’s downhill podium by only 2.745 seconds. Kintner finished fourth after finishing her ride in 4:00.428. Emmeline Ragot (FRA) topped the podium after completing her ride in 3:52.866. Rachel Atherton (GBR), who won the overall UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup title, finished second on Sunday, .502 seconds behind Ragot. Manon Carpenter (FRA) earned the bronze medal, finishing her ride 4.817 seconds behind Ragot and 2.745 ahead of Kintner.
Five Americans dot the top 40 of the final UCI Downhill World Cup elite women’s rankings. Kintner paces the Americans with 396 points to place eighth overall. Rebecca Gardner (Marlboro, N.Y./Gardner Racing-Kona) finished in 32nd place with 20 points.Alison Zimmer (Lincoln, Vt./Xprezo-MTBVT) and Jacqueline Harmony (Tucson, Ariz./A Culture of Speed) each have 15 points to place 33rd and 34th, respectively. Taylor Allison (Roxbury, N.Y./Team Drop) finished the world cup season in 39th place with five points. Rachel Atherton topped the women’s standings with 1,295 points. Ragot placed second with 1,165 points while Carpenter was third with 1,045 points.
Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek World Racing) finished his ride in 3:31.671 to place 15th in the elite men’s competition. Steve Smith (CAN), who won the overall UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup standings, finished his ride 3:23.959 to top Sunday’s competitors. Luke Strobel (Issaquah, Wash./Evil Vengeance Tour) placed 19th, completing his descent 8.904 seconds behind Smith while recently-crowned juniors men’s world champion Richard Rude Jr. (Redding, Conn./Yeti-Fox Factory Racing), who was competing on the elite men’s world cup circuit, placed 31st on Sunday. Loic Bruni (FRA) placed second on Sunday, finishing his ride 1.311 behind Smith. Michael Hannah (GBR) earned the bronze medal after crossing the line 1.934 seconds slower than Smith.
Aaron Gwin (Wildomar, Calif./Specialized Racing), who finished in 13th place with 417 points is the top-ranked American in theUCI Downhill World Cup elite men’s rankings. Mulally is only 11 points behind him in 15th place. Strobel ended the season in 31st place with 280 points while 18-year-old Rude finished 45th among elite men with 174 points. Austin Warren (Alpine, Calif./Factory Pivot) and Mitch Ropelato (Ogden, Utah/SPS North America) placed 53rd and 55th, respectively with 152 and 149 points. Kevin Aiello (Santa Margarita, Calif./KHS Factory Racing) ended the season in 129th place with 13 points, only one point ahead of Logan Binggeli (Saint George, Utah/KHS Factory Racing), who is in 132nd place. Sebastiaan van Steenbergen ended the world cup campaign with 10 points in 136th place.
Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Racing DH) was the top American in the juniors men’s downhill competition in Austria. Shaw finished sixth, 6.212 behind the winner, Noel Niederberger (SUI), who completed his ride in 3:34.480. Galen Carter (Salt Lake City, Utah/Transition-Laketown Racing) was 34th on Sunday while Noah Fairburn (Huntsville, Ala./Commencal America) placed 39th. Chase Nelson (Littleton, Colo./Trek Southridge Racing) rounded out the Americans’ effort by placing 66th among juniors men. Loris Vergier (FRA) rode away with the silver medal, finishing his descent 1.153 behind Niederberger while Michael Jones (GBR) earned the bronze medal after finishing 1.283 seconds behind the winner.
In the final UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup juniors men’s rankings, Shaw finished sixth with 98 points. Luca Cometti (San Diego, Calif./Nema-Nukeproof) placed 20th with 12 points while Jay Fesperman (Davidson, N.C./Yeti-Fox Shox National Team) was 31st with four points. Vergier topped the final rankings with 210 points. Jones finished second, only four points behind Vergier and 21 points ahead of Niederberger, who placed third.
2013 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup
Leogang, Austria
September 21-22, 2013
Elite Men
1. Steve Smith (CAN) 3:23.959
2. Loic Bruni (FRA) +1.311
3. Michael Hannah (AUS) +1.934
15. Neko Mulally (Reading, Pa./Trek World Racing) +7.712
19. Luke Strobel (Issaquah, Wash./Evil Vengeance Tour) +8.904
31. Richard Rude Jr. (Redding, Conn./Yeti-Fox Factory Racing) +10.484
Elite Women
1. Emmeline Ragot (FRA) 3:52.866
2. Rachel Atherton (GBR) +0.502
3. Manon Carpenter (GBR) +4.817
4. Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash./Team Norco International) +7.562
Juniors Men
1. Noel Niederberger (SUI) 3:34.480
2. Loris Vergier (FRA) +1.153
3. Michael Jones (GBR) +1.283
6. Luca Shaw (Hendersonville, N.C./Specialized Racing DH) +6.212
34. Galen Carter (Salt Lake City, Utah/Transition-Laketown Racing) +20.364
39. Noah Fairburn (Huntsville, Ala./Commencal America) +23.400
66. Chase Nelson (Littleton, Colo./Trek Southridge Racing) +1:31.178
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.