The Trek Session was a double winner on the HIGH slopes of Andorra
The wild heights of the Pyrenees in Andorra were the perfect setting for the Trek Session to thrive.
The bike featured in two dominant victories. First, Vali Höll won the women’s elite final by 3.5 seconds to take her first World Cup victory of the year for the RockShox Trek Race Team. Loris Vergier then crushed a cutthroat men’s field to take his first World Cup victory of the year by 1.4 seconds.
Vali Höll showing off the Session she rode to her third elite World Cup victory.
Loris Vergier was overwhelmed as soon as he crossed the line.
It was a perfect day for two fierce riders who had been desperate for their first wins of the season. The level has gone up significantly in men’s and women’s downhill racing this year. Riding the fine line between control and all-out speed has become harder than ever.
“I don’t know what happened in the race, but I’m just happy to be here,” Vergier said after the race. “Sometimes you feel you’re going fast and actually you’re slowing down. You have to find that balance to not crash and still be pushing. But I barely made it, and I’m happy.”
Vali rumbling.
Loris celebrating.
Höll won the overall World Cup title last year in dramatic fashion, but she has struggled to find her footing this year. Before Saturday, her best World Cup finish this year was her fourth place in Lourdes to open the season.
She was laser-focused in Andorra, laying down a flawless run that improved on her fourth-place qualifying run by more than seven seconds.
Champion hug.
Leeeeeean.
Vergier entered his final run in P1 after winning qualifying. He was the marked man on the course. And he promptly shaved 2.4 seconds off his quali time to win the event by a comfortable margin. The gap between him and second-place Loïc Bruni was roughly the same as the game between Bruni and fifth-place Andreas Kolb.
“I was the last one on the hill. It was actually pretty quiet up there,” Vergier said. “I could see the view, I was trying to warm up in my zone. It felt decent. I knew I had to take it easy up top a little bit, and I made it happen without too many mistakes. I’m really stoked.
“Hopefully we can do that more often.”
Good bike.
Next up, both riders will head to the Snowshoe for Round 6 of the DH World Cup in two weeks. Last year, Höll won twice on the track to vault to the top of the overall standings. Meanwhile, Vergier slipped on his final run and just missed on his chance to top the overall.
The site certainly evokes strong memories for both riders. They’ll be heading to the United States with full confidence. As the season approaches the home stretch, they are well-positioned for even more big things.
