The mens qualifying is still going on, but a Blenkinsop has slipped under the radar to set the fastest time so far. Fairclough has been telling me all week that he feels good and loving the course.

Anybody want to get the calculator out and start working out the possible points outcome?

I’ve just heard that the qualies have been stopped for 45mins. Apparently Matt Simmonds crashed into a photographer and the photo jock had to be airlifted to hospital. Heard Simmonds went to the hospital too for a check up but his team says he seems okay.

1 BLENKINSOP Samuel 4:10.27
2 FAIRCLOUGH Brendan 4:10.76
3 ATHERTON Gee 4:11.02
4 HILL Samuel 4:11.48
5 PEAT Steve 4:15.04
6 MINNAAR Greg 4:15.68
7 BAREL Fabien 4:16.13
8 LEOV Justin 4:20.72
9 KOVARIK Chris 4:21.11
10 RENNIE Nathan 4:21.91

In the womens Rachel Atherton smoked the rest of the field with a time of 4:45.98 nearly 11 seconds up on 2nd place Floriane Pugin.

1. Rachel Atherton 4:45.98
2. Floriane Pugin 4:56.43
3. Tracy Moseley 5:00.64
4. Sabrina Jonnier 5:07.59
5. Petra Bernhard 5:14.41
6. Helen Gaskell 5:19.07
7. Fionn Griffiths 5:21.84
8. Emmeline Ragot 5:23.39

Check out the old skool Schladming start hut, an old ski pole and the timing gate lashed on with gaffer tape sets riders off for the most exciting race of the year.

schladming-wc-qualifying-results