World Cup 5 a�� Mont Sainte Anne a�� Finals

Wow what a great race! So many amazing performances. Just one facet of the race was the juniors on hand to hone their race skills before the world championships in Andorra.

You couldn’t have picked a more exciting race to celebrate the 150th UCI downhill world cup and the 25th year that Mont Sainte Anne have held a world cup/championships. There was plenty of action before finals with qualifying throwing up a few surprises of its own, Aaron Gwin was a DNF as he crashed in the first corner, Danny Hart and Marcelo Gutierrez were up at the pointy end of the field which was headed by Troy Brosnan. With rain falling during qualifying it was with baited breath everyone went to sleep. Race day dawned and it looked like we might have a clear day ahead of us, only time would tell.

Racing came around and it looked like the rain was going to hold off... — Racing came around and it looked like the rain was going to hold off…

There were a few crashes in the last practice session before racing, some more severe than others. Unfortunately it looks like Emmeline Ragot will miss out on world championships after breaking multiple bones in her leg and arm, healing vibes.

Getting into racing and the aforementioned juniors took to the track first, Remy Morton went into a tree with his front wheel but was still upbeat, Harry Bush finished 26th, Max Warshawsky came 12th, Jackson Frew 11th and Joel Willis was in 10th finishing the trifecta of Aussie results next to each other! Andrew Crimmins was the highest placed finisher with 3rd place as he battles for the overall junior title.

1. Laurie GREENLAND
2. Alex MARIN TRILLO A�+6.663
3. Andrew CRIMMINS +7.528

Remy Morton had an unfortunate excursion into a tree! A taco was his payment for doing so (wheel that is!).

Next up were the women and you have to say that Rachel Atherton is the lady to beat at the moment, the other riders gave it a real shake but Rachel went on to claim her 24th world cup victory. Unfortunately for Tracey Hannah she had an excursion into the ground during her race run and Tegan Molloy matched her number plate finishing 14th.

1. Rachel ATHERTON
2. Manon CARPENTER +3.417
3. Myriam NICOLE +3.617

The overall is now firmly in Rachel Atherton's grasp, solid riding by all the girls though means it is anything but guaranteed. — The overall is now firmly in Rachel Atherton’s grasp, solid riding by all the girls though means it is anything but guaranteed.

Moving onto the men’s race and there was drama, action and some amazing riding. For a track that was nearly 3 kilometres long the top times were extremely close. The rain came and went for the men’s final but in reality it didn’t noticeably change the results as it never came down hard enough to cause issues. A few notes; unfortunately for the locals Stevie Smith couldn’t repeat his victory of a few years ago, unorthodoxly he crashed in the same place as his qualifying crash, washing out on a steep corner. Fortunately Mark Wallace gave the locals something to cheer about in 6th, his team mate Dean Lucas racked up another top 20 finish in 18th. Connor Fearon went over the bars in one of the gnarly rock sections on course and finished way lower down the time sheet then he had hoped. We also saw the return of Mic Hannah to world cup racing, regaining confidence before world championships. It was also Sam Hills second world cup since returning from injury, he finished a handy 20th.

It was great to see Mic Hannah back from injury and racing again.

Aaron Gwin was on the hot seat after an early run when ironically Loic Bruni knocked him off with a bike that had its chain wrapped around the cranks thanks to a big impact further up the course. Everyone was wondering could it finally be Loic’s turn?! It would seem his tough luck of getting podiums but not winning (would anyone really complain about that though?! We know Loic isn’t) continues after getting knocked down right towards the end of the day. It was Josh Bryceland that did it, with a few riders left to go it was only Troy Brosnan who troubled Josh but in the end Josh held on by 0.2 of a second over Loic, just 0.025 seconds behind Loic was Troy! What a crazy time gap after 4.5 minutes of racing! Truly nail biting stuff.

