Ulbricht stunned by breakthrough win as Bankes rolls on in Sierra Nevada

Leon Ulbricht (GER) stunned both himself and the FIS Snowboard Cross circuit with the first World Cup victory of his career while a resurgent Charlotte Bankes added yet another win to hers in foggy conditions in Sierra Nevada on Saturday.

Ulbricht had placed no higher than 22nd this season and had gone backwards since that result in St Moritz in January, but he finally delivered on the promise of his 2022 junior world championship gold medal in southern Spain.

“It’s unbelievable, I can’t say anything, it’s too crazy,” the clearly emotional 19-year-old said.

“It was really tough, especially because of the weather. But I had a really good start and I gave my best. It’s basically my first time here for everything. It’s my first World Cup semifinal ever, and then to win the World Cup, it’s crazy.”

Snowboard Cross fans in Germany had become used to cheering one of their own on top of a men’s World Cup podium but they had endured a barren season with the drop-off in form and fitness of Martin Noerl (GER), the overall winner for the past two seasons.

There has been no such deterioration in the form of Eliot Grondin (CAN), the man perfectly placed to succeed Noerl at the end of the month. The 22-year-old Canadian was delighted with a seventh podium from seven attempts this season, even if his run of three straight wins was ended by a rider aiming for his first.

“He surprised everyone,” Grondin said of Ulbricht. “He had a super start and then he rode really well all the way down. He made a bit of a mistake on the last turn where I caught up a bit on him, but he rode super well.”

Crashes

While Grondin fell short of the top step this time, his grip on a first Crystal Globe tightened when his nearest challenger, Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT), crashed out. The three-time overall winner was leading his quarterfinal but was forced onto the wrong line through the bumps after brushing Merlin Surget (FRA).

Local favourite Lucas Eguibar (ESP) avoided that chaos and then cruised through his semifinal to the audible delight of his 30 family members and friends who had flown down from San Sebastian for the weekend. The Spaniard made a poor start in the final, however, and slid sideways through the line on his front in fourth position after clipping a course flag near the finish.

It was a disheartening end for Eguibar, who had earlier praised the local organisers for doing a “crazy good job” of reconfiguring the course due to a lack of snow in Andalusia.

In better conditions, none of the 48 riders would have wanted to see a track shortened in length to only 615 metres from its usual 900-plus. But they did at least want to see, and as thick fog descended over the Sierra Nevada mountains on Saturday afternoon even that prerequisite - and the day's races - began to seem in doubt.

“You can’t see a thing,” Jake Vedder (USA) divulged in the finish area after he qualified for the Big Final. Vedder could still race clean when it mattered, though, holding on to the heels of Ulrich and Grondin to scoop his first podium of the season and only the fourth of his career.

“It was crazy weather today but I kept my head on straight and I’m super excited to get on that podium again,” he said.

Bankes back to her best

After waiting until February for her first win of a season even patchier than the Sierra Nevada fog, Saturday provided more evidence that Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes has finally found her groove.

In a Big Final with all the big names, she capitalised on a contact between Eve Adamczykova (CZE) and Manon Petit Lenoir (FRA) at the top of the course to open up a big lead by the bottom, crossing the line ahead of Chloe Trespeuch (FRA).

“I feel great and I’m really happy to come away with a win,” Bankes, a three-time Crystal Globe winner, said.

“Today was a tough race, the conditions were really tough. But we’ve been riding the track for three days so we know where to go and you just have to try and ride as if it was sunny.

“I’m happy with how I rode in the final. I managed to build my runs today. Now it’s recovery and we’ll see what the weather holds for us tomorrow. Hopefully we can have another good race.”

Czech hopeful Adamczykova already had one eye on Sunday’s instalment of the Sierra Nevada double-header, when she will need to put even more distance between herself and Trespeuch if she is to claw back more of the French rider’s 135-point lead in the overall standings.

“I’m hoping for better weather tomorrow but I think the forecast is not so good,” she said.

“I would like to do better starts than in the final – that was my worst start today I think – but I’m getting in to it again. Today was still better than yesterday so I’m hoping tomorrow will be even better than today.”

Sunday's action will begin with qualifying heats for the men at 09.45 CET and the women at 10.45 CET. The fastest two riders from each bracket of four will advance to the live TV stages from 11.30 CET, which begin for the men at the 1/8 finals and for the women at the quaterfinals.

QUICK LINKS

Sierra Nevada data page
Photos: Snowboard Cross Sierra Nevada
Full 2023/204 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Standings
Full 2023/24 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Calendar