After a strong outing at the last World Cup in Leogang I was hopeful of another good performance in Val di Sole. I had felt a little tired since Leogang but was hopeful that a few easier days leading into the race would have me freshened up again. In the short track I was around 10th on the first lap before getting caught behind another rider in the rock garden climb on the second lap and falling a bit further back. It was a really chaotic race and with a couple of laps to go I got held up behind another crash and slipped outside the top 24, finishing the race in 26th position which meant I would have to start the XCO race on Sunday from the fifth row.
In the XCO I had a good start and pushed hard on the start lap to move forward as much as I could. I paid for that effort a bit on the first full loop of the race, falling back to around 30th.
The course was very dusty and blown out in places so line choice and keeping smooth was key. I tried to find my rhythm and started to feel more like myself over the last few laps.
Finishing strong to move forward and win the sprint for 19th on the line.
I was hoping for more from the weekend but proud of the way I bounced back from a tough short track and difficult start to the XCO to take another top twenty finish. Full focus now on the World Championships in Glasgow!