1. Josh BRYCELAND 4.22.156
2. Loic BRUNI +0.200
3. Troy BROSNAN +0.225

Not the result Connor Fearon was looking for after his recent podium, it is just a matter of time and it won't be long! — Not the result Connor Fearon was looking for after his recent podium, it is just a matter of time and it won’t be long!

Danny Hart got wild off the drop into the final straight, almost leaving the course and collecting some spectators!

Troy Brosnan lurching for any time he can get!

So close, Troy knew world cup win number 2 was so close but there are more opportunities around the corner, next weekend in fact as we head to Windham.

Loic Bruni again just missed his first world cup victory,maybe his chain issue cost him? Then again maybe it helped him by keeping smooth when he was tired towards the botom?

Next weekend we head south into the US of A for the Windham world cup, tune in then.

Images: Zach Faulkner (Instagram: @zachfaulkner)

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August 3, 2015

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – North America

Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn't go as plan for him though.... — Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn’t go as plan for him though….

There was a big 6 week gap spanning from Leogang to the Canada World Cup so I went home and trained for a couple weeks then travelled to Bromont, Quebec to base myself for a couple weeks before the World Cup. I trained and rode my downhill bike a lot at the bike park. At home we don’t have the luxury of chair lift accessible trails and it’s also winter so I wasn’t riding to much downhill at home.

As some of you might already know MSA didn’t go to plan at all. I had a infected graze that I got from crashing in Bromont a few days prior to the race. On the Thursday and Friday (practice day and qualifying day) I felt really tired and I wasn’t having fun on my bike. I had no idea why but I wasn’t riding well and I didn’t even want to ride. Turns out it was the start of the infection hitting me. To make things worse I got a flat tyre in qualifying so I acquired no points, although being a top 20 rider I was luckily auto qualified. I went to the doctor after qualifying because my elbow was slightly swollen and got a iv drip and anti-biotics.
I woke up on race day with the biggest swellbo ever. It was really sore to move and I felt really sick, dazed and had a headache. There was no way I could race and I was devastated. I was plate number 16 and my goal this year was to finish top 15, so missing a race definitely has made it a lot harder to reach the goal!

The life and times of a pro rider isn't all beer and Skittles! — The life and times of a pro rider isn’t all beer and Skittles!

Luckily after 4 days of getting IV drips at 2 different hospitals and a course of oral antibiotics the infection had cleared and I was good to go for Windham. I have raced at Windham twice now in 2011 and 2012. Neither times I got a result worth remembering because I had rode off the track in the same infamous rock garden both times. The track is really short, rough and fast. The times are always really close so everyone pushes to the limit making it a very hard race.

On the hunt but a massive infection meant the closest Connor got to racing was the sideline!

I had so much fun riding the track and felt really good. I was slightly disappointed when I qualified 22nd though. I worked on a few things in practice to gain some time, although it all really comes down to just riding really fast because there’s not many lines to change. My race run was good I made a few little mistakes but it was hard not to because you have to push so hard. I ended up 17th, I wanted to be further up the ranks but not a bad result coming from the infection. Unfortunately after coming into wc #5 with the number 16 plate I moved back to 23 after missing Mont st Anne and despite finishing 17th at Windham I moved back to 25. It’s a little depressing working so hard and being back where I finished last year, I have one more World Cup to try to reel back some positions.

A top 20 in Windham didn't move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so. — A top 20 in Windham didn’t move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so.

One thing worth mentioning is that I was fastest rider on a 26″ wheel. I can’t use it as an excuse but I think it is making it a little more difficult competing against everyone with the 650b wheels when there’s a small but obvious advantage. Things are in the works and I’m sure it won’t be to long before Kona have a 650b bike for me to race.
The last few weeks has made me realise in this sport nothing you can do will guarantee success. Weather you get sick, crash, get a mechanical, ride out of your ability or keep it to safe it all makes it hard to have a perfect race or season.
So right now I’m sitting in Montreal Airport about to fly to whistler. I’m really looking forward to riding the best tracks in the world and do some races that aren’t so serious and don’t come with all the pressure of a World Cup. Massive thanks to all the people that help me out especially Kona Bikes, SRAM, Rockshox, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis, Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Swift Supplements and Breese High Performance.

