Loris Vergier laid down a perfect run in an extremely tight race
Loris Vergier loves Andorra, and Andorra loves him back. The Frenchman from Nice knows the area well. He won a World Cup race at the rough and tumble track at the Pal Arinsal resort in 2022. But no win, of the many in his career, was as big as Saturday’s.
Vergier won the World Championship in a thrilling Elite Men’s battle. Just 0.148 seconds separated him from second place Benoit Coulanges. If he had been 0.17 seconds slower, he would have been off the podium entirely. But in downhill racing, millimeters make all the difference, and Vergier was millimeter perfect on one of the most difficult tracks in the world.
Happy Loris.
Giving the roaring crowd some love.
“I’ve been an unlucky person in the past years, and I got lucky this time. It was unreal,” Vergier said after the race. “It was a bad season and I turned it around today. I didn’t expect it.
“I’m world champion. Wow. It’s insane.”
Though Vergier laid down an incredible run, he couldn’t sit comfortably in the hot seat. He had to wait out three other riders, the last of whom was Loïc Bruni, Vergier’s close friend and the most dominant rider on the World Cup circuit this season.
Loris celebrating on the podium with TFR DH team support manager Ryan Gaul and mechanic P.A.
Loris in the midst of a magical run.
Bruni posted the fastest time in qualifying, and was the fastest rider through three splits, but a small mistake in the closing meters took him to the ground. As soon as Bruni crashed, Vergier put his head in his hands and began crying tears of joy.
“Thanks for Loïc to crash, because otherwise it would have been so hard,” Vergier said. “It was loose. I had a bee in my helmet first split, and I was a bit out of control. And I kept on pushing until the finish line and it’s so tight, so I’m glad I made that push, and I can remember this day for the rest of my life.”
One rainbow jersey winner congratulating another.
Champagne never tasted better.
Trek riders had a strong day overall. The Union’s Lachie Stevens-McNab was the next best placed rider on a Trek Session, taking 16th as part of a breakout debut Elite season. Hattie Harnden took 19th in the women’s race, roughly seven seconds out of a medal — an impressive feat, given that her primary discipline is enduro racing, in which she’ll be battling for an overall World Cup title next week.
Reece Wilson, who has battled injuries for the better part of two years, finished 75th. He may not be back in the form that saw him win a World Championship in 2020, but he was upbeat after the race, given his journey.
Reece Wilson zooming towards the finish line.
Pure joy, and the bike that won it all.
“I finally felt confident enough to take risks I’ve not been comfortable taking for years,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m finally feeling myself again. I see more positives than negatives right now. We keep on keeping on!”
Vergier’s win is the highlight performance of what has thus far been a brilliant World Championships for Trek riders. Sacha Earnest earned a second consecutive Junior Women’s bronze medal on Thursday. And in XC racing, Trek riders have taken home five rainbow jerseys so far, led by Evie Richards winning the Elite Women’s XCC title.
Gold.
With the win, Vergier cemented himself in the history books. He has long been one of the most precise and technically gifted riders in a sport that requires surgical focus and ferocious confidence. He has come up just short of greatness in the past, with six top 10 finishes at World Championships prior to Saturday, and three straight Top 3 finishes on the World Cup overall.
Now he has the accomplishment to define the legacy he always deserved.
