Finn Iles is off to a fast start, qualifying seventh and the fastest elite Candian on Friday at the World Cup downhill in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. It’s the first downhill World Cup of 2023 and the first test of the new race format that adds semi-finals to the race weekend.
Unlike past years, qualifying is no longer a ticket to finals. Racers now head to a semi-final round on Saturday. That will further whittle down the field. Those that do make it through have just a couple of hours to get back up the mountain for finals, which run later on Saturday.
Iles (Specialized) will be joined in Saturday’s semi-final by _ Canadians. Jackson Goldstone (Syndicate) ranked 10th, in a phenomenal start for the first-year elite who wasn’t sure he’d even be able to race a week ago. Jake Jewett (Pivot) followed in 28th, Mark Wallace (Norco) 45th, and Seth Sherlock (Intense) 48th. Lucas Cruz (Norco) misses qualifying by less than 0.5 seconds in Lenzerheide.
On the women’s side, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco) is the lone Canadian woman to qualify for Saturday’s semi-final round. The first-year elite finished 12th behind the day’s fastest qualifier, Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal). The second fastest qualifying time went to none other than Rachel Atherton, who is making her return to World Cup racing after an extended leave to recover from an Achilles injury and then the birth of her first child.
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