British downhill mountain biking racers Rachel Atherton and Jordan Williams took victories at this weekend’s UCI Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
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After securing the top podium spot with a time of 3:07.514, beating home country rider Swiss rider Camille Balanche, Atherton could not quite believe the result.
“I just actually can’t believe it, it hasn’t really sunk in. You get so fired up and then it’s three minutes and it’s over,” 35-year-old Atherton – who hasn’t raced since giving birth to her daughter Arna in 2021 – said to media.
The victory at Lenzerheide was Atherton’s 40th World Cup win, making her one of the most successful female downhill racers in history. She is also a five-time Elite Women’s World Champion in the discipline.
Atherton’s daughter was there to spectate her mother’s win, and after the victorious race effort, Atherton rushed to feed Arna at the pits.
“For me, not getting hurt is even more important than it was before, as I’ve got a lot more responsibility. I’ve been very open about the fact that being a mum hasn’t been easy for me, I’ve really struggled, despite great support from my mum and my partner Olly,” Atherton commented, and said that having her young daughter at the race made her more relaxed.
In the men’s race, an 18-year-old first-time winner Jordan Williams shared Atherton’s surprised sentiment. The Briton raced the course in 2:39.222, beating France’s Loris Vergier (2:39.717) and compatriot Loic Bruni who finished third in 2:39.907.
“This is just insane. Lenzerheide isn’t one of my favourite tracks and I just rode as good as I could. Coming from juniors to elites having fast riders in juniors to push me has helped me a lot. I didn’t focus on trying to win or send it super hard, just put down the best run I could. I really thought he (Loïc) beat me,” Williams said after the race.
