Greg Minnaar, at 39 the longest-serving downhill pro, was already fast in Maribor and finished fourth in the qualifying race for the third Downhill World Cup. The fact that he is almost two seconds faster than three-time world champion Loic Bruni on the fast course in Lousa, Portugal, is quite surprising. Britain's Matt Walker was also only a touch faster than Bruni, meaning he was unable to beat the South African's best time.

Eyes will then be on the fastest qualifier Loris Vergier. With two victories in Maribor under his belt, he is likely to go one better here too, but it doesn't come to that. The Frenchman suffers a puncture on his front wheel early on and finishes last. Minnaar once again raises the age bar for the oldest World Cup winner.

A conciliatory end to the season for Bruni

Brit Jamie Edmondson rides to the fastest time early on the new course in Lousa and holds it for a long time. However, shortly before the riders who are faster on paper start, it begins to rain, especially in the upper section, making conditions more difficult. In fact, one top rider after the other is close to Edmondson's best time. In the meantime, Aaron Gwin was the closest, but the American missed his chance when he slipped off the line and immediately slid far back.

No one gets close enough to the best time until the fourth-to-last rider, Troy Brosnan. The Australian rides increasingly faster and is only just behind in the end. Matt Walker then turns the tables. The overall World Cup leader is already on course for the podium at the top and takes the lead in the lower section, not only taking the lead but also the overall World Cup victory before the last riders are down.

Walker's best time doesn't last long, however, as Greg Minnaar is the next rider to snatch it away from him by a clear 1.2 seconds.
Now only Loic Bruni is still on top. The Frenchman is fast in the first split times, but he is slightly behind. In the lower section, however, he fought his way into the lead - super close, but the 0.170 seconds were enough for him to snatch victory from Greg Minnaar at the last moment.

Overall victory for Cabirou - Balanche

In the first women's Lousa race, France's Myriam Nicole climbs back onto the top step of the podium, keeping the fight for the overall classification alive. Her compatriot Marine Cabirou finished second. British rider Tahnee Seagrave rode to third place.

World champion Camille Balanche confessed to mental and physical fatigue at the double World Cup in Maribor. She was able to overcome this after winning the Swiss Championships the previous weekend and achieved a good result with sixth place in Lousa. "I felt much better physically and mentally. Unfortunately, I made too many mistakes in the final run and missed out on the podium. On the one hand, I'm certainly a bit disappointed, but on the other hand there are only top skiers ahead of me. Now I'm motivated for the race on Sunday and I'll try to attack the podium," said Balanche, showing her fighting spirit again.

In the second World Cup race in Lousa - the World Cup final - the Swiss rider will start the race in fifth place. However, the hoped-for podium finish did not materialize. Camille Balanche once again finished a good sixth, missing out on the top 5 by 1.5 seconds and the top 3 by just under five seconds. Nevertheless, she is satisfied: "I actually rode well and am also very happy with the first split times. The only thing I didn't do was jump the road gap, and that robbed me of the crucial momentum. The other riders were also doing great, and then there's just nothing in it. Of course I would have liked to have ridden onto the podium today, but I'm still satisfied!"a

Then everything seemed to be heading towards a second World Cup victory for Germany's Nina Hoffmann, but in the end it was France's Marine Cabirou who took the lead with an incredible run and a lot of risk, creating a nice cushion of 1.7 seconds. Tahnee Seagrave, the fastest qualifier, was unable to match her speed from the previous day and finished third.
Cabirou wins the race ahead of Hoffmann and also the overall standings ahead of Myriam Nicole (FRA) and Nina Hoffmann. Camille Balanche concludes the short series in eighth place.

Full results