While some of his competition didn’t have to endure the rain, first overall qualifier Gwin was the last to take the trip down the mountain. The course was at its most rain-soaked, but that didn’t hold Gwin back as he rode on the slick course with lack of visibility to post a time one second ahead of Lucas in second. Gwin’s win helped him move back into second in the standings as the series has just one more downhill round remaining.
Lucas was one of the fortunate ones to take his run before the skies opened up. Since he qualified 34th, his run was earlier and gave him the advantage of running on a dry course. Even though he was gifted clear vision and no rain, Lucas still had the challenge of navigating a course known for being brutal on both rider and bike. He wouldn’t let his 34th qualifying finish on Saturday dictate his Sunday run and was able to throw down an incredibly fast lap that would end up placing him second overall.
Last round’s runner-up finisher Brosnan had to negotiate the rain and ended up sixth, only a tenth of a second behind fifth place – who didn’t have to run in the rain. Brosnan is now third in the championship. Jack Moir was also one of the five riders in the top 10 who endured the wet weather, finishing eighth overall. Moir sits fifth in the championship standings.
Despite having quality qualifying runs both Luca Shaw (5th fastest in qualifier) and Brenan Fariclough (11th fastest qualifier) were some of the unfortunate riders who had to bear the bad weather. Both tried to maneuver around the ridiculous conditions, but mother nature got the best of them. The riders are hoping for some better weather at the next UCI World Cup Downhill in Val di Sole, Italy, taking place in just a few short weeks from August 26-27.
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Men’s Elite, Downhill – Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada
- Aaron Gwin, The YT Mob
- Dean Lucas, Intense Factory Racing
- Danny Hart, MS Mondraker Team
- Loic Bruni, Specialized Gravity
- Michael Jones, Chain Reaction Cycles/Mavic
- Troy Brosnan, Canyon Factory Racing DH
- Baptiste Pierron, VV Racing
- Jack Moir, Intense Factory Racing
- Jacob Dickson, GIANT Factory Off-Road Team
- Eliot Jackson, GIANT Factory Off-Road Team
- Greg Minnaar, Santa Cruz Syndicate
- Aaron Gwin, The YT Mob
- Troy Brosnan, Canyon Factory Racing DH
- Danny Hart, MS Mondraker Team
- Jack Moir, Intense Factory Racing
**Photos by Sven Martin