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August 13, 2014

World Cup Round 5, Mont St. Anne – Practice

Rachel Atherton was at top speed from run no.1

Today we woke up to an awesome day, with almost clear skies and the promise of a great day of riding. The first session of practice got underway and straight out of the gate there was plenty of speed, with many of the veterans of the sport like Rachel Atherton hitting top speed in plenty of sections first run. The new and loose sections of track started forming ruts even after only a few riders had passed over them. There were plenty of lines being tried early on, but by the end of practice everyone had their lines down and there were only a couple of distinct lines being taken.

Ben Hill, one of the Aussie juniors throwing in some style

As elite men started rolling down for their practice the hill seemed to be deserted with only a few riders coming down. Then the rain began and this diminished almost all riders, with only a couple coming down every few minutes. the slippery conditions caught a few riders out, especially in the open sections where the track became slick and muddy, The most notable crash we saw was Gee Atherton who came off and snapped his stem clean off, he walked away from the incident but was a little worse for wear.

We dont have much more to say about today, so we will leave you with a gallery of todays undetakings.

Its great to see Andrew Crimmins back on a bike, and looking very quick in today's practice — Its great to see Andrew Crimmins back on a bike, and looking very quick in today’s practice

Laurie Greenland looking good through the top woods

Max Warsharsky, one of Australia's juniors was looking on pace today, one of the fastest we saw under the chairlift. — Max Warsharsky, one of Australia’s juniors was looking on pace today, one of the fastest we saw under the chairlift.

Manon Carpenter looked strong all day through the rocks

Jack Moir solves a problem of rock gardens, by just cruising over them

David McMillan scouts the rock garden on his way through, still on a blistering pace

Troy Brosnan, trying a little something different on his new Demo

Josh Bryceland throwing in some signature style

Danny Hart navigating the wet and slippery track

Sam Hill pushes over the signature Mont St Anne drop in the rain

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August 1, 2014

World Cup 4 – Mont Sainte Anne – Finals

For many Australian fans this was one early Monday morning to look forward to; a 5am start with the Top 10 Women’s DHI streamed on Red Bull TV. While Rachel Atherton has dominated the series so far, and qualified first, an error at the top of the course and a crash in the lower wooded section cost her vital time, and landed her in 12th place. Emmiline Ragot came away with the win by 4 seconds with a fast, clean run ahead of Manon Carpenter and Floriane Pugin.

Emmiline Ragot took the win with style, and with Junior Men's teammate Loris Vergier taking 1st too, it was a great day for Team Lappiere on the mountain. — Emmiline Ragot took the win with style, and with Junior Men’s teammate Loris Vergier taking 1st too,
it was a great day for the Lapierre Gravity Republic team on the mountain.

As the Men’s race runs got underway, mechanicals and punctures littered the field, and even an unlucky broken wheel for ‘not Peaty’ Josh Bryceland. South African Andrew Neethling still held the hot seat with a time of 4:02:984, which held well into the Top 30, until Gee Atherton stormed through for the final dry run of the day with a 3:59:389. Then the sky opened up to make things interesting. It wasn’t long before the open areas were getting slick, slowing riders down in the top section and seemingly securing the win for Gee.

troy fulllq — After proving his worth in previous years as a Junior, Troy Brosnan has his foot firmly in the door, placing pressure on the world’s fastest and doing Australia proud. After qualifying 7th, Troy laid down a solid performance in his race run, but the change in conditions slowed the whole group down.

After a solid weekend of practice, and confidence coming into the event, Dean Lucas took a close second in Junior Mens, three hundredths of a second behind Loris Vergier. It’s easy to believe the future of Australian World Cup downhill is in safe hands watching these young guns ride!

