The second stop of the iXS European Downhill Cup 2024 demanded a lot from the participants. As if the track in Lenzerheide wasn't already tough enough, this time the conditions were probably the most difficult imaginable. Rain, thunderstorms, wind and even single-digit temperatures were the ingredients for one of the hardest races in recent history.

Friday already gave the riders an idea of what they would be facing over the next two days. During the track walk, some of them had to swallow hard, as the course was extremely demanding. As training got underway, the weather changed to continuous rain, so that the course resembled a small stream.

Swiss Championship

The conditions on Saturday were very varied. At the start of qualifying, it was dry and occasionally sunny. Unfortunately, this changed in the late afternoon, turning the course into a real challenge again. However, the Swiss championship was still held in good weather as part of the qualifiers, which gave the day an exciting character. In the end, Janis Lehmann and Lisa Baumann secured the jerseys in the elite classes.

Finals on Sunday

The last qualifying runs on Saturday were already borderline. Even then, there were signs that there would be little improvement in sight overnight, so the decision was made to postpone the start of training on Sunday morning by an hour. They wanted to counteract possible low temperatures. The shortened training session therefore began at 11.00 a.m. and the weather officials slowly took pity. At least it was dry from above for the finals.

In the Elite Women class, the fastest of the previous day was able to emphasise her class. The fresh Swiss champion Lisa Baumann (SUI - Commencal les Orres) also secured victory in the final. Abigail Hogie (USA - Beyond Racing) came second, followed by Delphine Bulliard (SUI - Verbier Racing).

Probably everyone who watched the qualifiers had a clear favourite in the Elite Men class, as even in the most adverse conditions one rider was able to put himself in the limelight. And so it was the US-American Christopher Grice (Generation Specialized) who kept the competition at bay in the Super Final. With a time of 3:09.203 and a lead of just over a second, he relegated Simen Smestad (NOR - SK Rye) and Yannick Baechler (SUI - Beachler Brothers) to the following places.