No glory for Monika in Les Gets Finals
Race week in Les Gets kicked off the second half of the race season, and it was everything we expect from this legendary venue. It would be better if the weather would stay more on the sunny side, but this is part of mountain bike racing. On the end of the day Monika got a semi-decent result, and we all got that fantastic atmosphere that tens of thousands of fans create.
Full day of heavy rain, lots of raining on every other day. This of course crated havoc on the heavily modified track in Les Gets, nobody was imune to the conditions out there. Stan absolutely loved the conditions, but it was Monika who made the most out of it as she qualified in 9th and went straight to the finals. That run didn’t went well and she finished in 14th.
Monika Hrastnik: “The race in Les Gets was the toughest of the season. Before we started riding, the track looked amazing—with all the changes and new sections, I was really looking forward to the race. But then it started raining heavily. The first day of practice was almost entirely in the rain, and the conditions on the track kept changing—practically every run felt different. Deep ruts formed, and every possible root was exposed. The conditions were really tough, and overall it was extremely physically demanding.
The qualifying run was far from ideal, as I didn’t hit the jump lines at the top and bottom of the track, and I also caught up to the rider in front of me, which cost me additional seconds. Otherwise, the run was clean, and I was happy with ninth place and direct qualification for the final.
On the last day of the race, I started with two good training runs. After rain overnight, everything was soaked again, but I managed to improve the last few details on the track. The final run went really well up until the third split. In these conditions, I made mistakes—just like everyone else. But right before exiting the last forest section, my front wheel slid out, and I had to push the bike back up the track to get onto the B-line. There simply wasn’t enough speed left for the jump. I lost too much time with that, and of course, I’m disappointed with the result—but I’m glad I made it down in one piece.
Next up is the World Championship in Switzerland. The track in Champéry is very specific—very steep with lots of turns. It hasn’t been on the World Cup circuit for a long time, though we had the European Championships there last season. A lot will depend on the weather, but it’s definitely going to be another very challenging race.”
Stan didn’t qualify for the finals; he went on the track in that unfortunate moments when track was already quite dry, but felt slippery. A little bit too reserved approach that costed too many seconds. Henry meanwhile completely skipped the race. He has a small injury on his palm that needs treatment, so he can be ready for the big race in Champery.
Quick update on Reece and Hattie. Reece is back home, working hard on his recovery. Hattie was with the team in Les Gets for couple of days, but is now in Bellwald on the Enduro World Champs.