July 03 2023
Val di Sole world cup takes no prisoners
Matt Walker and Greg Williamson walk away from the third round of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup with mixed emotions as the Val di Sole track took no prisoners in Italy.
Both Matt and Greg made it comfortably through qualification and semi finals and had a chance to make their own way in the finals.
Walker qualified 11th and made it through the semi finals in tenth. But his finals run Matt was disrupted by rain and didn't choose the right bike setup for the rapidly changing conditions.
Taking 17th position might have been back on his other results, but advances his overall standing to 16th after three rounds.
For Williamson, the weekend was a story of showing what was possible after struggling with illness in the first two rounds. Qualifying in 33rd, he found a faster pace in the semi finals.
A 30th position was the very last place eligible for finals participation and would mark Williamson's first finals appearance of the 2023 season.
First man down the track, Greg looked to be on a good run, but a crash in the final turn of the final wooded section cost him over five seconds.
It wouldn't be until after the race that the true price could be calculated; a 23rd place finish his best result of the season. Without the crash, a top-15 or even top-10 was possible.
With three of eight rounds of the 2023 World Cup complete, the series takes a short break, returning for round four on August 26 in Andorra.
In the meantime, riders prepare for the World Championships, taking place on August 5 in Fort William, Scotland.
You can watch all the action live, exclusively on GCN+, Eurosport and Discovery+.
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