2012 Fort William Downhill Finals Action

Apparently none of the racers read the biggest sign in Scotland today. -Sven Martin

Aaron Gwin had a tough day yesterday, clearly shaken up a bit and in a corner. Maybe it was a higher power, but he came through today with the win in the trying conditions. -Stephen Hughes

Danny Hart put on another good show here at Fort William with another second place, bumping him up to 4th in the overall, even with a slow start in Pietermaritzburg. -Beyer/Martin

Gee came down for another third place this weekend. A few errors in the mid-section on a very different course kept him from doing any better. -Sven Martin

Emmeline Ragot had a great ride, after flatting yesterday in the qualifier. A good run had her take the win in the women's by 1.3 seconds over Rachel, and another 9 seconds over third. -Sven Martin

Peaty used the hammy-stretching technique we presented last night and was able to ride down the course. WON'T BACK DOWN! -Vanja Kodermac

This is Rachel Atherton after a big crash on her final practice run this morning, in the woods on the slippery wallride. A confidence breaker just before heading up for her final run. -Stephen Hughes

Josh Bryceland is most likely celebrating in the Ft. William streets and roundabouts right about now. I think I can smell the rubber burning. Solid ride for 5th place. -Sven Martin

Robin Wallner, soil sample and stem to the face, as seen during the live webcast. -Vanja Kodermac

Sam Hill, not stopping to find out what the streak on that dude's back is. 4th place and in the hunt! -Vanja Kodermac

Go on Sam Dale!!! Awesome to see a few new, deserving young faces in the top ten for the first time. Sam Dale with his best World Cup result. 8th place for the big lad. Watch out tonight Ft William. -Stephen Hughes

Biggest whip by one of the biggest riders. Cameron Cole with a top 10, and still on the mend. -Vanja Kodermac

Greg Minnaar narrowly missed the podium today. An error had him off line and bending his chainring. He had to coast a lot of the final split, where he usually makes up time. That's racing. -Sven Martin

Sad day for Marc 'Slugger' Beaumont. He was down on the ground before he even knew what was happening. Sliding off a slippery wooden bridge that also claimed a few other riders. He is happy with his riding, going for the win so the weekend is not all a loss. -Sven Martin

Marc Beaumont, double vision. -Vanja Kodermac

Clean Brook on the left, Dirty Brook on the right. Rough race run, but at least he finished in place 69 : ) -Vanja Kodermac

Rachel Atherton headed up for her race run in the rain. -Sven Martin

Dan Atherton's presence in the downhill race was one that everyone was stoked to witness. 36th place...no problem. -Vanja Kodermac

All sorts of celebrity riders were here this weekend. Here Sam Reynolds, Grant Fielder and Olly Wilkins have some fun waiting for the men to begin #S4P. Beyer/Martin

A strong 7th place finish for Joe Smith, Chain Reaction's top finisher. -Vanja Kodermac

Fraser McGlone, 3rd junior on the day and 35th among the old men. Not bad at all. -Vanja Kodermac

A weekend off next week means time for some fun and training. They need not be mutually exclusive concepts, especially when it's Brendan and Neethling. -Sven Martin

Conditions were every different from the rest of the week. -Hughes/Martin

Danny Hart, only .834 off Gwin's time. In the post-race interview, you could see the disappointment in his eyes, but the burning fire is in there, too, so watch out! -Vanja Kodermac

Another team win for GT. The yellow plates look to be a fixture for the yellow and black team of GT Racing. -Beyer/Martin

As predicted, here is the final shot of the finish arena moments after Gwin's run. Rain and midges didn't dampen the spirit or the attendance numbers. -Beyer/Martin THANKS TO SVEN, VANJA, STEPHEN AND BORIS! WHAT A WEEKEND!