Monster Energy’s Camille Balanche Takes Second Place, and Marine Cabirou Lands in Fourth Place in the Elite Women’s Division at the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy

“I was loving [the track] until this morning, I had a huge fall in practice. It was super tough mentally as well. I wasn’t feeling that confident anymore.{…} “Finally, I decided to push in finals and I am super happy with my second place.” – Camille Balanche

VAL DI SOLE, Italy (PRWEB)
July 04, 2023

The team keeps storming World Cup podiums! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Camille Balanche on taking second place in the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. In the Elite Women division race, the 33-year-old from La Chaux-de-Fond, Switzerland, maintained her lead in the 2023 World Cup rankings by securing her third consecutive podium spot of the season. Balanche was joined on the podium by 26-year-old Marine Cabirou from Millau, France, in fourth place.

In the Elite Men division, 22-year-old French team rider Thibaut Daprela returned to the podium in third place. He was joined by 29-year-old Troy Brosnan from Adelaide, Australia, claiming fourth place, and 27-year-old Loris Vergier from Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, in fifth place.

In the Juniors division, 18-year-old Monster Army rider Ryan Pinkerton from Aliso Viejo, California, rose to the podium in the Italian Alps with a strong second-place finish.

As the third stop of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup season, the legendary downhill track in Val Di Sole hosted the world elite of downhill mountain bike racing from June 29 to July 2. At a total length of 1.3 miles, the steep terrain provided the toughest test of the 2023 season to date.

No stranger to tough conditions, Monster Energy’s Balanche came to Val di Sole fresh off a second-place finish in Leogang, Austria, on June 17. The defending UCI Downhill World Champion suffered a crash in practice but bounced back on finals day to finish the challenging race with a total time of 4:10.353.

“I was loving [the track] until this morning, I had a huge fall in practice. It was super tough mentally as well. I wasn’t feeling that confident anymore […] we took the time to check out my body, my head, and the rest, and I just decided to do the warmup and see how I felt,” said Camille Balanche about battling back to form. “Finally, I decided to push in finals, and I am super happy with my second place – it’s the best second place of the year!”

On the strength of her third consecutive second-place finish of the 2023 season, Balanche retains first place in the 2023 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup season rankings with 1020 points, ahead of Austria’s Valentina Hoell in second place with 982 points. This puts Balanche at an advantage heading into the summer break before the upcoming Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, from August 3-5, 2023.

Also rising to the podium in Val di Sole, French rider Cabirou completed the track in 4:12.445 minutes for fourth place.

When asked about her race, Cabirou commented, “It was a big week! The track has changed a lot with the rain then the sun so it wasn’t easy to manage it. I’m on the podium in fourth after a few mistakes in an otherwise good run. It’s part of the game. I think everyone made mistakes today on this track; it’s really technical and gnarly, so I’m stoked with my day.”

In the Elite Men division, French team rider Daprela briefly held the lead with a stunning finish time of 3:37.366. But when the dust settled, Daprela took home third place after ceding the lead to the weekend’s winner, Canadian Jackson Goldstone.

“I had a really good weekend overall. I pushed in my race run, made a mistake, but ended up third. The track is wild, and I’m a bit wild sometimes, too! It feels good to be back on the podium, I’m stoked,” said Daprela.

Earlier in the race, Britain’s Bernard Kerr dominated the race amid rainy conditions with a 3:40.945 finish time, until Australian Monster Energy rider Brosnan took over the lead by finishing in 3:38.797 with just seven riders left to drop.

When all was said and done, Brosnan finished in fourth place, closely ahead of French teammate Vergier in fifth place with a 3:39.121 total time.

Racing in the Junior division, 18-year-old mountain bike prodigy and Monster Army rider Pinkerton made a strong showing at the Val di Sole Downhill World Cup. Taking on the best in his age class, the three-time U.S. national DH race champion qualified into the final in first place. But when a crash in the early finals round threatened to end his podium dreams, Pinkerton battled hard to compensate for the mistake and ultimately completed the track in 3:44.717 to claim a strong second-place finish. Definitely keep an eye on this kid!

Congrats to the Monster Energy team on this successful UCI World Cup event! Stay tuned for the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, from August 3-5, 2023. And catch the action when the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season continues in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, from August 24-27.

For more on Camille Balanche, Thibaut Daprela, Marine Cabirou, Troy Brosnan, Loris Vergier, Ryan Pinkerton, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Also, follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive updates from our mountain bike pros.

###

About Monster Energy

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.