Round One: Lenzerheide, DH World Cup

The Lenzerheide World Cup was a race of firsts (or 40ths?). Rachel Atherton cruised into first place in a triumphant split winning run in her first season after giving birth to her daughter. The men’s race was tighter, with Jordon Williams boosting into first in a race that looked almost effortless for the 19 year old.

The course was fast, with techy woodland sections and a huge final drop. The difficulty of the course has been ramped up, with the new knock-out World Cup format leaving only an hour between semi-final and final runs.

“The new format of racing had me exhausted by finals,” Tahnee Seagrave said in her first race back after concussion, “but I gave every last bit of energy I had left and actually improved my time which was MAD cause I be running on fumes and red bull at that point.”

With the return of race-favourites like Tahnee, seasoned winners like Atherton (who took home her 40^th World Cup win this weekend) and a fleet of young, fast riders, Lenzerheide proved an electric first round of what is set to be an unreal World Cup season.