World champion Erice van Leuven bagged her third victory of the season in the junior women’s downhill at the UCI MTB World Cup in USA today.

The remarkable Wellington 16-year-old produced a thrilling run down the 2.1km track in Snowshoe, West Virginia in the penultimate round of the 2023 World Cup.

Van Leuven, who rides for the Commencal Les Orres professional team, dominated today to win by six seconds, setting the fastest time at all the time splits in an impressivedisplay.

“I don’t know how I did it. I nearly crashed so many times especially on the rocks. I think it was Eddie Masters (champion NZ rider) cheering me on that helped. I am so stoked,” said van Leuven.

Van Leuven remains in third place overall in the World Cup standings after missing two finals with injury, although she is the only rider to win three rounds. She moves to 280 points, 50 behind leader Valentina Roa Sanchez, who was third today.

“Unless the others crash, I do not think I have a shot of winning the overall because I crashed out twice for no points but obviously, I will take a win any day,” said van Leuven.

Fellow kiwi Sacha Earnest, a winner of two World Cups this season, was eighth in the final, 20 seconds behind van Leuven and she remains in fifth place overall with the final round of the series in Canada next weekend.

Christchurch rider Luke Wayman, who rides for the Alliance team, grabbed a top-10 finish in the junior men’s downhill, only nine seconds behind winner Ryan Pinkerton (USA).

Meanwhile Austria’s Valentina Holl led qualifying in the elite women, two seconds ahead of German Nina Hoffman with Rotorua’s 2022 junior world champion Jenna Hastings (Pivot Factory) in 14th place, 15 seconds behind the top qualifier.

Popular Frenchman Loic Bruni topped qualifying in the elite men where 0.3s covered the top three riders. Best of the New Zealanders was again Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Mondraker) in 25th ahead of veteran Wyn Masters (GT Factory) in 35th.

Trek Factory professional Anton Cooper led the New Zealanders in the elite men’s short track cross-country in 25thplace and will start on the third row for Monday’s elite race, with Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 39th in his return after a virus forced him out of the recent Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour road race.

Great Britain’s Evie Richards took out the women’s short track race from Puck Pieterse (NED) and Rebecca Henderson (AUS).

Tomorrow’s action at the West Virginian resort focusses on downhill with the elite semifinals and finals, with under-23 and elite country-country on Monday.

RESULTS: Downhill Final, Junior women: Erice van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) 4:02.206, 1; Taylor Ostgaard (USA) at 5.9s, 2; Valentina Roa Sanchez (COL) at 7.2s, 3. Also: Sacha Earnest (NZL) at 20.12, 8. Standings: Roa Sanchez 330, Lisa Bouladou (FRA) 315, Van Leuven 280, Lais Bonnaure (FRA) 190, Earnest 170.

Junior men: Ryan Pinkerton (USA) Kim 3:16.424, 1; Evan Medcalf (USA) at 0.3s, 2; Mylann Falquet (FRA) at 1.9s, 3. Also NZ: Luke Wayman (The Alliance) at 9.7s, 10.

Elite downhill qualifying, female: Valentina Holl (AUT) 3:50.778, 1; Nina Hoffmann (GER) at 2.6s, 2; Tahnee Seagrave (GBR) at 7.0, 3. Also: Jenna Hastings (NZL) at 15.2s, 14.

Male: Loic Bruni (FRA) 3”13.2, 1; Laurie Greenland (GBR) at 0.2s, 2; Bernard Kerr (USA) at 0.3s, 3. Also NZ: Tuhoto-Ariki Pene at 7.5s, 25; Wyn Masters at 10.9s, 35; Matthew Walker at 11.0, 38; Brook MacDonald at 14.1s, 55; Sam Blenkinsop at 14.4s, 56; Geroge Brannigan at 14.4s, 57; Nico Arnold at 21.5s, 76; James MacDermid at 38.2s, 83; William MacDermid at 38.4, 84; Toby Meek dnf.

VISION: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M92nFTy7fE0

(Photo Credit: Sven Martin Photo/Commencal Les Orres)