The iXS Downhill Cup moved on to its next round with its third race in Semmering, Austria. Around 300 riders from 29 nations had travelled to the event, but were not spared the vagaries of the weather. In the end, Justine Welzel (GER – Rose Bikes) and Lino Neumann (GER – Scott Gravity Racing) emerged victorious in the elite classes.

Destination Semmering

Semmering has long been a stop on the iXS Cup circuit, though in the past it has always featured as a European Cup race. This year, however, the smaller sister series, the iXS Downhill Cup, made a guest appearance at the spa town on the southern border of Lower Austria with Styria. Situated at almost 1,000 metres above sea level, the town is well known as a winter sports destination, particularly for day trippers from the Vienna area, but has also had a bike park on the Zauberberg for the past 20 years, enabling it to establish itself as an attractive summer destination too.

The joy of riding

The course has been slightly modified compared to the European Cup and adapted to the requirements. It is around 2,400 metres long and covers an elevation gain of approximately 340 metres. The ground is relatively firm, with plenty of stones and roots. There are steps, jumps, off-camber bends, steep bends and a few high-speed sections. Overall, it allows for a number of different racing lines, which naturally makes a race track particularly interesting. The difficulty level was relatively high, although the general consensus amongst the riders was that it was great fun. This makes it the perfect venue for a fantastic race weekend.

Friday – Day 1

Friday was a fairly relaxed day. After the bibs were handed out, there was the obligatory track walk, followed by six hours of training. The queue for the lift was short, the gondola ride was comfortable and there weren’t too many riders on the course. This meant there was plenty of training time for everyone. The weather was absolutely summery – perhaps a bit too warm for one or two people. So it was important to make sure we stayed hydrated and paced ourselves well.

Saturday – the storm

Saturday began in much the same way, and nothing would actually have stood in the way of a perfect day’s racing had it not been for the weather forecast. This had predicted thunderstorms for late morning, which turned out to be true even sooner than expected. As is usually the case, the gondola was stopped at the first flash of lightning and training was called off. Initially, the organisers decided that the seeding run might even start on time, but as midday approached, there were repeated flashes of lightning, making it clear that a start at the scheduled time was out of the question. Later, the entire seeding run had to be cancelled because there was simply no improvement in sight and even more severe thunderstorms were forecast. That brought Saturday to an end, and most people probably passed the time by watching the World Cup in Lenzerheide.

Race Day in Semmering

By Sunday, everything was back to normal with high-summer conditions. The track was dry and training got underway as planned. As always, there was a short training session in the morning before the final races began in the order of the start numbers. What’s more, a former World Cup rider returned to the track after an eight-year absence: Jasper Jauch! He competed in the Pro Masters category and, despite his long break from racing, even won his class. Click here to watch his POV race run video!

Elite Women

The fastest rider of the day in the Elite Women’s class was Justine Welzel, who secured her third victory on this course, following wins in 2021 and 2023. She completed the course in 3:48.495 minutes, finishing ahead of Karla Jörger (GER – DH Talent Team) and Karolína Kadlecová (CZE – X-Ride Team Racing Lesná). 

Elite Men

Lino Neumann secured victory in the Elite Men’s class with a time of 3:10.859 minutes and a lead of almost 5 seconds. He thus took the lead in the overall standings ahead of the race’s runner-up, Max Becker (GER – DH Talent Team). Christof Stulik (AUT – Suspension Express) rounded off the podium in third place.

Summary

Semmering has once again hosted a fantastic competition; it’s just a shame that Saturday’s seeding run had to be cancelled due to the weather, which put a damper on what would otherwise have been a perfect weekend. Thanks to all the riders, the volunteers, the marshals, the fans and everyone else involved who made this weekend so special.