Finals Photo Epic: Les Gets DH World Cup 2023
Les Gets always delivers and this year's event was no disappointment from the incredible racing and wild fans. With issues dampening past rounds this season Les Gets proved that when the riders get to shine there is little better in competitive mountain biking than the spectacle of finals day.
Conditions were loose in Les Gets as the already dry course was thick with dust. Valentina Roa Sanchez bested the anti-grip as she ended the race 3.398 seconds up on Sacha Mills. Valentina also takes over the series lead into the final two rounds. Lais Bonnaure was the best Junior French rider at home as she crossed the line with a time good enough for third, 3.543 back.
Ryan Pinkerton was wild in the French dust as he was unmatched on his way to winning by 3.727 seconds. Sitting behind the back-to-back World Cup winner Jon Mozell secured second place after sitting in the hot seat for most of the racing. Evan Medcalf made it three North American riders in the top three as he went 3.778 back.
Marine Cabirou took her first win since the 2020 World Cup season as she was dominant on home soil. With the race favorite Vali Höll crashing out on the first turn Marine Cabirou secured a huge win as she bested Monika Hrastnik by 3.979 seconds. Nina Hoffmann overcame an illness to leave Les Gets with a third-place finish.
Les Gets delivered another French elite men's win as Benoit Coulanges finally won his first elite World Cup and made it a perfect weekend. It's been a long time coming but finally, Benoit reaches the top of the podium as he beat Andreas Kolb by 0.16 seconds and continues the 2023 trend of a different elite men's winner at every round. Loris Vergier made sure there was another French rider in the top three as he went 0.363 seconds back.
The European rounds of the 2023 World Cup series are now all wrapped up with riders now having a short break before racing returns at the end of the month in Snowshoe.
Monty B in all its distant glory.
Only the best snacks for the top mechanics in the world.
This section only got more epic to watch as it got drier and looser over the week.
Ryan Pinkerton about to make it a three-peat of back-to-back junior wins.
Ryan Pinkerton has a taste for winning now.
Ryan Pinkerton celebrating yet another win.
Junior Men Podium - Ryan Pinkerton, Jon Mozell, and Evan Medcalf
Valentina Roa Sanchez finally gets her maiden win!
Valentina Roa Sanchez goes fastest in junior women.
Valentina Roa Sanchez heads to the hot seat to await her fate.
Junior Women Podium - Valentina Roa Sanchez, Sacha Mills, and Lais Bonnaure
Good morning Les Gets.
Hoffmann limbering up for a rapid first run and the big day ahead.
Vali Holl making light work of the turn that would take her out in the race.
Gloria Scarsi heads to the line on her way to her first podium.
Last week's podium hero Lisa Baumann would take 9th.
Mille Johnset heads out the start gate on her final practice run.
What a ride for Anna Newkirk who takes an amazing 6th place.
7th place for Tahnee Seagrave.
Eleonora Farina rips round the last turn.
Hoffmann rode to 3rd, 4 seconds off top pace.
Hoffmann settling into her finals run.
Mille Johnset railing the final berm to land her career-best result of 4th place.
Great ride today from Anna Newkirk into sixth.
Tahnee Seagrave would go seventh on the day.
Hrastnik with one of her career best-ever finishes - second place here in France.
Monika Hrastnik found another gear today and the second step of the podium.
Cranking towards the finish, Marine Canirou could taste the win - a win that has eluded her since Lousa.
Top of the hot seat sealed. Just one rider left.
Marine Cabirou finally back on that top spot.
Cabirou goes the distance in glorious fashion on home soil.
Vali Holl has been the force to be reckoned with but today she'd make a vital misjudgment of grip.
Not the day for Holl after going up and over in the upper turns.
Vali Holl's run was over before it really began.
A huge win for Marine in front of the French crowd.
Hrastnik on form going into the two-week break.
Gloria Scarsi snagging fifth on this hellish track.
Gloria Scarsi is on one hell of an upward trajectory. A first World Cup podium for the Italian pinner.
The fastest women on the cool down.
