On the steep 2.5 kilometers from the Bikepark Vallnord down to La Massana, many riders make big mistakes. This also applies to the fastest qualifier Rachel Atherton, who went off track after the best top split time and lost at least five seconds as a result. As a result, victory went to Tahnee Seagraves (4:49.840) with a lead of 4.829 seconds, keeping the race for the overall standings open against Atherton in the lead. In third place, Hannah is already 8.692 seconds behind.

Carina Cappellari herself is a little surprised at her seventh place. It is her best career result, which she has now achieved for the third time (+22.660). And this a week after her elimination in the Val di Sole qualification, the first time in six years, as Cappellari calculates. There is also a reason for this. Two weeks earlier, she injured her shoulder in a crash and is therefore not yet confident enough on the bike. There is no sign of this in Andorra. With the exception of one small mistake, she put down a safe run. "It went very well. I improved my qualifying time by 15 seconds. Seventh place, that's awesome," comments Cappellari.

Emilie Siegenthaler is also one of those who make major mistakes and falls. She is already reported as being over 18 seconds behind in the upper section. She has two incidents to report. The first time she lost four or five seconds. "I tried to make up for that," explains Siegenthaler. But that went wrong. In a fast technical passage, she slipped off the line and crashed into a tree before falling over a photographer. "I was amazed that nothing else happened to me. But of course it's difficult to keep riding after a crash like that," Siegenthaler admits. Nevertheless, she is doing well. The fourth-placed qualifier even makes up ground on the current best split time. In the end, however, she only finished 13th, 32.546 seconds behind. "I'm very disappointed. I've always had good qualifying times this year and then something comes up in the race. If I come down well here, a podium is also possible," she says, shaking her head.

Juniors: Best performance for Janosch Klaus

While there was no Swiss athlete at the start in the juniors and Austria's Valentina Höll had already won the overall standings with her fifth victory in the fifth race, Janosch Klaus achieved his best World Cup result to date in fifth place in the juniors. He finished fifth, 11.337 seconds behind local hero Thibaut Daprela (4:15.467). "During the run, I was already expecting to do well. I didn't brake much and got through well," explained a beaming Klaus.

Elia Saurer, who came fourth in qualifying, crashed in the upper section of the track and finished twelfth (+18.888). The split times afterwards showed that he would not have been far off the podium. He uses the attributes "nervous" and "unfocused" as he ponders the reasons for the crash. "I got off line and rode too straight towards the next corner," explains Saurer. "Otherwise it was quite good."

Back to the juniors, it should be noted that although second-placed Anna Newkirk rides for the USA, she lives in Switzerland and rides here for Team Project, which Janosch Klaus also belongs to.