World Cup Finals—Photo Gallery

Culture

World Cup Finals—Photo Gallery

The 2021 World Cup season concluded in Snowshoe, West Virginia, with some of the most exciting downhill and XC racing of the year

September 21, 2021 Beta

The World Cup season ended on Sunday after a full week of racing in Snowshoe, West Virginia, with each day bringing big wins, heartbreaking defeats, and ultimately newly crowned overall champions in short track, cross-country and downhill, as the best racers in the world performed in front of a raucous American crowd. The loudest headline, of course, belonged to American Christopher Blevins for his perfectly executed late-race pass of reigning world champion Nino Schurter in the cross-country race, which resulted in Blevins nabbing the first American men’s World Cup win since 1994. World champion Evie Richards continued her end-of-season XC domination with a perfect weekend, taking the short track race, then the XC Olympic distance race two days later by a resounding 1:30 over Rebecca McConell, who had a devastating flat when she was leading in the first lap. Frenchwoman Loana Lecompte didn’t race in Snowshoe but was on-hand to stand atop the podium for the overall title, which she had already secured heading into the final round.

In the downhill doubleheader, Reece Wilson, the 2020 world champ, took his first-ever World Cup win in Wednesday’s race, then the “Flying Frenchman, Loic Bruni locked in both the second race, and the overall title after series leader Thibaut Dapréla suffered a broken thumb and fractured fibula during a crash in qualifications for Saturday’s race. In the women’s race, Vali Hoell had an epic ending to a season in which the top podium step was always within reach, but remained elusive. Hoell made up for lost time with two wins, then put an exclamation point on the season by taking the overall title, which slipped away from Myriam Nicole in a heartbreaking turn of events. Despite qualifying first for both races, Nicole crashed in both and ended the season with a silver.

Photographer Michal Cerveny has a full recap in photos:

Finn Iles finished his first season racing elites with an impressive 14th overall.

Amaury Pierron finds a line amid the East Coast jank.

Super Bruni on his way to a super finish to the season.

The fans showed up to Snowshoe for the rare opportunity to watch the world’s fastest racers on American soil.

Thibaut Dapréla came into the weekend with the No.1 raceplate, which he’d since the second race of the season.

Fans dug way back in the memory bank during poster-making night.

Vali Hoell finished the season in spectacular fashion, with two wins and the overall title.

Scottish racer Greg Williamson is a Shaka for American fans.

Sick Mick Hannah signs off from World Cup racing after nearly two decades between the tape.

Bruni brings it in, in the green.

Bruni added another World Cup Overall title to his already-legendary status.

Disbelief? Relief? Probably a little of both.

Canadian Jackson Goldstone took home the junior overall title, capping an absolutely stellar first season on the circuit.

A victorious Vali relishes in overall title.

American DH racer Luca Shaw showed his patriotism while heading to the podium for his fifth-place finish, his best World Cup result of the season.

The podium for the men’s second race: Bruni, Brosnan, Angel Suarez, Amaury Pierron and Shaw.

Loris Vergier (right) and Troy Brosnan give Dapréla a helping hand after the podium for the overall.

The 2021 World Cup Overall Podium: Bruni, Dapréla, Loris Vergier, Troy Brosnan and Reece Wilson.

Teammates who braid together, stay together. Clif Pro’s Catharine Pendrel and Sofia Gomez Villafane participate a pre-race ritual.

American XC racer Haley Batten rolls into the final race of the season.

Jolanda Neff cheering squad.

Signs of support for America’s Kate Courtney (and her mechanic, Brad Copeland).

While Courtney rolls, Copeland poses with a little piece of Americana.

The front row of the women's XC race pushes forward, while a crash in their wake threw a wrench in the start for the rest of the pack.

U23 winner and world champ Mona Mitterwallner on her way to a perfect season.

Swiss superstar Jolanda Neff charges through the roots.

Evie Richards takes the high line.

Richards leads the way through Snowshoe's signature rock garden.

Richards crossed the line alone, with her next competitor 1:30 back.

Katarina Nash returned to the World Cup for the first time in three years to race in the Clif Pro Team’s final UCI World Cup race (and finished 16th to boot).

Pendrel, who’s retiring after her long and storied race career, and teammate Nash pose for one last post-race photo.

World champion Nino Schurter was racing for the most overall World Cup wins, a record he’s been chasing for two years.

Series leader Mathias Flückinger started strong but flatted in the first lap.

Christopher Blevins finished fourth in the short track, which earned him a front-row call-up for the long XC race, an opportunity he most definitely did not squander.