Andi Kolb ready for the day to get underway.
Loris Vergier inspecting the first few turns whilst waiting for practice to start.
Luca Shaw scooting his way to an eighth-place finish.
Thirion is simply one of the very best to watch.
Greg Minnaar put the pieces together enough for a top ten, slotting into seventh.
Greg the Goat hurtling toward the top stepdown and top 10.
Thomas Estaque comes in hot into the final berm and into tenth. What a weekend it's been for him.
Finn Iles was on the hunt, bouncing back from his DSQ last week in Loundenvielle. He'd settle for a top-ten finish on the day.
Troy Brosnan, tiny, but good for 6th place here.
What a ride from Juan Munoz to take 13th.
Juan Munoz of Colombia scrubbing into a not-so-unlucky 13th.
The weekend didn't go so smoothly for everyone.
Shaw is always the dark horse with speed up his sleeve. 8th today.
King of Crankworx, Tuhoto Ariki, powering out of the final turn for another solid top-20 finish.
Estaque had one hell of a week and scored himself a 10th place in France.
Greg Minnaar tucking his way to 7th.
Tory Brosnan inbound on his way to 6th.
Bruni causing the usual crowd frenzy.
Bruni hammering to the finish as the French fans erupt. He'd stay on the hot seat for until the final few.
Loic Bruni couldn't quite repeat last week's heroics but 5th is still a strong result as the overall title chase heads into the final 2 rounds of the season.
Thomas Estaque back in the top 10 after a long run of misfortune and injuries.
Levesque recent run of great form continued on home turf, ending up just outside the top 10.
Dakotah Norton had strong pace on track but a crash took him out the running in finals.
Close, but no cigar today for third-place qualifier Dak Norton. Onwards to Snowhsoe!
A dusty Dakotah Norton exits the finish bowl after a crash took him out the running.
Jackson Goldstone getting showered with beer on his way to the podium.
Goldstone battling on for the podium despite recent sickness in the team and a mid-season appendix op.
Kolb put wrongs to right after his qualies crash.
What a run from Andreas Kolb, second place and just over a tenth away from the win.
Kolb hitting the final right like he means in front of the rowdy fans.
You can always rely on Les Gets to turn it up to 11.
Straight into the hot seat for the Austrian moustache master.
Loris Vergier tucks through the piste towards the finish bowl.
Loris Vergier cranking towards the line.
P3 on the day for Loris Vergier.
Coulanges making up the milli-seconds.
Green final splits and on the pedals again.
The crowd react to Benoit going green through the bottom splits.
Benoit Coulanges cross the line, finally taking his first WC win.
The moment Benoit Coulanges realised he'd finally done it.
Event security with it all fully under control as Coulanges' victory kicks in for thousands of French fans.
Chaos inbound in 3 2 1...
The fans were waiting for this all year.
The river of people that crashed against the finish bowl shoreline.
'Rowdy' gets redefined every year here in Les Gets.
Some scenes here in the Portes du Soleil.
The French raising their new king of the Portes du Soleil.
The people's champ, surfing.
A moment of tranquillity for the otherwise quiet man.
Bruni and Vergier, pals first.
Describe the energy in Les Gets in one photo.
Podiums don't get much better than that.
Benoit Coulanges was vastly outnumbered and outgunned on the champagne spray.
Benoit Coulanges salutes the crowd for one last time, take it all in.
King Coulanges.
A day for the books for the most humble man on the circuit.
Loic Bruni is still the man in the driving seat for the 2023 season overall with two rounds left.
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Great way to capture the feeling of a Les Gets event.
What a fantastic promise of a 3-race end to the season, knowing that the crowds at Snowshoe and Mont-Sainte-Anne will do their best to match the riders' energy and keep that Les Gets frenzy building.
Thanks so much.
Don't we have a different winner for every race this year?
We all heard how good Gwin was in the men’s last week. The Women’s race needs the same.
That said, if you listen to the crowd in the woods during Marine’s run, you’ll hear that it was pretty insane there. Also Benoit was last. for Marine, there was still Vali to come.