There's no doubt there was hearts in mouths when Sam Hill stepped up to the start. After his mythical performance at Champery in 2007, and his building performance throughout his first season back from injury, it was very plausible that he could steal the win from under Gee's nose. Once again the wet weather stood its ground, but Sam put up a good fight to claim 3rd. And the words on Australia's lips are "one of these days..." — There’s no doubt that there were hearts in mouths when Sam Hill stepped up to the start. After his mythical performance at Champery in 2007, and his building performance throughout his first season back from injury, it was very plausible that he could steal the win from under Gee’s nose. Once again the wet weather stood its ground, but Sam put up a good fight to claim 3rd. And the words on Australia’s lips are “one of these days…”

As Stevie Smith hit the track the home crowd roared; as if they'd been silent all day. As he made his way down the mountain, with obvious speed and endless style, commentator Rob Warner took us back to Champery 2011, and got the Downhill world's hearts pumping. — As Stevie Smith hit the track the home crowd roared; they roared as if they’d been silent all day. As he made his way down the mountain, with obvious speed and endless style, commentator Rob Warner took us back to Champery 2011, and got the Downhill world’s hearts pumping as Stevie came in with a time of 3:58:485 and the win.

The grin of a well deserved winner, Steve Smith hasn't got long to celebrate before heading to Whistler for Crankworx. It's on with the job and onto the next race, but this win won't be forgotten quickly. — The grin of a well deserved winner, Steve Smith hasn’t got long to celebrate before heading to Whistler for Crankworx. It’s on with the job and onto the next race, but this win won’t be forgotten quickly.

The whole field is hungry for the top of the podium, and as the season progresses each rider gets even more determined. What will happen in Norway?

August 12, 2013

World Cup 4 – Mont Sainte Anne – Practice 2

What a shambles! High speed winds ripped through overnight and caused some damage.

Everyone in Mont Sainte Anne woke up for the finalA�full day of practice to be greeted by a bit of destruction! Strong winds that came through overnight really made a mess of the pit area! For the riders the winds did cause a few issues in practice, one of the fastest courses on the circuit, MSA has some open areas and jumps where the wind can play havoc, keeping it low was the name of the game.

For the riders keeping low over jumps was critical, with a good qualifying result Sam Blenkinsop keeps it low to make sure he makes it through to Sunday's race. — For the riders keeping low over jumps was critical, with a good qualifying result Sam Blenkinsop keeps it low to make sure he makes it through to Sunday’s race.

Keeping low doesn't mean you can't look stylish though as Sam Hill demonstrates! — Keeping low doesn’t mean you can’t look stylish though as Sam Hill demonstrates!

The Santa Cruz Syndicate didn't escape the carnage... — The Santa Cruz Syndicate didn’t escape the carnage…

Danny Hart will be wanting to get the 'no World Cup win' monkey off his back, second in qualifying shows this could be his race. — Danny Hart will be wanting to get the ‘no World Cup win’ monkey off his back, second in qualifying shows this could be his race.

There were plenty of different styles being thrown down over the jumps lining the course... — There were plenty of different styles being thrown down over the jumps lining the course…

Will Gee Atherton’s big crash in qualifying be too much for him to overcome on race day? Connor Fearon is on a mission for a top 10 result and we all know he can do it! Will Sam Hill take his first win in a long time? Will Danny Hart claim his maiden victory? Troy Brosnan knows this track and won his first Junior World Champs here, with his parents support track side, will he take his maiden victory? So many questions – race day will answer all, check back soon!

August 11, 2013

Mont Sainte Anne World Cup Round 4

Aaron Gwin took out the race but the rest of the podium was made up of different faces instead of the usual contenders. The future is now.

As it did last year, for the 2010 World Championships, Mont Sainte Anne (MSA) turned on the wet and wild weather. Combined with slick rocks that littered the four and a half minute track it was always going to be interesting. MSA has held a World Cup or World Championships every year since the series inception and riders are happy to come back as the event is always well run on a proper track. This year the organisers ensured everyone watching from home had a better experience with the additon of a cable cam into the finish area. Continue reading “Mont Sainte Anne World Cup Round 4” →

August 12, 2011