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Episode 5 of Norco Race Division’s Just Getting Started series showcases what was going on behind-the-scenes, and the full story of a weekend battling it out at the Val di Sole Downhill MTB World Cup.
One of the most challenging courses on the World Cup circuit, the Val di Sole “Black Snake” track is almost entirely in the trees, and known for its ruts, dust, and technical steeps. Breaking down throughout practice and qualifiers, it makes for a particularly difficult finals. It was a character-building weekend for Norco Race Division, and while results on paper didn’t tell the full story, the team is leaving Italy fired up and with a clear sense of forward momentum.
Gracey Hemstreet finished fourth in an incredibly tight race, where the top five riders were separated by just over two seconds. She’s holding strong in her fight for overall season champion as current second-fastest in the world.
Erice van Leuven had a solid weekend with her first full race weekend since her Hardline injury, just missing finals but carrying confidence into La Thuile. Lina Frener had a good few days of practice and was enjoying the track, unfortunately having a tough race day and crashing three times. She is healthy and eager to get to the next race to try it all again.
Lucas Cruz saw a big jump in pace, just missing finals. The fire has been lit. Bodhi Kuhn made the tough but wise call to sit this one out after some lingering concussion symptoms in practice. The track is brutal and unforgiving, and we still have a lot of racing left in the season. Danny Hart pushed hard working with new developments on his bike but didn’t make it through to finals, using it as fuel for the next race.
The takeaway from this weekend is clear: the drive to push forward is stronger than ever. Watch Episode 5 for the full recap of an intense weekend, and how the team is continuing to steadily build for what’s next in the full arc of another wild season between the tape.
