Following a fresh snowfall, the mountains of Silvaplana delivered icy conditions for the first day of course racing.
It was certainly a ‘head out of the board’ day; riders had to keep an eye on the gusty and shifting winds, as is often the case for mountainous venues like these. The biggest challenge was to ‘save energy and keep the fingers warm while waiting for the next race.’
- Maddalena Spanu [ITA] and Bastien Escofet [FRA] maintain their leads
- Icy waters and gusty winds create challenging conditions and exciting racing
- Race wins for France, Italy and Poland as qualifying series begins.
Maddalena Spanu ITA continues to top the women’s leaderboard, clinching yet another race victory following a close battle with Orane Ceris FRA. Ceris’ luck continued into the next race as she claimed the final win of the day, closely followed by Hong Kong’s Wai Yan Ngai in second place.
Following Wednesday’s marathon, the men were split into three fleets for the qualifying series.
France’s Oscar Leclair proceeded to dominate his fleet with impressive consistency amidst the tough conditions. Regarding his winning strategy, Leclair humorously remarked, “I knew if I went as fast as possible, I would cross the line first and be able to get back to the sauna first!”
Bastien Escofet’s solid performance in the same fleet keeps him in the overall lead, whilst Kamil Manowiecki POL climbs to second place in the overall standings.
In the third fleet, it was a showdown between Mathis Ghio FRA, and Alessandro Tomasi ITA, who won the event here in Silvaplana last year.
Thursday is the last day of qualifying races and will decide who will progress to Gold fleet for the men. You can track your favourite riders live on Metasail throughout the week and stay updated day to day through our social channels.
Day 2 Leading Results Men
1. Bastien Escofet FRA 2.6 pts
2. Kamil Manowiecki POL 3,6 pts
3. Oscar Leclair FRA 4.0 pts
Day 2 Leading Results Women
1. Maddalena Spanu ITA 3.0 pts
2. Marta Monge ITA 10.0 pts
3. Wai Yan Ngai HKG 10.0 pts