Monster Energy congratulates team rider Camille Balanche on taking second place in the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang, Austria.
LEOGANG, Austria, June 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Keeping the top-five finishes coming! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Camille Balanche on taking second place in the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang, Austria. Racing in the Elite Women division, the 33-year-old from La Chaux-de-Fond, Switzerland, secured her second podium spot of the season.
In the Elite Men division, 26-year-old Luca Shaw from Hendersonville, North Carolina, advanced to the podium with a fifth-place finish.
As the second stop of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup season, the iconic track in Leogang's ski area hosted the world's best riders from June 15-18. At a length of 2.2 miles, the steep course in the Epic Bikepark Leogang is a riders' favorite with its fast turns and technical sections.
Monster Energy's Balanche dropped into the course as a top contender after claiming second place in the UCI World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, the previous weekend. As the defending UCI Downhill World Champion, the Swiss team rider has won every race contested at Leogang since 2019. Would this weekend continue the win streak?
The 2023 edition of the Leogang race proved a battle for Balanche. After finishing the grueling semi-final in third place, Balanche came into the final, looking for the win.
Demonstrating her strategy and bike control, Balanche finished the challenging course at 3:27.525. With only two other riders left to put down their runs, Balanche commanded a three-second lead on the next competitor. But as it turned out, Austrian rider Vali Höll had the last word and finished the track 4.303 seconds ahead of Balanche for her first World Cup victory, leaving Balanche in second place.
"Today was really good considering the track was honestly super easy, super short, and super-fast. It's not my type of track, so definitely not what I'm used to. Obviously [in the past], I'm always better when it's wet and gnarly. It was hard for me to adapt to the fast conditions, but I'm happy I had a consistent weekend and a really good run […] nothing to regret and stoked to be on the podium again," said Balance.
In the Elite Men division, North Carolina's Shaw was gunning for a podium spot after finishing outside the top five the previous weekend in Lenzerheide. He emerged from Friday's semi-final in fifth place, close behind fellow Monster Energy rider Troy Brosnan in third place.
When Saturday's final rolled around, Shaw held his own in an elite field of top competitors. Finishing the course in 3:01.048, less than two seconds behind Andreas Kolb in first place, Shaw took home a strong fifth-place finish and important overall UCI World Cup ranking points.
"The weekend was really good. It started off a little rough; I had a big crash on the first day of practice, but yesterday and today, I just kind of took it step by step," said Shaw. "I was fifth in the semi and fifth in the final, so I am stoked to end up on the box and felt good on the track. I am really excited and looking forward to the next few races."
Next up is Val di Sole in Trentino, Italy, from June 29 – July 2.
For more on Camille Balanche, Luca Shaw, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Also, follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive updates from our mountain bike pros.
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About Monster Energy
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