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.
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!).
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.
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!
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!
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.
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?
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?
The Rat is back! Josh Bryceland said his run wasn't perfect but at MSA it doesn't have to be for the win, it just needs to be the best.
The Rat is back! Josh Bryceland said his run wasn’t perfect but at MSA it doesn’t have to be for the win, it just needs to be the best.
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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