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Downhill and cross country converge for first time this season at Val di Sole

Downhill and cross country converge for first time this season at Val di Sole

After three separate rounds apiece, cross country and downhill racers will converge for each of their fourth World Cup rounds in Val di Sole this weekend. Canadians are rolling into Italy in hot off stand out successes in both gravity and XC events, though with some injuries slightly reducing the roster.

The combined race weekend shuffles the usual schedule for both groups of athletes. The timing clocks kick into gear on Friday, July 14 and run through Sunday, July 16. Check below for the full schedule, broadcast info and who to watch from the Canadian crowd.

Bodhi Kuhn led the junior World Cup in Val di Sole last season. Photo: Daniele Molineris

Schedule: Val di Sole World Cup XCO / DH #4

With cross country short track and Olympic distance cross country, both in under-23 and elite, and junior and elite downhill racing qualification, elites racing semi finals and elite finals, it is a hectic weekend for teams in Italy.

Friday, June 14

Thursday is the busiest day of the weekend. Downhill qualifying starts racing off for the junior and elites, running from noon to 15:00 (03:00-06:00 PT, 06:00-09:00 ET). Elites head right back up the hill for semi finals at 15:00 and 15:30 (06:00 and 06:30 PT, 09:00 / 09:30 ET).

Short track cross country is up next. Elite men and women are up first, and are the first live broadcast of the weekend. Elite women’s XCC starts at 17:15 with the elite men’s XCC following at 17:50 (08:15 and 08:50 PT, 11:15 and 11:50 ET).

Under-23 XCC follows next, though it will not be broadcast live. U23 women go at 18:40 and U23 men at 19:15 (09:40 and 10:15 PT, 12:40 and 13:15 ET).

Saturday, June 15

For downhill fans, Saturday is the big show. It’s also the start of live broadcasts for the gravity racing.

Junior women’s downhill finals start things off at 11:30 (02:30 PT, 05:30 ET). Junior men start at 12:00 (03:00 PT, 06:00 ET). Both races are free to watch, live and replay, on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

Elite women are up next, with the first riders scheduled to drop in at 13:15 (04:15 PT, 07:15 ET). The 30-rider elite men’s DH final runs from 14:00-15:00 (05:00-06:00 PT, 08:00-09:00ET). Elite men’s and women’s races are broadcast, in Canada, on FloBikes.

Jenn Jackson put the maple leaf back on the front of an elite World Cup in Araxa, Brazil. Photo: Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool 

Sunday, June 16

Sunday switches back to cross country racing with the under-23 men’s and women’s XCO and…

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