________________________________________________________________

This newsletter is brought to you by:

________________________________________________________________

2022 Mountain Bike World Cup Recap

The 2022 Mountain Bike World Cup, which was held this past weekend at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, may have passed, but we're still buzzing from an epic weekend of manky, misty, mountain magic.

We’ve been to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Mountain Bike World Cup at Snowshoe Mountain Resort for the past two events, but this year’s rendition provided the races we’ve been eagerly anticipating. While 2019 and 2021 featured dusty, sun-flecked trails, this year’s treacherous track conditions showcased what mountain biking in West Virginia is really all about—slick roots, perilous rocks, and peanut-buttery mud so thick that just stepping in it could suck one’s shoe right off.

We've still got a nasty case of World Cup fever, and all I want to do is ride my bike. But, alas, this newsletter recap ain't gonna write itself, so let's get to it! Enjoy this annoted photo recap of the downhill and cross-country racing. Check out our full race recap, with 34 amazing photos, right here!

________________________________________________________________

Downhill racing

Snowshoe changed up the downhill course this year, building some entirely new sections to keep riders on their toes and push them to their limits. Then, in true West Virginia fashion, the rain came in, metamorphosizing Cheat Mountain’s lovely loam into gooey, sticky, greasy mud. With each successive practice session and qualifying run, the course got progressively slicker and rutted out, rocketing tires off roots and sending riders into the muck. The cool, cloudy conditions on race day started to dry out exposed sections of the track, but the forested sections remained saturated and slick.

U. S. rider Anna Newark sends it off the Cupcake jump. Photo by Nikki Forrester

French phenom Myriam Nicole, who placed second after a slip up in the third split, sends it through the Country Roads Gap. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Overall standings leader Camille Balanche exits the highline of a berm on her winning run at Snowshoe. Photo by Dylan Jones

Snowshoe’s fans, regarded as some of the best on the UCI World Cup circuit, never disappoint. Photo by Dylan Jones

Australian rider Kye A’hern leans in to some misty mountain mank at the top of the downhill course. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Great Britain rider Jim Monro tucks in to send it over the road double during the elite men's downhill race. Photo by Dylan Jones

U.S. rider Dante Silva kicks up peanut butter mud as he surfs through the incredibly manky woods section. Photo by Dylan Jones

The overall World Cup points leader and top qualifier French phenom Amaury Pierron tucks across the finish line to take the win at Snowshoe – by just 0.4 seconds. Photo by Dylan Jones

________________________________________________________________

Cross-country racing

Although the downhill racing is all about adrenaline, the competitive nature of the cross-country races is equally thrilling. Friday’s cross-country short circuit (XCC) races delivered yet again, with Americans taking the wins in the elite women’s and men’s races—a first for any UCI World Cup event. 

Gwendalyn Gibson, in her first year as an elite racer, had an absolutely staggering final-lap surge to take home her first-ever world cup win right here on home soil. Soon after, Christopher Blevins, who had a spectacular win in the 2021 XCO race at Snowshoe, brought home yet another amazing comeback win for the elite men’s XCC race. Blevins had a lead midway but hung back for most of the race, weaving through several crashes on the slick course and overtaking three riders in the final 100-meter sprint to the finish line. 

A peloton of riders, led by Canadian Emily Batty, cruises through the gaunlet of rowdy fans during the women’s elite XCC race. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Austrian Rebecca McConnell pedals through the pain to climb up the wooden bridge that ended up causing significant troubles for men and women during the elite XCC rounds. Photo by Nikki Forrester

American Gwendalyn Gibson cruises across the finish line for her first-ever elite women’s XCC win, bringing it home right here on American soil at Snowshoe. Needless to say, the crowd energy was off the charts. Photo by Nikki Forrester

The mass start of the elite men’s XCC race. The wind coming off the compressed peloton of riders was intense! Photo by Dylan Jones

American rider Christopher Blevins leads the pack on the short track course. Blevins crashed and fell back to 10th place, but came back to climb from 4th place to 1st on the final lap for an epic storybook win. Photo by Nikki Forrester

________________________________________________________________

Speaking of epic photos, don't forget to submit yours for our inaugural print photo contest

In case you missed our last newsletter or have a short memory, we're running our first ever print magazine photo contest. Check out the article on our website for all the details, contest rules, and submission guidelines. The deadline to submit your shots is August 15. Good luck!

________________________________________________________________

We need your support!

Subscribing is the best way to support Highland Outdoors. If you love the mag and want it to continue, please consider joining our 280 subscribers (thank you!) to get each issue delivered right to your door—and to continue reading it in the future.

Subscribe Here

________________________________________________________________

Stay tuned for our next installment in mid-August, where we'll highlight some of our favorite summer adventures.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!

Dylan Jones

Editor-in-Chief

Highland-Outdoors.com